ess, in a condition of servitude.
Liberty is at last a reward to be attained after a long struggle, and
not the inherent right of every man. It is the sword which becomes a
weapon of power and defence in the hands of the strong, brave, rational
man, but a dangerous plaything when entrusted to the hands of madmen or
children. And thus, by the mysterious government of Him, who rules the
earth in righteousness, has it been wisely ordained, that they only who
are worthy of freedom shall permanently possess it.

The mutual relations established by the institution of domestic slavery
were beneficial to both parties concerned. The Anglo-Saxon baron
possessed power, which he has ever craved, and concentration and unity
of will, which was essential to its maintenance. But that power was
tempered, and that will controlled, by the powerful motives of policy,
as well as by the dictates of justice and mercy. The African serf, on
the other hand, was reduced to slavery, which, from his very nature, he
is incapable of despising; and an implicit obedience to the will of his
master was essential to the preservation of the relation. But he, too,
derived benefits from the institution, which he has never acquired in
any other condition; and trusting to the justice, and relying on the
power of his master to provide for his wants, he lived a contented and
therefore a happy life. Improvident himself by nature, his children were
reared without his care, through the helpless period of infancy, while
he was soothed and cheered in the hours of sickness, and protected and
supported in his declining years. The history of the world does not
furnish another example of a laboring class who could rely with
confidence on such wages as competency and contentment.

In a new colony, where there was but little attraction as yet, for
tradesmen to emigrate, the home of the planter became still more
isolated and independent. Every landholder had not only the slaves to
cultivate his soil and to attend to his immediate wants, but he had also
slaves educated and skilled in various trades. Thus, in this busy hive,
the blaze of the forge was seen and the sound of the anvil was heard, in
repairing the different tools and utensils of the farm; the shoemaker
was found at his last, the spinster at her wheel, and the weaver at the
loom. Nor has this system of independent reliance on a plantation for
its own supplies been entirely superseded at the present day. There may