of the Presbyterians in Kentucky,
published a pamphlet under the nom-de-plume of PHILANTHROPOS entitled
_Slavery Inconsistent with Justice and Good Policy_. While the author
went into the general evils of slavery, such as the lack of protection
to female chastity, lack of religious and moral instruction, and the
comparative unproductiveness of slave labor, he was not one of those
violent opponents of the institution, who would abolish the whole
system without any constructive measures. A large part of his treatise
was devoted to the supposed sanction of the scriptures and his own
evidence that the same source was against rather than in favor of the
system then in vogue. It was but natural that Rice should recommend
that the convention should put an end to slavery in Kentucky in view
of his firm opinions in the matter, but he had a clear vision of the
future and he expressed his conviction that "a gradual emancipation
only can be advisable." He summed up his ideas in this sentence: "The
legislature, if they judged it expedient, would prevent the
importation of any more slaves; they would enact that all born after
such a date should be free; be qualified by proper education to make
useful citizens, and be actually freed at a proper age."[397] He put
these ideas forth as a citizen of Kentucky who was interested in its
welfare and as a prospective member of the constitutional convention.
When that body assembled at Danville he did not hesitate to voice his
views again but the forces of slavery were dominant and the majority
enacted the famous article IX, which determined the slave code of the
State until the institution was abolished by the 13th amendment to the
federal constitution. The significance of the attitude of David Rice
lies in the fact that as early as the year 1792 he put forth the idea
of gradual emancipation, a policy far in advance of his age but which
in the course of time was held by a large number of the fair-minded
statesmen of Kentucky.

In 1794 the Transylvania Presbytery, which was the governing body of
that sect at that time for the whole State, passed a resolution asking
that slaves should be instructed to read the Bible, having in view the
sole idea that when freedom did come to them they would be prepared
for it.[398] The same body in 1796 expressed the following fair-minded
attitude in the form of a resolution:

Although the Presbytery are fully convinced of the great evil of
slavery,