"Yes; it's always the case in our society. The beauty of such
property makes it dangerous about a well-ordained man's house. Our
ladies, generally, have no sympathy with, and rather dislike its
ill-gotten tendencies. The piety of the south amounts to but little
in its influence on the slave population. The slave population
generates its own piety. There is black piety and white piety; but
the white piety effects little when it can dispose of poor black
piety just as it pleases; and there's no use in clipping the
branches off the tree while the root is diseased," concludes our
ministerial-looking gentleman, who might have been persuaded himself
to advance a bid, were he not so well versed in the tenour of
society that surrounded him.
During the above ad interim at the shambles, our good lady, Mrs.
Rosebrook, is straining every nerve to induce a gentleman of her
acquaintance to repair to the mart, and purchase the children on her
account.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
NATURE SHAMES ITSELF.
MRS. ROSEBROOK sits in Mrs. Pringle's parlour. Mrs. Pringle is
thought well of in the city of Charleston, where she resides, and
has done something towards establishing a church union for the
protection of orphan females. They must, however, be purely white,
and without slave or base blood in their veins, to entitle them to
admittance into its charitable precincts. This is upon the principle
that slave blood is not acceptable in the sight of Heaven; and that
allowing its admittance into this charitable earthly union would
only be a sad waste of time and Christian love. Mrs. Pringle,
however, feels a little softened to the good cause, and does hope
Mrs. Rosebrook may succeed at least in rescuing the little girl. She
has counselled Mr. Seabrook, commonly called Colonel Seabrook, a
very distinguished gentleman, who has a very distinguished opinion
of himself, having studied law to distinguish himself, and now and
then merely practises it for his own amusement. Mr. Seabrook never
gives an opinion, nor acts for his friends, unless every thing he
does be considered distinguished, and gratuitously rendered.
"What will you do with such property, madam?" inquires the
gentleman, having listened profoundly to her request.
"To save them from being sold into the hands of such men as Graspum
and Romescos; it's the only motive I have" she speaks, gently: "I
love the child; and her mother still loves her: I am a mother."
"Remember, my dear lady, they are adjudged property by law; and all
that you can do for them won't save them, nor change the odour of
negro with which it has stamped them."
"Of that I am already too well aware, Mr. Seabrook; and I know, too,
when once enslaved, how hard it is to unslave. Public sentiment is
the worst slave we have; unslave that, and the righteousness of
heaven will give us hearts to save ourselves from the
unrighteousness of our laws.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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