UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

32
KET TO UNCLE TOM S CABIN.
own neighborhood at home ; and, true to
her own good and honest heart,she has
resolved,not to giveup her prayers and
efforts for the heathen abroad, but to add
thereunto labors for the heathen
at home.
Our safety and hope in this matter is of slaves. The slave-holder, feeling
this : that there are multitudes in all our and acknowledging the evilsof slavery, has
churches who do most truly and sincerely come to the North, and seen evidences of
love Christ above all things, and who,justthisunkindly and unchristianstate of feeling
bo soon as a littlereflectionshallhave made towards the slave, and has thus reflected
them sensible of theirduty in this respect, within himself:
willmost earnestlyperformit.
It is true that,ifthey do so,theymay be
calledAbolitionists ; but thetrue Miss Ophelia
is not afraid of a hard name in a good
cause, and has rather learned to consider
"the reproach of Christ a greater treasure
my
than the richesof Egypt."
That there ismuch alreadyfor Christians
the moral sense of the
to do in enlightening
community on
this subject, will appear
if we
consider that even so well-educatedand gentlemanly
a man as Frederick Douglasswas
recently obliged to pass the night on the deck
of a steamer, when in delicatehealth,because
this senseless prejudicedeprived him of a
degrees
of white persons move with unquestioned
powerful ; they can control publicsen-
freedom side by side ; and Christianity requires
on
any subjec that theythink of that the negro have the same privilege.
any particular importance, and theyprofess, That the dirtiest and most uneducated
by their religion, that " if one member suffers,
foreigner
with breath redolent
all the members sufferwith it." of whiskey and clothes foul and disordered,
It is a serious question, whether such a should have an unquestioned righ to take a
marked indignity offeredto Christ and his seat next to any person in a railroad car or
ministry,
person of a colored brother, steamboat,and
decent
that the respectable,
without any remonstrance on theirpart,will and gentlemanly negro should be excluded
not lead to a generalfeeling that allthat the simplybecause he is a
negro,
cannot be considered
Bible says about the union of Christiansis otherwise than as an irrationaland
a mere hollow sound,and means nothing. unchristianthing: and any Christian who
Those who are anxious to do somethingallowssuch things done in his presence without
directly to improvethe condition of the slave, remonstrance,and the use of his Christian
by elevat- influence, will certainly be made deeply
can do it in no way so directly as
ingthe condition of the free coloredpeople
around them,and taking every painsto give
them equalrights and privileges.
This
stood in the way
unchristianprejudice has
' '
If I keep my
doubtless
of the emancipation of hundreds
slaveat the South,he is,
it is true, under the dominion of a very
severe law ; but then he enjoysthe advantage
friendship and assistance, and
of my
derives, throug his connection with me and
family, some kind of a position in the
community. As my servant he is allowed a
seat in the car and a placeat the table. But
if I emancipate and send him North,he will
encounter substantially all the disadvantages
of slavery, with no master to protect him."
This mode of reasoninghas provedan
apology to many a man for keepinghisslaves
which he confesses to be a
in a position
bad one ; and it will be at once perceived
thatșhould the position of the negro
place in the cabin ; and that that very laborious
be con
and useful minister, Dr. Pennington, spicuously our northern states,
of New York,has,duringthe last season, the effect upon the emancipation of the slave
been oftenobligedseriously to endanger his would be very great. They,then, who keep
health,by walkingto his pastorallabors, up this prejudice, may be saidto be,in a certain
over his very extended parish, under a burning
sense, slave-holders.
sun, because he could not be allowed the It is not meant by this that all distinctions
common privilege of the omnibus,which conveys
of society should be broken over, and
every classof white men, from the most that peopleshould be obliged to choose their
refinedto the lowest and most disgusting. intimate associates from a class unfitted by
Let us consider now the number of professors
educationand habits to sympathize with them.
of the religion of Christin New York. The negro should not be lifted out of his
and consider also that,by the very fact of sphere of lifebecause he is a negro, but he
theirprofession, theyconsiderDr. Pennington
should be treatedwith Christiancourtesy in
the brother of theirLord,and a member his sphere.In the railroad car, in the omnibus
with them of the bodyof Christ.
and steamboat, all ranks and
Now, these Christiansare influential, rich
and
timent