Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1857-01-16
LETTER FROM REV. THEoDoRr PARKER.



to Boston, Jan IA, 1857
MY Dear Higginson:-l have no time but car
time, and no space but the railroad, so YOU will
excuse Inc If my letter be writ with a pencil
and dated between nowhere and everywhere. |
cannot attend your Convention tomorrow as other
business takes me elsewhere Yet l am glad you
have called it. For the South has SO LONG cried
'wolt, wolf" and frightened every sheepish
politician at the North that it is time somebody
should let those creatures have a glimpse Of the
zeal animal, and see how the South will like his
looks. L once heard of a very honest, SOBER and
excellent sort OF man, who was unequally yoked
with one Of the most shreWish mates that ever
cursed soul or body. She was thriftless. idle
drunken, dirty, lewd, shril-voiced, with tongue
which went ever, night and day, and was besides,
feeble-bodled, and ugly to look upon. Moreover
she beat the children, starved them, and would
not allow them even 70 attend school, or to 20 to
meeting, but brought up the girls in loose WAYS
whenever the good man Ventured to demonstrate
little, and took the part Of one of his own chill
dren, the termagant, who came Of no good stock
herself but had an "equiTocal generation" called
him "Deggar, 'fgreasy mechanic" an 'taboli-
ZIONIST, anu with CHASTITY oaths told him he was not
fit company for a'lady of her standing;" and if he
found fault with her standing and character, she
would leave his bed and board forever, and let his
old house fall about his ears for him. She justified
her conduct by quoting odd ends of Scripture
She had '.diyine authority" for all she was doing
"Wasnt there Jezebel, in the Old Testament, and
the strange woman who turned the heart of Solo
mon, and his head too; did not the book of Pro-
verbs speak OF just such woman as she was: and
was there not another great creature in scarlet
spoken of in the New Testament Z The book Of
Revelation was on her side" So the shrew raised
her broom-stck, and beat the poor hen-peck
husband till he apologized as humbly as any Re-
publican member of Congress in 1856 or 81 He
'dld not intend to interfere with her beating his
sons, or prostIuting his girls; he thought her in
depreciation of the Bible was right-there were
probably just such women as she in Sodom and
Gomorrah" he begged she s'would not leave his
house." She "mignt beat him-he was nom
resistant: but he hoped she would not strike too
hard, for it really hurt his feelings"
SO it went on till the house became nuisance
to the neighborhood, and the submissive husband
was everywhere looked upon as a cowardly sneak
But, one day, he made up his mind to make
row, or spoil home, and with his ox-whip in
his hand, thus addressed the shreW;-" MADAM,
shall treat you gently, for your wickedness is
partly my fault; but turn over new leaf to-
day. Either you become good wife, or else you
leave my house, and that forever, with the little
bundle Of property you brought into it. | shall
take the children. Take five minutes to make up
your mind. Go or stay, just as you like"
To the Amusement of the man, she fell down at
his feet weeping bitterly, promised all manner of
good things, and, after he had lifted her up, ac-
tuaiiy began to put the house in ORDER She treat
ed him with respect, and the children with con-
siderable tenderness and for many years they lived
together with about rs much welfare as man and
wife commonly enjoy.
am glad to see any sign of manhood in the
North, and think fire in the rear of some oe
our Republican members Of Congress will do them
no harm. But do not myself desire dssolu-
ton Of the Union just now. Here is the reason -
The North is seventeen millions strong; and the
South contains eleven millions whereof four mil
lions are slaves, and four millions are "poor
whites. Now, don't think it quite right for the
powerful North to back out of the Union, and
leave the four million "poor Whites and the
four millions slaves, to their present condition,
with the ghestly consequences which are sure to
follow. Men talk great deal about the compro-
mises Of the Constitution, but forget the GUAR
ANTEES Of the Constitution. The very article
which contains the ambiguous "rendtion clause"
has also these PLAIN words: "The United States
shall guarantee n republican form of government
to every State in the Union."-Art. 4, sect. 4. RI
quote from memory You can look at the pas :
sagel Now, would perform that obligation be-
fore dissolved the Union don't think il would
have been quite fair for strong minded Moses to stay
in Median keeping his sheep and junketing with
his neighbors. No. $50 the Lord said to him,
down into Egypt with you; meet Pharaoh face to
face, and bring up all Israel into the land shall
souls alive but your brethren also, with their wives
and little ones" Why, even that hen-pecked hus-
band in the story, had too much stuff TO desert his
sons and daughters, and run away from their ugly
dam. No, siri the North must do we'll by those
four millions Of slaves and those four millions of
"poor whtes;" we must bring the mixed multi
tude even out Of the inner house Of bondage,
peaceably If we can, forciby If we must.
But, If you insist on separation. and will make
di, solution the basis OF agitation, why, think
much good will come Of IT, Let me give a hint
rs to the line Of demarkation between the two ne
nstions. would say--Freedom shall take and
keep,-l. the land East Of the Chesapeake Bay; O.
all that is North Of the Potomac and the Ohio; 8
all that Is West Of the Mississpp--i. G., all the
actual territories, with the right Of reyersion in
Mexico, Nicaragua, and the rest Of New Mexico
the entire states Of Missouri, Arkansas and Texas
with tho part Of Louisiana West Of the Missis-
sippi.
/ think the North will not DO content with less
than this Nay am not sure that in caao Of
actual separation, Virginia and Kentucky would
not beg US to let the amputating knife 20 clear
down 70 North Carolina and Tennessee, and cut
there, for think there is too much freedom yet
In the northcrnmost Of the slave States 10 consent
% DO left % perish with tho general rot Of tho