The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-08-04

Popish Government passed law equally crue
and degrading ~.
In North Caroline, to teach and learn t.
read or write, or to give him amy book, the
Bible not excepted is punishAble with fine
Of $500. Now, mark the reason given by the
law itself for this cruel enactment viz: Where
as teaching slaves TO read and write tends to
dissatisfaction in their minds and to produce
Instruction and rebellion - that ia, that we
may more easily use them as brutes, we will
keep them in brutal ignorance.
In Georgia, the penalty for teaching slave
or free black TO read or write is, for white
pcrsen, $500 and for a black one, to be whip
ped at the discretion of the court. Hence a
free mother maybe ScOurged for teaching her oio,l
child 10 read Says the statute Of Missouri, Nc
person shall keep or teach any school for the in
struction of negroes or mulattoes in reading OF
writing in this State The crime here forbid.
den is punished by fine of $500, and impris-
onment at the discretion Of the court. Said
Mr. Berry in the Virginia Legislature Of 1892
1--WE have as far as possible, closed every ave
nue. by which light might enter their 1.-THE
slave's) minds And so with all the slave
States, with possibly tro exceptions, the key Of
knowledge has been taken away by law from
free colored population; and virtually in tvsr,
slave State, the slaves are utterly destitute Of
letters, except what they may obtain by stealth
or from individual beneyolence. In the whole
slave region there is not it is believed, one SIN
gle school in which slaves are openly taught Il
read and write.
In 1888 the South Carolina Methodist Con
ference appointed a missionary to preach to the
slaves. SO violent was the opposition Of the
shareholders To this mission, that it was aban-
doDed In q printed remonstrance against it,
signed by 352 persons, they say Verbal in
struction will increase the desire of the black
population to learn We know upwards of q
dozen y negroes in the neghborbood of Cam
bridge who can now read. OF course, when
they see themselves encouraged they will sup.
ply themselves with Bibles hmm books, and
cateehismSi Open the missionary Siuace, and
the current will swell in its gradual onward
advance. We thus expect that a progressive
system of improvement will be introduced or
will follow, from the nature and force of cir
cumstances, and if not checked Though they
may be shrouded in sophistry and disgnise)
will ultimately revolutionize our civil institu.
tons Intelligence and slavery haze no affinity
Nth each otherD
A writer in the Charleston Mercurp arguing
in favor of keeping slaves in ignorance, says
at needed no great scope of argument to sat
isiy those who framed our laws that the eIpan-
sion of intellect, the hundred influences which
education generates would be very inconsistent
with the habit of obedience, which was the cor
ner stone of the institution" A Georgia pa
per, declaimng against the employment of ne
groes as master mechanics, says: Every act
either directly or indirectly, to educate the
slave, to give him intelligence, and place him
on On equality with white men, Just to that ex-
tent endangers the institution of slavery"
If the Papists take away the key of knowl-
edge it is prOfessedly to saUe souls; but the
Southern Pharisees unblushingly avow that
they take away the key of knowledge to render
their human chattels more manageable and
profitable, regardless of their happiness in this
life or in that which is to come.
Let us now attend to some Of the confessions
of the Southern Pharisees as to the results of
this coerced ignorance. The Rev. C. c. Jones,
in a sermon in Georgia, and published in Sa-
vannah, says: "The description which the
APOSTLE Paul in his epistle to the Romans, gives
Of the heather world, will apply, with very lit
tie abatement to our negroes. Generally
speaking they appear to be without hope and
without God in the world--a nation of heather
in our Uerg midst. We cannot cry out against
the Papists MIR. Plummer has more brass than
Mr. Jones for Withholding the Scriptures from
the common people, and keeping them in ig-
norance of the way of life, for rce pithhoM the
Bible from our servants, and keep them in ig-
norance, while we will not use the means to
have it read and explained to them"
Now l,otap IN ha oop faeaio, Of tho SuooJ 81
South Carolina and Georgia, REPORT of 1888,
it, that in these years OF revival and benevolent
effort, in this Christian Republic there are too
millions of human beings in the condition of
heather, and in some respects in a worse con-
ditiont From lOng-continued and close obser
walton, we believe that their moral and reli-
gious condition is such that they may justly be
considered the heather of this Christian coun.
try, and will bear comparison with heather
in any part of the world
And to what action are these terrible con.
LESSONS intended to lead To the knowledge
of letters, and the gift of the Bible? Very far
from the Southern Pharisees, is any intention
OF restoring the key of knowledge, which they
have taken away. The agent of the New Or
leans Bible Society was arrested for asking
some slaves If they could read, and would like
a Biblet Whereupon, says the New Orleans
Picdyune of 10th August 1881, "the Society
Unclaimed hGping the most distant intention of
yiUing The Scriptures 10 Slaves, and it was said
Black the AGENT had exceeded his commission
n Offering a." TO satisfy their consciences in
aking away the key of knowledge these South.
I'm cergymen recommend oral instruction
70 avoid all suspicion Of want of patriotism,
he North Carolina Baptist Convention, after
the religious instruction of col
red people, added the following saving re-
olive
Resolved, That by religious instruction, be
uerbdi commune on religious
ubjects!"
Among these verbal communications, the fol-
owing are never omitted viz: That God has
made them slaves, and that He will punish
hem in the next world, if they disobey their
masters, steal from them, or run GDdy Slave |
atechisms are also prepared, which the oralla
are taught to repeat memoriter In |
Mr. c. c. Jones's catcchism for slaves we have
he following: lis it right for the servant to
.un away Or is it right to harbor run
away? No" OF course care is taken that
the slaves shall not, like the Bereans, "search
the Scriptures and SEQ whether these things
are 500
Now DIR. Plummer is perfectly aware Of the
state Of things at the South, and has lent his
example and influence and practice TO keep
he slaves in ignorance and bondage; and yet
he had the assurance to come to New York,
and there utter a TRADE against "Papal Phar-
sees" for taking away the key Of knowledge
when the sin, and the woe, denounced against
il in Scriptures, fall with ten-fold weight upon
himself and his brother shareholders
We want no such defenders of Protestant
ism as DR.. Plummer. He betrays the cause
in the very act of defending it, Catholics
have as much right to take away they the key
of knowledge as the reverend preacher him.
self If the Bible may be withheld from the
slave, TO render him more obedient to his mas
ter, it may also be withheld from the Papst
to make him more obedient to his priest Nor
do we want any such advocate for Bible Socie.