Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1861-04-19

For the Standard.
SLAVERY, AND THE CURSE OF NOAH UPON
HAM,

Since the secession Of the cotton states
it is curious to notice the tone of the So
called conservative men on the subject OF
slavery, and even of ministers, the con-
stituted teachers of morals and religion.
Now, it is boldly advocated that slavery
is right, that it was instituted by the Al
mighty, and made perpetual by the curse
Noah pronounced upon Ham. 1t would
beinteresting to see the evidence by which
it is shown that the southern states have
got the real descendants of Ham; for if
they have not, though that race should be
slaves, yet they have no right to their vic
tins. have no intention of going over
the discussion, but would say something
about the curse pronounced upon Ham
aud the title under it.
In the first place, Noah uttered no
curse at all upon Ham. The curse
was pronounced only upon Canaan--see
Genesis, tx; rs. Cursed be Canaan !;
a servant of servants shall he be unto his
brethren. According to modern d. DIS,
it should have been, "a slave Of slaves
shall he be !" Canaan was the fourth
son of Ham, and on him only of them all
was the curse Of Noah proclaimed. But
follow the history of the other sons of
Ham, and you will surely find that in
stead Of their being the servants of Shem
and Japheth, they were their masters for
more than 1900 years. An epitome Of
their history is found in Genesis x, and
it is remarkable that more is said in that
chapter of Ham and his descendants than
Of both the other sons. His eldest son
begat Nimrod who was mighty hunter
before the Lord. And the beginning Of
his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and
Accad, and Calneh, in the land Of Shi-
mar. Out of that land went forth As
shur, and builded Nneveh, and the city
Rehoboth, and Calah." From this it is
clear that the children of Ham built
those great cities, Nineveh and Baby
lon, which for long time controlled the
nations of the earth. And Asshur who
built Nineyeh, and Rehoboth, and other
places, is supposed, with every circun-
stance in favor Of the suppositon, to have
given name to the kingdom of Assyria,
Of which Nineveh was capital There
may be those who give this glory to As
shur, the son Of Shem. But the inspired
writer, after mentioning other things done
by the children Of Ham, ard particularly
describing the building of Nineveh, &C.,
by Asshur, said, X; 90: These are the
sons of Ham, after their families, after
their tongues, in their countries, and in
their nations" This is clear and full.
The Asshur who built those cities and Of
course gave a name to the kingdom OF
Assyria was a descendent, or son, of Ham.
The kingdom of Assyria 6ourished from
its foundation until b. G.. CPS, when Ma
bopolassar, father of Nebuchadrezzar,
conquered it and became king of Baby
Ion. This also was one of the cities Of
Ham, and this was one of the nations Of
his descendants. Babylon continued IN
til b. c. j38, when it was taken by Cy-
rus and Darius who, probably, we're de-
scendan;s Of Shem, when that family be-
came first. This was over 1900 years
after the deluge. So that for all that
time, at least, the family of Ham was in
the ascendant, and if Noah intended to
curse him God reversed the order and
cursed Japheth and Shem instead.
But it was Canaan only that was ours
ed, and the curse was fulfilled when God
made the Israelites his executioners and
sent them to utterly destroy Canaan. 1t
would seem that they had still more Of
Tended against God so that instead OF
making them servants, which was no
more than Jacob had been 10 Laban, He
now resolved to destroy them; therefore
Israel was commissioned utterly to de-
stroy Canaan. BY reference to tx; Is
10, it viii be seen that several of the
tribes that Joshua destroyed are mention
ed as descendants of Canaan, and though
some are named which are not spoken OF
in the conquest of Palestine, yet the
country described is the same, showing
that it was Canaan that was to have been
destroyed.
Now if the children of Israel had ex-
terminated all the tribes against whom
they we're sent, would it still be said that
the negroes of Africa were The descend
ants Of the cursed Canaan? Every one
could see that the statement would have
been false. In truth, there is not the
least evidence that the devoted slaves Of
this day, whether black or white, are the
descendants of Ham. The Russian gran.
dee when contendino against the abolition