The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1880-06-16

ROOQ, not only Dy conscience ana family
affection, but by interest. Our system
was, for the laboring people, the best
temperance society the world ever saw.
While on the steamer, 1 explored its
very bowels, being as it were, in Jonah's s
phrase, in the "belly of hell" in the fur
mace room itself There were the stokers,
working exceedingly hard in an atmos-
phere Of about 1902, black as the pit ex-
cept for few smoking little miners
lamps, bathed in perspiration and grimy
as coal dust could make them. The avo-
cation is simply horrible. But the in
terests of commerce necessitate it, No
stokers, no steam No steam, no grand
commercial wealth" Just so. But none
the less is it true, that the most unreason-
able master ever knew in Virginia never
set his bondsman to any toil~half so hor-
rible and unhealthy Had single one
of them done so, Fanueil Hall would
have gone into spasms of virtuous indig-
nation over it. But, what would have
been more to the purpose, the man S slave
holding neighbors would have so rebuked
his cruelty, that he could not have held
up his head among them. l well remem-
ber that, under our kind and merciful
system, "hiring hand to the coal pits
(at Deep Run or Tuckahoe) was some
times resorted to, in the case of pecu-
liarly insolent and profigate negro, who
persisted in stealing, fighting his over
seer, and spending his Sundays drunk
as punishment, and not in any other
cases Yet the coal pit work was so
light, and so thoroughly healthy, that
these reprobate negroes usually became
fond of it. But that was the " "barbarism
of slavery" and this power, which shuts
up white men in these portals of hell is
10Th century philanthrophyl All well,
l am an old fogy.
Afterwards, seeing one of these young
cyclops on deck during his respite, I asked
the mate of the ship, who was conversing
with me: F." Is not his a very hard and
repulsive employment" He answered
with grin: Pretty bad" Said I, a
hope then, that their pay is correspond
ingly liberal? cob no." he replied
much lower than of any hands on the
ship" But, I rejoined, "this is unjust, to
exact the most trying work for the smallest
pay. The mate turned on me, as if he
thought my folly was very shallow, and
said: " What good would that do? They
would just have that much more for
whiskey; they would never get any real
good from their pay" Why? answered
l. " Is there any needs-be for their be-
ing men Of such worthless habits"?- p
F" Yes, he said: Z" If they were any above
that grade, we should never get them to
do such work. A fellow has to be real
low down to live for stoking." This
mates philosophy is: that the degrade.
ton OF part of the servants of free So
clety is necessary to her triumphs. |
wonder if it is true philosophy? If So
then our old system compared with it as
day does with night; for our system ele
waited and civilized all its loaOe,. class, to
some degree. But then, am an old fogy.
l have. sent you by this mail the copy
OF the Scotsman, containing the end of
the famous Robertson Smith case. When
you read it, l know precisely what scrap
OF our school-boy lore will rise to your
tongue.
"Partatriuoat naonteS; mascitau, ridlcuzus
mus"
But don t you say it; you naughty fellow !
Remember your manners. The Scotsman
whose editor in chief they say, is not a
Scotchman at all, is in Edinburgh very
much what the Herald is in New York
able, INSCRIPTIONS, employing the spryest
reporters, yelling a secret enmity to the
gospel under an affectation of high libe-
rallsm. Doubtless the picture he gives
OF the debates is as faithful as graphic.
Such manners in an ecclesiastical assem-
bly, and such insolence and incipient riot
In the audience of a great ecclesiastical
assembly, would look very queer to us
Southerners, who were habituated to the
barbarism of slavery" But we shall
learn in due time, and reconcile ourselves
to this higher model.
Yours faithfully, RID.