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Show 42 TilE GOLDEN IIOUR. 1 t. method adopted by our fathers, which the revo u lonary ' . . .11 t, t once more tho 1nfalhblo la-w that colnpollod, 1 us r a es they who take to the sword shall perish by the sword. VI I. LIB E R T y' S L E G I T I l\1 A T E 'V E A p 0 N. A Slay Seven men if in the encounter p ANTIIER can c ' the men have only tho weapons of tho panther: tooth to tooth, claw to claw, the !non arc inferior .. But l~t o.ne man encoun tel, tl1o panther ' annod with lns supenonty to the panther' -let him bear in his hand his che~istry and art, in tho fire-arm which the panther cannot 1nvent or use, and he can slay tho panther. Slavery having challenged Liberty, Liberty has been unwise enough to select Slavery's own weapons. But with these weapons Liberty's apparent victories will be defeats; for though the panther be driYon into its den, to hold it thoro would be the subversion of this government, i. e. its change into a goYenuncnt of military force. But lot her be armed with her superiority to Slavery, and she is irresistible. Tho only legitimate weapon of Liberty is- LIBERTY. It is doubtful if tho nation at large will be able to see how a bold, unconditional decree of eLnancipation LillERTY'S LEGITIMATE ·wEAPON. 43 would speedily and thoroughly suppress this rebellion. God always allows so1no 1nargin for human magnanimity. If this nation saw success in such a 1nca ·ure it would enact it ; so would any herd of cattle. Roo1n' is allowed n1an for the play of 1notivcs higher than policy; his highest success comes only when he seeks fir t the kingdom of justice, and then finds that all other advantages arc added thereunto. "lloncsty," says vVhatcly, " is indeed the best policy ; but no honest man ever acted on that principle." Indeed, it takes an honest n1an to find out such policy ; those sec clearly ho"Yv emancipation would end the war forever, \vho would emancipate in any case, because it is right. Y ct probabilities can be shown in the direction of our 1ncthod which arc far stronger than any indicating that war' can win us even a military victory over the rebellion ; probabilities more numerous and sufficient than those on which hu1nan beings act in a majority of cases. There is a point in tho South by touching which the entire n1ilitary power of the South is paralyzed. Nat Turner touched that point, and, with fifty negroes behind hin1, held the entire State of Virginia as if stricken by catalepsy for five weeks. John Brown touched it, and, with twenty-one men, so held Virginia that, had he had a fourth of ~fcClellan's arn1y, he could in one month have occupied the entire State. It became a proverb, that John Bro·w·n had demonstrated the weakness of lavery. This hugo machinery of arn1ies and numbers is a barbarism; it is as if we built great |