New-York daily tribune., 1854-09-02
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, l55i.
:. LETTER OF A SLAVE"


,cbool-oDe written to his parents under the
masters eye and virtual dctston. and the other
concooted on the sly" and furtiyely dispatched
TO his brother. We haven't been freshly re-
minded of these strongly contrssted letters for
many day, until we read, iD The Mobile Hersd
and TTibvne, the " Letter Of 4 Slave" from his
masters temporary resting place st Sharon
Spripesin in our State to Dear Niliey' at home In
Nobile-which we have already referred to.
This letter, be it understood, is actually writ
| ten by the master or some of hIs kin-the slave
who dictates it not numbering chirOgraPhy among
| his accomplish nents. But this amsnuensis'
certifes that be "has coDformed strictly to Aliens
- tobseryations and sentimeDts"-that is, TO the
| observations and sentiments which ALLEN" sees
| fit to reveal to him. If the slave only could
write letter for himself, being sure that it
| would reach bis wife unknown TO and unsus-
pected by white folks, We suspect the contrast
between that letter and the one before Us would
be as marked and mirth-inspiring as that between
the schoolboy's two letters aforesaid.
In the letter before us, the cOlored observer
| from Mobile dilates on the misery and squslid
| desttution which had arrested his attention and
excited bis compassion during bis walks through
the streets of our City, and again during his So
| iourn at Sharon TO imbbe it's health giving wat
ers. Those among US who can get no work on
any any terms are very numerous, while
those who are more fortunate, and succeed ia pro
curing eBtloy ment are paic from n0hiag up 20 eight
dofar per month-the former relying upon ihe ib-
crafty OF guests for The means OF support The cham
beTmoids in the hotel at which We are now lodged get
81 per month, and regret that the shorne-s OF the
sea.on (H hicb is about tbree moufhs wi. again
throw them upon the world without hrie Of again
beng so pleasantly and prOftably employed until
tie return OF another summer. God only knows
how they work through the winters, winch am ln-
formed are FIVE times cold as ours.
The colored observer next narrsies at length
the sad case Of the porter at his hotel, who was
Obliged to lug heavy trunks, black boots aud trim
lamps from daylight till after midnight, for "a
"sum absolutely so small tbst be blu he'd to own
"it." but who would soon be deprived by the
close of the season. Of "tbe poor privilege of
being permitted to beg from the hOtel-guests
for the support Of his family, and turned OIL
until the next annual migration of SOuthrons
northward shall give our poor folks chance again,
at
ren during winter with The hard earnings OF bis sum
mel labor.
MIR. Allen Foster the save-author Of the OBJ
seryations on Northern lite and hardshps so
kindly written do sn for him by some white gen.
tlemsn of coDgenal sentiment, thus sums up his
cogitatiOns:
Talk about southern slavery and Southern power
ty-I declare that nave more of them since /
came North than ever before in all my life. Some
peope wonder that should 90 back 10 a labama and
de.m il v.ry strange that do all myself Of the
offer of what they call freedom Op the other hand,
| have hosts OF acquaintance who envy me my for
tune in ie and at this hotel alone are over dozen
who are anxious - go with MT 10 Mobile.
al would not exchange conditions with them for all
the hribes and charms Abeliuonsm could offer me.
What has ever been denied you me that We want
.dl Nothing, absolutely Dothing, and God knows
my masters have ever been my best friends"
This letter is rolled Ms a sweet mcrsel
under the tongue of Sayedom. The Mobile editor
who was permitted to give it 20 the world and his
delighted readers is in ecstacies over IT, After
reIteratDg in less forclble terms its ideas OF the
hopeless squalor and misery of a Northern work
ing.msn's life and setting forth that lie is hard
bargain for any or all of us-that the sum Of fe
licty consists in having no responsibility no care,
with good digestion, enough to eat aud opportuni-
ty TO dance, the editor proceed.:
There is a vast deal oi folly in this world about
liberty and the eternal law OF justice. A Yankee
whom we aomt to be pretty considerable atom IN
N. human racepropag ates and builds railroads and
erects house, ana leaves fortunes 0 his chdren-but
th. QIesiou not this, but the other Is be content
Would he take lease of life, and 90 over the
sane little round of cares If he thought there
tcleraby decent place for him the other side of
'Jordan we know what has answer would bs; and
40 of most of us except Sambo ho generally would
rather live the cnb oi his master than make any
iOuri ey toward Jordan.
- The thing that puzzles Us is that none of
these eulogists of Slavery ever be shamed into
| taking dose of their own medicine. Assuming
that nobody who knows them would think them
worth taking as slaves they must STILL be perfect
| ly awsre that they could easily avail themselves
of the blessings of the patriarchal Institution"
| by simply crossing the Atlantic TO the Empire Of
Morocco or almost any other part Of Western
Africa, and looking round for master. They
need not look very long nor sharply. Nor need
ttelack of passage-money be an obstacle; FOR our
slavers constantly fitting out for adventures on
the African coast would gladly take them out on
speculation for what they wouli fetch on arrival.
Then why do they keep preaching the delights of
enslayement when every days sunshine proves
that they know they are lying
But consider next the monstrOus improyidence
and waste which charscterizes the slaveholding
system. Here is man anxious 10 commend and
uphold Slavery by proving the condition of South
ern slaves vastly preferable to that of Northern
free labOrers; yet Slavery forbds his learning 70
write, so that be may difuse the important knosl-
| ,lca ba a. a. ,uired az tha Nartb sr,on, b;s ~,
slaved cOmpstriots, SO as to warn them against the