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Show 74 Theodore Parker. l1ave on the Democratic party, or the Hepnblican party? how wil~ it affect the next I">rc, idential election? whnt will the great State of P ' nnsylvanin,or Ohio, or New York ,ay to it? Tlli - is Yery unfortunate for u all, especially wh<'n the people have to deal practically and thnt ~pecdily with a question eone >rning the very cxi::;tcnce of D emocratic institution in Am ·rica; for it is not to be (hmietl that we must give up DE:'IIOCHACY if we keep SLAVERY or give up SLAYI~ltr if we keep DEJ\1 CRACY. I greatly deplore this state of things. Our abl men fitil to perform their natural function- to give Yaluablc instruction and advice to the peopl e ; and, at the ::;am' time, they debase aml degrade themsclve. . The hurrahs and the ofli..:cs they get arc poor eompen ation for fills ·ucs to their own con scwncc~. In my best e~tatc, I do not prcten<..l to much political wisdom, and till less now wl1ilc ~iclc; but I wi ~ h yet to ~c t down a few thought.:5 for your private eye, and, it may be, for the car of the Fratemity. They arc, at least, the re ·ult of long meditation on the , uhjc ·t; besides, th 'Y ar • not at all new nor peculiar to me, but are a part of the I>uulic Knowledge of all enlightened men. 1. A man, held against l1is will as a slave, has a natural ri,gl1t to kill eve'l'y one who seeks to p1·eoent his enJo,ynwnt of libe1·ty. Thi~ has long been recognized as a self-evident proposition, coming so directly from tl1e Primitive ln ~ tinc!s of Iluman Nature, that it neither required proof~ nor admitted them. 2. It may be a natuutl duty of tlte slave to develop this natural rigltt in a p'ractical manner, and actually kill all tlwse who seek to prevent !tis euJoyment of libe1·ty. For, if he continue patiently in bol1llag~: I1"ir::;t, he entails the fou1e 'L of curses on ~1is children ; and, sccopd, he encourages other men to corrpnit the crime ngain::;t nature w hieh he allows his own n1c.~ster to CQTQmit. It is ~y duty to preserve my own body Theodore Parker. 75 ft:om stm~valion. If I f~til thereof through sloth, I not only <l1<', but tncur the <'ont<·mpt and loat hi11g of my aequnintance while 1 liYc. It i:; not l e.:; my duty to tlo all lk tt is in m!. pow<'r ~o pre:-:e rYc my body and soul from Slavery; aml •L I submit to !hat through cowanlicc, I not only become n bondman, a1Hl s ulf't~r what thraldom inflict~, but I incur also t.he contempt and loatl1ing of my acquaiutan cc. "\Vhy do fr ·em en ~co rn and <1<-:-:pise a laYe? Bceau. c they think his condition is a Rign of' hi ~ cownnlice, and believe that he ourrht l'? to pr('l<'r d >alit to bondage. The ~ onth erners hold the Af'ri- ·an:; 111 great contempt, thongh moth rs of their ch ildren. "\Vhy? Simply because the Af'rieans nrc Rlav<'S; that i:;, bceat~sc tl~e Africans f:til to perform the natural duty oC securmg freedom by killing th t>ir oppr •sso r:;. 3. J'l1e fn•enwn has a ?tat,tntl ri,r;ht to lwljJ the slates 'recol'e? · tlwh· huerty, awl ~·n t/l(lt cnterp1·l'se to do for them all. wlu'ch tlle,y !tave a 'rigltt to do fm· tltemselces. This stat ement, I think, require no argument or illu '!ration. 4. It may be a natural dlli!J for tlte ji·eeman to helj> the slai'CS to lite en.fo.7JIItent of tlwir liberty, aucl, as means to tlwt end to aid them in killing all such as oppose their natural j~·eedom. lf you were attn ·ked by a wolf, I . bould not only have a 'right to aid you in g •tting rid of that enemy, but it would be my DUTY to help you in proportion to my power. If' it w ·re a :\WRDEREn, and not a woH~ who atta ·ked you, the uuty would be still the same. uppose it i · not a munlc•rer who would kill you, but a KIDNAPPER who vwuld en lav ',do<'~ thnt make it le~s my duty to help you out of the 11aud ~ of your ncmy? Suppo e it is uot a kidnapper who woultl make you a. bondman, but a SLAVEHOLDER who would ke<'p you one, docs that r emove my obligation to help you? 5. 1'lw p erfonnance of tlu's duty is tv be conlrvltcd by the freeman's power and opportun'if.IJ to help the s{al'(!s. (The Inlpossiblc is neY •r the Obligatory.) I cannot help tlH~ ~ Ia \'!·. in Dahomey or Bornou, and am not bound to try. I <·n11 help |
