Time,however,continuedtoadvance,andtheAnglo—Americans,spreadingbeyondthecoastsoftheAtlanticOcean,penetratedfartherandfartherintothesolitudesoftheWest;theymetwithanewsoilandanunwontedclimate;theobstacleswhichopposedthemwereofthemostvariouscharacter;
theirracesintermingled,theinhabitantsoftheSouthwentuptowardstheNorth,thoseoftheNorthdescendedtotheSouth;butinthemidstofallthesecauses,thesameresultoccurredateverystep,andingeneral,thecoloniesinwhichtherewerenoslavesbecamemorepopulousandmorerichthanthoseinwhichslaveryflourished。Themoreprogresswasmade,themorewasitshownthatslavery,whichissocrueltotheslave,isprejudicialtothemaster。
ChapterXVIII:FutureConditionOfThreeRaces—PartIV
ButthistruthwasmostsatisfactorilydemonstratedwhencivilizationreachedthebanksoftheOhio。ThestreamwhichtheIndianshaddistinguishedbythenameofOhio,orBeautifulRiver,watersoneofthemostmagnificentvalleysthathaseverbeenmadetheabodeofman。UndulatinglandsextenduponbothshoresoftheOhio,whosesoilaffordsinexhaustibletreasurestothelaborer;oneitherbanktheairiswholesomeandtheclimatemild,andeachofthemformstheextremefrontierofavastState:ThatwhichfollowsthenumerouswindingsoftheOhioupontheleftiscalledKentucky,thatupontherightbearsthenameoftheriver。ThesetwoStatesonlydifferinasinglerespect;
Kentuckyhasadmittedslavery,buttheStateofOhiohasprohibitedtheexistenceofslaveswithinitsborders。*h[Footnoteh:NotonlyisslaveryprohibitedinOhio,butnofreenegroesareallowedtoentertheterritoryofthatState,ortoholdpropertyinit。SeetheStatutesofOhio。]
ThusthetravellerwhofloatsdownthecurrentoftheOhiotothespotwherethatriverfallsintotheMississippi,maybesaidtosailbetweenlibertyandservitude;andatransientinspectionofthesurroundingobjectswillconvincehimastowhichofthetwoismostfavorabletomankind。Upontheleftbankofthestreamthepopulationisrare;fromtimetotimeonedescriesatroopofslavesloiteringinthehalf—desertfields;
theprimaevalforestrecursateveryturn;societyseemstobeasleep,mantobeidle,andnaturealoneoffersasceneofactivityandoflife。Fromtherightbank,onthecontrary,aconfusedhumisheardwhichproclaimsthepresenceofindustry;
thefieldsarecoveredwithabundantharvests,theeleganceofthedwellingsannouncesthetasteandactivityofthelaborer,andmanappearstobeintheenjoymentofthatwealthandcontentmentwhichistherewardoflabor。*i[Footnotei:TheactivityofOhioisnotconfinedtoindividuals,buttheundertakingsoftheStatearesurprisinglygreat;acanalhasbeenestablishedbetweenLakeErieandtheOhio,bymeansofwhichthevalleyoftheMississippicommunicateswiththeriveroftheNorth,andtheEuropeancommoditieswhicharriveatNewYorkmaybeforwardedbywatertoNewOrleansacrossfivehundredleaguesofcontinent。]
TheStateofKentuckywasfoundedin1775,theStateofOhioonlytwelveyearslater;buttwelveyearsaremoreinAmericathanhalfacenturyinEurope,and,atthepresentday,thepopulationofOhioexceedsthatofKentuckybytwohundredandfiftythousandsouls。*jTheseoppositeconsequencesofslaveryandfreedommayreadilybeunderstood,andtheysufficetoexplainmanyofthedifferenceswhichweremarkbetweenthecivilizationofantiquityandthatofourowntime。
[Footnotej:Theexactnumbersgivenbythecensusof1830were:
Kentucky,688,—844;Ohio,937,679。[In1890thepopulationofOhiowas3,672,316,thatofKentucky,1,858,635。]]
UpontheleftbankoftheOhiolaborisconfoundedwiththeideaofslavery,upontherightbankitisidentifiedwiththatofprosperityandimprovement;ontheonesideitisdegraded,ontheotheritishonored;ontheformerterritorynowhitelaborerscanbefound,fortheywouldbeafraidofassimilatingthemselvestothenegroes;onthelatternooneisidle,forthewhitepopulationextendsitsactivityanditsintelligencetoeverykindofemployment。ThusthemenwhosetaskitistocultivatetherichsoilofKentuckyareignorantandlukewarm;
whilstthosewhoareactiveandenlightenedeitherdonothingorpassoverintotheStateofOhio,wheretheymayworkwithoutdishonor。
ItistruethatinKentuckytheplantersarenotobligedtopaywagestotheslaveswhomtheyemploy;buttheyderivesmallprofitsfromtheirlabor,whilstthewagespaidtofreeworkmenwouldbereturnedwithinterestinthevalueoftheirservices。
Thefreeworkmanispaid,buthedoeshisworkquickerthantheslave,andrapidityofexecutionisoneofthegreatelementsofeconomy。Thewhitesellshisservices,buttheyareonlypurchasedatthetimesatwhichtheymaybeuseful;theblackcanclaimnoremunerationforhistoil,buttheexpenseofhismaintenanceisperpetual;hemustbesupportedinhisoldageaswellasintheprimeofmanhood,inhisprofitlessinfancyaswellasintheproductiveyearsofyouth。Paymentmustequallybemadeinordertoobtaintheservicesofeitherclassofmen:
thefreeworkmanreceiveshiswagesinmoney,theslaveineducation,infood,incare,andinclothing。Themoneywhichamasterspendsinthemaintenanceofhisslavesgoesgraduallyandindetail,sothatitisscarcelyperceived;thesalaryofthefreeworkmanispaidinaroundsum,whichappearsonlytoenrichtheindividualwhoreceivesit,butintheendtheslavehascostmorethanthefreeservant,andhislaborislessproductive。*k[Footnotek:Independentlyofthesecauses,which,whereverfreeworkmenabound,rendertheirlabormoreproductiveandmoreeconomicalthanthatofslaves,anothercausemaybepointedoutwhichispeculiartotheUnitedStates:thesugar—canehashithertobeencultivatedwithsuccessonlyuponthebanksoftheMississippi,nearthemouthofthatriverintheGulfofMexico。
InLouisianathecultivationofthesugar—caneisexceedinglylucrative,andnowheredoesalaborerearnsomuchbyhiswork,and,asthereisalwaysacertainrelationbetweenthecostofproductionandthevalueoftheproduce,thepriceofslavesisveryhighinLouisiana。ButLouisianaisoneoftheconfederatedStates,andslavesmaybecarriedthitherfromallpartsoftheUnion;thepricegivenforslavesinNewOrleansconsequentlyraisesthevalueofslavesinalltheothermarkets。Theconsequenceofthisis,thatinthecountrieswherethelandislessproductive,thecostofslavelaborisstillveryconsiderable,whichgivesanadditionaladvantagetothecompetitionoffreelabor。]
Theinfluenceofslaveryextendsstillfurther;itaffectsthecharacterofthemaster,andimpartsapeculiartendencytohisideasandhistastes。UponbothbanksoftheOhio,thecharacteroftheinhabitantsisenterprisingandenergetic;butthisvigorisverydifferentlyexercisedinthetwoStates。ThewhiteinhabitantofOhio,whoisobligedtosubsistbyhisownexertions,regardstemporalprosperityastheprincipalaimofhisexistence;andasthecountrywhichheoccupiespresentsinexhaustibleresourcestohisindustryandever—varyinglurestohisactivity,hisacquisitiveardorsurpassestheordinarylimitsofhumancupidity:heistormentedbythedesireofwealth,andheboldlyentersuponeverypathwhichfortuneopenstohim;hebecomesasailor,apioneer,anartisan,oralaborerwiththesameindifference,andhesupports,withequalconstancy,thefatiguesandthedangersincidentaltothesevariousprofessions;
theresourcesofhisintelligenceareastonishing,andhisavidityinthepursuitofgainamountstoaspeciesofheroism。
ButtheKentuckianscornsnotonlylabor,butalltheundertakingswhichlaborpromotes;ashelivesinanidleindependence,histastesarethoseofanidleman;moneylosesaportionofitsvalueinhiseyes;hecovetswealthmuchlessthanpleasureandexcitement;andtheenergywhichhisneighbordevotestogain,turnswithhimtoapassionateloveoffieldsportsandmilitaryexercises;hedelightsinviolentbodilyexertion,heisfamiliarwiththeuseofarms,andisaccustomedfromaveryearlyagetoexposehislifeinsinglecombat。Thusslaverynotonlypreventsthewhitesfrombecomingopulent,butevenfromdesiringtobecomeso。
AsthesamecauseshavebeencontinuallyproducingoppositeeffectsforthelasttwocenturiesintheBritishcoloniesofNorthAmerica,theyhaveestablishedaverystrikingdifferencebetweenthecommercialcapacityoftheinhabitantsoftheSouthandthoseoftheNorth。AtthepresentdayitisonlytheNorthernStateswhichareinpossessionofshipping,manufactures,railroads,andcanals。ThisdifferenceisperceptiblenotonlyincomparingtheNorthwiththeSouth,butincomparingtheseveralSouthernStates。Almostalltheindividualswhocarryoncommercialoperations,orwhoendeavortoturnslavelabortoaccountinthemostSoutherndistrictsoftheUnion,haveemigratedfromtheNorth。ThenativesoftheNorthernStatesareconstantlyspreadingoverthatportionoftheAmericanterritorywheretheyhavelesstofearfromcompetition;
theydiscoverresourcestherewhichescapedthenoticeoftheinhabitants;and,astheycomplywithasystemwhichtheydonotapprove,theysucceedinturningittobetteradvantagethanthosewhofirstfoundedandwhostillmaintainit。
WereIinclinedtocontinuethisparallel,IcouldeasilyprovethatalmostallthedifferenceswhichmayberemarkedbetweenthecharactersoftheAmericansintheSouthernandintheNorthernStateshaveoriginatedinslavery;butthiswoulddivertmefrommysubject,andmypresentintentionisnottopointoutalltheconsequencesofservitude,butthoseeffectswhichithasproducedupontheprosperityofthecountrieswhichhaveadmittedit。
Theinfluenceofslaveryupontheproductionofwealthmusthavebeenveryimperfectlyknowninantiquity,asslaverythenobtainedthroughoutthecivilizedworld;andthenationswhichwereunacquaintedwithitwerebarbarous。AndindeedChristianityonlyabolishedslaverybyadvocatingtheclaimsoftheslave;atthepresenttimeitmaybeattackedinthenameofthemaster,and,uponthispoint,interestisreconciledwithmorality。
AsthesetruthsbecameapparentintheUnitedStates,slaveryrecededbeforetheprogressofexperience。ServitudehadbegunintheSouth,andhadthencespreadtowardstheNorth;butitnowretiresagain。Freedom,whichstartedfromtheNorth,nowdescendsuninterruptedlytowardstheSouth。AmongstthegreatStates,PennsylvanianowconstitutestheextremelimitofslaverytotheNorth:butevenwithinthoselimitstheslavesystemisshaken:Maryland,whichisimmediatelybelowPennsylvania,ispreparingforitsabolition;andVirginia,whichcomesnexttoMaryland,isalreadydiscussingitsutilityanditsdangers。*...完整阅读请扫描二维码下载丁香书院APP免费看:
第30章