The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-03-31

one or at best side issue, that loses the true
drift of the question. Forms and names arc
taken for facts and ideas, and the combatants
seldom strike each other fairly in front. hope
to escape some of this mistake, by treating the
whole subject as question of labor and capt.
tal-a history Of poverty and wealth-the In
evitable slavery of the one, and the practical
tyranny of the other. This apprehension,
believe, will Justify itself as the investigation
proceeds, and it will ct least have the effect Of
putting the combatants upon even terms with
each other, and compelling them to fight with
their proper weapons, without advantage OF
foils and feints in the conflict The Shareholder
cannot object to such an array, for it gives
him the full use Of all his armor, offensive and
defensive; and the Abolitionist cannot COM
plain if he is turned into the arena as naked Of
artificial defences as his enemy.
do not say that labor is slavery, that wages
is bondage, nor that employer and owner are
the same thing These are or are not equiva-
lent terms, as actual results andfPe possibli-
ties determine but do not overstate the full
meaning of pOrsrty when affirm that it is the
essence and substance of Slavery. The slave is
the poorest of men, for he does not own his
own bones and muscles the man who owns
nothing else is often as much in the market
for the sale of all there is in them which the
capitalist wants of him or them. That this
point is not too bluntly or too broadly stated,
will appear, think, as we proceed. do not
stop now to indicate the difference of condition
and attitude which circumstances are capable
of effecting; that also will appear in the pro-
gress of the investigation. My conclusions will
be drawn from the argument after it is pre-
sented-not stated now, at the risk of bias
ing endeavor to establish them.
am concerned now at the outset to guard
and define the proposition that poverty is sla-
very in order to avoid the prejudice of any
possible misapprehension, and for the available
use of the idea through the whole discussion Of
our subject | am aware that Religion, both
Pagan and Christian, az well as enlightened
provides consultations for hardship,
suffering, and want, and annexes remunera-
tons to self denial and privation, which lend
them charm that nothing intrinsic in wealth
can match but it is not Lazarus at the rich
mans door begging for bread, that affords the
catering contrast, but Lazarus in Abraham's
bosom, and Dives in torment which strikes the
fancy and arouses the admiration. st. Paul
hits the heart of the truth When he declares
that If in this life only we have hope, then are
we of all men the most miserable" The life
does not wholly lie on the level and within the
grasp of circumstances; nor does it end with
the strife which we here maintain with adver-
sity And "the sufferings of the present are
not worthy to be compared with the glory that
shall be revealed in u.s." but neither Religion
nor Philosophy regard poverty-that poverty
which brings ignorance, disease, slavery, and
death-n any other light than as blight, an
evil, curse, to be mitigated only in the degree
that it is removed.
When the Great Teacher required his dis
ciples to forsake oil and follow him when he
promised them only hunger and thirst, and
persecution, and the loss Of all things, he ut
tered no commentator of that poverty to
which he invited them he spoke only pre-
IT. --,-r7y - A. a---,L~a =. 49, 80
lot of sorrow, suffering, and martyrdom, to be
compensated, because it is loss by the cur
rent consciousness of benevolent heroism, and
the ultimate glory which should follow. Suf
fering for the benefit of others, which cannot
be otherwise accomplished, he enjoins both by
precept and example; but it is majestic over
mastering of evils in charitable achievement
which he commends, and not a word of con-
tentment and pleasure does he utter with the
supposed good of restraining and enfeebling
privation. His miracles were wrought to re-
lieve the distress of want and sickness. He
went about delivering the poor from their en-
durance. He fed the hungry and healed the
sick, in the same spirit that he cast out de-
mons. Moreover, he reproduced and enlarged
the idea of Moses, that temporal good is to be
insured by the establishment of the Kingdom
of God and his justice upon the earth. The
founder of the Jewish State made the blessings
of conformity to the theocratic system OF civil
government to consist wholly in temporal pros
perity the penalties of disobe1ience, in want
suffering and slavery. (Deut, chap. xviii J
And Christ clearly and positively promises
abundance of the goods of this life to the
church, when it shall organize its polity accord
ing to the Justice of Heaven: {" All these things,
wiz: what ye shall eat and what ye shall
drink, and wherewithal yo shall be clothed, J
shall be added unto you" (Matth, Vi, 3l-33,) }
as incidents of the new theocracy, when the
requirements of its system shall be understood
and obeyed.
These benefits of what We call wealth and
luxury, here signifed, are evidently not so
much spiritual that they must needs be mirac-
ulous They are to result from the established
constitution of things rightly employed. They
arc prediction of science, as we'll as a prophecy
of revelation And they are as sure as happi-
ness must spring from the harmonies Of the
creation; as sure as benefcence must result
from obedience to the system Of existence, as it
lies in the purpose of God,
twas but natural, perhaps, that stoicism
and ascetcism should result the one from a
high philosophy, the other from sublime re-
ligon; for much endurance has ever hitherto
been demanded by the prevalent evil of the
world but the duty of generous selfsacrifce
and sturdy selfdenial springs not ont of their
absolute excellence, but out of their necessity,
leaving it still higher duty to remove their
causes and to replace their mischief BY the
conditions of a happier development for the life
of the race. Men look for the better time
coming on the EARTH under the same impulse
that they anticipate the blessedness of.hsavcn'