Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1854-12-28
Ia ASOUTH-sIDE VIEW OF SLAVERY;

| 5AsoUTH-sIDE VIEW OF SLAVERY;
On THREE MONTHS AT THE South, IN 1854
| BJ Nehemiah Adams, D. D.,-New York
| Clark, Austen & Co.
SHr.s Is neutrality-suspicious. we sh houId
saasn exIraordinsrv-book. !. is remar-
kaBs in its authorship, in its designs, in its
steflmen,s, and in its conclusion and j,
lcennot fail to make a peculiar impression
"a the public mind. The Rev. Dr.. Ad-
Eis one OF the most respected rlergvmen
be city Of Boston, and up to the time Of
b EJvisi. to The South shared deeply in the
N3flbern sentiment Of sbhorrence toward
slEsry. He says 1.-THE last Thing which
F4d out Of doors before leaving Boston,
WI TO sign the ,emonsrance Of The New
England clergymen against the extension Of
slSery into The con,empl lated territories of
prasky and Kansas. ! had assisted in
fleming that remons,rsnce. The last thing
witch ] happened to do, late al night, before
Segan my journey, was, to provide some
thing for freed slave on his wav to Libe.
ri$ who was endeavnrIng to raise several
thousand dollars to redeem his wife and
children from bondage. Nv converss,ions
tefting to this slave and his family had fill
edme with new but by no means strange
distress, and the though. Of looking slavery
nlthe face, Of seeing the things which had
Subsequently disturbed nv SELL Eossession,
wSs by no means pleasant" BIZ. The duty
ofproviding "for The health Of an invslid,''
probably member Of bis family, whom
medical advice directed to a Southern eli
mate, overcame the reverend doctors repug-
nsuce to the sight Of slavery, and he sailed
from New York 10 Savsnnah On lending
there he was Immediately surprised at the
cheerfulness Of the slaves he met, than
whom, he declares that he had never seen
ia better looking. happier, more courteous
sci of people," His preconceived opinions
Of slavery were al once shaken, end he be-.
gan to reflect:
"Our fancies with regard to The condition
OF The slaves proceed from our Northern re-
pognance 10 slavery, stimulated by many
things that we read. The everyday life,
,he whole picture of society a, The South, is
not presented 10 US so frequen.lv--indeed
il cannot be, nor can it strike the mind ss
s:rongly-ss slave auctions and sepsr ations
Of families, fugiives hiding in dismal swamps
bd other things which appeal to our sensi-
biIties. Whatever else may be true Of sta
very, these things, we say, are indisPuable;
and lhev furnish materials for the fancy 10
build into q world Of woe.
Wilhou, supposing that had yet seen
slavery. it was nevertheless true that load
was lifted from my mind by The first super
fetal look at the slaves in the city"
The sigh, Of The miilsrv bands end FIRE
companies composed Of slaves slso made a
favorable impression upon our author. The
low bv which colored people are forbidden
TO be abroad after o'clock q. nigh. without
a written pass seemed TO him a Wholesome
restraint which, he is aImo., inclined to
think, nigh. he introduced with advantage
IN Northern cities for the better control Of
some white people:
"Pul,ng aside for the time sll Thoughts
If slavery, INDUCED mysefi in thinking and
feeling, here is strong government. II has
a tonic, brscing effect upon ones feelings to
be in its atmosphere; and as Charles Lamb
tells us no. to inquire too narrowly of eve.
Young children" are fiction, but 10 give.
and enjoy i, so there was a temptation to
disregard for the lime the idea Of slavery
and, becoming a mere u.ll,s'ian, to think
of three millions Of our population as being
under perfec, control. and in this instance
ind<pu,sbly to their benefits
The universal gsye'y and bonhomie OF the
slaves continually surprised him. My the
ory was" he says, ",hai they ougt. 10 be
perpe,uslIy happy. tried to persuade my.
self ,ha. they were. Tens Of thousands o
people are miserable on their account, ant
my wonder was, that the slaves were no
continually verifying and warran,ing all the
distress of " hich they are the OCCASION" bu
'their looks end manner gave agreeable les
'imony that, in spite Of their condition, they
had sources of enjoyment and ways of man
ifes'ing j! which suggested TO a spectator ne
thought of involuntary servilude." And or
page "a, he again remarks ,ha. "the thou
sands Of intelligent, happy colored chiIdrer
seen going 10 meeting on every Sabbath
in every Southern town and city, make ,
Northern visitor feel .hs. some Of his lheo
relicsl opinions q, home, with regard 10 ths
actual condition Of slavery, are much i'm.
proved by practical views Of it," The dress
Of the slaves was subject Of Dr.. Adsms's
especial admiration:
"To see slaves with broadclo,h suits, well
fitting and nicely-roued fine shirts, polished
boots, gloves, umbrellas for sunshades, the
bes, Of hats, their young men with their blue
coats and bright buttons, in the latest style
white MarseIles vesls, white panlaloons
brooches in their shirt bosoms, gold chains
elegant sticks, and some old men leaning on
their ivory and silver-headed slaves, as re.
spectacle in their attire as any who lha, day
went TO the house Of God, was more than
was prepared 10 see. But