Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1861-03-02
)LUMBIA COUNTY, PA, SATURDAY, MARCH, 2, 1861.

he shall also bring him to the door or unto
the door post; and his master shall bore !
his ear through with an awl and he shall
serve him forever" Exod. xxi. 5,6)
With this law before his eyes, what Chris
tan can believe that the Almighty attach
ed immortality or sin to the condition of
slavery.
The treatment of slaves, especially as it
regarded the degree of correction which
the master might administer, occurs in the
same chapter as follows: " If a man
smite his servant or his maid with rod,
and he die under his hand, he shall be
surely punished. Notwithstanding if he
continue day or two, he shall not be
punished for he is his money" (Exod
xxi. 2O-2l.) And again, "If man smite
the eye of his servant or the eye of his
maid, that it perish, he shall let him 60
free for his eyes sake. And if he smitc
out his man servants tooth, or his maid
servants tooth, he shall let him 70 free
for his tooth's sake" (Exod. xxi. 26-7.)
Here we see that the master was authori-
zed to use corporeal correction towards his
slaves, within certain limits. When i'm.
mediate death ensued, he was to be pun
ished as the judges might determine
But for all that came short of this, the
loss of his property was held to be a suf.
fcient penalty.
The next evidence furnished by the di.
vine law appears in the peculiar and ad.
mirable appointment of the Jubilee. aye
shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim
liberty throughout all the land to all the
inhabitants thereof; it shall be Jubilee
unto you, and ye shall return every man
unto his possession, and ye shall return
every man to his family" Lev. XIV 10. J
This enactment, however, did not affec
the slaves, because it only extended to the
1sraelites, who had "a possession and a
family" according to the original distri-
button of the land among the tribes. The
distinction is plainly set forth in the sam,
chapter, viz:
IF thy brother that dwelleth by thee
be waxen poor, and be sold unto thee thou
shalt not compel him to serve as bond
servant, but as hired servant and as s
sojourner he shall be with thee, and shal
!, serve thee unto the year of the Jubilee
and then shall he depart from thee, botl
he and his children with him, and shal
return unto his own family, and unto th
possession of his fathers shall he return.-
t For they are my servants which brough
| forth out of the land of Egypt, they shal
not be sold as bondmen. Both thy bond
!. men and bondmaids, which thou shalt hav
shall be of the heathens that are aroun,
= about you; of them shall ye buy bondmel
S and bondmaids. Moreover, of the chill
r dren of the strangers that do sojour
amUng SSp Of tAs% 4Baf shall Win h von vbc
y they begat in your land, and they shall b
}. your possession. And ye shall take ther
G as an inheritance for your children afte
It you, to inherit them for possession, the
:, shall be your boao'n,en torever ; but owe
It your brethren, the children of Israel, J
1t shall not rule one over another with rgo
,e For unto me the children of Israel are sc
lie wants they are my servants whom
le brought forth out of the land of Egypt;
is am the Lord, your Cod" (Lev. XIV,
as -46, with v. 65)
ae The distinction here made, between Il
n. temporary servitude of the Israelte al
s- the perpetual bondage of the heather ra
r. is too plain for controversy. And this
of press and positive law furnishes the tr
N. meaning Of another passage which the I
he ira Abolitionist is very fond of repeatin
les "thou shalt not deliver unto his master t
servant; he shall dwell with thee, whi
re is escaped from his master unto thee, ev
ect among you, in that place which he sh
for choose, in one of thy gates where it lik
,ry him best thou shalt not oppress him"
(Deut. xiii, l5-l6.) This eviden
six must be referred to the case of slave "
nth had escaped from foreign heather ma
- and cannot with any sound reason, be
out piled TO the slaves of the Israelltes the
his selves. For it is manifest that if it W
ter so applied, it would nullify the OF
rne enactments of the divine Law. giver, an
hill. would have been an absurdity to tell
nall people that they should "buy bondr
A and bondmaids of the heather and str
and ger, to be their possession and the inhe
Di- ance of their children forever" while, !
the ertheless, the slaves should be at libert
laid run away and become freemen, when
had pleased. 1t is the we'll known maxim,
: to the Interpretation of all laws, that
pro- sentence shall be so construed as to gi
say, consistent meaning to the whole. And
chill suredly if we are bound to follow this