“Only ye may opine it frets my patience, Mr. Osbaldistone,
to be hunted like an otter, or a sealgh, or a salmon upon the shallows, and
that by my very friends and neighbors.” — Rob
Roy.
Whose patience has been fretted, if it had not been fret-proof,
like the abolitionists’? Have they not been hunted like an otter, or
a salmon among the shallows, or a partridge upon the mountains; or like David
among the cliffs of Ziph and the rocks of the wild goats? And every body seems
to think it is all as natural as life, and that they should bear it, and be
thankful it is no worse. How they have been belied and slandered and insulted,
by a stupid pro-slavery community! How church brethren and sisters have scowled
upon them, and trifled with their rights and their feelings, as though they had
no more of either than a “nigger!” How has the murderous scorn been extended
from their poor, down-trodden — mark the phrase — down-trodden — not
merely stamped upon, for once, or any given number of times, — but every
time — by the common walking footstep of community, — trodden on as universally as the path of the
highway — “down trodden,” indeed! How has the scorn felt for the poor colored
man, been extended to the abolitionist, and how he has borne it, with almost
the “patient sufferance” of the “free negro,” or the Jew in Venice, — until
sufferance is become “the badge of all our tribe.” And what avails it? “The
brotherhood” have fallen into the idea, that we also are “an inferior race,”
and that we are exceedingly out of our place, when we claim the common rights
of humanity. As to the rights of citizenship, they do not dream that any
appertain to us. See with what calm, summer-day serenity they look on, while we
are mobbed. They think no more of it, than they do when a lane of “free niggers”
is “smoked out” by “public sentiment” in New York or Philadelphia. Who cared
for the outrages of the great Concord mob, in September, 1835? “Tremendous public excitement!”
shouted the N. H. Patriot — as if another revolution had been fought Tremendous
public excitement! A grand popular victory. Victory indeed it was — but over
what? Over innocency [sic], humanity,
the law of the land, the public peace! An odd victory to boast of.—What a “frolic
after Thompson,” (or to that effect) exclaimed the merry N. H. Courier. — O,
what a joke! How funny and frolicsome the people were after Thompson! How they
did frisk and caper, and how masterly funny they did chase him, and surround
Neighbor ——‘s dwelling-house! O, what a sportive company of them got together,
and how they did surround that house by moonlight, and what a merry time on't
they caused in that dwelling!
O “riddle-cum-ritldle-cum-right!
“What a time we had,
that Friday night!”
He, he, he — hah,
hah, hah!!!
Hung be the heavens in black. Out, moon — and hide, stars,
so that ye look not on and blench your light, at sight of such scenes. “Frolic!”
Was the Alton night-scene a frolic? Was the hellish-gathering about that
ware-house, rendering the dun night hideous, a joke — a fracas — “an abolition
frolic?”
The time will come, when these deeds will be appreciated by
the people of this country. Ay, it is at hand. We wait patiently, but not
silently. "The brotherhood" may fix upon us its evil eye of menace
and "frolic." They shall hear of their merry doings. If we cannot
speak freely, we desire not to remain on the slavery-cursed soil. We call upon
the people of the land, to look to their liberties. We have no freedom of
speech, no liberty of the press, no freedom of assembly. The sovereign and
tyrant of the country is Slavery. He holds his court in the South, and rules
the vassal North by his vicegerent the mob, — or as Hubbard Winslow preaches
it, “the brotherhood.” We
owe no allegiance to either. We shall pay none.
SOURCE: Collection from the Miscellaneous Writings
of Nathaniel Peabody Rogers, Second Edition, p. 11-3 which states it was
published in the Herald of Freedom of September 1, 1838.
No comments:
Post a Comment