d meat
to-day, but God only knows from whence it will come to-morrow. Not so
with the slave, he knows well from whence his bread and meat is to
come "for the morrow." Master is bound to make provision for him, and
he feels no concern about the matter. "He takes no thought for the
morrow." Well, but says one, the white man has liberty, poor as he may
be. He can work to-day, and forbear to-morrow, if it suits his ease,
convenience, or inclination. Very true, and the misfortune is, that he
too often works to-day, and gets drunk to-morrow; or, otherwise,
squanders away his time foolishly. Indigence and ignorance subject men
to oppression in all countries, and under all circumstances, it
matters not whether you call them slaves or freemen. There is
oppression and injustice everywhere. It originates in the supreme
selfishness of our natures--our self-love. It was the original design
of Christianity to eradicate this principle from the human heart.
"Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." "Whatsoever ye would that
men should do to you, do ye even so to them." This is the language of
the author of our religion. The great apostle had direct reference to
the selfishness of our hearts when he said, "the love of money is the
root of all evil." While selfishness is the dominant principle of our
hearts, we can neither love God, nor yet our neighbor. The Holy spirit
can never enter our hearts, while this principle reigns supreme
within. He has been trying to expel the monster from the hearts of the
human family, for nearly two thousand years; but as yet he has
accomplished his object but partially. He pleads for entrance, but too
often pleads in vain. We must relinquish our self-love, before we can
love God supremely, and our neighbor as ourselves.

Selfishness, self-love, or the love of money, as the apostle terms it,
stands in the way of all that is noble, generous, and just, in our
intercourse with our fellow creatures. It is "the root of all evil,"
all injustice, all oppression, all unrighteousness, all that mars our
peace and happiness in this world, all tumults, all strife, all
contention, all war, all blood-shed, all hatred, all misery in time,
and all our woes to all eternity.

There are times when my heart sickens within me. I feel, I know that
there is oppression and wrong in our world, and that millions of my
fellow creatures are interested in perpetuating those wrongs. I know
that wherever the human foot has trodden th