The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 2, September, 1851Various
History
The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 2, September, 1851
Various
Art, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Literature, Modern -- 19th century -- Periodicals; Science -- History -- Periodicals
exhibited by the master, and the confiding, dependent attachment of
the servant. Often is the southern planter as a patriarch in olden
times. Those who are striving to sever his household know not what
they do.
Well may we who live in these troubled times exclaim with Madame
Roland, the martyr of the false principles of her murderers, "O
Liberté! O Liberté! que de crimes on commet en ton nom!" This she
said, turning to the statue of liberty beside the scaffold. Liberty
unrestrained degenerates into license. There may be political freedom
without social liberty. Says Lamartine, speaking of the inhabitants of
Malta, "Ils sont esclaves de la loi immuable de la force que Dieu leur
fait; nous sommes esclaves des lois variables et capricieuses que nous
nous faisons."
A few years' residence on this soil might teach even a Wilberforce to
turn in his philanthropy to other and wider fields of action.
Of Mr. Calhoun's character as a master much might be said, for all who
knew him admit that it was exemplary. But we need not multiply
examples to prove his unaffected goodness, and I will repeat only a
circumstance or two, which, by way of illustrating some subjects
discussed, he incidentally mentioned to me. One related to a free
negro, formerly a slave in Carolina, but then living in one of our
northern cities, who came to him in Washington, begging him to
intercede for his return to Carolina. He represented his condition as
deplorable, said that he could not support himself and family by his
trade, (he was a shoemaker,) and that not being able to obtain
sufficient food or fuel in that cold climate, they were almost frozen.
"When I told him," said Mr. Calhoun, "that I would do all I could for
him, he seized both my hands in his and expressed fervent gratitude."
At another time, speaking of a family whom his son designed to take to
Alabama, he told me that the mother of the family came to him and said
she would prefer to stay with her master and mistress on the
plantation, even if all her children went with master A. Mr. Calhoun
added, "I could not think of her remaining without either of her
children; and as she chose to stay, we retained her youngest son, a
boy of twelve years."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account