WARNING TO THE NORTH.
_Banquo_-- But 'tis strange:
And oftentimes, to win us to our harm,
The instruments of darkness tell us truths;
Win us with honest trifles, to betray us
In deepest consequences.
MACBETH.
The reader must have remarked our propensity of putting scraps of poetry
at the head of our chapters, or of interweaving them with the text. It
answers as a sort of chorus or refrain, and, when skillfully handled,
has as fine an effect as the fiddle at a feast, or the brass band on the
eve of an engagement. It nerves the author for greater effort, and
inspires the reader with resolution to follow him in his most profound
ratiocinations and airiest speculations. We learnt it from "our Masters
in the art of war" when we carried their camp and their whole park of
artillery, (which we are now using with such murderous effect against
their own ranks.) We also captured their camp equipage, books of
military strategy, &c. In them we found rules laid down for the famous
songs, which are so harmoniously blended with the speeches at all
Infidel and Abolition conventions, and Women's Rights and Free Love
assemblages. They are intended to inspire enthusiasm, confirm
conviction, and to "screw the courage to the sticking point." Besides,
sometimes they answer admirably the opposite purpose of a sedative.
Often, when Sister This One has, by her imprudent speech, outraged
decency, propriety, religion and morality, and drawn down upon her head
hisses and cries of "Turn her out! Turn her out!" Brother That One
bursts forth in "strains of sweetest melody," and like another Orpheus
quells and quiets another hell. Not that we intend by any means to
intimate that this musical brother would play Orpheus throughout, and
take as long and perilous a trip to rescue his sister as Orpheus did for
Eurydice. On the contrary, we suspect in such contingency he would pray
to Pluto to double bar the gates, and bribe Cerberus to keep closer
watch. We derive this impression from the triangular correspondence of
Greeley, Andrews and James, entitled "Love, Marriage and Divorce;" and
from the actings and doings of the courts and legislature of
Massachusetts--who, from the number of the divorces they grant, we
should think could hardly find time to send Hiss on a visit of
purification to the Convents.
Now it may be, that sometimes, when we "have gone it rather strong" (as
we are very apt to do,) and offended the reader, our scraps of poetry
may answer the purpose of the Abolition songs, and soothe and
propitiate him. Besides, they afford a sort of interlude or by-play,
like that of Sancho where he slipped off from the flying horse,
Clavileno, just as he and the Don had reached the constellation of the
Goat, and went to playing with the little goats to relieve the giddiness
of his head. I am sure, when we have, as we often do, mounted with our
reader into the highest regions of metaphysics, that his head becomes a
little giddy, (at least ours does,) and that he is thankful for a little
poetry or a turn at play with our Abolition Goats. "Goats, indeed!"
quoth Mr. G----, "Lions, you had better say." Well, be it lions! We are
no more afraid of you than if you were lambs; and you will no sooner
dare to attack us than you did the Knight of La Mancha when he vainly
challenged you to mortal combat.
Let not the reader suppose that we either emulate the chivalry of the
Don or the wisdom of his Squire. A Northern clime has congealed the
courage of our lions and they are afraid of the "paper bullets of the
brain;" yet they are vastly fond of shooting them at others, provided
they are sure the shot will not be returned.
As for Sancho, we think him the wisest man we ever read after, except
Solomon. Indeed, in the world of Fiction, all the wisdom issues from the
mouths of fools--as witness Shakspeare's Falstaff and his fools. There
is at least vraisemblance in all this; for, as in the Real world, the
philosophers (e. g. our Masters in the art of war) have monopolized all
the folly,--where so likely to find the wisdom as among the fools?
We fear our "Little Cannibals" are growing impatient, and may be, a
little jealous of our seeming preference for our goats. They are young
yet and require nursing. But they are young Herculeses, born with teeth,
and if any Abolition serpents attempt to strangle them in the cradle,
they'll be apt to get the worst of it. The danger is, however, that the
Abolitionists will steal and adopt them--for they are vastly fond of
young cannibals, and employ much of their time in sewing and knitting
and getting up subscriptions, to send shirts and trowsers to the little
fellows away over in Africa, who as indignantly repel them as old King
Lear did when he stripped in the storm and resolved to be his
"unsophisticated self."
Now, seeing that the Abolitionists are so devoted to the uncouth, dirty,
naked little cannibals of Africa, haven't we good reason to fear that
they will run away with and adopt ours, when they come forth neatly
dressed in black muslin and all shining with gold from the master hands
of Morris and Wynne? They will be sure at least to captivate the hearts
of the strong-minded ladies, and if they will treat them well in
infancy, we don't know but what, if they will wait till they grow up, we
may spare them a husband or two from the number.
Mr. Morris has promised they shall be black as Erebus without, and white
as "driven snow" within.
If they can get over the trying time of infancy--if the critics don't
smother them in the cradle, the boys will make their own way in the
world, and get a name famous as Toussaint or Dessalines.
To be candid with the reader, we have learned lately that the physique
of a book is quite as important as its metaphysique--the outside as the
inside. Figure, size, proportion, are all to be consulted: for books are
now used quite as much for centre table ornaments as for reading. We
have a marble one on our centre table that answers the former purpose
admirably, because nobody can put puzzling questions about its contents.
Now, we must write the exact amount, and no more, to enable Mr. Morris
and Mr. Wynne to make our book appear externally "comme il faut." We
write this chapter in part for that purpose. The reader would not object
to a page, or so, more or less of it, and Mr. Morris and Mr. Wynne will
know how to curtail or omit, for they are not only masters of their own
trades, but can render us valuable assistance in ours.
We return to our Cannibals, with this single remark to that morose and
demure reader who is snarling at our occasional levity--"You, sir, never
throw off your dignity; because you would be sure to uncover your
folly."
We warn the North, that every one of the leading Abolitionists is
agitating the negro slavery question merely as a means to attain
ulterior ends, and those ends nearer home. They would not spend so much
time and money for the mere sake of the negro or his master, about whom
they care little. But they know that men once fairly committed to negro
slavery agitation--once committed to the sweeping principle, "that man
being a moral agent, accountable to God for his actions, should not have
those actions controlled and directed by the will of another," are, in
effect, committed to Socialism and Communism, to the most ultra
doctrines of Garrison, Goodell, Smith and Andrews--to no private
property, no church, no law, no government,--to free love, free lands,
free women and free churches.
There is no middle ground--not an inch of ground of any sort, between
the doctrines which we hold and those which Mr. Garrison holds. If
slavery, either white or black, be wrong in principle or practice, then
is Mr. Garrison right--then is all human government wrong.
Socialism, not Abolition, is the real object of Black Republicanism. The
North, not the South, the true battle-ground. Like Fanny Wright, the
author of American Socialism, the agitators of the North look upon free
society as a mere transition state to a better, but untried, form of
society. The reader will not fully comprehend the ideas we would
convey, without reading "England the Civilizer," by Miss Fanny
Wright. It is worth reading, not only as far the best history of
the British constitution, but as the most correct and perfect
analysis and delineation of free society--of that form of society
which all Socialists and all thinking men agree cannot stand as
it is. The Abolition school of Socialists like it because it is
intolerable--because they consider it a transition state to a form of
society without law or government. Miss Wright has the honesty to admit,
that a _transition_ has never taken place. No; and never will take
place: because the expulsion of human nature is a pre-requisite to its
occurrence.
But we solemnly warn the North, that what she calls a _transition_, is
what every leading Abolitionist is moving heaven and earth to attain.
This is their real object--negro emancipation a mere gull-trap.
In the attempt to attain "transition" seas of gore may be shed, until
military despotism comes in to restore peace and security.
We (for we are a Socialist) agree with Mr. Carlyle, that the action of
free society must be reversed. That, instead of relaxing more and more
the bonds that bind man to man, you must screw them up more closely.
That, instead of no government, you must have more government. And this
is eminently true in America, where from the nature of things, as
society becomes older and population more dense, more of government will
be required. To prevent the attempt at transition, which would only
usher in revolution, you must begin to govern more vigorously.
But we will be asked, How is this to be effected? The answer is easy.
The means are at hand, and the work is begun.
The Democratic party, purged of its radicalism and largely recruited
from the ranks of the old line Whigs, has become eminently and actively
conservative. It is the antipodes of the Democratic party of the days of
Jefferson, in the grounds which it occupies and the opinions which it
holds, (what it professes to hold is another thing.) Yet it has been a
consistent party throughout. Consistent, in wisely and boldly adapting
its action to the emergencies of the occasion. It is pathological, and
practices according to prevailing symptoms. 'Tis true, it has a mighty
Nosology in its Declaration of Independence, Bills of Rights,
Constitutions, Platforms, and Preambles and Resolutions; but, like a
good physician, it watches the state of the patient, and casts Nosology
to the dogs when the symptoms require it. When we entered the party we
were radicals, and half Abolitionists, and found inscribed on its
banner, "_The world is too much governed!_" Now, we are sure the
conviction has fastened itself on the heart of every good citizen, that
"the world is too little governed."
The true and honorable distinction of the Democratic party is, that it
has but one unbending principle--"The safety of the people is the
supreme law." To this party we think the Nation and the North may
confidently look for a happy exodus from our difficulties. It is pure,
honest, active and patriotic now, and will continue so as long as the
dark cloud of Abolition and Socialism lowers and threatens at the North.
Long and quiet possession of power will be sure to corrupt it. It will
be then time to cast it aside. It is now able, and it alone is able, to
grapple with and strangle the treasons of the North.
"Times change, and men change with them."
Good and brave men are proud, not ashamed, of such changes. Let no false
pride of seeming consistency deter us from an avowal, which omitted, may
trammel and impede our action.
Our old Nosology is an effective arsenal and armory for the most ultra
Abolitionists, and the more effective, because we have not _formally_
repudiated it. Let "_The world is too little governed_" be adopted as
our motto, inscribed upon our flag and run up to the mast-head.
NOTE.--We learn that many of the old Federalists of the North, and
some of the South, are joining our ranks. We welcome them. Their
principles were wrong when they adopted them, but (barring their
consolidation doctrines) will answer pretty well now. It was ever
the misfortune of the old Federal party and the lately deceased
Whig party, to be right at the wrong time. They were, as the
doctors say, nosological and not pathological in practice. The
Whig party of England, like the Democratic party of America, is
eminently pathological, active, observant and impressible.