Staunton vindicator and general advertiser. (Staunton, Augusta County, Va.) 1858-1860, 1859-11-04
fhe inside IT Philanthropy.

fail. Whether it be that the purpose Of
Of advancing one particular virtue ahead Of
all others, or suppressing one particular 50.
cial defect, Is too narrow basis for wide
and healthy understanding to rest upon, and
appeals to too limited range of sympathies;
or whether the frown Of God lowers upon
the puny effort to elect and cultivate one
Kind Of goodness, when the Divine Com
maad includes all the virtues asin sphere,
from whatever cause it may proceed-yet,
the fact is that what are called mere phi
lanthropic schemes-that is, those which
are supposed capable Of operating great
special reforms outside Of the Christian dis
pensation sooner or later fall into |
disrcpute, if not into disgrace.
The whole history Of the crusade against
the slave trade, in all its forms, is not an
exception to this general rule rather, it |
cunforms it. When the fanatic but imbe-
Gle Clarkson, ind the humane but deluded
Wilberforce had. as they imagined. put an
end to the African slave trade, they had,
in fact, but doubled the mortality and hard
ships Of the traffic, without in the least aba
ting its flow. This was followed by the e.
Emancipation Of the British West India col
onies in 1882, and millions Of poinds " ere
voted as compensation for an act which the
foolish world hailed as the dawn of new
humanity. But if we have been correctly
informed Of the secret history Of that act,
these humanitarians did but play into
the hands Of keen spectators The credit
of the islands was at a low ebb ! the private
debt of the inhabitants Was enormous
..Let us practice little philanthropy in this
matter" said the Amos Lawrences Of that
day ssbuy these debts at a low figure, and
make the government compel, by emanci-
patton u forced sale of the negroes" They
did so. They made handsome thing out
of it, and ruined the land and its inhabi-
tants for an indefinite period. But that
philanthropy could not see for philahthrd-
By has but one idea, and looks tipon the
world through that as through crack 10
door. Still philanthropy is euntagiou
nations beaome what pr. .Whatel5 calls pig
headed. Fanatical New England and the
more fanatical and pharasaital the more ca
silly philanthropiSed- fanatleal New Eng
land took the infection and utr continent
has been, for nearly thirty Years. conyulsed
by parcel Of people who feel, like mes
meric patients, the pahgs Of those under
whose influence they happen to be-only
the pangs in this case are purely imaginary.
Sympathising in the woes Of the slave until
the Bible was not good enough for them,
because they found therein no denunciation
Of the system, splitting upon the God Of
slavery" agonizing over the stripes of the
victims, furious at the cruelties Of the mas
ter, these leading philanthropists como at
last to this that they would stealthily in
wade peaceful and unofending sister Of
/ their confederacy, substitute 'black and
bloody anarcy" for law and order, and pour
out upon the most helpless Of its inhabitants
the nameless horrors Of servile insurfec-
ton. And for what2 To make Mr.. Sc
ward President, and Mr.. Amos Lawrence
a millionaire True, the interests Of the
'1orld demand peace. The labor of over
three millions Of slaves Offers to industry an
annual surplus product of more than one
hundred and fifty millions Of dollars; Of
which BY far the largest part is COTTON
!. No man can calculate the effect on the peace
and happiness of the world if that supply,
now scarcely up to the, demand, shall be
checked, as war must check it, for one short
month. Burdened with. taxes as the gov
ernments of the Old World are, and much
nearer the financial condition Of France at
the commehceitient Of hef troubles than
many persons may suppbse, It is not diff
cult to imagine that months famine may
90 its work now as then, and wrap the
world in the flames Of the revolution. But
what though it may reproduce the Reign Of
Terror in every part Of Europel Is It not
compensation for this that it may make
Mr.. Seward President and Mr.. Amos Law
renee millionaire
l The popularity of our whole polity is that
it rests upon wider basis OF public opinion
, for its sanctions, than any that has yet ex.
listed upon grand scale among men, and
, that it calls in the federatiye or traterna
: principle as an element Of the peace of ma
lions. This Is the experiment dou
bic one: this the meaning Of what 50 many
with sort Of vague apprehension, call self
government. The regards of Ohristendom
, have been attracted to it, not less by its
boldnsss than By the charms Of its theory
!, And Christendom comprises two great, bu
Unequal classes, the governors and the gov
, erned, the oppressors aha, the oppressed
If this fabric be destroyed, tho former vii
|, regard it as the bursting Of bubble thu
latter as the vanishing of The last ray o
hope for them. But what Of that? w
only risk the loss of all rational liberty, ant
,, surrender all that the philosopher hopes fo1
! and the patriot dreams Of, to make Mr.. Sc
ward President, and Mr.. Amos Lawfence ,
millionaire.
J What q revolving picture Of deptavit5 !
+ A leading merchant. one Of the Boston phil
anthropists, the immaculate Amos Law
renee, one Of the Boston aristooracy, if w
mistake nor, appears to have been fully ii
the secrets of this late movement; and mix
ing up some little idea of gain with an en-
/ larged view Of freedom, calculating that tn
! news Of an instruction would make q pan
ic in the market, speculates for d rise il
! cotton ; and coolly plots murder that he
+ like the wealthy fool, may grow richer
Oh Immaculate Amos, who could wee]
over the WRONGS Of the slave; end yexecrat
I the pirate that would drag another African
from his heather home Amos philanthre
pic and thrifty, type Of Boston, as type 0
: Yankecdom, what pleasant thought, tina
t if wool should fail, still, by rise in cotton