The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-06-23

uO uuI WIEN W hHSucI AL tuiHE tAhe
may be objected in favor Of this sad
cause. / do not wish to discuss doctrinal
subtleties but ask that the truths of
experience be not rejected Because. ii
IA shown by experience that slavery has
never been the ini,idtfpn and the training
Of liberty; the longer il endures the more
Fit oppresses; the wider it extends the
more II drgrades; aud never unravels it.
selfby its sole action You refuse to set
slaves free, because, you say, they are In
capable Of liberty; and /, l tell you that
this incapacity is kept alive by seryitude,
il not crented by it. and that it causes the
slave to stagnate under II. e'2 "a
1t is also the teaching Of. experience
that the slavery of the day---tllc slavery
af b'acks--has an origin and conse-
gnencc equally defestable. It's origin was
the treaty, the irnoble and cruel bargain
condemned by Plus II in l482, by Paul
III in 1857, by Urbau Viii in 1899, BY
Benedict XIV in l74l, and by Gregory
XVI in 1889 The consequence is, The
destruction of the family tie, condemned
BY the curses Of every humane heart; the
destruction Of liberty, not only Of the
| slave. but of tie master-for 1t goes the
length Of forbidding the master to teach
the slave to read and to write in favor of
liberty. s'
There are then on the same earth with
myself, children of God and children Of
men like myself, saved by the same blood
that l am, destined to the same heaven
THAT am, FIVE or six millions OF my fel-
low beings, In the United States, iu Brazil,
in Cuba, in Surinam, VINO are slaves
i aged people, vigorous men, women, young
| grrls, children. Just Heaven! Is il moi
yet time, after eighteen centuries Of
Christianity, for us all to begin to practice
the ever enduring Law, 'fDo not to another
that which you would not he should do to
you; and that which yon would your
brothers do for you, do ye for themy' Is
it not at length time that we should lend
Tour ears to that great teaching Of our
master, "Love ye one another; BY this
token ye shall be known as my disciples
Iif ye love one another2"
| After eighteen centuries we repeat these
iexpressions to slaves TO calm their angry
feelings, We shall do SO again; but ~
lparently this gives us the right to remind
the masters of them in order to move
1.thcm to do justice
| HUMAN LIBERTY DEAR TO THE CHURCH
Since Jesus Christ, Saint Paul and the
Apostles laid down. the principles of uni
versal emancipation, the most illustrious
preachers VI the faith, the most distinguish.
ed bishops, the most enlightened Of the
pontifis have spoken in their order. Un-
derstand thoroughly, you who daily
calumniate the Church, that if the Church
rebukes the outbursts of licentious minds,
human Liberty is dear to it; for liberty is
the scheme OF God, who has not created
man an imbscle slave, liberty is the
source from which issues every sosial vir-
tue, the source Of oil moral greatness; of
al civilization; of all progress; and the
Church, true mother of human ciyiliaa-
tion, the Church. which has built up
modern social organizations deplores all
that Injuries or impedes the march of
humanity, daughter of God, and blesses
| all that aids, improves and elevates her.
Behold the spirit of the Gospel: and the
spirit of the Church! The fascination
Of interest which alone explains the con-
tinuation in Christian lands of the plague
which deplore, can not prevent me from
reminding the world VI tho pure and true
inspiration Of Christianity.
| THE PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED
Let us, therefore, br allowed to pray
Pray, sirs, earnestly, that pacific solu-
tion Of the lAmentable problem Of slavery
may be devised, matured, oonsummated.
am not ignorant that this work is at once
less advanced, and still more difficult than
It seems. Those masters, they should
be indemnifsd; those slaves, they must
be civilized.
My reverend brethren, the Bishop of
the province Of Bordeaux assembled in
council at Rockville, in 1853, with the
new Bishops Of the colonies, three years
after the ems ncipAtion of the slaves of
the French possessions, pronounced this
solemn declaration, approved BY the Holy
See :--- 4-
"Thc Catholic church has ever deplored
the cruel slavery in which multitude Of
men are detained, to the great detriment
Of their souls, and has never ceased to la
Dor 70 remedy SO great calamity"
! place under the protection of these
noble words, and of SO many other apos-
tolic utterances, the ardent vow which L
offer thst this cruel slavery may cAass at
length throughout all Christian coun-
| tries.
Alas sirs, know it, slaves are not the
only Oppressed amopg meh. There are
countries even in Europe, there is an Ire
land, .. Poland, where oppression takes
different form without being smaller
evil. My compassion for one does mot ex-