I am not yet done with the obligations of masters to their slaves. I
cannot hastily dismiss the subject. In it I feel an intense interest.
Bear with me, my beloved friends and fellow citizens of the South. For
I assure you, that if I know anything of my own heart, I am prompted
to write by the best of motives and the kindest of feelings. To many
of you I am personally known; and I flatter myself, that those who
know me best, will not suspect me of improper motives or feelings. I
have for you the highest respect, and for you I entertain the kindest
feelings. I long resided in your midst, and was treated with kindness
by you, in all the relations of life, whether private or public; and I
feel myself bound to you by ties of gratitude, which neither time nor
space can separate; by all those tender and endearing associations and
relations in life, which must necessarily grow out of a long residence
in the midst of a generous, humane and hospitable people. My regard
and solicitude for my Southern friends is now a thousand fold greater
than at any previous period of my life. And my anxiety for your peace,
happiness, and permanent prosperity, becomes more and more ardent. But
I must come directly to the point under investigation.
Masters, I conceive, are under obligations to act with reference to
the comfort and happiness of their slaves; and not solely with a view
to their own pecuniary interests. If they fail to provide for their
slaves comfortable houses, clothing suited to their various wants, and
adapted to the varying and changeable seasons of the year, together
with a supply of wholesome and nutritious food, they violate the
commands of God. Their own interests, as well as duty, demand it at
their hands. I do not contend that the master is bound to furnish the
slave with clothing of the same material with which he clothes
himself; nor do I contend, that in all cases, he is bound to provide
for him the precise articles of food, on which he himself subsists.
The occupations of the master and the slave may be different; and
supposing that they are engaged in the same occupation, their
feelings, views, appetites and propensities differ. In other words,
their _wants_ differ. Hence, what would conduce to comfort in the case
of the slave, would not, at all times, suffice for the master's
happiness and comfort.
Here is a fact which is not understood in the free States. Slaves are
happy and content under circumstances in which a white man would be
miserable. They are satisfied and content with food, on which the
better portion of the white race can hardly subsist. Nor would soft
beds and fine houses conduce to their comfort. There are many of them,
who, if they were provided with downy beds, would prefer to repose on
the hearth or the floor. They are by nature a happier people than the
Anglo-Saxon race, and of course, less will suffice for their happiness
and comfort. All that I contend for is, that the health, comfort and
convenience of the slave, should be amply provided for by the master;
or at least as far as practicable. I wish here, as well as elsewhere,
to avoid the error of asking too much, for I have generally observed
through life, that those who ask too much are likely to get nothing. I
shall, therefore, contend for nothing more than the clear, obvious,
and indisputable duty of slaveholders.
Slaves do not, as a general rule, receive that attention in sickness
from their masters, to which they are entitled. Humanity, as well as
interest, should prompt their masters to be a little more attentive to
them, under the afflictive dispensations of Providence. And the
necessity is more apparent from the consideration of the fact, that
slaves are ignorant, and universally entertain opinions in regard to
dieting the sick, which, if practically carried out, will in all
cases, endanger their lives. I allude to the notion prevalent among
them, that the sick are in no danger, so long as they can by any means
induce them to take food. The same error is common among the more
ignorant class of white people; and it constitutes the worst
difficulty that the physician encounters in the treatment of disease.
I once remarked to an ignorant, drunken, degraded son of Belial, that
if he was not a little more cautious in the use of certain articles of
food, he would sooner or later destroy himself. "Oh! there is no
danger," said he, "I shall never die while I can get plenty of fat
'possum to eat, and whiskey to drink." So it is with ignorant persons;
they know that food sustains life, and for that reason they believe,
that as long as they are able to cram it down their throats, there is
no danger.
It is a little remarkable that the proprietors of slaves do not more
generally enforce cleanliness among them. This is the more to be
regretted, as cleanliness conduces not only to the health and comfort
of the body, but also to the purity of the mind. I am aware that it
would in most cases be difficult to enforce cleanliness among them, as
they seem to be constitutionally a filthy race. This may originate
partly, however, from, the peculiar circumstances under which they
live, their ignorance, degradation, &c.
But there are yet duties obligatory on slaveholders, to which I have
not directly alluded, which bear heavily on my mind. Oh! that I could
in appropriate language, impress their importance on the minds of my
Southern friends. Oh! that in view of their responsibility to the
Supreme Ruler of the universe, they would calmly, patiently, soberly,
seriously and prayerfully reflect on the following remarks. Aid a worm
of the dust, O God, to plead the cause of humanity. "Paul may plant,
and Apollos may water," but thou, O God, "must give the increase."
Thou knowest that in vain I admonish my Southern brethren, unless thy
Spirit attends the warnings and admonitions herein given. May thy
Spirit attend this little volume in its Southern tour. Give the
hearing ear, and the understanding heart. May they hear, and give ear;
and not only hear and give ear, but may they "work, while it is called
day, for the night cometh, when no man can work."
I allude to the mental and moral culture of the African population in
the Southern States. I feel intensely on this subject; and could I
arouse the Southern States to reflection and action, I should then
feel as if the great work of my life was accomplished. I could then
repose in peace and quiet on my dying pillow; assured, that ere long,
my beloved country would, be redeemed from the curse of slavery.
In whatever aspect we may view slavery, the ignorance of slaves
presents itself to us, as the darkest spot in the picture. It is
humiliating--a national reproach--an omission of duty, for which
Almighty God will hold us accountable, that so little effort has been
made to enlighten the minds, and elevate the characters of the African
population in our midst. Here lies our great delinquency. "O shame!
where is thy blush?" In the name of all that is sacred, how long is
this state of things to continue? When, Oh! when will we arouse to a
sense of our vast responsibilities to God, and our obligations to the
African race? Several millions of fellow beings in our midst, not one
in twenty of whom can read the Holy Bible! And yet it is our boast,
that we are the most enlightened nation under the sun--the most
virtuous and intelligent people under the canopy of heaven--a nation
of Christians. God help us; for when I reflect on these things, I
cannot avoid asking myself, is there any probability, that we shall
ever get our eyes open, and help ourselves? It is the duty of every
slaveholder to instruct his slaves so far as to enable them to read
the Bible; and to furnish every slave with a copy of the will and word
of God; to encourage them to read the same; and not only read it, but
to make it the "man of their council." This, friendly slaveholder, is
your obvious and indispensable duty, and you well know it. If you have
neglected or overlooked this duty in time past, for your own sakes,
for the sakes of your slaves, defer it no longer. There is no time to
be lost; it is a matter of infinite importance, both to yourselves and
your slaves. Commence it in good earnest, and may success attend your
efforts. You are under moral obligations to enlighten the minds and
elevate the characters of your slaves, as far as practicable. You
should spare no pains, and no consideration whatever, of expediency,
convenience or self-interest, should deter you from the faithful
discharge of your duty.
It appears clear to my mind that, in a qualified sense, a master
sustains the same relation to a young slave, that he sustains to an
orphan as a guardian; and that his relation and obligation to an
orphan as guardian, does not differ materially from his obligations to
a son or daughter. Suppose that he purchases a young slave with his
money; he is legally his property during his natural life. Suppose
that he becomes guardian to an orphan child; he acquires a legal right
to control the child until he is twenty-one years of ago. Let him ask
himself, what are his obligations to the orphan? Whatever they are, he
is under the same obligations to the slave. But if he is at a loss as
to what are his obligations to the orphan, let him ask himself what
are his obligations to a son or a daughter? In a qualified sense, he
is under the same obligations to the orphan that he is to a child, and
ho is under the same obligations to the slave that he is to the
orphan. They may differ in degree, but they cannot differ in kind.
They are of the same kind, of the same quality, for the reason that
the temporal wants and the eternal interests of the slave, the orphan,
and the child are the same; and he, as master, guardian and father, is
bound to make provision for them. He is morally bound to act with
reference to the present happiness and eternal interests of the child,
the orphan and the slave. As a general rule, whatever conduces to the
happiness of the child, conduces to the happiness of the orphan, and
whatever conduces to the happiness of the orphan, conduces to the
happiness of the slave. They are each persons of like feelings,
passions and propensities; requiring at his hands the same kind of
training; the same moral and mental culture. I admit that the
profession or occupation which they are destined to follow through
life, may render it necessary that there should be some difference in
their scholastic training and attainments; but it does not follow
because a son is destined for the medical profession, and therefore
requires a smattering of Latin and Greek, that an orphan who is
expected to follow the occupation of farming, should not be a
tolerable English scholar; nor, that a slave, though he remain a slave
during his life, should not receive at his hands that amount of mental
culture which is requisite to expand his mind, and elevate his
character above that ignorance, superstition, degradation and vice, in
which the African race are involved.
The laws in conferring the right to hold slaves as property, did not
invest any one with the right to act the tyrant. Every father is
invested with the right to control his family; but he has no right to
treat any member of his family harshly or unkindly. It is the duty of
the father so to demean himself, and so to govern his family as to
secure the good order, and promote the peace and happiness of every
member of his household. A man's slaves are members of his household;
and the same rules, laws and great cardinal principles, which regulate
his conduct as a husband, father and guardian, should regulate his
conduct as a master. He has a right to control every member of his
family; it is a Divine right, conferred on him for the good of the
whole; but in the exercise of this delegated authority, meekness,
patience and forbearance should characterize every act of his life;
and in his intercourse with every member of his family, white or
black, his countenance in their presence, should be as the revivifying
influence of the sun on the down-trodden vegetation of the earth,
infusing hope, life and animation into all around him; and his words,
yea, his commands, should descend as the gentle and genial showers on
a parched and thirsty soil, and not in torrents of wrath, anger and
indignation. Anger, clamor and strife should be banished from his
household. His commands should be mild but firm; and unconditional
submission and prompt obedience should be strictly enjoined on his
children, dependants and slaves. Beloved by all, he would then move in
the midst of his family with that dignity and grace which becometh the
true Christian gentleman. Beloved, respected and venerated by every
member of his family, he would find it no difficult task to enforce
obedience, and thus to govern them according to the requisitions of
God's word.
Masters, I conceive, by pursuing the course indicated in the preceding
pages, would discharge their duty to their slaves, and stand guiltless
in the sight of God. The condition of the slaves would be ameliorated;
their minds expanded and their manners improved; and thus, at some
future period, if in the providence of God it should be their happy
lot to attain the rights of freemen, then would they be qualified to
appreciate the blessings of freedom, and not sink again into their
original barbarism. Thus would they, as freemen, be competent to
exercise the rights and privileges of free citizens; and, while rising
in the scale of nations, they would point to our government as their
great benefactor, who raised them from the lowest depths of savage
barbarism and brutality, and conferred on them light, liberty and
science, and inducted them into the doctrines of the Christian
religion. Then would they view our nation as their great donor, from
whom they received light, science and religion, and not as their
oppressor.
It is incumbent on me to state, in conclusion, that the clergy of the
slave States have done all that was practicable, under the
circumstances, to confer on the slaves the benefits and advantages of
religious instruction. I doubt whether the poorer class of people,
white or black, have had superior religious advantages in any part of
Christendom, at least so far as it relates to the preaching of the
gospel, and the ordinances of the church. The clergy of the different
denominations have been untiring in their efforts to Christianize the
African population. And it is a little remarkable that, in many
instances, irreligious men,--men who make no pretentious to religion,
men who rarely attend the preaching of the gospel themselves, should
encourage their slaves to attend divine service, and, in some
instances build churches and employ ministers for the benefit of their
own slaves. Strange as it may appear, it is nevertheless true. But
admitting the fact, and I cheerfully admit it, that all has been done
that was practicable, under the circumstances, to Christianize the
African race in the Southern States, yet the principles of
Christianity have exerted on them but a partial influence, in
consequence of their ignorance. No people can be brought fully under
the influence of the Christian religion, unless their minds are at the
same time enlightened and expanded by literature. Religion and
literature are twin sisters; bound together by indissoluble ties, and
the Divine Being never intended that they should be separated.
Religious instruction without literary culture, can produce but a
partial and superficial effect on the human mind; it can produce no
strong, permanent and abiding influence. When the gospel is preached
to an ignorant, illiterate, semi-savage people, the seed is sown in an
incongenial soil, and the product will be in accordance with the soil
in which the seed is sown. This accounts for a fact stated in the
preceding pages, that slaves apparently pious, when liberated and
exposed to certain temptations, were very likely to fall into their
former habits and vices. It also accounts for the fact, that but few
Africans can bear flattery and attention from the white race, it
matters not how virtuous and pious they may be; it is certain to elate
them, and to excite them to acts of indiscretion, and sometimes to
acts grossly vicious. It is so common for Southern slaves who arc
apparently pious, when exposed to temptation to fall into acts of
gross immorality, that many unthinking persons in the South have come
to the conclusion that there is no sincere piety among them; that they
are insincere and hypocritical in their professions and pretentious. A
gentleman once remarked to me, that he had never seen an African in
whose piety he had entire confidence. It was a remark, I believe of
Doctor Nelson, (the author of the celebrated work on infidelity,) that
he had never seen but one or two consistently pious slaves. The doctor
was long a resident of Tennessee, a practitioner of medicine and a
minister of the gospel, and certainly had good opportunities for
forming correct opinions on the subject; but it appears to me that
such views are not only uncharitable, but also unphilosophical.
Professors of the Christian religion of the African race are not less
sincere than are the same class of persons among the white race. On
the contrary a slave is more likely than his master to attach himself
to a church from pure motives. Many considerations may induce a white
man to make a profession of religion, which have no bearing, force, or
influence whatever, on an African. But the slave is ignorant and
degraded; and consequently he lacks moral stamina. He lacks that
firmness and stability of character which result from mental culture.
And moreover, his views of the Divine Being, of his attributes and his
works are erroneous. He knows but little of his Creator or his works;
but little about himself and his relations to his fellow creatures. He
desires to do right, but he is too often unable to distinguish between
right and wrong. But this is not all; for slaves are, to a great
extent, devoid of what, (in ordinary parlance,) is called a sense of
honor and shame; and too many white Christians, as well as black ones,
require all the restraining motives and influences, that can be
brought to bear on them, to keep them in the paths of rectitude. What
is called the moral sense alone, would fail in a large majority of
cases. The above remarks are as applicable to an ignorant, depraved
and vicious class of white persons, which may be found every where, as
they are to the Southern slaves and free negroes. I will here remark
that all that is indispensably necessary to enable an individual to
cultivate his mind, is a tolerable knowledge of his mother tongue, so
far at least, as to be able to read and write it; and a few well
selected books. It is neither necessary nor advisable to read many
books; for most of reading men have read too many books, and have
studied none. It is a little remarkable that Christians know so little
about the Bible. I do not suppose that there is one in a hundred among
them who ever read the sacred volume through; and a large majority of
them know very little about it, except some very incorrect notions
which they have gathered from sermons. It seems that some people
imagine that attending church, and hearing sermons comprises the
"whole duty of man." This is all very well so far as it goes; but I
beg leave to remind such persons that our Saviour preached a sermon on
the mount, near two thousand years ago, which is far superior to any
sermon that has been preached from that day to the present time; and
that they would do well to read it at least once a month.
It is but an act of justice to slaveholders for me to state, that the
education of slaves in most of the slave States is barred by
prohibitory laws. This is one of the fruits of abolition interference
with slavery. I have remarked in Chapter 3, of this volume, that the
abolition excitement in the North, about thirty-five years ago, cut
off discussion in the South on the subject of slavery; and that the
legislatures of the slave States in self-defence, or otherwise, in
obedience to the imperious demands of self-preservation, enacted
stringent laws in reference to the slave population, &c.; and that
among them will be found enactments making the education of slaves a
penal offense. It was the circulation of abolition tracts and papers
among the slaves by Northern men, that first suggested this idea to
the Southern legislatures. Previous to that time, many Christian
slaveholders were educating their slaves. These laws are inoperative
in many places in the South; and it affords me pleasure here to record
the fact, that most of the slaves in Knoxville, Tennessee, the city in
which I last resided while a citizen of the South, are able to read,
and many of them can write. Well done, ye noble and generous sons and
daughters of Knoxville.