Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-01-23
Tur RIrUN0ND Enquirer.
ppo.sLAvERY LITERATURE" CANN1BALS
Ill"

ALL"
Il ia within the memory Of very young persons,
when nobody in this country ventured to defend
slavery on principles of abstract justice and mora
yop,iety. People of all classes aud conditions uni
N sticinatizing it as a wrong and an inlquity.-
The STAKEHOLDER himself joined in the cry; and when
pushed with the question, 'Why, then, do you pFac,
/lic. aud profit by the wroag and iaiqntt!y'' woa!d
reply, that he tolerated the evil because 1t WA inca
pablo Of cure. This was no; a direct aud satisfactory
a~nswer-for two reasons first, because though 'ne
>evil were irremediabie, as an institution, each 'nul'''
Asl might very ea-ily have renowned any respons''
biIity for it, as indeed did many well meaning ano
consisteu, persons, to their subsequent regret and re-
proach; aud, secondly, because to affirm that any si
or moral disease il incapable Of cure, Is to utter al
absurdi,y in :mpeaching the Justice and power OF the
Rule, Of the Universe.
To this dilemma, then, was the slave holder driver
by tue arguments Of the AbolitiOnists; ackno"'
lodging the inherent injustice of slavery, he confessed
himself a conscious transgreseor of the laws OF God
and the only escape from the untesable position wat
10 re,racing his steps and retracting his admission
Then, for the FIRST time, did the people OF the SCUM
begin to study slavery by the light Of philosophy. 1t
ras sjiiicult thing to throw of the weight OF the
aooullaisted pr-judices of ages. 1t was hard TO dis
quite ard defy the authority Of the most eminent ano
:liustrious nanes in history since the revival OF let
iers, and the reformation" Of religion. Man is the
creature of education and habit; and tits like wrench
.cg nature from its coUrse, to pluck from his H'nC
ieep-,oo,ed prejudices which have become n par u
his very consciousness. 1t was nothing less thai al
attempt, $50 he though. i'll 10 debarch his judgment
and pervert his conscience; and he resisted the opo'
rsrions of reason with all the seductive scruples o
pride and hypocrisy.
ibis pervading prejudice against slavery, in an
cieat aud modern times, is an almost. II not entirely
iuexp!icsble moral phenomenon. When Harmodiu'
and Aristegi.on delivered Athens from the Tyrant
s,avery existed throughout Greece Ia its WORST
snd most repulsiYs form. When the old driTe'eT
Cato fell upon his sword. out Of a Departing love for
the violated goddess of Liberty, a majority OF the
Roman people were in bondage 20 masters no better
than themselves; and the hair Drained Brutus was as
s;;:ci in his foolish self sacrifice by n slass. lnstruc.
tiv. Inconsistency. As in classic. so in :hcse latter
times, a,en have professed one thing and practised
another. While Wilberfnrce was dealing out Clap
asm cant TO q hypocriticEl House Of Commons, the
slave trade throve apsce, and he himself was the
beneficiary of its bouaty. When Jefferson wrote
tho Declaration Of Independence, he was master Of
many negroes. aud in Twelve out Of the Thirteen Colo.
Ines slavery existed at the moment that all men were
proclaimed .'fres and equal" When Magma Chartd
msy sxtor:ed by Barons aud Prelstes at Ruunymede,
Ike uss. Of The English people were in AFFECT ssrvi.
tule. Ia the presen: day. England il the jealous
propagandtS of Aboiitionism, among all people, eA
cep; her huulei millions OF slaves ia The empire OF
<ne great Mogul. III Europe is mp in arms against
African slavery in the sou't, NJ the sane time tina;
al. Europe ia itself under bondage to q half dozen
Kings and kaisers. And even i.ers among w., VIII"
bold slaves ard profit by their toll, tuare las beeu, Il:
there is not now, a vogue idea that slavery ID a mo-
Sc! wrong and an offence sSsinst humanity.
These, We say. are reI,arkahie Inconsistencies bc-
zwist c9asaSs .Sss..,on, fos. !tis cb'urd to suPpose
.lat nen believe ons thing VIXEN they universally
ard persiste,tly act the opposite.
lii very generally agreed that tho Classic IDEA ci
liberty, was a barren conception. incapable OF applI'
cation to human affairs. Yet. it he>! supreme sway
over the literature though not the governments vi CO.
temporary tunes; and what 10 raor4. lts power has
u,. n propssa.ed through all succeeding ages Chris
clarity developed an altogether different theory OF
lumsu Z. eedom-a theory which was and is perfectly
-SuipottOtc ~" 49,
yet, Grange 10 say, men have chung to the sterile Pa
ZEN el,or, instead of adopting the fruitful truth OF
tJhr.stian civilization.
This was the origin o. the prejudice against slave
-y-. prejudice which, if resting upon reason, is map
pi!cabI- 70 tho system OF slavery in the South. because
ssa; system does uos violate the theoretical equality of
men. IN. ssows out of ths natural and irre!nediabie
inegaslty O: races; because. instead Of restricting
-. r ~ .n.-, Z; ,i,,o. h.n,r i,,ta Of phict,
80 lad no conception, much less practica! enjoyment,
N toe .avags solitude Of his primitive state. But
as the p~rciudice vas Of artificial origin, aud 40 1t has
-iways beao in conflict with The relations Of iiu
I,r society, 60 IS it likewise Incompatible with the
.a.r-!usions OF sound reason. And the best service
-ey ec Performed in the in.ercst of African slavery, has
bees rendered by the very men who profess the
greatest anxiety to destroy it-by the Aboliiionists
themselves, who in attacking the institution compel
led is advocates TO explore it's foundations. to ascer.
tain il. supports, aud 10 develop its practical effect
.poa society and civilization. Discussion dispels'he
nisls Of prejudice and restores the bright reign Of
reason; x1d the result of the slavery controversy,
even a: this early stage, is mos: satisfactory to the
curse Of truth and the interests Of Tie South. So
nuch ut least we may affirm with confidence, that we
nave delivered our minds from tho bondage of pre-.
ud;ca, and have brought our conscience and the con
yioGcus vi our judgmen. to the support OF slavery
Instead * { silent Submission to the oensure Of our
ad, ersaries, or a sypooriticsl protest against 3 con-
fessed aut compulsory evil, we have come to defend
slavery on grounds Of moral ~propriety, and in all it's
relations TO society and religion; aud 60 have justified
our conduct TO the world and our own Conscience
Slavery in the South no longer exist. by sufferance
- -, t.at,,.ra ,n,~al pantinp.p, lu, 81 1000
aable stronghold in tho affections, conviction. and in.
-erGits Of our people.
For Ibis result, We repeat, our acknowledgment cuts
gre due &c the inpertinent interference OF the Adolf
sionis,s. which provoked Us to aryument and invss,i
eaton, ard resulted in the eud in delivering our
minds ftoG the yoke of prejudice, and In rallying
some Of tho foremost minds OF the South to tho do.
fence of its institutions. : few years since nobody
~auId venture a word in apology for slavery; now i,s
e:socstea are as abundant US ls e:,ailants, arc no
!ess tod in spirit. and are as much stronger in argu
ine..t &c tdsy stand more upon fact and reason. We
have indeed i pro slavery literature, embracing every
form of literary production, whether book or pam
phlet, whether prose Ur verse; whether the grave di
daclic discourse OF the philosopher or the playful! bu,
Instructive fiction of the novelist; whether the pom
dsreus epeeeh ia The Senate Or the light newspaper
paragraph. la every mode Of argument the cham
pious of the South excel, with the single exception
,hs, they have produced no romance quite equal to
'sunc!e Toms Cabin" And for this inferiority NE
,usy account with Edmund Walters explanation Of
lhe failure Of bis address on the Restoration. When
FAXED by Charles III with the superiority of hi, pane.
xyr.c on Crom we'll, Sire" answered the ~self-pos-
sesSed courtier. "poets succeed batter in fiction than
In truth.' Mankind have a natural taste for the
serrible; md Mrs. Stoves fancy is a Medusa'. head
of horrible things. In every other field of coptrovsr.