eathen
should be a better recipient of knowledge than one brought up in the
midst of American civilization, speaks well for "the race," but ill
for "the system," which has trained the latter.

Not only is this native dulness to be overcome, but _time_ for study
is to be found--time enough for the faculties to unbend from the
pressure of labor, and fix themselves upon the mental task. This is
what few employers consider themselves able to afford. Once a week, in
their opinion, is quite often enough for the slave to repeat his
lesson; and through the week he may forget it. No wonder that both the
indulgent master and the teacher--yes, and the learner, too, often
become discouraged, and give up the task before the Word of God is
unlocked to "the poor," for whom it was expressly written!

I speak as one who has _felt_ these obstacles, having, with the
approval of one of the class to whom I have alluded, taken charge of a
Sunday school among his servants. More attentive and grateful pupils I
never had, but it has pained my heart to feel the difficulty of
leading them even to the _threshold_ of knowledge; and there leaveing
them!

In an adjoining household, however, it was still worse. George, a
light-colored "boy" of twenty-five, the "factotum" of his mistress,
was the husband of our cook, Letty. I had succeeded in taking Letty
through several chapters in the New Testament, and this had aroused
the ambition of George.

"What do you think?" exclaimed one of the family to me, one morning;
"Mrs. ---- has been _whipping_ George!"

"Why! for what could that have been? I thought he was a favorite
servant!"

"For taking lessons of Letty in the spelling-book!"

It was even so. The poor fellow wanted to learn to stammer in his
Testament, and Letty, like any true-hearted wife, had given him the
little assistance she could render. The whipping failed of its
intended effect, however. Going one evening, at a late hour, into
Letty's cabin, I found George seated by her on the floor, in the
corner of their mud fire-place, poring intently over the forbidden
spelling-book! He started up confused, but seeing who it was, he was
reassured, and went on with his lesson! Whether George, Letty, or any
of those who have gained the rudiments of science, will be _more
happy_ in their servitude, is to me exceedingly doubtful. Thus far the
severer classes of masters have the right; a slave, to be perfectly
contented _as_ a slave, must be in tot