Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 1 (of 3)Parker, Theodore
Religion
Speeches, Addresses, and Occasional Sermons, Volume 1 (of 3)
Parker, Theodore
Sermons, American; Unitarianism
Soon we shall have all the southern part of the continent, perhaps half
the islands of the Gulf. One thing remains to do--that is, with the new
soil we have taken, to extend order, peace, education, religion; to keep
it from the blight, the crime, and the sin of slavery. That is for the
nation to do; for the North to do. God knows the South will never do it.
Is there manliness enough left in the North to do that? Has the soil
forgot its wonted faith, and borne a different race of men from those
who struggled eight long years for freedom? Do we forget our sires,
forget our God? In the day when the monarchs of Europe are shaken from
their thrones; when the Russian and the Turk abolish slavery; when
cowardly Naples awakes from her centuries of sleep, and will have
freedom; when France prays to become a Republic, and in her agony sweats
great drops of blood; while the Tories of the world look on and mock and
wag their heads; and while the Angel of Hope descends with trusting
words to comfort her,--shall America extend slavery? butcher a nation to
get soil to make a field for slaves? I know how easily the South can buy
office-hunters; whig or democrat, the price is still the same. The same
golden eagle blinds the eyes of each. But can she buy the people of the
North? Is honesty gone, and honor gone, your love of country gone,
religion gone, and nothing manly left; not even shame? Then let us
perish; let the Union perish! No, let that stand firm, and let the
Northern men themselves be slaves; and let us go to our masters and say,
"You are very few, we are very many; we have the wealth, the numbers,
the intelligence, the religion of the land; but you have the power, do
not be hard upon us; pray give us a little something, some humble
offices, or if not these at least a tariff, and we will be content."
Slavery has already been the blight of this nation, the curse of the
North and the curse of the South. It has hindered commerce,
manufactures, agriculture. It confounds your politics. It has silenced
your ablest men. It has muzzled the pulpit, and stifled the better life
out of the press. It has robbed three million men of what is dearer
than life; it has kept back the welfare of seventeen millions more. You
ask, O Americans, where is the harmony of the Union? It was broken by
slavery. Where is the treasure we have wasted? It was squandered by
slavery. Where are the men we sent to Mexico? They were murdered by
slavery; and now the slave power comes forward to put her new minions,
her thirteenth President, upon the nation's neck! Will the North say
"Yes?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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