Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-01-30
SLAVERY LITERATURE.

Slavery seem hDnh 10 become tne butltclH nl pH"-
snphical discussion und of statistical Investigations
The fate of All institution general till recently so
universal has bocn strange for thousands of years Its
moral religious and economic prosperity seemed un-
questioned. For the last three hundred years. since
the abolition of feuda,m its gradual dccadcncc III
Western Europe, slavery without discussor' ILL.,
vcstisnion argument, hus been denounced MS gross
ly evil aud entirely wrong. From peculiarly ol race
| and circumstances few insisted temp"rar! eN-
ccpon in favor of negro slavery But the spir'' Vi
universal emancipation was rapidly and rr'SlcS's
reducing this exceptional case TO the common rule
with results about promising If had ret free IN"
horses and the cattle. Still the negroes had been
turned at large in tropical climcs, where little labor
| Or providence was necessary and have s''"rc" 's
physical want than tho ch,ancipned scris oi England
Scotland, Ireland France.
There were few thieves and no meh'lIrahts Ill Eng
land ill the barons conferred on their vIliIehs 'hr
liberty to beg steal or starvc For long white 'hef
nr,fyrcd the two former alternatives la the latter but
,he;r pumhcrs baJ su increased even i'll the days "i
rIizub.tb. ns to oycrrtnck the market, and render
Poor Laws and Poor House necessary |" 'Ic'F S">
| truancc For some tim" thereafter however Wv
suc,estou WAS secuted. that universal liberty WIS "'
An unmixed good. nud slavery nh nhin'hr" 'N'
When Fletcher of Sal,"un pr"p"sed ~ '' o''
n.,ps of nup;shinr for the poor he was c"ii'''rr"
r,,,o ho,,or finn II lnn.lman and n monster SINCE
b asv md cspccully III the last seventy INV" year,
,,,roI famine hua been continually sweeping over
W.s,err Europc-has produced frequent and bloody
r.volu,ins and ha- distressed christians and r''!"!-
,h-,,;.t. as much ~ il has alarmed c"p'tniS's.--
|
ro.;r, :, rrcon.,rur, society. Their experiments
L,v. h..u ~ disastrous their theories were absurd
Their opcrations u," hr"n "lasse0 nhH'r 'h' S'''e"
nnmcs of Socialists aud Communists.
Th,. thinking mind If France, Germany and Eng
land i very generally rmpre@naed WIN more OF ies'
r their doctrines; or 10 speak more accurately mat
mimi s,., and admr tho necessity "frntIrnl change
:, tb, organization "f irc" s"cety. Very recently II
new class Of rcfrrn,r. il springinS up-mcn with
little OF the hopciil aud rr"src-sir" spirit about thcii
who are more di.rn-cd /" rrcur to the wisdom and
examples oi the past. than /" rely oil a speculative
| I,opin for the iu;ur". Faith ot som. kind, will be
i,uud the characteristic pf this school H. infciiiy,
skcptici.m aud presumption, are the distinguishing
mark of the Sociui.t-, Communists, n! philosophers
,u.rrly, Of the miuc,ccn,h century. Faith, i'll HUI
| man Nature in Human experience and Human WIZ
dom, concur. viii, Faith in revealed religion, to re-
buke ami rcfutc th"s" wl" expect and maintain that
! the future will differ materially from tho pn,t.
| Mr. CARLYLE, who writes in wonderful manner.
strong practical common .ensc, with profound philo
,ouhv. and who hr!icyr- in Human Nature, though
h. NAV doubt Re, cIa"n. i>n pr".Sluv"ry man.-
He would not attempt I" change man nature, but
would adapt iusti,u,i"' t. TINT nature.
III. would no, =, form VIC" and ignorance l,y giving
,o them greater latitude aud loose rciu., but would
.ub;.,t them to tho u-h !" ""r ""i - -"
10 nrotcct Themselves and society from the c"rc-
nrcncc. of their mi-d"'i-. lie il the most diailn-
gu;sbrd and the .ir-, ni the pro.Savcry school
In HI, Latter BAY Pamphlets, will be found his orr
g;nnl bold unl rnut:r theories this sub j"c AZ
ter him comes Mr. Newman, Divine, professor at
Oxford and brother al the great PusryIi". He "dv"-
Gates II mildcr hut c-s irartirnble form "i slavery
than Mr. Carlylr i',r. although thousands might h"
willing To become Si,v,, the terms lie proposes,
we suspect few would he willing to iucur the continu-
ing obligations and responsibilities Of masters. These
two writera seeing the nrolcrabe condition OF the Ia
boring class in Great Brinin, proposed slavery ~ a
remedv They have handled their subject with little
ability, because they had neither seen slavery dw"t
near it, or taken part in those frequent dl.cuss"ls o
| il, which harass and di-urb America.
In tho last few weeks the American Press has pub
li.hel 10 the world the productions Of two authors,
who. euuans in ability the two Enslirhinrn"i whom
VIZ have spoken, far surpnss them in knowlc''g" "i
the subjects on which they treat "Ihc South-Slde
View Of Slavery" BY the Rev. Nehemiah Adams, OF
| Boston, unite. the quaint simplicity and candid gar
rulity of Goldsmith with the stern morality of John
son. the frrvd faith {" Wesley, and the calm phIo'o-
phr Of Stewart. 1t is 'simprx munditiis grand and
vet childlke. Unconscious power and unaffected pu-
ri,y are s distinguishing characteristics Ii il vim
dicntion of slavery in III" a,ruct;-of the propr"iy'
necessity aud unturancss OF snveryyrt the nuthor,
"nurscs his wrath 10 keep it warm" and obviously
thinks that he is rather npnlogsing for slavery thnr
jus.fying it, and demonstrating its necessity ns UNI
versal institution. We will not quote from his work,
but advise ull to buy il and study it. At the snmc
timo, the Northern press has issued another Hlndica
ton of slavery, equally distinguished by profound
thought rnccre piety and comprehensive philosophy,
but deficient in precision nnd beauty of style. This
latter work ir small pamphlet, entitled "A Letter OF
Inquiry to Ministers of the Gospel Of all Denoninn-
tions Oh Slavery 1t is from the pen Of distln-
yuishod Clergyman and Collegiate Professor Of New
Hampshire.
The original profound. and brilliant treatise Of our
own fellow citze, the author Of Sociology for the
South" has been already noticed in our columns, and
will hereafter be made the sabjsct of special and
more elaborate criticsu
The authors "f whom We have spoken, show
that there is nn-ccnt prn-Slaverv literature. This
literature has naturally arisen in Free Society, be-
cause the suIerinss "l in" nb"ring million i'll such So
rety warned the wise and the good of the necessity
of change Faith, in the word of God revealed in
HOLY Writ, in the history aud experience OF the past
and in that order and suhorlin'tJn every where OBJ
scrvable in nature has shielded them from the arTo-
giant, prcsumpuour and miidcl 4 osophy that would
attempt to regulate moral wcr by changing the
materials of which it i. compos md e1pclns all
human nature from them Til authors are wi'e
religious and practical men. The Socialists nlid
Communists skeptcs, iniidclr. and Missionaries.
Until few weeks since, discussions Ia the ab-
strnct expcdiency aud pr"pric'y Of slavery had no
interest in America, for our sparse population and
creut dcmand for labor -rcurc, against that cruel
mastery of Capitul over working :ncn thut occasions
such widespread suffering i'll Europe. But the scene
of suffering has been transferred, and New York sur
passes London and rivals Srba,rnr"l and it, cnvi-
rous in human destitution and human asnnics.
The subject Of .nvcry in tho abstract Possesses II"
interest for lis If the South. Having Black Slaves,
we repudiale with indignation aud horror the idea q"
reducing Whit. Men ,o slavery. We would keep the
White citizcn far, far above tn" Black Slave. Not
So in tho North and in Western Europe They find
that our Black Slaves nru better clohe better fed
better housed and better governed ian their white
aborers. Instead of disturbing us, tHey will soon be
busy discussing the question whether white men
should be reduced to slavery. Tn" South ahh"rs the