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Show 262 APPENDIX TO NOTES. they do not hclic,·c in a God or in a future sbtc. When called tlpon to tc11tify, tho defence objects to their. evidence, on tho ground of atheism; the disqualifying statement IS pro\'cd ~o have been made, the witness has leave to withdrn.w, and the gutlty party escapes. MorCO\'Cr, it is to tho direct personal interest of the c~~istia.n; that his infidel neighbor should be possess?d of the srunc CIVIl n.b~hty as himself, inasmuch as when n. trn.nsactton occurs, as any day It may, the just settlement of which is of importanco.to the Christin~, nnd the essential evidence of which is the ocqunmtance of ~n mfidel . friend with the facts, if his testimony be excluded, the rtgl~ts nnd ' interests of tho Christi:m mny be sacrificed beyond hope of rchcf. A Christian may be fOully wronged, within the knowledge of an infidel, or he mn.y be murdered in tho presence of twenty infidels~ all honora. blo and respected men, and yet tho wronger and assassm cannot be brought to justice, and need fear no lnw. "A recent judicial decision in this Commonwealth presents the injustice of excluding the testimony of infidels in the strongest light. It having been shown, as it is known to you, that a murdered man had been a sceptic upon certain points of ordinary belief, the murderer, by the ruling of tho court, walked out an innocent man and worthy citizen-tho court deciding, in effect, that to kill an infidel is not a crime known.to Massachusetts law! "Tho relation of the infidel to the State is now identical to that of a chattel. His humanity is disowned i his political existence denied. llis rights arc violated with impunity; he is outraged in person and b1~~!~f!~n~a;~~npt~:n ~~~v k~~c;~~~~f~c~s~ 0~V~~~~· o"n~~e~r;i!~~~~~~~~t~~~~ no matter how great an indignity is inflicted upon heretics, no matter how unjust the act, or how atrocious the wrong, they have no protec-tion, and no redress. "Yoor memorialists believe it to be a fundamental maxim of common law, that when tho State withdraws its protection from tl1e individual, then the obligations of tlw individual to SUP.)JQrt the Staff, become annulled, his responsibility to the laws of tlte State extingui:sl1ed, and he is thrown back upon his reserved right of self-protection hy whatever means he may. Such of your memorialists as are now pu5 in this rebtion to the law, wi~hing no longer to hold such position, and hrwing no desire to be forced uvon their last alternath·e in nny instance, because d('f:poilcd by the State of their civil or their social rights, knock respectfully at tho door of tho convention for tho rC"cog· nition of their citizenship, and the relief of their political disabilitie~. And here we beg leave particularly to represent that we seck no favor, llOr ask ttny pri,·ilc~(', hut thn,t ~HI claim at your handfl, n.s our plnin, absolute and unqualified lnCHT, tlmt constitutional protection against injustice, and that eoHstilutionnl equality before tl1e la1o, lit which, tlll citizens of this Commonwcnlth, we are cutitlcd, wholly irrespective nnd independent of wlmte\"er religious or anti-religious theories be entertained." APPENDIX TO NOTES, 263 APl'ENDIX K. CoNDITION OF TUE u LABOUR rNa CJ.~SsEs" r , NoN·SI.A\'EHOLDIN~ CouNT~,!~cr,AND, AND OTHER 1. English labouring classes:-Genoralsta.tcments. From the London CuardiaJl of Jan. 10, 1853 . ,, UNI1.'~~~ S1'A'l'ES.-1'hc :New Yt . . . . hshes a rCJOmder from the A.1 . mk_ CIJlt1"tC1' and J!:nqui1·cr pubTuonstrn.! lc~ against slavery in ~~l:~~~~n.late.s to t!JC Stalford-houMJ ret~ nd Clmsttn.n .Address of many 'l'hous:~;l tIS entitled an , A fl"cctionatc S~ates of America to their Sisters lb dsof the Won~en of the United wtll not dwell upon ~he 'flagitious ~mdo bjVomcn 1Jf 1-;ng:land.: They land exteuds her terntorics in S tl ood_y modes by wl11ch .Ftwthe So~tthcrn ~ea."'; the iuiquito~s0'Q,;~~-~: Af~10a, :'5ot~thel"ll_ Asia, :'l1~t sp~nk of the tgnorant n.nd povert -Mtr" ·kc w.~r, 01 lr1sh nusrulu; but lat10n of yout• own land. ,1 d Y h 10 en, ,md the dC'crradetl popu ~~·ith kindness.' • Si~ters', ~.~111• '~~ ~ _all do it ~\"ith f.'litl1fui 11 f's:;, yet 1g:nomnce, ~~~fn:c-"1 to penurj, aut! ~\ll~v~: /lll:.d ~''It!! slaves-,.,Ja\"Cll to tem of public mstt·uclion wort! f tl 0 'ICC. l'.n~bnd hns no ~y.smore is spent in education tha lJt~ le name. Jn ~cw Yot·k alone same put·p~se in Rngland. In nNe~~ Y~~ual Pal·l_iamont gmnt fm· th~ nrc at public school~:~ in Eng!· 1 1 1 k onc-thJJ·d of tl1e population '"'You, wl_lOm wo 'aJ•e ndd~~;inO,~l {h~~~~·ch.l\'Cnth :- ' C\Crywherc, In tho metropolis, in t~' o Ill ltll P:Lrts of }.nglantl, hut c_ountry, you see about you the mos~ 7t~·ntt''t~t~~~·~.ng ~own.'l, :tnd in tho ~on. lo London tbero arc w ~ .~ ) e OStJ tUtiOn and dc~mdaImmortal beings who nrc 110; e un< _Cr!:!l;~nd, more than 1 000 000 of cally_t!t.ink the thoughts ~~ud ~~:es~~~~~ ,'t the house of Goci, ':wd'pmctiC? ndlhon of a. laro-c portion of tl I b ve.s _of :~bsolute heathens. 'l'ho }~'toQiy bej~dge~l fl·om the fact ~~a: of\';~'2~ 83J~1 latiun of tit~~~ vast ) • can bat ely earn a miser·~Lie 8 1 . t • Journeymen uulors lOUrs a day, Sunday included.' and t~' J:•; once ~y working fourtcel~ men, wh?, earn on an avcran-c ~nl 41 ~a t contnm8 33,~00 llf'Cdlcwo! IOurs. lhero are 50,000 oeo 1 Y. 1< • a dny, Ly workl.Jl~ fourteen m the streets, and IIcnr lrn. ~~ e ~n London '':ho obtain their Ji,·in"" ~cnture to question, say~ of fhec", .an, aut!Jorlty whom you will not rntellectmd degradation of tho m_. ~\hen tho rcligioul!l, moral nnd prc$~cd upon us, it becomes ~~~{?~·•ty of tht·~e 50,000 people i~ im'' nst amount of vice, ignol'fl.nc/a (e.ly fi.PJ?al!mg_ to contemplate tho our lnnd.' l'here ttro 30 000 ' n( w.mt extstln~ m tho very lte·trt of onc-t~nth-at the outside'onc-t~o~~cnnongers; of these he f:.ays,•onl ~arrymg ou their costcrmon<'>"crin ,~~~os the couple~ livinl-\' to~etber nn5 In :l hund•·ed of them had e~er {;o tl~ e n.r~ m:u:ncd ;' that 'uot three pine? of worship, or knew what ~~~: In the lllterJOr .of.a chut·ch or nn one 1?- tcu of them i.s able to t·e I'. s meant by Clmstmnity, and on/ f:n.sc ~-~ no better. In Glasgo,:\h Ju, your mnuufaeturiJJg towns th~ actoues or needlework whose , ~re .nc G9,000 women cn••ng-C'd in ' a\cr,tge CMnlllgs do uot cxcc~U is. or |