Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-01-25
The Hebrews and Slavery.

The Hebrews and Slavery. {
In Mr.. Holbrook's reply to the re-
viewer of his sermon on slavery, in the
Herald, after showing that nothing
can be argued from the original term
rendered bond-servant in the Bible, he
gives the following condensed view Of
the features of Hebrew servitude, prov
ing that it is misnomer to cell it sla-
very.-Dubuque Tribune.
We must then resort, as l have be-
fore said, to something else than the
mere use of the original term, to deter
mine whether the servants Of the
Hebrews were slaves or not. And the
whole matter lies in q nutshell. What
were the distinctive features of Hebrew
servitude, and were they identical with
those Of slavery?
lst. The Hebrew master did not
own his servants in any proper sense as
tho master owns his slaves under the
slavery system. He mad an interest in
his time and services, and go fax he
could say he was his 'money" or lis
"possession," as l could say the same
of house or horse which had q right
to use and control to a limited extent
and Cor limited time, but to which l
had no perpetual and fee simple title.
The Hebrew master could command the
labor of the servant for only about half
the time, and if IT Hebrew descent,
only till the seventh year, whenh he went
out free. If he was stranger, then
he could not hold him to service beyond
the iftleth year or half century Jubilee,
+ when call the inhabitants Of the land'
) were proclaimed free !; and if the SER
want chose to become a proselyte at
any time, he had the advantage Of be-
ing free in the seventh year like the
! native Hebrew. Now was this in any
. Just sense slavery? Who would say he
owned house or horse with such con-
< ditions
I'd. The master could not sell the
:, servant, neither could he be attached
!, for the masters debts. What resem'
blance was there in this to slavery?
n 3dly. The servants were not re-
|, garded as of an inferior or degraded
J caste or class, but mingled in all thu
G national and family festivals, Nigh
marry their masters daughters an,
If might become their heirs.
r, 4thly. All the civil and religion
y y ri ghts Of the servants were as strictl,
D. guarded by the laws as those Of tn
master. They were never rega. ded a
,r brutes or chattles, which jurists say
- an essential element of slavery, but a
v intellectual, moral and immortal be
to . ings.
" 5thly. The servants might hol
at property.
of 6thly. If the servant was injured i
I'd person he was thenceforth free. Thi
Is is inconsistent with the fundaments
principles Of slavery.
lie 7thly. If the slave was oiscontente
IN or oppressed he might leave his mas
h, ter, ard there was an express statut
~ ~ against his compulsory return.
be Thus we see that none Of the char
acteristics of slavery proper entere
I'd into the Hebrew system. -ihe servant
he were not slaves and if the same rrnci
ps Piles that distinguish Hebrew seryitud
e, Ell were adopted in the Southern States
r. slavery proper would disappear.
seems to me this point is as clear Il
y day and the mere fact that writer's an
as commentators have spoken of iIc!re
~ rs servitude as slavery does hot make
,a SO Ihe questiof is, was tie ancier
st system slavery? Wesee frcr tho "a 4
e. recorded of it that II Was not.
And what strengthens my position
a the fact, first, that there were 40 slav
y marts in Israel, which is not creaibl
" if men are bought and sold as in othe
v countries ; second, in all Che account
s. of the trade and commerce, foreign an
e domestic Of tho Hebrews there Is II
d mention Of traffic in slaves ; thi.d, i
r all enumerations OF property we find Il
,e specifications Of slaves (and wha
n would be the value Of our Souther
D material statistics that omitted them?)
- fourth, We have no accounts Of tn
pursuit Of runaway Stages, though "
have Of cattle, asses, &c. fifth, ther
), was an express statute against stealing
s selling, or holding men for slaves wit
the penalty Of DEATH, and how coul
slavery begin without stealing
r Il is as certain as any point in ancien
u history end customs, them that Their
vas no slavery among the Hebrews a
, = any time, as it is disputable taass ttlh2est
: was not at tho advent of Chsisb. Will.
the prophets that preceded him de-
nounced all that forms tie essence o.
| slavery in tho noct :, omore,i ra,roo