The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-11-23
TaE OTHER SIZE or SLAVERY.

Y Rev. !ar. 1itt. VINO siid' Sos5
from i.os ton. says that inc negro
preacher who replied TOT his adasess Vas
brave enough TO tell the s9sionians tha1
slavery had lis good features as vel as
3.s had and to declare that II was the
Greatest miss onai-S enterprise In the
history Of Christianity.
OF course slavery had its good fea-
lures but the greatest good was to the
negro himself i; was undoubtedly
mo, 10 The negroes of Africa and ther
4 ,snscan6a,.s to have been brough, to the
Tinted states and to civilization. TO
nnve been brought under the influence
of the good women OF the South. who
treated them as members of the family
and instructed them In manners a'id
morals and religion. Taken as a whole.
there never was people since creatt5n
who were altogether SO happy AID con-
tented as the negro slaves of the Soata
before the war. OF course there we'e
exceptional, cases. There were some bad
masters and there were some abuses.
but as a rule slavery was blessing TO
the negro race.
Blu, il was not a blessing to the white
race. II was not blessing TO the S'a'h-
1t was more ike curse and scourse..
1t was denoralizing: 1t tended - c.ta'ea
classes. it tended to make an ailstoc-
racy and peasantry; II tended 10 MAKE
an idle class and IT prevented ANYTHING
Ike manufacturing development II lfeld
the south back for years, AMI IT would
have continued 10 hold her back If it had
no, been abolished.
We do not mean that II was abolished
Sd the right way. Civilization "as ap-
noss.d 10 slat.-,y, and in III. r arch q
cents slavery could not long have sur
yived. Many leading men In the Scltth
had nlready recognized the fact. before
the war begun. Some of them had SGT
their slaves free and others We're pre-
pairing to do so. II 1.-THE North had not
intertered the Southern shareholders
would BY degrees and in thesr own way
have emancipatcd all the slaves, but
they would have done 1t in the logical
and easiest way and under nletaols ana
regulations that would have prevented
anyt...ns like a revolut On. or anything
like a shock TO our politics or to our
social structure The Southern 7eapleH
knew tie negro well they liked him and
lie liked them. and Il lie Northern "a
natios had not interfered tlle problem.
would hn.e been solved by the two races
without clash and without the oItrages
or reconstruction.
we do not defend slavery as an IN.
stitution. but we do say tnat Southern
slavery was the most humane slavery
that the word ever knew. that the ne
gro slaves of the South We're the best
treated and hapntest slaves the world
ever knew, and that the negro period
OF bondage in the South was 10 that
race a blessing. We DO not defend slaE-
cry. hut we do defend the South against
the slanderous charges that have been
made against her in this connection. and
we condemn, as we have always con-
demned. the manner in which slavery
YVES abolished. And particularly do We
4 oonocn,n. he people al the North Tor put.
ting the ballot into tie hands OF the
newiy f1eed slaves and turning them
looae upon III. body polite.
slasery was indeed a curse TO the
South. aid we thank God i is gone. but
the curse MAS TO the master and not to
the slave.
! Il ~ a-s5a s {