Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1863-07-27
RIGHTS
Gbt 8rBnunN taBlg.
MONDAY MORNING, JULY al, 1883.
Fidelity of Slaves

A suaerer bv the Combahee raid sums up his SORROWS
in the following sentence What contributed most to
nv modification was, that in my whole gang Of slaves,
among whom there we're any amount Of AlrOus, Abra-
hams Iascs and Jacobs, there vas not one Abdiel-
not one reuaued loyal TO the rebel This Is the CON-
paint Of hundreds and thousands of other sufferers -
The most petted trusted and seemingly devoted slaves
sre found wanting 10 the hour Of trial. Hence infer
eacss adverse to the institution of slavery
We have heard Of gentleman, not long escaped
from Northern prison, who returns to bis native land
with an animosty towards tie Yankees which language
cannot express and with determination 20 ssbmt TO
ne yoke Of the HOentot in preference to that Of Lin
e,n. But at the same time he declared that what he
saw and heard of the EoSraed negroes at the North
had made him An abOitOnst. Out Of thousands Of
them. old and young, male and female brutally guO
rant or comparatively well educated abused or pettod
while in state CT slavery he not who evineed
the slightest gratitude towards his former master
and mistress; and he, for one, was done with the
vretebes heneeforth and forever. Tits gentleman's
telling is SHARED by many others, and the feeling is
mistaken Is an argument against slavery. Let US ex
anime it.
The escaped slave Is ungrate9l therefore, slavery Is
wong Children are often uDgraefu; does follow thA
the relation o. parent and child IS wrong? But ingrA
tude in the Yankeeized negro IS the rule not the eGceP
TOMS in the case of children. And Why Simply because
the NEGRO il, Of all human creatures the most plastic
and colorado. So long he mingled With Southern
gentlemen he exhibited the traits Of humanity; be
mixes with Yankees, and, ChameleOn-liAe, taxes the
hdeous hues Of their treacherOus aud malignant cbaI
acter Day after day he hears the slvehoder denounced
A the vest OF manknG; he echoes these denunciatons
bsieges waat be hears Is moulded 10 the Yankee will,
and becomes himself Yankee. How quickly this
tsnseormaton can be wrought in the negro, is shown
In thu very sentence that succeeds the qroed
At the beginning Of this article" there vas not
Abdiel-uot one remained loyal to the rebel They left
an old woman who bad been bed Iiiden for year and
whose house was next TO the drivers house, which bad
been burnt / went into her house and found her
naked in her bed siPt Of her clothing, ajdHdoHeiby
Asy children and grand ehildrsRP Who believes that
negroes would have acted thus # they had not been
associated with Yankees and initiating Yankee actions.
No dOub. negroes are CAD TO be free, and endure
eleeruy many pryatiOns for the sake OF beirg free
Thew do not understand the force and rathlulnGs o.
Byohs definition If freedom, lord Of himself taAI
heritage of woe" and they fancy that the suffering
they now undergo in the Yankee camps gill all be over
aNer the war. Poor souls The negro loves, above
an things dleness so does the horse the OK the sss
ave and the white man IS we'll To lie down uoder the
trees to lO in the sunshine the woods aud do
no work Why, hAlf the human race would love a life
Ike that and nearly third do actually lead ard enjoy
such q lie.
But il is certain that all Of lies, threats false
~ - -. (,
the creduy Of the nsgtO, ae brought % bear BY the
Yankees that again and again the negro has been torn
By violence from his home, aad that many have brayOd
great dangers in order get tack to their
Many more would do much, but for fear Of the Yam
KEGS false PRIDE and the countless obstacles in the
way Of return. When Fredericksburg was hrst Occu-
ped an officer IN our service forced 20 beat basy
retreat and leave his negroes twelve or thirteen in
number, behind him. The Yankees held the town for
six months and al his slaves, with but Doe exception,
remained true to him. During the second occupation,
all these hitherto faithful slaves disappeared and At the
same time al he free negroes ia tO5H many Of trhoiH
ounsd valuable property disappeared also The free
negroes did not leave for the sake Of freedom, neither
did the slaves; they left because they feared the bonn
bsrdment, and When once across the river never
toiled before, 70 keep soul and body Together
But if ingrattude proves anything against slavery it
moves as much against white lervtude Every reader
Of English periodicals ia familiar with P,ncRs lus.rA-
tons Of servantg Lism," aud all Who have lived at
the North know too well the suferingl hOusekeepers
sadure at the hands Of the male and iemne "hsps"-
Precious little Is heard in Yankee land Of gratitude
from high or low, and so common ind ed is the wee
Of ingratude that DR.. Kane in his Arctic Journal de-
cares bitterly that bis varied experience had convinced
him that mankind we're ne er influenced except By
selfish and sOrdid motives. Bat in regard 20 the graft
tude Of servants, Hazitt is conclusive In his essay
"On the knowledge OF Character occurs tine following
curious episode drawn, doubt, from psrsotal sxpe
renee:
Persons, for instance in higher or m 4 lie rank Of
life know. ltte or nothing Of the characters OF ose
bsloa them as EerVsnts country people, &c. / would
Law il down in the first place general rule on this
subject that all unedueated people are hypocrites.-
Their sole business Is 70 deceive. Tney imagine them-
selves In state Of hostility with others and stratageras
are fair in war The inmates Of the kitchen apd the
paror are always las far respects their feelings and
intentions toWards each oher) in HObbess Estate Of
paturep Servants and others in that line Of life have
nothing 10 exercise their spare talents for invention
upop but those abous them Their superhuOus elecni.
cal particles Of wiz and fancy are NOS carried OF BY
thoss established and fashionable conductors, novels
and romances Their faculties are not buried in books
but All Awe and stirring erect and brstng ike cats
back Their coarse conversation sparkles with Will
Wit invention ever new" Th,ir betters try al they
can 10 set themselves up above them, and they Try all
tbsycan TO pull them down TO their Own level They
DO this BY getting up little comic interude, daily
domestic homely drama out Of the odds and ends Of
he family lAings, Of which there is in general pretty
plentiful supply or make uSthe deficiency Of materials
out Of their hesds They the qualities OF heir
masters and msresses inside out and any real kindness
eOndesleOsiOn only sets them the Sgainst you
They are rot 70 be taken in that way-hev viii not be
banked in the spite they have 70 you Trey only set
% work With redonbled alacrty to lessen the favor
% blacke your character. Tbey feel ensslVes Ike
degraded CASTE and cannot understand how the Oblig