The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-11-12
SLAVERY IN ANCIENT ANp MopsaN rryaEs

aud Tint they often treat thelr own servants |
and operatives worse than slaves arc treat
cd on Il Southern plantation.- Oftbis anon,
but at present let us contemplate slavery rs
it existed before our own times. The Bible
the most ancient of books, rs well as the
best, teaches us that when the generations
OF men increased, malediction was pro-
nounced upon Canaan, saying, "Cursed be
Canaan, a servant of servants shall be unto
his brethren," (Gen. tx. 25,) and the Goth
and 9th verses of the same chapter, the
same language is used to render the idea
more emphatic. We find Abraham had no
less than three hundred and eighteen slaves,
(Gen. xiv. Ia; XIV. 8; xvii. %; xxi. 10Y
Slavery was common among the Jews, i. c.
involuntary servitude, as captives taken in
war, insolvcnt debtors, kidnapping descent
from married slave, sale, &c, &c. Slave
ry existed among the Egyptians of the most
oppressive kind, and among the Assyrians
and Babylonians. The Persians were cx-
tensive slave owners and in Greece slavery cx-
listed at the zenith Of her renown. In Garth
age, and her successful rival in Rome, masses
the people were in state of slavery, and of
their treatment in many instances cruel
In Rome, if a slave murdered his master,
the whole household were often put to death.
During the middle ages the mass of the pop
ulation were slaves, in all the countries of
Europe. The serfs Of the Saxon period in
England, were bought and sold with land,
and Serfdom existed from the time of Char
lemagne, till period subsequent to the cru
sades of the twelfth century. In BarLary,
Tunis, AIgicrs, and Turkey, slave ry has ex
isted for ages, and the serfs Of Russia are pur-
chased at present with the lands, as those
OF the Saxon period in England. In most
OF cases slaves were treated with great scve-
rity and little indulgence. Contrast this
state of things with Southern Institutions,
and the result will show what Christianity
and modern civilization car do to amelior-
ate the servIe condition. The slave in the
South is we'll housed, well fed, well clad,
and plenteously provided. His temporal
and spiritual condition is cared for, and he
has physician for soul and body. Thea ac-
counts of his being over-worked and taxed
beyond his strength, are hugely exaggerated,
and often got up hy interested parties with
out the slightest foundation in reality. The
African race are, in general, happy, contcn-
ted and satisfied with their condition, Which
in many respects is preferable to that of op-
eratives in the Cotton factories of England
and the free people. Of color in this country.
Many well-meaning but ignorant persons do
the African much injury by the agitation
they get up about what in no way concerns
them, and indeed, never would meddle in,
but for the qualification of selfish ends, and
showing forth their sickly caprice and maud
lin sentimentality, at a cheap rate. The
world will improve in time, and people
learn to mind their own business. If any
one wants to see how much the condition of
colored people is improved 10y freedom from
Southern bonds, he has no more to do than
to frequent some of the African settlements
of Philadelphia, and judge for himself. The
same truth abides
"order is heavens first law, and this contest,
Some are aud must be greater than the rest"
-%s~s%
Seamless Garments- What Ncrt p
The N. Y. Tribune describes visit to a
seamless garment mandatory near Fish
kill, where woolen garments arc produced
without seam, and of greater strength,
durability and warmth than cloth made in
ordianry manner. The material is first
batted and felted, and then taken to the
tailor, who cuts out in pieces the garments
70 be made, taking care to cut them about
double the size desired. Next these pieces
pass through the hands of girls who care.
fully bevel the edges to be joined, and baste
them together with cotton thread. The
garments now exhibit rude approach 10
their proper shape. A cotton cloth having
been inserted within the sleeves and the
pockets, and wherever else two thicknesses
come together, in order to prevent their be.
ing converted into one, the garments are
again passed through the telling machinc,
and soon come out with no trace of tho
seams except the cotton basting thread,
which is easily pulled out. They are then
treated much like so many pieces of ordi-
nary woolen cloth, being passed through a
fulling apparatus, teasled and sheared. AT.
ter this, they are put upon copper forms,
heated BY steam, which complete their
shape, and allow the surface to be finished
They then go into the hands of the trim
mer, who binds the edges. works the but
ton holes, puts on the buttons and facings,
and gets them ready for market.
Among the articles manufactured are
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