The Ohio star. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1830-1854, 1853-03-16
$50 For the OHIO Star.
Angelique. The Quadroon Girl.
OR,
Bondage Without Chains.
lSsa s7g By MRS. H. I. Bosrw1cK.

The multiplication table was his creed,
His pater-noster and his Decalogue.-Southey.
And beautiful and pure
Was she who walked more family day by day.
Till silently she perished by the way" |
Ralph Herbert, whose moral daguerreotype has
been fnintIy given in the preceding chapters, a
native of Louisiana, though the of New
Englander who ut an early age, left the green
borders and chill breezes of the Champlan to
seek his fortune in New Orleans counting house.
Successful beyond his brightest expections, he be-
came in tsw years. partner in large mercantile
firm, married. amassed wealth, was unfortunate,
and died; leaving to inherit little save his
worldly ambition and pride, with that added in
centve to exertion which in minds like bis, the
loss Of expected wealth supplies. s5
The younger Herbert spent portion of his
boyhood with relatives in Vermont, where he was
remembered mainly as ciyil-spoken, somewhat
reserved lad, whose faults were occasional suIen
displays of an unyieldng will, and the extrayagant
estimate he placed upon wealth and position.
Thedecline and falof hisfather's fortunes, served
but to develop and strengthen these natural traits,
and with but one nffexible resolve, one all pervad-
ing idea IN his brain, he bent every energy to the
recovery Of that which he had lost.
Fortune smiled as she usually condescends to
do upon the skilful and preservering worker; SO
that IN seven years by the honorable profits of mer
chandize, he found himself possessor of moder-
ate fortune, and had this course continued, it is
probable that the record of Ralph Herberl's life,
if it told not of great attainments made, or great
good performed, might at best have been free from
,,f l.,,<
g At this time by the death of q relative of his
mothers, he came unexpectedly in possession of a
magnificent estate, and one hundred and fifty
slaves; and now the golden harvest which to his
ploddng daily toll had looked SO dim and distant,
became, in the twinkling Of an eye, surrounding,
dazzling reality. r
He committed his city property to the care of
agents, sold one two extensive farms, aud then
removing to the fine plantation and beautiful villa
where we find him, gathered together his human
chaitels, and commenced a successful career as o
cotfon-pIanter on magnificent scale. This new
calling he pursued with even more than the old
assiduity, for, he now aspired to become the
wealthest planter in the State. a
Yet with all this sordid self consecration to
Mammon, with all his neglect of the wants of the
inner and boiler nature which allies man more
peculiarly TO the angels. no could be more
senstivsly mindful of the proprieties of life even
while unscrupulousIy treading down its humani-
ties-none more patient waiter upon the DEGREES
of society in regard to forms and observances ;
His tastes were naturally exquisite, and though
removed very far frona souptuary. he loved the
adornments of luxury, partly for their own sake,
and partly because their presence gave him a
comfortable feeling Of position-the realization Of
his youth-dream. "a sssq sss+ ., si
Mr.. Herbert held slaves, bought, sold, and
worked them, not because he thought it duty
which he owed to his country, or TO the African
race in general. or to the memory of Abraham.
True, he had a kind of traditionary impression
That the negro, as race is inferior to the white,
ont ne never for moment supposed that this fact.
Il 1t Were fact, gave him the shadow of moral
right TO enslaye him. He held slaves, simply be-
cause 1t was for his worldly interest to do SO and
for the same reason, he would have done almost
any other conceivable wrong, which the Constitu-
tion legalized and custom made respectable. He
hated moral distractions, therefore he never rs
fiecfed the subject felt no condemnation sought
no justification.
He WIS not cruel master 10 the broad aecep-
tation of the term. He never perpetrated any
4 eavavitfaa in naraon oy xxitrassad ~ hv tI,oe a