UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

'
KEY TO UNCLE TOM S CABIN.
mon sort,we should better understand Scripture,
the institutions under which we live țhe several
rights of our fellow-citizensin all sections of the "not
country, and the good,sound, practical, social
relations, which ought to contribute infinitely more
than theydo to the happiness of mankind.
If the reader wishes to know what kind me to preach to his slaves,but would do more.
of preaching it is that St. Clare alludes He would be
to,
willing to build me a house,furnish
me a garden,and
when he says he can learn what is ample provisionfor a
support.
quite as
Because, he would conclude, verilyțhat this
much to the purpose
from the Picayune, preacherwould be ivorth more to him than a dozen
and that such scriptural expositions of \overseers. But, suppose, then,he would tell me
their peculia relations don't edify him | that he had understood that the tendency of the
jgospelwas to abolish
much,he is referredto the slavery, and inquireof me if
following extract
from a sermon preached in New jthat was the fact. Ah ! this is the rub. He has
Orleans,by I now cornered me. What shall I say ? Shall I,
the Rev. Theophilus Clapp. Let our reader like
, a dishonest man, twist and dodge,and shift
now imagine that he sees St. Clare seatedin and turn, to evade an answer? No. I must,
the front slip, waggishlytaking notes
Kentuckian like,come
of the
out,broad,flat-footed, and
tell him that abolitionis the tendencyof
following specimenof ethicsand humanity.
the gospel.
"What am I now to calculate upon ? I have
told the man that it isthe tendencyof the gospel
Let all Christian teachers show our servants to make him so
the importance of poor as to obligehim to take hold
beingsubmissive,obedient,industrious,
of the maul and wedgehimself;he must catch,
honest and faithful to the interestsof
curry, and saddle his own horse ; he must black
their masters. Let their minds be filled with his own brogans(forhe will not be able to buy
sweet anticipations of rest eternal beyond the boots). His wife must go, herselfțo the washtub,
take hold of the scrubbing-broom, wash
grave. Let them be trained to direct their views
to that fascinating and gloriousfuturity, where the pots, and cook all that she and her railmauler
the sins,sorrows, and troubles of earth, will be will eat.
contemplated under the aspectof means indispensable
Is it to be Query." expected that
to our everlasting progress in knowledge,
a master ignorant
heretofore of the tendency of the gospel
virtue and happiness. I would say to every slave would fall so desperately in love with it,from a
in the United States, " You should realizethat a
knowledge of
wise,kind, and merciful Providence has appointed
its tendency, that he would encourage
the preaching of it among his slaves ?
for you your conditionin life ; and,all things considered,
Verily, NO.
you could not be more eligibly situated. But suppose, when he put the last questionto
The burden of your care, toilsand responsibilities,
ismuch lighter than that which God has me,
imposed
as to its tendency, I could and would,without
a twist or quibblețell him,plainly and candidly,
on
your master. The most enlightened philanthropists,
that it was a slander on the gospel to say that
with unlimited resources, could not
emancipation or abolitionwas its legitimate tendency.
placeyou in a situationmore favorable to your
I would tell him that the commandments
present and everlasting welfare than that which of some men, and not the commandments of God,
you now occupy.
You have your
troubles. So made slavery a sin. "
Smylieon Slavery, p. 71.
have all. Remember how evanescent are the
of human life."
pleasures and joys
But, as Mr. Clappwill not,perhaps, be
accepted as a representation of orthodoxy,
St. Clare would receive such expositions of
let him be supposed to listen to the following
the gospel. It is to be remarked that this
declarations of the Rev. James Smylie,
tract does not contain the opinions of one
a clergyman of greatinfluence in the Presbyterian
man only, but that it has in its appendix a
church,in a tract upon slavery,
letter from two ecclesiastical bodies of the
which he states in the introduction to have Presbyterian churchșubstantially endorsing
been written with particular reference to itssentiments.
removing the conscientious scruples of religious
any Can one wonder that a man like St.
is to make his slaves honest,trustyand faithful;
not serving " with eye service, as men pleasers,"
purloining, but showing all goodfidelity."
"
And isthis,"he would ask,"really the tendency
of the gospel?" I would answer, Yes. Then I
mightexpect that a man who had a thousand
slaves,if he believed me, would not onlypermit
One can imaginethe expression of
countenance and tone of voice with which
people in Mississippi and Louisiana,
Clare should put such questions as these ?
with regard to its propriety.
"Is what you
hear at church religion? Is
(
that which can bend and turn, and descend
If I believed,or was of opinion, that it was
the legitimatendency of the gospelto abolish
;ish,worldlysociety, religion ? Is that reli-
and ascendțo fit every crooked phaseof self-
slavery, how would I approach a man, possessing
as many
slaves as Abraham had,and tell him I
gion,which islessscrupulous,
generous,
wished to obtain his permission to preachto his less just, lessconsideratefor man, than even
slaves?
jmy own ungodly,worldly, blinded nature 1
Suppose the man to be ignorant of the gospel, |No ! When I look for a religion, I must
and that he would inquireof me what was my
object. I would look for something tell him candidly(and above me, and not someithing
beneath."
every
minister ought to be candid)that I wished to
preach the gospel, because its legitimatendency
I The character of St. Clare was drawn by