The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-03-18

laws, by every revelation 10 man has pIohibitt
us from numbering our fellow b, lngs; and VIC
to the nation, to the statesman the legislate
the despot, the oligarcb, the mu derer, who di
regards this law of the Most Nigh / fe
humbled and mortified, when see statesme
ministers, teachers of religion, q this land
Bibles, and Sabbaths, and chu ches, mainta
the doctrine that human authd 1ty can repass
this law of Heaven. To me, / is downrigs .
blasphemy; derogatory to the G iaracter of Z
Creator, and offensive to the rel .gious sense I,
mankind. Yet this absurdity i the legitimass
outworking of that in6delity viii h denies 9Th I
God has endowed all men W th inalienab
rights" If He has endowed on race with al !,
right whatever, it surely is the ght to live.
this right be denied, no other c IN be acknoH I
edged. If there be exceptions o this centrs (,
this universal proposition, that q y men, Hithce
respect to complexion or condi ion, hold fro .
the Creator the right to live, who hall detsrmii
what portion of the community hall be slaie I
And who may perpetrate the MURDERS "a
Executive and his supporters say thai whk ,
men may murder black men. Il ,e blacks den I
this; God and Christianity and -sature and 81
religious, all just, all moral men deny it. =
Yet this denial of the right IF men to Ii, .
constitutes the mildest and leastt Jfensive phas
of American infdelity. No intelligent perse !
would desire to have the life o his body pra'
Ionged for the purpose of being, subjected y
physical torture, while his intellec shall be PSF
alyzed, his soul enshrouded in ignorance, ara
his moral nature brutalized. Therefore, TIE
right to enjoy Gberty-physical, rsoral, civil, a,
religious-is regarded even moreimportantt tn :
life Indeed, it is obvious to every mind, tbs
life itself cannot be protected, unless the iW:i
vidual be permitted to support and defend Ia
physical existence with which God hiss endow-st
him.
Religious and patriotic men regard the be-,
as merely the temporary habitation OF the spirit
the soul which constitutes the man; to be oe
cupied during its infant state of existence, ane
used for the purpose of developing the menta
faculties extending the sphere of thought an
elevating his moral nature, thereby preparing
him for higher and holier state of existence
And when the body shall have performed thi
service, it is laid aside, to mouldef and return Il
it's mother earth, while the spirit shall live O.
and on while God himself existe. No injurJ
to the body can, therefore, bear any compariso,
to the ensavement of the intellect, the degra
dation of the moral nature of man.
By the established laws of our existence, the
body req 1res food, .raiment, and habitation
To each individual are given limbs to bear him
forth from place to place hands to cultivate
and gather the fruits of the earth, to feed thf
body, provide raiment and babitation for itf
protection eyes to guide him, and ears to de
tect danger. These are all held in subsection
to the mind, and are put in operation by the
will of the individual. The mind itself is COP
strained to action by an infexible lav which
God had ordained for its early unfoldment. Its
first care is to nourish, and feed, and clothe the
body, to render it comfortable and pleasant
habitation during occupancy. The spirit il
constrained, in seeking food, TO put the lmbe
and hands and all the physical. faculties into
operation, to satisfy the hunger and thirst Of
the body, to provide raiment and hsbitation fol
it's protection. That God has endowed each
member of the human family with the inherep,
and inalienable right to use his own limbs and
hands and bodily faculties for these purposes is
literally, Selferident TRUTH. 1t ia truth
that cannot be rendered more clear BY argu
ment; 1t cannot be enforced by logic, OR made
more beautiful by eloquence. But this care Of
the body constitutes the first lesson, the loves,
exercise of the intellect, and is introductory to
that eternal embodiment which was designed by
the Creator as the means of elevating man to
higher and still higher happiness FOR lay il
down as religious axiom, that IN degree as
man becomes wise, just, pure, and trushful, be
approximates that happiness Which constitutes
the final design of his existenes.
That God has endowed evesg humsh being
with the right thus to enlargt this sphere Of
thought, and elevate his moral natu-e, is sc
obviously, selfevidently true, taat he Snust in
deed be a most arrant infdel Who deniAs it. Ii
constitutes a part Of the funeamenta propo
sition, that "all men are endowed by tleir Gre
ator with inalienable rights" Its existence is
however, denied by "Americai infdeh; and
this constitutes the second col ateral issue be-
tween the religious and irrelig GUS poi tions Of
our people. This enslavem .nt of she soul
presents infdelity in its most r. voting %eatu,es
1t paralySSs the moral nature # man renders
the soul sterile and unprepa red for hea,-en
We must wait the day of fin j retribatioe to
disclose the extent of its enoria ties.
Yet the body can only be ield in bono age
by enslaving the spirit, by sui rounding it 9th
mental darkness. Permit m an to understand
the duties which he owes to hin self, to mankind
and to God, and he cannot be slave. Hence
the whole policy of slaveholdi ng Governments
is arranged and adapted to tn purpose OF fra
enslaving the minds of the bondmen, In
most slaveholding communiti, 9, it is stat tory
offence, punishable by fine ar imprison, aent
to teach slaves to read the ospel. They are
not permitted to read the vol Is of him who
spake as never man spake, who declared
His mission on earth "t proc aim liberty to til,
cdptiUe !; "a" to raise up the lowed down; en-
tighten the ignorant; who tar ght his disciple:
and followers (" to do unto otl ers as tbey would
have others to do unto them.' A distinguish
ed jurist of North Caroline, while dischargine
official duties, declared, " q s We is one doomed
in his own person and poster to liue scitAOu
knoacledge" He is not permit led to unders snt
the object of human existence he car have
no conception of justice, or 20 sdons, or pu ity
or truth. Slaves can have n correct ide, g
the duties which chrildren ow, to their par, nts
nor of those which are due rom parents to
children. The parent is not ermitted to t. act
or govern his child, nor is Il child perm ttec
to honor or obey his parent.
The right of legal MARI ,ge is unkr ,wr
among the slaves. They are oot permits t.
understand the relation nor q duties of JUS
band and wife. The master cells him WI !, il
called husband, or her who Ais herself life
while he retains the other. de sells the pa
rent, and retains the child; Oh he sellsthe lid
and retains the parent. The,s separation ar,
but the practical workings If that info lity
which denies to parents and hildren thos ia
alienable rights which God and nature ave-
bestowed upon them.
The legitimate heir of a pl nfatioU, on ON
ing into possession OF his est te, Often sell tn,
| children of his father-his b, thers aud 81 teri
of the half blood-denyng that thew " ,av,
any rights which white men are boynd [ re
spect. This inhdelity denit the right si1
hundred thousand females Of our lard to pro
tect their own virtue, and ,onsigns the t.
practical prostitution. This state of soci, il
but the outworkIng OF that i fidelity whic de
MES the existence of mans alienab;e ris It e
liberty aud TO moral elevate ).
| 1t would be in vain for us to say tn,
Christians of Europe, or eve the NOLAN ned
ans of Turkey, that religious men of our DUN
try support such a system f pollution. -'Ye
thousands of church mem ers, in the lav,