woman can do it only by dignity of character, affection, and such a superiority in attainment as is too conspicuous to be questioned." A silent moral power ought to reign in the school-room, rather than ostentatious and coercive measures. Its influence is more happy, effective and permanent. Corporeal punishments may be used as a dernier resort in extreine cases. But true wisdom and skill in school government consists in the prevention, rather than in the punishment of offensesin cultivating the better feelings of our nature, truthfulness, generosity, kindness and self-respect. Such influences women are preeminently fitted to wield. Refined and lady-like manners, with a mellow and winning voice, will exert a peculiar sway, even upon the rudest and most unmannerly youth. There is a silent power in the very face of a teacher beaming with love for her pupils, and enthusiasm in her noble work. We shall pursue the subject farther. ART. V. THE "SOUTH-SIDE VIEW OF SLAVERY." A South-Side View of Slavery; or, Three in 1854. By NEHEMIAH ADAMS, D. D. vin and B. B. Mussey & Co. Months at the South, THE author of "A South-Side View of Slavery," as our readers well know, is a highly respectable pastor of one of the orthodox churches of Boston. Outside of his congregation, to whom he is understood to be greatly endeared, both as a preacher and a faithful pastor, his reputation rests upon occasional sermons and a choice volume, entitled, "The Friends of Christ in the New Testament." He has never been prominent before the public, in connection with the reformatory movements of the day, nor has he published much, if anything, with reference to public affairs. How he was led to the preparation of the book lying before us, is quickly told. An invalid friend, hoping for benefit from the bland air of the South, needed a companion. This office belonged to our author, and he accordingly, spent about three months in the states of Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia. As he looked about him, and found all things different from his preconceived notions, he at first felt surprise, which grew upon him by degrees, until he seems to have experienced a complete revolution in his thoughts and feelings on the subject of slavery. Thereupon he was induced to write, and as the result, we have "A South-Side View of Slavery." He The book is well written, and is adapted to make an impression on young minds; and indeed, upon all minds that are not informed, and grounded on right principles, with regard to slavery in the United States. We have no doubt that the author wished to be candid, and to give a fair view of things as he saw them. Nor can the reader doubt that he is perusing the words of a man who is a friend of the colored race. may, perhaps, pray that the negroes may be saved from such friends; but the evidence is abundant that the author desires the temporal and eternal welfare of the slaves. His hearty sympathy with them in their religious meetings, proves that he is not their enemy, and that he is not consciously moved by any other desire, with respect to them, than that they may be made good and happy. And yet, if the slaves could read the book which he has written about them, they would, undoubtedly, withhold their confidence, and feel that an enemy could not do them and their cause a greater injury than has been done by him. The book has a significant title. It is not a "North-Side View," nor an "Interior View," nor a round-about, "periscopic" View of slavery, but emphatically, a "South-Side View." It is even more limited in its scope." It is not the view which the majority of the people of the South would take; not the view of many non-slaveholders, nor of some slaveholders, nor of any of the slaves. It is the South-side view, which those take who look through the glasses of the adherents, or defenders, or the apologists of the system of American slavery. And the work throughout, notwithstanding occasional, apparent exceptions faithfully corresponds to its title. Nor is this all. Not content with taking a South-Side view, the author takes pains to disclaim all North-Side views, some with sorrowful complainings, and others with bitter philippics. He takes the part of the South as the injured party, who have been subjected to the loss of their property, their peace, and their good name, by the ill-judged, impertinent, and mischievous interference of infidels, radicals, political parties, religious societies, and ecclesiastical bodies at the North. It is not our intention to give a formal review of the "SouthSide View of Slavery," nor to take up, in order, all the points which it presents for animadversion. We take the occasion, how ever, to give our own views on various matters pertaining to slavery in the United States, which have been suggested by reading the work before us. In doing so, our opinion of the book, and of the competency of its author, to treat the subject of it, will incidentally reveal itself. We do not, of course, question his ability to treat this, or any other subject, in a masterly manner; but it is possible that he wrote without taking sufficient time to collect information, and to verify the statements which he received from friends, or from the publications of the day. And it is possible that many others may be in the same category. They are so, if the following is a fair representation. Says he: "Taking four hundred ministers of my denomination in Massachusetts, and knowing how we all converse, and preach, and pray about slavery, and noticing since my return from the South the questions which are put, and the remarks which are made upon the answers, it will be safe to assert that on going South I had at least the average amount of information and ignorance with regard to the subject." If this is true, then the "four hundred" have a "plentiful lack" of information on the great disturbing evil of our country, and should bestir themselves so that their average amount of ignorance on the subject may be speedily lessened. We have known many young persons, of either sex, who have spent a year or more at the South, as teachers, agents, or peddlers. Some of these, after their return, have set themselves up as oracles on the subject of slavery, and have learned to look down with compassionate pity, or withering contempt, on those simple people, who still persist in thinking slavery a cruel and unjust system. This class of persons go to the South with incorrect ideas of the real evil of slavery, and with exaggerated notions of the physical hardships that slaves are obliged to endure. Supposing the negroes are half-starved, that they are whipped continually, and that they are a cowed down, melancholy looking race; and overlooking the fact that the great curse of slavery is, to be a slave, whether well or ill-treated, they soon change their views, and become the apologists of what they had been educated to detest. The process is very easy and natural. Our northern traveler finds himself in a southern hotel, or more probably, in the house of a friend, where he is surrounded with comforts. He soon learns that all his success, all his happiness, while there, must come from the favor of a certain caste. They are intelligent, polite, hospitable, and spirited. The slaves are mere servants, who must do their master's bidding. There is no public opinion which the slaveholders do not form; there is no power which they do not monopolize; there is no honor but what is in their gift. The feted traveler insensibly takes up the views, and imbibes the feelings of the class with which he associates, and from which he is receiving polite attentions. Then he sees hundreds of slaves every day, and yet hears no sound of the lash; he sees stout, healthy, laughing boys and girls, and therefore infers that all the negroes are well-fed, well-treated, and happy. It follows, that he is ashamed of himself for his former ignorance, vexed at the "fanatics" who have misled him, and proud of his newly acquired knowledge. He begins to tell his southern friends of his change of opinion; and he becomes so zealous in apologizing for slavery, that he is set down as a hypocrite, a sharper, or a dunce; while in fact he is neither, but the victim of his own erroneous notions. He then comes home, and is conspicuous among those who are called "northern men with southern principles ;" and assumes to have exclusive knowledge of the whole subject, because he has been South, and actually seen the slaves. It is not strange that a portion of the youth who go from the North to the southern states, should have such an experience as this; but we are surprised that a man of talents, of education, and of thought, could have undergone such a complete revolution in his views on any subject, as the author of the "South-Side View" seems to have experienced, on the subject of slavery. We read the first few pages which give his "preconceived views," and are amazed that he entertained them; we read how they were put to flight, and suddenly followed by others quite as wide of the mark, and our amazement increases. Nor can we imagine how the reading of "Uncle Tom's Cabin," or the "White Slave," or even the "Key," could have led one so far from the truth. There is but one "Topsy" in the whole "Cabin," while there are dozens of rollicking children, with very little to do, but to plague Chloe or Dinah. There is a "Marie," indeed, but she is the picture of the good-for-nothing fine lady everywhere; while the admirable "Mrs. Shelby" is the kind-hearted, pious mistress of a plantation. There is a description of a slave-pen, with Uncle Tom in sorrow, and Adolphe in vexation; but all the rest are in roaring glee at the grimaces of an ebony buffoon. Among the many merits of this wonderful novel, is this,-its fidelity to truth. It gives almost every phase of southern life but the dinner party and the political meeting, and its scenes are true to the life. As we read, and re-read, and compare its descriptions with our own recollections, we are free to say, that it will enable the reader to obtain a more correct view of southern society than all other books pertaining to the subject, that ever have fallen under our notice. But it matters not from what source our author learned his views of slavery. It is clear that they were saddening enough to his own mind, if we may judge from the following passage: "I felt sure that I should see on landing, the whole black population cowed down. This best expresses in a word my expectation. 'I am a slave,' will be indented on the faces, limbs, and actions of the bondmen. Hopeless woe, entreating, yet despairing, will frequently meet me." And all this, after reading of Sam and Andy, those bundles of uproarious mirth, and of Uncle Tom, the happiest man in all the world. But our traveler soon found his mistake, and his painful feelings were greatly relieved. He found the negroes very polite, and good humored. The servants that took care of his trunks, and the nurses that were looking after the children in the shaded parks, made a pleasing impression. A "load was lifted" from his mind, by the "first superficial look at the slaves in" a southern city. The effect was so great, that he recommends a journey to the south, for the cure of low spirits. "Let every one at the north, afflicted with depression of spirits, drop down among these negroes, walk these streets, form a passing acquaintance with some of them, and unless he is a hopeless case, he will find himself in moods of cheerfulness never awakened surely by the countenances of the whites in any strange place." All this is delightfully true, though an atra bilious philanthropist might have been vexed, where our author was pleased, by these signs of happiness. A journey to Africa would be quite as useful, for we are told, that "when the sun goes down, all Africa dances." Negroes, bond as well as free, have a talent for enjoying themselves; and this is one reason why we cannot spare them all for the Colonization Society. If to make them free would spoil so much happiness, then surely emancipation would be a great curse and crime. "All Things seemed to combine to make our traveler feel better. He was induced to use a cane, because it was made of a splinter from "the live oak of the frigate Constitution." Here was a call for patriotic feeling. Next came the engine named "New Hampshire," gently rolling along the track. How delightful to see one of our New England states thus honored! How Massachusetts is honored there, may be learned by reading the narrative of the Hon. Samuel Hoar's expulsion from Charleston. But New Hampshire has richly earned all the honor she receives from the South. We only hope that she may have VOL. XIII. 5 |