102
A VOICE FROM
magnificent manager of men, a born educator.
For two hundred and fifty years he trained to
his hand a people whom he made absolutely
his own, in body, mind, and sensibility. He
so insinuated differences and distinctions
among them, that their personal attachment
for him was stronger than for their own
brethren and fellow sufferers. He made
it a crime for two or three of them to be
gathered together in Christ's name with¬
out a white man's supervision, and a felony
for one to teach them to read even the
Word of Life; and yet they would defend
his interest with their life blood; his smile
was their happiness, a pat on the shoulder
from him their reward. The slightest dif¬
ference among themselves in condition, cir¬
cumstances, opportunities, became barriers of
jealousy and disunion. He sowed his blood
broadcast among them, then pitted mulatto
against black, bond against free, house slave
against plantation slave, even the slave of one
clan against like slave of another clan; till,
wholly oblivious of their ability for mutual
succor and defense, all became centers of
myriad systems of repellent forces, having but
one sentiment in common, and that their en¬
tire subjection to that master hand.
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