Newspaper Page Text
Poetry.
THE SCHOOL-BOY SPOT.
BY MILO A. TOWNSEND.
' A nd dear the school-boy sport ,
We ne'er forget, though there we are forgot." Byron.
'T is a hallowed spot, for there have past
Such hours of pure delisht and joy
I ennt forget while time shall last,
Those haunts I roamed a bsppy boy.
There on that green and sun-lit hill
The hoars of youth fled swift away,
When hand in hand beside the rill,
With those I loved did fondly play.
'T was beautiful when morn awoke,
Upon the dow-beRpangled lea;
Arid when the sun with golden light,
Came smiling from the rosy sea,
O, then t was sweet to roam anions
Those flowery hills and ivy bowers,
To listen as the wild-bird sung
Her anthem to the golden hours.
And when the rippling stream was bright
With radiant moonbeams sparkling o'er,
O, then what joy anil fond delight,
To tripalong that flowery shore.
E'en now on Fancy's sportive wing,
I soar to that dear, blessed spot,
To hea the robin sweetly sing,
Mid wiMwoods ne'er to bo forgot.
THE CHRISTIAN SLAVE.
BY J. G. WHITTIER.
A Christian! going, gone!
Who bids for God's own ininge for His grace,
Which that poor victim of the market piaco
Hath in her sulToring wonl
My God! enn such things be?
Hast thou not Raid, that whatsoe'er is done
Unto Thy weakest and Thy humblest one,
Is even done to Thee!
In that pad victim, then,
fihild of Thv pitying love, luce Thee stand
Once more the jest-word of a mocking baud,
fioand, sold, and sconrged again!
A Christian np for sale!
Wet with her blood your whips o'er tasik her frame,
Make her life loathsome with your wrong and sham'.',
Her patience shall not fail!
A heathen hand might deal
Hack on your heads the gathered wrong of years;
But her low, broken prayer and rightly learj,
Vo neither heed nor foei.
Con well thy 1 esson o'er,
Thcu prudent teacher 'ell the toiling slave
No dangerous tale of Hin who came to save
The outcast and the poor.
But wisely sknt the ray
Of God's free Gospel from th" simplest heart,
And to her darkened mind alone impart
One stern command "obey!"
So shalt thou deflfy raise
The market price of human flesh ; nnd whilo
On thee, thoir pampered guest, the planters' smile,
Thy Church shall praise:
Grave, reverend men shall tell,
From Northern pulpits, how thy work was blest;
While in the vile South Sodom, first and best,
Thy poor disciples sell!
Oh, shame! The Moslem thrall,
Who, with his master, to the Prophets kneels,
While turning to the sacred Kebla feels
His fetters break and fall.
Cheers for tho turbaned Boy
Of robber-peopled Tunis! ho hath torn
The dark slave dungeons open, and hath borne
Their inmates into day.
But our poor slaves in vain,
Turns to the Christian shrine his aching cyca
Its rites will only swell his market-price,
And rivet on his chain.
God of all right! how long
Shall ppestly robbers at Thine altar stand,
Lifting in prayers to Thee, the bloody hand
Ana huughty brow of wrong!
Oh! from the fields of cane,
From the low rice-swamp, from the trader's cell;
From tho black slave-ship's foul and loathsome hell,
And collie's weary chain
Hoarse, horrible, and strung,
Rises tt Heaven the agonizing cry,
Filling the arches of the hollow sky,
How lono, on God! now long!
Miscellaneous.
(fc5-Tho following biling satire in from tho Ports
mouth (N. II.) Journal. It holds up in a strong
light the cross inconsistency of this nation, cr rather
ils outrageous hypocrisy, in recording unco enc pope
of its statute book, a law, condemning tho buying of
slaves upon tbe coast of Africa of KingJTom or King
Jo, ns piracy end punishable with death, while on an
other page is a law euthorlzing Cengrese to sell a li
cense (if we lived in en oge of papal authority, we
should say tndulgenct)to any one who will pay $100
into the treasury, to buy slaves on tbe coast of Amer
ica of Tom King or Jo King; pledging (he entire
power of the government for the protection of such
traffic, and by governmental sanction making the
trade respectable.
"Strange that such difference there should be,
Twixt tweedlo Jum end tweedle eke."
MR. WISE AND THE SLAVER.
"Your young men shall see visions, and your old
men shall dream dreams."
If the above quotation is not correct, Mr. Editor,
please make it so. Taking it as it stands, I suppose
I must call tbe following sketch a dream, as I have
long ranked myself among old men. It may come
true; there is nothing in the nature of things to pre
vent it. The premises are facts, end the conclusion
is likely to follow as a natural consequence.
The scene lies about half a day's sr.il from the
coast of Cuba. Day is just dawning uon the deck
of one of our frigates,returning from the Brazilian sta
tion, and upon the wide waste of waters, gently un
dulating boneath the mild trade-wind. On board the
ship is the Hon. Henry A. Wise, of Virginia, our late
minister plenipotentiary to the court of Brazil. lie
has been recalled by his government a liltlo sooner
than he wished; but he has not quite given the death
hiow !n ihi Af' ican slave trade, and is anxious to
S'ptia izo hitrnelf, ere ho returns to his beloved coun
try, by tie cnplureof at least one slaver under Amer
ican cob rs. He has just emerged from his si a to
r.inm and bid good morning to rho officer of tho deck,
wheu 'fiil ho' is called from the masthead. 'Where
away,' shouted tho officer. 'Two points bn our Jce
bow, s r.'
The ship's course win slightly altered, and as the
sun rose, a bandsotu Baltimore built brig was scon
about three miles distant. The frigate rapidly cooio
up with bur, and through the spy glass it was easy !r
perceive that her duck was crowded wi;h negroes.
Mr. Wigs, in hiU glee culled up the captain:
'No iv,' said be, 'is ojr chance. Run up the En
glish colors, that fell-iw will be sure to run the Amer
ican flifi to knows full well that Jolin Bull dares But
search a vcfit 1 over mini) 11 waves, wnuuier sue te
piratic! V6sel, a slaver, of wut not. L.ei tiie iei-
low en: c thow the tm si.d stripes, end he is ours.
Evervthini' worked as Mr. Wiso w tidied; the slav
er onsworeJ gun from the frigate by running up the
American fiat:, and sau:ily continuing her course:
cored she for a ISi'iueu man ot war 1 he cross
of Old England was then lowered, tho stars and
stripes totik their place at the mast head of tho fri-
'tr. and another eiui was tired. J his manoeuvre
proved unreWul; the eliaee backed her top sail and
to, hb did tbe ftieate lo. Mr. SVis donr.ed his otli
cwl costune, end being determined to manege the
a liolo matter himself, e'.tpped imo the boat with the
lieutenant, and was stKin alongside the elaver. He
Miiiiei b-ir side i h gicat agility, leapt upon her
deck, (now ch ar of nrgroes.) and placing himsell in
be altitude of or about to mulio a speech, wnn one
hand pointing; unwatd. adlresed the Captain thus:
'r.;r. il thai fug (10 me on ibis broad ocean lite sa
cred pti bonification of a patriot's hopes end a pa'ri-
oV3 home) were trailing in the dost of dcleat, 111 glo
rious war, I cauld mi p over it, and love it. And holi
er it etill: but to see it ltd its folds, like the bold couns-
ifimrK-e of a bad woman, ever a traffic at ouco infa
mous end horrid, and enough to (urn its while into
ird, h nil ehame.' "
The Captain looktd first at Mr. Wise, then up at
lite fl.g, and then at Mr. Wise again: "Sacred per
ini!ioaihMi!' quoin he: 'well, I never! You ought to
bo nwde Frjleaaur c-l IVetry in the University 01
iigmny. And as f ir t rathe in niggers 1 never
beard tell of i's lieing i-ifamma end horrid, before,
and I vo carried it on all my lifa.
'Wretch!' retorted Mr. Wise 'you shall swing for
liii?: you tre cauuht tl last. Do vou know who I
'No, nor don'l care.1
Mr. vTfse'a faco turned a rod ns tho American flag
ought to have done. 'Well, then, Til lot you know;
I am the great nave-Hade exterminator, Henry A.
vieo of irginia.'
'V'ie or not, in my opinion you're- making a groat
fool of youriolf. I sailed from Old Virginny only a
fortnight ago, and nobody ihero thought tho trade in
niscr3C4 'thockingly rtvolii.ia' as vou seem to fan
cy it; else, How did I manage to load myVasel at
NuNOIKT" .-.. ;
Mr. Who hero looked 8 streaked as the flag at the
meet head continued to do. 'What,' said he, rather
faintly, 'are yuu from Norfolk and bound to New Or
lean!' 'To besure I am, I was driven out of my courso by
storm,' said the Captain. i
'O a-fl 0 h' drawled Mr. Wise; 'that diets ibo cape.'
And turning to tho lieutenant, and rrgaujing his con
Rflencs, he continued : 'Here, sir, you hnvo R bonuti
ful eemplific.BtioTi of tho 'vat difference,' which ex-
i?!a 'betwixt tweedle Hum end tweedle dee. Twee-dte-dum
would have hung thisman, tweedlc-eeo sends
fcim on his way revncing. 1 wcedle-dum would have
turned the white of that fitfg into rod, with, shame,
and scot the stare aloft in di?gust; twccdledoe only
makes it wave the more proudly, the 'aacrodporsoni-
ticetion' of 'the land ot the fieo end the hone of the
brave.' Captain, I ack your pardon; 1 hoaor you,
and will do all in my power to protect you in your
lawful commerce. J icontfcrcd why that ffeg didu't
turn red; the mystery is n"w explained.' !
'Don't make any apologies,' said the Captain,
'none are needed. Hdd 1 been from Africa, I should
havo deserted lobe hung; but es you say, trading in
Virginny niggers is a different sort of a, thing. Why,
it must do an rtgni, tor here s my lricnil, 1'araon
Snoggs has got dozen niggers on board, himself.
He hud 0 'loud call' from Louisiana which he fell
constrained to accept, and having bought ihcse dar
kies of some of his old parishioners, ho ' taking
them out to stock a small plantation with. The law
says that Virginny nigRcrs aie merchandise, and
what the law makes merchandino is merchandise.'
'To be sure,' replied Mr. Wif0) 'but to trade in Af
rican nep roc s is a piracy ; you see tho two trades are
entirely opposed to each other, end lot me tell you,
Captain, as one increases, the other must decline,
we Virginians siust look to that. Every negro carri
ed from Africa into Brazil, Porto-Rico, or Cuba,
help to swell the amount of sugar produced in those
countries, and consequently lo lower its prioe in the
markets of the world. The result of this is lo lessen
the profits of the Louisiana sugar planters, and con
sequently to diminish the demand for slaves. In such
astato of thing, iho slave breeding slates must either
keop their negroes at home, or eell them for a mere
sorg. The iMter ihey would not do, and keening
them at home would soon lead to tho abolition of sla
very in all the orihern slave states. You see, sir,
we must put down tho African slave trade.'
The visiters were here invited to partake of a colla
tion, under the awninc which covered the quarter
deck; never did persons appear better satisfied with
each other. Tho parson asked a blesBina and made
a short prayer, in which he alluded to the African
slave-trade in such pathetic terms as drew tears from
an present. IheCeptain toasted Mr. Wise as 'the
Alrican slave trade exterminator.' This broueht un
that distinguished gentleman, who made a long ora
tion upon liberty and equality, several times apostro
phising the 'sacred personification,' and closing with
'Success to the American Slave-trade !' This was re
See
Mr. Wisc'e correspondence on the slave
trude.
ceived with 'three times three.' Several toasts
equally patriotic, followed, and soon after Mr. Wise
prepared to take leave. But just as he was stepping
oyer the roil, a voiro from the main hatch way was
heard to call out, 'Masss Wise, nassa Wise!"
Mr. Wire recognized the voico at once, stepped down
upon tho deck Again, end caused the speaker to be
brought before him. He proved to be an old acquain
tance of Mr. Wise the slave of his next door neigh
bor. Tho wife nnd children of this -nan Lolongcd to
Mr. Wisa himself.
'Why, Tom, bow came you here V asked Mr. Wise.
'Massa pay ho want de money; I o;k him to wen
till massa Wise come home; he say do, and so hero I
am. Gorramorrv 1 massa Wise, do tLo iiiq back to
Sally and my lit'.lo nickers.'
'Captain,' said Mr. Wiee, 'Id Tom go with me; I
will write you an obligation lo secure you from dam
Bjre.' Mr. Wise's eyo glistened as be spoko. The
obligation was written, nnd Tom went with Mr. Wise
on hoard the frigate. He did not load tho boat do-vn
with bsrrg'ijrri arid his ewn boart foil so light that his
body seemed to him of no wei;ht ot all. The two
vessels filled away again, and continued on their vov
apeg. Mr. Wise was a thoughtful man throughout
all that day. lie walkod at least ten miles 011 the
quarter deck of the frigate, spoke scarcely a word lo
any one, and when he retired nl night" to his state
room, it was a long whilo before sleep viitrd his eye
lids. As he turned himself for the lant time previous
to tailing 3lcrp,no mutlereu to luinsclt, es tho con
clurion tn which he had arrived after a day of severe'
cogitation. 'D n it! I vorily believe, if I had been
raised in New England, I should have been as rod hot
an abolitiouist as Garrison himself.'
He licvor spoke a truer word iu his life
VATTEL.
FREDERICK DOUGLASS NARRATIVE.
Hb9 just been issued in Boston. It is a work of thrilling
interest, and will toll mightily agiinst the horrible system
of American slavery. Frederick Douglass speaks from
terrible experience, having sighed and groaned ir. the great
prison-house ot bondage. His ra.-'ative is written in
strains of stirring eloquence and power. It will fall upon
the cars ot this nation like a mighty bomb-shell, and awake
it from its sleep of death, if any thing will. No one can
read it whose heart is not cold as an ice-berg, without sym
pathy for the slave, and not see at the same time the inhu
manity and licirlleesness of American religion. Below
are a few extracts from the work, ftesd and reflect:
"In August, 1832, my master aitandwd a Mothodicl
camp meeting neiu in me way-side, l alliot countv,
ana thcro experienced religion. I indulged a faint
hope thai hi J conversion would lead him to emancipate
his slaves, and thai, if ho did not do this, it would at
any rate, make him more kind and humar.it. I was
disappointed la both theso respects. It neither led
him to be liuriiane to his slaves, nor to emancipate
them. If it had any effect on his character, it made
bim more cruel and hateful in his ways; for I believe
him to have been a much worso man after hie conver
sion than bofore. Piior to his conversion, he relied
upon his own depravity lo shield Bnd sustain him in
his savage barbarity; but after hi3 conversion.be
found religious sanction nnd support fur bis slnvchold
ing cruelly. He made tho greatest pretensions to pie
ty. His house was the houso of prayer. Ho prayed
morning, noon, nnd night. He vory toon distinguish
ed himself among his brethren, and was soon made a
class-leaders and exhorter. 11:3 activity in revivals
was great, and he proved himself an instrument in the
hands ot the church in converting many eiuls. Hn
house wbs the preacher's home. They used to take
great pleasure in coming thereto put up; for while
he otarved us, he s'ufled thorn. We have had three or
or four preachers there at a time. The names of those
who used Income most frequency while I lived there,
were Mr. Storks, Mr. Ewery, Mr. Humphry, and Mr.
Ilickoy. 1 have nlso seen Mr. George Cook man at
our house. We elavea loved Mr. Cuokman. We be
lieved bim lobe a good man. We thought him instru
mental in getting Mr. Samuel Harrison, a very rich
slaveholder, to emancipate his slaves; nnd by some
means got the impression that he was loborin'g to ef
fect the emancipation of all the slaves. When he was
at our house, we were sure to be called in lo prayers.
When the others weie there, we were sometimes cal
led in and sometimes not. Mr. Cook man look more
notice of us than either of the other ministers. He
could nol come among us without betraying his sym
pathy lor us, and, stupid as we were, we had the sa
gacity to sea it.
"While I lived with my mauto, in 3;. Micbrrl's,
there was a while young man.n Mr. Iron, who propo
sed to keep a Sabbath schooMor the instruction of eush
slaves as might bo disposed lo learn to rend the New
Testament. We met bul three times, when Mr. West
end Mr. Fairbanks, both class-leader", wi'h many oth
ers, came upon us with sticks and other mifsileg, drove
11s eff, and forbade us to meet egiin. Thus ended nnr
little Sabbath school in the pious town of St. Mich;clY
"I have said my master fuund religious sanction for
his cruelty. As an example, I will'stato onp of mary
facts going lo prove the charge. . I have seen him tie
up a lame young woman, end w hip her with a heavy
cowskinupon her naked shoulders, causing the warm
red blood to drip; and in justification of the bloody
deed, he would quote this passage of scripture 'Ho
that knoweth his truster's will, and docth it no', shall
be beaten with many stripes,'
"Master would keep this lacerated young woman ti
ed up in this horrid situation four or five hours at a
time. I have known him lo tio her up early in tho
morning, and whip her beforo breakfast; leave hor, go
iu ma aiore, romrn 01 ainner, ana whip tier again, cut
ting her in the places already made raw with his cru
el lash. The secret of master's cruelty toward 'Hen
ny' is found in the fact of her being almost helpless.
When quite a child, sho foil into the fire, and burned
herself horribly. Her hands were so burnt (hat she
never cot the use oftbem. Sho could do vrv lint
bear heavy burdens. She was to master a bill of ex
pense; and as ho was a mean man, she was a constant
offence (o him. He scorned desirous of gettinthe
poor cirl out of existence. He rrava hnr nwAnn,.
to his sister; but being n poor gift, she was not dispo
scd lo keep bsr. Finally, my benevolent mastor, to
use his own words, 'set hor adrift tn
self. Here was a recenllv-convrrtod man hnM;
upon the mother, and at the same time turning out her
helpless child, to starve nnd die! Master Thomas was
One of the many pious slaveholoers who hold slaves
for the very charitable purpose of taking care of
them."
After reading tho nbovo extract from friend Dou
glass' narrative,, turn to the appendix, and reod tho
following. How it glows with truth! These are in
deed 'thoughts that breathe and words that lurn.'
''I lovo the pure, peaceable, end impartial Christian
ity of Christ : I therefore hale the corrupt, s!avehold
ing, women whipping, cradle plundering, partial and
hypocritical Christianity of this lend. Indeed, I can
see no reason, but the most deceitful one, for calling
tho religion of this land Christianity. I look upon it
as the climax of ell misnomers, the boldest of all
frauds, and the grossest of all libels. Never was there
t clearer case of 'stealing the livery of the court of
heaven to serve the devil in.' 1 am filled with unut
terable toothing when I contemplate the religious pomp
and show, togelher with the horrible inconsistencies,
which every whore surround me. We have men
stoalors for ministers, womcn-whippers for mirsiona
ries, and rradle-plundorere for church members. Tho
man who wields the blood clotted cow skin during tho
week fills the pulpit on Sunday, and claims lo be a
minister of the meek nr.d lowly Jesus. The man whri
robs me cf my earnings at iho end of each week meets
me as a class loader on Sunday morning, to phow ma
the way of life, end the path of salvation. lie who
sells my sister, for purposes of prostitution, stands forth
as the pious advate of purity. Ho who proclaims it as
a duly to read the Bible denies me the right of learn
ing to reid ihc nam of the God who made mo. He who
is the religious advocate of marriage robs whle milli
ons of iis encred iulliieiics, nnd leaves them lo the rav
ages of wholesale pollution. The warm defender of
(he sarredness of the family rolation is the sorno that
scatters whole families, sundering husbands end
wive, parents and children, sisters ond brothers.
loaving the hut vacant, nnd the hetrih desolate. Wo
see the thief preaching against theft, nnd the adulterer
ajjainsi adultery. We have men sold to build church
es, women old lo support the gospel, ond babes sold to
purchase Bibles for the poor ke.alhm! all for the glo
ry cf God and the gowl of ,iouh! Thu slave auc
tioneer a bell nnd the churob-going bell chime in with
ech other, and th bilter cries of the henn broken
slave are drownml in the religious shouts of his pious
master. Revivals of religion and revivals in the slave
trade go hand in hand together. The slave prison and
the church stand near each other. The clanking of
fetters and the rattling of chains in the prison, and tho
pious panlin and solemn prayer in the church, may bo
heard at tho same time. The danlers in tho bodir3
and souls of men erect their stand in the presence of
the pulpit, and Ihey mutually help each other. The
dealer gives his blood-stained gold to support Iho pul
pit, and the pulpit in return, cuvors his infernal busi
ness with the garb of Christianity. Here we hove re
ligion ami robbery the dIIios of earn other dev.
il dressad in nngels' robs, and hell presenting the
semblance of paradise.
-D-irk and terrible ns is this picture, I hold it to bn
etricily true of the overwhelming ma9s of professed
Chrialians in America. They strain at n gnaf, and
aw allow i camel. Could noy thing be more true of
of our churches! ThSy would be shocked at the pro
position of fellowahipping a Afff-fitealer; and at tho
same time they hn to their commi'nion a man stealer,
and brand me with being an infvM. if I find fault with
them for it. They attend with Pharisaical strictness
to the outwBrd forms of religion, nnd at the sime time
neglect the weightier Diallers of ihe low, judgmch',
mercy, ehd fniih. They are always ready 10 steri
fice, but seldom 0 show marc v. They are they who
are represented bb professing to leve God whom (hey
havo not seen. They love the heathen on Ihe other
aide of the globe. They can pray for him, pay mon
ey lo have the Bible put into his hand, and m:s.-oorv.
rios to inMruci bim; whilo they despise and totally
neglecl the heathen at thoir own doors."
RANDOM THOUGHTS.
Thai is called infidelity which floes nol acknowl
edge the supremacy of ihe dainty fingered priesthood.
Sectarianism is a Don-conductur of celestial fire.
Priests and politicians have no sympathy with tlo
laboring man.
Tbe huge Leviathan of Polities has swallowed
thousands.
I i n4 i 1.- .1 . 1... ... .
iu uun inn vuif uo innue monncsi ny our
desire and efforts to improve Ihe eondiiion of man,
menially, physically and socially.
None have occasion to fear free discussion except
those who are eon3ciouiof being in error.
If en Infi iel e'ands at the corner ot Ihe street, and
lift up his voire against the ippressinns in the world,
the whole Church bellows from Cape Sablo to tho
Lake of tho Woods, and cries out that the Church
is in danger. But giant Sin may gn up and down in
the world, cnliating jrime and cupidity into big ser
vice, causing misery snd wretchedness to reign in
the earth, and nil is still and quiet in the church as a
baby's sleep. Rev. Theodor Parker. "
No true individual enn be happy with the knowl
edge of another's misery.
We cannot reform Ihe Church bo long ea we con
lii.uo in the evil practices of iho Church.
People wi?h a correct historical account of the
past; bul they are willing to lako up any slanderous
accnont (if men and matters of the present day.
A man is not judged by his fruits these days, but
oy 111s opinions.
Ho whom tho love of Truth predominates, will
keev himself eloof from all moorings and afloat.
With misery tround bim, man cannot be hnppy,
though his dwelling be of gold and he fare sumptu
ously every day.
Those who produce Ihe most get Iho least; thosa
who build tho largest castles, often have not where lo
lay their heads; and then we say that mm is bad by
nature, because if he has not a crumb to cat, he will
take some from his neighbor.
It cannot bo to the interest of any intelligent being
to be in orror.
Philosophers always live ceniuries in advance of
iheirege, and are ridiculed by their cotemporarics,
while after-ages pay homage to their memory.
John Frost, Printer.
