Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1854-04-15
ANTI-SLAYERY BUGLE
MODERN AND ANCIENT SLAVERY.

MODERN AND ANCIENT SLAVERY.
a'The difference between American Slavery md
the same Institution in other times and nations is
a subject well worthy Of most careful study
Among the Jews, as we know from the books Of
Moses, the bondman was an inmate of the same
house working at the same labor as the master,
and il Hebrew, cmancipasod ut tho end Of seven
years when the solemn jubilee Of the nation came
round. Among the people who now hold the an
cient seats Of Judaism, the Turks, Slavery has
even nildor aspects for the chattel Of to-day may
tomorrow be not only a freeman but be raised to
high dignity and power. But in thee countries
Slavery never attained that grandeur Of dimensions
and that political and industrial importance which
could cntitle it to enter into comparison with the
bondage oft model republic. 1t only in
Greece and Rome that it rose to such proportions,
andaccordingiy it is in those powerful and Memora.
Sie States that its history may most profitable be
examined.
90 We have in Latin works, which we need not
quote in the original text, accumulated aud oabor-
ate pictures of Roman Slavery as it existed in the
classic, civilized and refined times Of Cicero Ju-
venal, Seneca Livy, Horace, Cornelius Nepos,
Lucian, Caesar, Pliny and others. We find ut the
earliest period the Roman people simple IN their
manners, respecting aud practcing agricultural
pursuits and Utmost free from the Of Slavery
Ia Cincnnatus even followed the plow and fur
rowing with plenty and honor his little farm OF
four acres. But in time they had the curse of
rs slaves With the march Of empire the central
i1atiOn of wealth, foreed and unnatural process,
came perverted civilization, reinement and lux
ury, and the consciousness of educated gentlemen Of
that day were scared that they could with COM
pacency buy sell, scourgc or cruelty other gentle
men, their equals in every native attribute Of com
mon humanity and scholarlke and artist; culture
We find the description Of the household ofG Ru-
man millionaire, polishci Roman gcnt!emsn, to
tally in the great number Uf It's slnycs, with the
plantation Of IN American sou;hNrn gentleman.
The emplOymcnts, however, differed, those being
simply good soil-hand4. house-scrvants, coricu-
ters aud bheksmiths," oin Jet or coppcrcd hue
those being slaves for cry gentle well as simple
pursut--iair Romans, Gnas, Andelusans and
what not. A wealthy Roman gentleman owned
md scourgcd and cruciied when he thought fit, ns
the law put no limit TO his Observation-Disclosures the
re,inne Of servants for monal work and the porter
who, like watch-log "was chained day and night
TO the street door" great variety OF other slaves
forthe various emplDyments Of his houschOld,-
Among these were the steward, M intelligent per-
son, such as now owns and manages cne OF our
great hotels the chiefOEthG kitchen, an artist
cook--snr example, like the modern ". Soyer; the
family physician, gentleman or science aud cS-
speriehce, such hs DR.. Francis or Sir Bcnlumjn
1Sroidie; chief librarian, n learned scholar Of
Of the grade of DR.. Cogswoll; add his aids, the
undcr-librarans AID copyis,s, and cyammcrs.-
These last named were class, who, Mt their mas
ters will studied up any particular subject htera-
ry or scientific, and digosted it for him that he
might pass of their labor os his own; class SINH
lar to the Oxford and Cambridge men who act as
secretaries, Nmanueuscs or cramnors for members
of Parliament or men rich enough to be represen-
tntyes If privilege in England which their mlser-
able examiners are not. OF crammers, according
TO Seneca the rich Sabinus, who was SO ignorant
that with difficulty he remembered the names ol
auth jrs yet pretended t. be asavant owned cegen;
and SO numerous were the slaves Of his household
that they cost him million. Besides these slaves
there were other members Of the peculiar institu
tion in Roman gcntleman's establishment, such
as slave schoD-masters aud slave teachers for all
the accomplishments. Then there were choice
lots" Of lovely girls selected for their beauty from
among all nations to wait upon the guests Of theiI
masters feasts, to them with songs and
dances, fill their wine-cups, perfume their HAIR
and pour snow-Sater upon their hands. Some
gentlemen owned whole troupes Of actors, and
dealers sold assorted companies, comprising ira
sgedians, c0nmedians. prompters, etc :" and these
we're tho Gdricks Talmas and Kcens of the time
,r--men who had talent and genius to enact the
dramatic mastcr-pieces OF Greece and Rome which
are still studied rs models Of composition. Bu
.dhose were not all there were snye-accountants
slave painters md slave architects in great man Z
hpuscholl and all that we have .described as Ro
man Slavery was according to the writings o
Thucydides Xenophon, Demosthenes and others
to be found in classic Greece. From Demosthenes
sSocratcs, and others Grcek authorities, we learl
something Of slave Prices Current Thus, at thu
sale when the slave A3op-whose fables dough
faced COngrcSsmen quote as mArVels OF WlsuOnl-
was sold for 60 obola 81 so cts) there were ais
sold "a singer" whether n prima dona, frs
tenor or ono Of the chorous not stated, for LOO
8obolA (about S30) and "a grnmmnrian" for 3, ,00
zobola (about S901 IEsop was damaged article
n hunchback This accounts for the wretche
price, less than two dollars, which it brought, w
suppose that even The Southern Literary Reriel
will agree with us that such clever writer wa
worth more money. Nor could the others hav
been frst-class articles of their kind for althoug
DemOsthenes quotes the market price Of "a man G
letters" at about that Of great horse and althoug
it was matter OF com plant that 'the sophists q
Athensp- a philosophical sect--were sometime
knocked of at q very low figure, yet we find XenC
phon and LuciNn paying as much as 10 mtnt
s200l piece for disciples OF Pythosoras," Los
"our southeren bretheren' may object to our quo
O tation in this price-euTent Of the article dssoI
as tending to give an unfair view OF the state OF III
trade aud by comparison undertaking. the prese,
Aesh-prices we must state that 1t was entlrei
exceptional, because ofts bodily deformity 10
In proof OF this we find that common field hane
and miners were hired out at 800 obola year. tl
contract binding the hreng parties to run the rsl
ofloss or services from sickness. death or escap
Il clause being inserted that the same number
"a slaves should be returned on the expiration oil y
st,eontraet as werc received from the owners !
such terms as these Xepopon says, thousai
slayes Of ,Nicas, six hundred OF Hpponicus ri
three hundred Of philondes, were hired out
whcn we como to fancy articles, such as love