Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1861-02-09

return slaves, God passed one to aid and
secHre their escape. 1t reads as follows /:
DEur. 1x l5 l6Thou shalt NOT deliver unto his mas
ter the servant which escaped from his master unio thee
he shall dwell with thee, even among you place which
| Thou shalt not Cypress him"
As conclusive evidence that he was not
a slave, or property, if the servant was not
we'll used, or did not like his master. he
could leave, and wo he to the man who de-
livered him up to the master. This law
protected him in his rights. and proves that
he might quit the service Of his master when
wronged The law is imperative "Thou
shalt not" &c. The evasion Of this Law by
affirming that heather we're not permitted to
scze their rnn-awsys among the jew is un-
worthy of considera ton, as il Jews lived on
such good terms with the idOiatrons nations
about them, or heather would come among
them looking for fugitive slaves.
FOURTH But the American code says,
Thou shit deliver the servant" &c No
matter how much outraged, he is clatLeL.
and must be delivered mp, if the whole u
s. fUrce is necessary "blOod hOnnds," and
more blood.thirsty men. hunt him like wild
beast of prey, and if they overtake him. he
is doomed to heavier chains for even daring
to fly from the oppressor, and from bond.
age worse than death.
FIFTH. Under the Hebrew code, nearly
one half Of the time the servant was ex.
empt from labor, or about % years out of
so. Hence he was never over. worked, and
had ample time for his religion and social
life.
Sixth. How does this benevolent provis.
ion accord with the American code. Bv
some, it has been said, that the average of
slaves life on cotton plant ations, was from
seren to ten years. Such is the wear and
tear of slavery. A slave sees few davs of
rest, and brief are the periods for his reli
giOus devotion; while social life, where hus-
bands and wives. parents and children are
bonnd together by no legal tie, is delnsion
SEVENTH. The Hebrew code every iftieth
year, passed Universal Emancipation Act,
in the following words
Lev. "And ye shall halow the hfteth year and pro-
claim Liberty through all the land the inhabitants
thereof; it shall be jubilee unto you, and shall return
unto his family"
Mr. Van Dyke says the "AboIitionists
have blown this jubilee trumpet with zeal
worthy of better cause" This may ac.
cord with the views of such as defend slsv-
cry upon principle. He then, in a few
words denies that the year Of jubilee had
any application to "bOudmen of foreign
birth" Then we are to understand, that
when God says proclaim liberty through
ont all the land, unto all the inhabitants
thereof" it only means Je,os, while others
are to continue in bondage But the Jeto
ISL servants. we are told, went out free
every Serenth year, therefore did not need
the fiftieth year Of jubilee. In Is LvIII: 6,
we find instruction al to what constitutes
an acceptable fast as not this the fast
that | have chosen, to loose the bands of
wickcdneSS, to undo the heavy burdens and
TO let the oppressed go free, and that ye
break every yoke" But conld the Jews
break every yoke, while thousands of bond
meT were still under The yoke? Were none
oppressed but Jewish servants The year
of jubilee was to end oppression, to break
erery yoke, and proclaim liberty to all the
inhabitants of the land II is ;hetefore alb
snrd to say it only referred to Jews, when
God says it refers to all the inhabitants of
the land. Such an interpretation is a sort
of Judge Taney decision, denying citizen,
ship to c1lorcd men.
EIGHTH. American slavery has no year
of jubilee. 1t dOoms the slave to ceaseless,
endless houdage, till death emsncipates and
sets him free.
We might notice other benevolent fea-
tures in the Hebrew code, proving it as un
like the American system as noon day is
unlike midnight. For example Hebrew
| L. ,olI A II,
can be sold. Hebrew servants, when cru
ely treated, were made free American
slaves are never freed on account of abuse
Hebrew servants we're entitled to equal re.
lgious privileges with the master Ameri
can slaves are to a great extent cut off
from religious privileges. Hebrew servants
were carefully instructed in families, the
same as other members of the household I;
American slavery denies education to the
slave and makes it penal to teach him to
read or write. Hebrew servants enjoyed
family relations American slaves do not
their wives and children may be taken away
at pleasure. Hebrew servants cOnld own
property American slaves can neither ac.
quire or own anything.
Having thus far confined onr inquiries to
Mr.. Van Dykes "Levitical Law" or Old
Testament argument for slavery, now call
your attention to his New Testament the
ory, which may be more readily disposed of
Not that have, by any means. exhausted
the overwhelming testimony Of the Old
against slavery indeed, have scarcely
noticed Gods denuncialion Of oppression
10 every form, nor the precepts and teach
ings of that moral code which lays savery
under an eternal ban. We have passed
over the predictions of Isaiah, Jeremiah
and other prophets, whose language glare'
with retributiVe wrath against the Oppres
sions Of the poor, and such as tnrn aside
the stranger from his rights. Slavery Il
cursed and doomed from Genesis to Mnla'
I chi, without q sentence, word, or syllable
TO show Gods approval, or sanction of the
! 'chattel doctrine" as taught 10 this coun'
try and all attempts to father Il upon
, Hebrew servitude only proves the deSPers'
, ton of system, goaded to madness by the
, light aud progress Of the world
, Mr.. Van Dykes argument, drawn from
! the New Testament, is q most remarkable
example of special pleading, far-fetched in'
, ferences, bold assumption, and eonsumms,'