Year: 1860

THE INEQUALITY OF THE RAcEs.-The Boston
Courier, the oldest conservative journal in the New
England States thus discourses on the inequality of
the races:


lit be true, are not prepared to admit,
even on the authority of our Declaration of IHde-
pendence, that all men are born free and equal, it
is certainly true likewise that year does not pass
scarcely six months from the period of birth, with
out the development of differences in that euuality
which are adapted to make material differences in
the subsequent freedom of the individuals who
come into the world. Let a free-born American
put to himself the question-"Am | to be required
to believe that Hindoo, Caffre, Chinaman, or
Patagonian was born equal to me?" He must
say, 81 Indignantly deny its Take a specimen of
Negro, or Tartar, or an Esqumaux, and COM
pare him with a sample of an Englishman, or an
American, however youthful, whether six months
or SIX days old and you will see differences and in
equalities which will be developed and increased
every day, till both grown to mans estate and
IL VII no longer be possible to imagine them to be
equal to any one point of mental or corporeal con-
stitutiOn


1t would be much nearer the truth to assert that
no one human being is born to freedom, and that
no two are equal. Every child has progenitors
whom he must obey, and has individual features
distinguishing him from every other person of the
same period, at least, if of all periods and the
distinguishing differences quite as much mental
as bodily, and those differences are INEQUALITIES
One is superior to the other and it little becomes
the Americanswho, in fact, really thinks that his
c0untrymen are greatly superior to the rest of man.
kind, to profess political doctrine which he does
not and cannot believe.


Men are free not, and equal to others or not
according to their race and the circumstances of
their birth and education; and as there are i'm
mense diversites of physical and intellectual pow
er, there are and must be equal differences in free
dom and rank.


People who are gifted with any spirit of obser-
vaon see these differences in the individuals about
tnem Just as plainly as If they travelled in differ
ent quarters of the globe to search for them. The
wonder would be to find two people, brought up
under the same circumstances and of the same race
who were exactly alike. Even the Siamese twins
differed from each other. Of course different races
are farther apart in intellectual and moral quail
ties, than individuals and before we expect edual
ty, we should ascertain whether the races are en-
dowed with equal powers or not. In point of fact
some races have got the start of Others and being
ahead in the struggle of life they will not probably
lose their position to the end. " +


The picture of Jamaica as she might be- and as
she Is, and the contrast of Massachusetts as she
Is to-day, and as she was by nature two hundred
and nifty years ago, should be enough, one would
think, to teach patience and discrimination to the
duest minds, and to show that it is in vain to
attempt to hasten the course of events, which are
IN the hands OF wiser power than Congress or
the General Court, and that it would be better for
us to turn our attention to affairs which we can,
IN some degree, control, and leave to Caesar the
things that are Caesars, and to God the things that
are Gods"


THE LONDON TINES ON THE SLAVERY


QUESTION.


The late Union meeting in New York has called
fourth another leader in the Times on American
affairs. We give the following extracts:


Those who think that the cause of the negro las
been served by the raid of John Brown and the
speeches OF his canOnizers, will do well to read the
report of the meeting held in New York on the 10Th
OF December, under the banner of "Justice to the
South" This meeting, be it observed, was "large
and influential" For fortnight manifesto had
been circulating in the city, and had received an
immense number of signatures. The purport of
this document was to express attachment to the
Union and condemnation of Abolitionist excesses.
The meeting necessarily followed on this demon
stratiOn. 1t was crowded and enthusiastic cheer
ing to the utmost the strongest passages in the
speakers oratons 1t had the concurrence of the
first men in the Union, letters expressing sympathy
with its objects having been received from no less
than three ex-Presidents-Mr. Van Buren, Mr.
Fillmore, and Mr.. Pierce We may take the as.
semby 20 have represented pretty closely the pre-
vailing opinion of New York, the largest, richest
and most influential city in the Union; the city
which, being equally removed from New England
and from the cotton States, may be considered to
afford fair sample of average American opinion.


There can be no doubt that these are the prevail
ing views even in the Free States of America and
little that the violent doings of the Aboliionists
have had great share in producing them. 1t is
but few years since the language of every Ameri,
can in regard to slavery was apologetc. "It could
not be helped; it would die out. Virginia, and
Delaware, and Maryland, and perhaps Kentucky
would be Free States before long," and so on But
of late no such language has been heard, and the
cause OF the change though principally the great
increase in the value of slave property, is in great
measure also the hatred inspired by the Abolition
! lists over the whole South. The fertile cotton
! growing States might be expected to support ar
institution which makes their wealth, but even the
high price paid for fine young negroes would hard
| have prevented Virginia from making some steI
toward freedom, had it not been for the continual
| irritation kept up by the Boston demagogues. Ii
this State, and one or two of the other slave dis
tricts the negro's work is chiefly domestic, and
| what is OF more Importance, large body of Whit
| men, among whom are numbers of industrious Ger
| man Immigrants, are showing how much can b
done by free labor. All the conditions requisite 70
the trial OF the experiment of emancipation wer
coming into existence, and Virginia and Maryland
might by this time have severed themselves from
the sisterhood of slave States had it not been for
| the teud between North and South, fomented by
the AbolltonistS. These people have thrown the
old civilized slave States back under the dominion
of the coarse planters of the extreme South; the7
have made the division between the two sections 81
complete that, as a member of Congress observed
even the disruption of the Union would hardly
make much social difference, and all without thu
smallest gain to the negro, but, the contrary
| his irreparabe loss.


Formerly the negroes in the Northern Slav,
| states were not deDarred from instruction. If
master or good-natured mistress chose, the slave
in family might be taught to read and write, anc
often they were very fair profcents But it is mo-
only that the strngency of the slave-owrer's rule
has been increased; the change of opinions in the
Free States is melancholy sign. The remarks OF
Mr. O'COnor which we have quoted are but fair
sample of what Americans have learnt to think and
say. The change is to be almost entirely attribu
ted to hatred of the Abotionists; for, however de
termined not to meddle with Slavery as long as il
produces cotton and rice, the Northerners would
have indulged the little hypocrisy of deploring it
and making sentimental speeches about the sac
burden with which their forefathers, the British
had sadded them. 1t is only political animosity
which has led to the adoption of Slavery as a creed
by the mass of Americans, and yet there can be M
doubt that the adoption has really been made. MOI
is it mere barren belief; the "Dred Scott" cas-,
shows that it has found its way to the judicial bench
and it has been carried out in the Judgment which
made so great sensation in Europe, and also il
the great political measure which allows any new
Territory to adopt Slavery if it chooses. We can
not congratulate the Abolitionists the success
their exel tions, which have plunged the the,
favor into deeper darkness, and have made the sub


lection of man to man the belief of Christian peo
pie.