The National tribune., 1901-05-30
SLAVERY AND THE BIBLE.
Some Misconceptions Corrected.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The His
tory of Slavery" by John McElroy, is
pamphlet which should be in everyone's
possession, giving as it does in brief a full
retrospect of the institution which pro-
duced the greatest rebellion in history.
Its price being 5 cents, you receive in it
500 worth of information, and after read
ing it have a clearer idea of the causes
of the rebellion than you would have by
months reading of history. Its brevity.
howevNr, did not admit of showing the
Southern arguments from the Bible in IA
yor OF the peculiar institution. As Mr..
McElroy says: Slavery is older than
history" and further on he says: Most
writers think that its origin was in cap
tiYes taken in war. The captor saw that
it would be more profitable to keep his
captive and make him work than to kill
him.. This is partially true, and the Gus
tom Of making prisoners slaves was mod
flied in later years into working them un-
til such time as they We're exchanged or
ransomed. How few people are aware
that this custom was kept up as late as
the days of the Great Napoleon. In his
campaign of 1905 he issued a proclama
ton to his army, dated Elchingen. Oct.
q, in which he says: "Of 100000 men
who comprised the Austrian army, 10000
are prisoners; they will go to take the
place of our conscripts In the labors of
our fields" etc.
see that Maj. McElroy has. however,
fallen into the general error that there
was a partial emancipation of slaves
among the Jews every seven years, and
a general emancipation every 30 years.
The error is caused by some oversight
of investigation. Among the Jews there
were servants and slaves. and the eman-
cipation mentioned refers to the former
parents or taken for debt, or often sold
by themselves. The slaves were pur-
chased from the heather, and were never
emancipated. | will give the extracts from
the Bible containing my assertions. and
which were used in argument by South
ern preachers:
Exodus, 2lst chapter, verse 2: "If thou
buy Hebrew servant, six years he shall
serve; and in the seventh he shall go out
free for nothing"
Verse g. IF he came in by himself, he
shall go out by himself: If he were mar
ried, then his wife shall go out with him."
Verse 4: 'If his master have given
him a wife, and she have borne him sons,
and daughters. the wife and her children
shall be her masters, and he shall go
out by himself"
Verse 20: "And if q man smite his ser
wants. or his maid, with a rod, and he die
under his hand, he shall be surely pun
shed"
Verse 81: Notwithstanding, If he con-
tinues a day or two, he shall not be pun
ished; for he is his money"
Exodus, 22d chapter Sd verse. says that
thief SHOULD make full restitution; il
he have nothing, then he shall be sold
for his theft"
Deuteronomy, 23d chapter.-Verse 10:
"Thou shalt not deliver unto his master
the servant which escaped from his mas
ter unto thee"
Verse IS: He shall dwell with thee,
even among you in that place which he
shall choose is one of thy gates where il
liketh him best; thou shalt not oppress
him."
Leviticus. 25th chapter.-Verse 80:
"And if thy brother that dwelleth by
thee be waxen poor and be sold unto thee,
thou shalt not compel him to serve as a
bond servant"
Verse 40: But as hired servant, and
as sojourner he shall be with thee, and
shall serve thee until the year of Jubi-
lee"
Verse Al: "And then he shall depart
from thee, both he and his children with
him, and shall return unto his own fam
lily, and unto the possession of his father
shall he return"
Verse AZ: For they are my servants
which / brought forth out Of the land of
Egypt; they shall not be sold as bond
men,"
Verse 48: "Thou shall not rule over
him with rigour, but shall fear thy God"
There are other laws regarding selling
and holding Hebrew servants, for which
see Exodus, 21st chapter, verse 5, and
following; also, Leviticus. 25th chapter,
verse At, and following. Bnt here is the
part held to uphold slavery:
Leviticus, 25th chapter.-Verse. "A,
Both thy bond-men and thy bono maids
which thou shalt have shall be of the
heather that are found about you. of them
shall ye buy bond-men and bond-rnaids."
Verse 43: Moreover, of the children of
the strangers that DO soJourn among you,
Of them shall ye buy, and of their fam
lilies that are with you, which they bega.
in your land, and they shall be your pos
session"
Verse A6: "And ye shall take them as
an inheritance for your children after you.
TO inherit them for possession; they
shall be your bond-msn forever, but over
yotir brethren the children Of Israel, We