The journal of industry., 1880-10-09

They could afford TO leave them to
the tender mercies Of the ,ulless over
seer who had no motives OF kindness
and good will toward th m. Hence it
became the interes, of rhs slave 40
far as he reasoned upon The subj ct at
all, to make the rich man 20 n, aud The
poor man pnOrer-for the poorer he
could make them the nearer hey would
approach his own c,nd Ition, aud Uar-
rev he distinction between he master
aud the slave.
This however, was not the worst ele-
ment in the old relations ct lab r aud
capitol, in your Sta.e. The very soil
WAS accursed and made sterile by the
presence of injustice and oppression.
Oppression makes even a wise man
mad, aud the whole South to-day bears
evidence Of this madness. Slavery
was ever the parent of anger and hate.
In it's presence your fields never we're
and never could be lovingly planted or
faithfully cultivated Things were
dono IN the field which the eye of no
overseer could detect. Hills were
covered with clods iu prefer ence to
pulver zsd soil, for the hand that plan
ted cared nothing for the harvest. |
say therefore that the abolition OF
slavery, WAS the liberation Of the land
~ we'll as the liberation Of slaves aod
and their maste rs, ard time n i'll vindi-
cate tho assertion.
1t is not only the bone, muscle and
sinewS Of a county that enter INTO the
cultivation Of the soil Of a country:
but the mind and heart. In conIemp-
latiDg the successful cultivation OF
England, aboundinR as she does with
wealth, an intelligent Frenchman re-
marks, sits not fertility but liberty"
that makes England rlcL-and boz
lievs that liberty will one day, make
North Carolina rich. 1t was once cul.
tivat cd for the benefit of the few, it is
now culuvated for the benefit of the
many; il WAS once cultiv a' cd under
re feaE Of punishment; it is now
cultivated by the hope Of reward. 1t
was once cultivated by ignorant slaves.
1t may now be cultivated by intelligent
freemen. The one degraded labor by
degrading the laborer, he other makes
labor respectable, by making the labor-
OILS all equal before the law.
If THIS prophecy of prosperity to your
state should ia,l or DO slow Of fulfill
IL ent. it will not be the fault of the
former slave. but: of the former master.
1t will not be due to liberty, but to the
obstacles thrown in the way Of the ex.
ercise of Liberty. It will not be the
fault OF Israel Crossing the Red Sea-
but the folly of PhAroaoh, who would
have bricks made without Straw.
There seems ever disposition in men
TO drag something OF the old into the
new dispensatiOn, to put new wine
into old bottles and to mend old cloth
with new, and this full has been AZ
tempted here. This di posi-, ion is not
confined to the masters, but to the
freemen as well. A dog will scratch
his neck even after the collar ls resnov-
cd. The illusion remains AfDer ,he
cause has depart, d; hence the word 10
constantly contendlng with supersti,
tion and anachrOnism. The Sou, b over
since the war has been illustrating this
truth. Neither slave nor master has
been able to adjust himself TO his new
condition. The slave cannot all q, ouce
rise to the full comprehension OF the
dignity of a freeman and drags along
with him something of the old servllty
OF his slavery, and the master drags
something of the arroa ance and COM
tempt with which he formerly con-
templated the slave into the new re~
lation, and this is the trouble with the
South to-day. To cut luOse from the
past and adjust ) ourselves to The pres
ont, to make the best Of what is, and
OF what is inevitable, aud irreversaole,
is the duty of the hour, aud the sooner
it i. done the better for both.
l give you my wa,mest congratula-
tions, upoL the fact that | am here
speaking to peaceful multitude IN
North Carolina to-day. l congrato-
late you upon this exhibition and upon
what it implies. l coDgral ulate you
upon the example you have hero set TO
our whole people. You have gone to
work like earnest men, fully believing
in the future Of our race. ou have
wisely availed yourselves, OF the well
known principle and power Of asso-
ciated efforts of the wisdom of nu ual
cor.a onA cOsOnarAtiOn You have