University of Virginia Library

42. XLII.
ESTABLISHES AFRICAN SLAVERY.

Trouble air a cumin upon me thicker and
faster. “Men change, but principples, never,”
hez bin a motto uv mine for yeers, and bleevin
in the grate principple of the strong owning the
week—or, in uther words, slaivry—I shel never
ceese my efforts to maik it universal. Ther bein
a onreesonable prejudis in the minds uv the week
uv my congregashen aginst bein the perpetooal
servance uv them as nacher hez maid to rool, I
called a special meetin of my flock, to considder
the matter. I interdoost the matter thus:

By Hager, I provd that slaivry was scriptooral.

By “cussid be Kanan,” et settry, I shode concloosively
that the nigger wuz the identikle indivijjle
who wuz to be the sed slaiv aforesed.

Then it wuz put to vote, and it wuz unanimusly

resolvd, that Aferken slaivry be interdoost
amongst us. I notist, with pleasure, that the
poorer the indivijjle, the moar anxhus he seemed
to own a nigger.

Opinyuns were then interchanged. Absolum
Kitt, who is a carpenter, and who never saved a
dolar, hevin alluz hed a sick wife and a large
family of children, sed he felt that a grate work
hed bin dun that nite. The prowd Anglo-Saxun,
whom nacher intended to rool, hed bin that nite
elewatid 2 his normel speer. Hentz4th ther wuz
no moar laber for him. He hed a contrak to bild
a house for brother Podhammer, and he hed no
doubt that the brethrin who wuz blest with menes
wood make up a puss, and enable him 2 buy a
nigger carpenter to do his work.

Brother Podhammer aroze. He, uv coarse,
wood be glad to assist brother Kitt, but dooty 2
his family reqwired a diffrent line uv action.
His idee wuz to purchis a nigger carpenter hisself,
and—

“WHAT!” exclaimed Kitt.

Brother Podhammer resoomd. He intended to
buy a nigger carpenter hisself, and bild his house.
The cheef beauty uv the grate system, and the
wun that maiks it altogether luvly, is that yoo
kin BUY yoor labor.

“But,” sed Kitt, “what kin I do if yoo work
nigger carpenters?”

“Trooly,” sez Podhammer, “I know not. A
carpenter kin be purchist for $1000, the interest
uv wich is $60, and his keepin, say $100 more,
per annum. Now, ef Brother Kitt will cum to
them wagis, and be modritly umble, I mite, for
his saik, forego the exquisit pleasure uv hevin a
nigger to flog, and still employ him.”

“But,” sez Kitt, turnin pail, “my family wood
starve on them wagis. Wy, I mite ez well be a
nigger myself.”

At this pint I lifted up my voise. I exorted
Brother Kitt to patience. The grate Dimekratik
idee, that cappytal shood own labor, must be establisht.
It may bare hard upon indivijjles, but
wat then? John Rogers went camly to the stake
for principple. Ef Brother Kitt doth not like to
accept his normel condishen to wunst, he kin go
to sum less favored country, wher the grate instooshon
is not establisht.

Brother Podger, a blacksmith, sed he suppozd
the rich uns wood buy a nigger blacksmith, and
let him emigrait.

Brother Snipes, a plasterer, made a simler obserwashen.

Brother Punt, a bricklayer, remarkt likewise.

Whereupon they all, in corus, similarly exclaimed
they 'd see us d—d fust, and then they
woodent.

Whereupon they reconsidered the resolushen
establishin slaivry.

Kitt and his herritix wuz not at church last
Sundy, and the postmaster told me that they hed
sent orf a club for the Noo York Triboon.

Trooly, a reformer's Jordan is a hard rode to
travel I beleeve.