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Show 194 Tllll CONTRAST. lay my hand on my heart, an d say, My flesh is MY owN. . . That there are, in the slave v. Morals and reltg1_on. t number of persons, states of N orth A m en ca, a grca both moral aml rc] ' I· ' d ll· ck who are . both white an ) a ' d ,ree doubt. I have Wit- . the least eg b ooious I cannot 111 f' h fact in a large num er " ' 1· in tokens o t e ' ' . . nessed some Pd ' 1 ttenti.Y e con gregations, cons1stmg of decent an a ho have kindly given and slaves, w . both of masters . for worship of my own . at meetmgs . f me their compan) ' . f e to exclude e1ther o . Far be Jt rom rn appomtment. I f salvation; or to forget these part1.e s f ro m the pa e o Christianity to b on d . bTt of our common . the appltca I I y 1 ·holders gtve way to N vertheless, as s ave . · and free. e . . t nth in the1r own mmds, the deve1 o pment of cltvme r · e whispering w·t t1 tt·n f 'l to hear a vote they will not at I thing-cease to do " T 1 not the unc ean them- ouc l . . f 1 not only in its abuse, evil." That slavery ts sm u ' to be evident from t re seems to me but in it~ own na u ' Two of these, with which an its practteal results. r, '1 t be familiar, I may . t man cannot 1a1 o 1 Amen can sta es · themselves amp Y · they are m now briefly mentwn- The first is the dreadful ffi . t prove my case. 1 e su ctent o . I prevails in yours av . hich notonous y b t licentiOusness w es themselves, n l among the negro . .. states, not mere y , l 't and blacks. Sere tn· · 11 between w n cs more especta Y . . ithout reserve, · eds ItS COUI se W deed amalgamatiOn spe . 't tion which con· . . 1 form An mstt u and in a cnmma . hich fathers are stantly lead s to th't s r esult-under w1 1 their own ch 'Il· k to bequeath or se .1 sometimes nown . . self a desperate moral evl. dren-must needs be, zn zt .' , l ry ignorance. The second result alluded to IS compu .so TilE CONTIIAH. HJ5 Evil in its root-incurably evil-opposed to the will of an intelligent and benevolent Creator-and deadly in its moral tendency-must be a system which shuts out half or two thirds of the population of a state, from even sipping at the fountain of knowledgewhich proclaims to a multitudinous rising generation the stern decree, "You shall never be taught to read the Bible!" I have now dmwn a contrast between freedom in the West Indies, and slavery in North America, on five distinct points-the CJUantit y of labor, the expense of cultivation, the value of real property, the comforts of the negro, and lastly, morals and religion. I have endeavored to avoid exaggeration in the statement of eitlter side; bnt who will deny that the scale preponderates with immense weight and power on the side of freedom? Who can doubt that the American statesman is bound, by every principle of philosophy as well as philanthropy, of policy as well as justice, to desist from the support of slavery, and henceforth to labor in the good old cause of emancipation? We had much satisfaction in relating our story of the West Indies, to a political rival of thine, for whom Ih:we a sincere personal esteem -I mean John C. Calhoun. He listened with the greatest attention to the narrative, and, after I had brought it to a close, admitted his belief not only in the accuracy of the relation itself; but in that of the five points, partly pecuniary, and partly physical and moral, on which it furnished such ample evidences of the favorable working of freedom. He then fixed his eagle eye upon me, and noss-qnestioned me respecting the political 0 2 |