The Nevada journal., 1859-12-23
The Lesson of the Harper's Ferry
Riot.

~~~U'et~ O~''~No~ u .
Press-Dangerous increase Of Malat-
toe, at the South The Wheeling In
the leading journal of
Western Virginia. has the following
iudicious and striking remarks in its
issue of October 81
The investigation which has been
and is being made into the secret
history of the recent terrible and re-
markable outbreak will, we hope and
believe, be productive of good inau-
ences upon the popular mind in both
sections of the Union. 1t has two
lessons. which it seems to us that it
may very appropriately teach. The
first of these is the lesson which it
will convey to the North, teaching
them to look even with more than
their wide spread aversion upon the
principles and teachings Of those Wis.,
ionary fanatics among them who, like
Garrison & Co., claim that the con-
stitution oforr country sis covenant
with hell" and that the duty of slaves
is to rise in the night time and free
themselves from thraldom by cutting
the threats of their masters and help
ing themselves to the property accu-
mulated by their unrequited toll. 1t
will, we say; teach the northern peo-
pie. when these fanatical abolition
lists go about through their cities and
towns. holding their periodical Satur-
MALTA, to look upon their principles in
the proper light, and will inspire in
their minds more of deep-seated
hostility to their wicked and disorgan-
izing rawlings. In this way the re-
suits of these investigations will af-
feet the northern mind for good.
On the South it ought likewise TO
make deep impression. Here, in
this Harper's Ferry riot, we have an
illustration which both precept and
example have before told us, is alto>
gether possible contingency in a
country in whose midst there exists
large and degraded class of humans
ity. We cannot take fire in our bo-
SONS and not be burned, the Scripture
and our own experience have taught
US. Neither can we have in our midst
four millions of serfs. whose color,
whose intellect. whose habits, whose
everything is di fferent from the rul-
ing element. without liabilities to the
same dangers that have always at
tended society in every country where
such large servile element has ex-
listed. San Domingo has taught this
lesson to the world. Southampton
has taught it to the people of this
country and this state. Scarcely more
insecure are those people who work
by day and sleep by night underneath
the craters of Vesuvius and Etna
and who are liable to an irruption at
any inrment of burning lava, than
many communities of our southern
states where the slaves number two
or three to one of the whites. These
}s'aves, by their constant and rapid H.
legitimate intermingiing with the
whites. as well as by the very condi-
tion Of contact between superior and
inferior races. are becoming in each
generation more intelligent, and con-
sequently more tie objects of dread
They are sloughing off gradually that
to-por and obtuseness of mind seem.
ingiy natural TO them. even faster
than they are shedding their origina
dark hue. Slowly, but certainly
they are acquiring more of the char
acteristics of the white races and los
ing those of the African. Look a
he frightened complexion of the race
i'll all our southern cities and towns
In Charleston, South Carolina, fol
instance, the mixed element immeas
u ably predominates over that of the
black, and is. we believe, equal to il
not greater than the white population
Look at many other of the South Car
olina communities. Look at Rich.
mond, Lynchburg, Petersburg. Nor
folk and other places in our State
We ought to look these things all in
the face now. They have an impor'
liant PRACTICAL bearing on our socia
condition. When we hear men anc
papers either openly advocating oil
covertly winking at revival of the
odfous slave trade, it is time that pub.
lie attention was called to these things
1t is useless to rail at wicked and
reckless aboli,ionists, like Brown, who
in their blind fanaticism think-ii
they think or care at all-that they
are doing God-service when they
teach and aid slaves to rise against
their masters. There will always be
men that have minds and must think
and having tongues which are free to
speak will never stop having opinions
or expressing them upon either the
justice or the expediency Of slavery
in the abstract. Our security hes in
advancing not in retreating. We
must look to the future of the two ra-
ces. We must go back and read up
the opinions of the fathers of the re-
public as to the probable issue of sla-
very in this country. We must know
that the best men of that era busted
themselves in trying tofnd a RENEE
for the evil.
1t is estimated that cold IN +b.