It was in defining such unlawful meetings or assemblages to include "all assemblies of slaves, or free negroes or mulattoes, mixing and associating with such slaves, above the number of five, at any place of public resort, or at a meeting house, in the night, or at any school, for teaching them reading or writing, either in the day or night, under whatsoever pretext" that our slave holding law makers sinned so grievously in the eyes of the abolitionist. While it may be observed that this particular act contained nothing to legally prevent a master from teaching his slave to read and write, yet the policy of the law at that time is of course well known to us all to have been opposed to any such education. I shall not engage in any discussion of the question of negro education nor seek to air my personal views in regard to it, but merely venture the statement that the experience of a third of a century, involving the expenditure of millions of dollars by the white race upon it,--the moral, social and intellectual condition of the negro today calmly and fairly considered,--have not demonstrated the unwisdom of the slave holders position of seventy-six years ago, nor yet proven an adherence to opposite views to be for the best interests of either race. In this connection it was provided that nothing contained in any of these enactments should be so construed as to prevent a master from allowing his slave to go to places of religious worship, sagely demanding, however, "that such worship be conducted by a regularly ordained or licensed white minister, or attended by at least two discreet and reputable white persons, appointed by some regular church or religious society,"--it not being lawful for a negro to exercise any of the functions of a minister of the Gospel,--though a master might allow his slave to preach to his own slaves, but to none others. It was unlawful for a white man to do any trading whatsoever with a slave on the Sabbath, without the consent of the master in writing first being had by the slave, and with a free negro it was unlawful on that day under any circumstances,--our early fathers seemingly being at all times possessed of a very high regard for the general efficacy and saving grace of a written permission from the master. The right of a slave to act in defense of himself when assaulted by a white person was at all times recognized by the law, and while it was an offense punishable by thirty-nine lashes for a slave to "use abusive or provoking language to, or to lift his hand in opposition to a white person" yet no punishment was to be inflicted where it appeared to the justice that he was acting in self defense.