CHAPTER XVII. REBELLION. "Rebellion! thou demon of darkness! Avaunt! stand back! hie to thy fitting abode Beneath the blood-stained throne, where thou belongest. No calling. WILL men rebel against a government that protects them in their rights, promotes their happiness, and does them justice? Never. Neither can the people rebel against themselves. The following beautiful morceau not long since appeared in many of our public prints, without a comment, and written by an American for the edification of a people professing to recognize the principles of equal rights. We shall review it as we pass along. Here it is: 46 THE PLAGUE OF HOUSEKEEPERS. "Help,' as English Trollopes say we call all domestic servants, is a sore source of trouble to housekeepers throughout the free States. "Major Noah, in his last Messenger,' has one of his characteristic editorials on this subject. Says he : "We have found out the secret why servants plague the mistress of the house almost to death, and why a first rate waiting girl in England makes a most indifferent servant in America, viz: the freedom of our institutions, which not only applies to all callings and occupations, but are assumed by all; and all become infected with liberty and equality the moment they touch our soil. The 'largest liberty' was not understood by our revolutionary fathers to extend beyond political rights, and was not remotely intended to break down the barriers of society. In England, a man will hire a groom at a smaller salary, if you give him a handsome livery; in this country, you must increase your wages, if you wish your groom to wear livery at all. This doctrine was exemplified recently in a family advertising for a woman who could make herself generally useful; and among a number of applicants was an exceedingly prepossessing looking girl, neatly dressed, with a handsome, open countenance and ruddy complexion-a taking face, as we may call it. The lady said— "You are an English girl, I believe?' "Yes, ma'am—just arrived. Only been in the city two days; have no acquaintance at all, and only wish to go to church Sunday afternoons.' "You have a recommendation, I suppose?' "Yes, ma'am—a seven years' character, and a recommendation from our minister.' "The documents being read, and all found genuine and satisfactory, the lady asked what wages she would expect. 66 6 "Why, ma'am, the stewardess on board ship told me to ask seven dollars a month. I had in London nine pounds a year.' Why, that is scarcely four dollars a month. Now I am willing to give six dollars, provided you would suit me. Having lived so long in one place, you can remember what kind of work was required of you?' 666 Oh, yes, ma'am, I was maid of all work.' "Indeed! Let me hear what was required of you.'" Then follows a long string of duties enumerated by the girl, not necessary to insert here; after which the lady asks "And did you get through with all this work?' 66 6 All, ma'am.' "Well, if you do but half as much for me, I shall be satisfied. You can come to-morrow.' "At the end of a month, we asked the lady after her 'maid of all work.' 66 "Oh, she went away in a fortnight-said this was a free country, and she could not work herself to death."" Then follows the remarks of the editor of the Cincinnati Chronicle, in the following words: "This is the history of all servants. They arrive here with every required qualification-courteous, willing and valuable; but they soon become corrupted by example, and are taught rebellion by their associates, and liberty and equality by their colleagues of the kitchen and pantry. There are but few families in this country who keep a girl two or three years; whereas, in England, ten years is no uncommon period for a servant to remain in one place. We know of no remedy to correct the evil." We have shown, in this work, that the aristocracy of the civilized world have concocted and put into operation a plan or system, by means of which the rich can keep their poor brethren in perpetual bondage, poverty and misery, and finally starve them to death; and all this in accordance with religion, morality and virtue. But if the poor do but speak of liberty, or of equal rights, it is rebellion and treason! Producers of wealth, do you understand this? If you do not, it is high time for you to look into the matter. Is it so, that those who starve their fellow men to death, are good and virtuous, and those that contend for equal rights, are rebels and traitors? Does religion and morality teach this? Surely not. Is it a virtue for the rich to rob the poor, and a crime for the poor to rob the rich? Now for the Major-the great Major Noah. He says that all foreigners become "infected with liberty and equality, the moment they touch our soil." Oh, horrible! what a loathsome disease to catch; and people of all callings and occupations catch it! How sinful, how criminal, to be infected with the ideas of liberty and equality! Did not the Major imbibe the infection himself? It is in extreme bad taste for the Major to be so selfish. Again, the gentleman says: "In England, a man will hire a groom at a smaller salary, if you give him a handsome livery; in this country, you must increase his wages, if you wish your groom to wear livery at all." Well, is it in any way surprising that a man should want to be pretty well paid for deliberately putting on a badge of servitude and degradation? Not at all. He ought to insist on at least a thousand dollars a year, for submitting to the indignity. The Major himself, we think, would not do it for that sum, nor for all Grand Island to boot. "We know of no remedy to correct these evils," says the editor of the Chronicle. Let the gentleman learn to respect the rights and feelings of his fellow human beings; let him consider, that, although some may be servants, they are still human beings, capable of suffering pain and of enjoying pleasure like himself; that we are all children of one common parent, having, naturally, the same rights and responsibilities. It therefore behooveth him, as a good christian, to treat his servants kindly, and unto the fatherless be a father; never forgetting that servants, as well as others, will remain longest with those who use them best. That celebrated christian moral philosopher, the Rev Dr. Paley, in his "Moral Philosophy," says: "Our obligations to our servants are much greater than theirs are to us. It is a mistake to suppose that the rich man maintains his tradesmen, servants, tenants and laborers; the truth is, they maintain him. It is their industry which supplies his table, furnishes his wardrobe, builds his houses, adorns his equipage, and provides his amusements. It is not the estate, but the labor employed upon it. that pays his rent. All that he does is to distribute [and consume] what others produce." Here, then, is authority which ought not to be despised nor rejected; and may the gentleman learn wisdom from the lesson: do unto others as he would that others should do unto him. In the Cincinnati Chronicle of October 14th, 1845, will be found an account of the World's Convention, held in New York in the same year, from which we will make a few extracts for the edification of National Reformers and the working classes generally. The modest editor thus remarks: "The World's Convention! what a sonorous name! One would think the mountains would bow their heads to listen, and the little streams run mad to meet them. Well, what do you think the World's Convention is? About one hundred and fifty persons. with Robert Owen at their head, every man of whom might fairly be mistaken for escaped madmen. [How amiabie, how charitable, how profound!] Now we notice them in order to give our readers an [erroneous] idea of what sort of people they are, and what sort of reformation they propose to mankind. Take the following from the proceedings: “Mr. Evans, of the National Reformers and Anti-Renters, after stating divers principles, the gist of his statement was in the following items: 18. Constitutions and laws are binding only when in accordance with natural rights. [Just so thought the heroes of 1776.] “‘19. The master-evil, in all nations called civilized the main cause of poverty and its consequences, ignorance, misery and crime, the sole cause of slavery of every grade, is the monopoly of the soil; and the leading measure of practical reform, in all these countries, is a restoration of the land to the people by political action, or, in failure of that, by revolution. 20. The United States of North America are most favorably circumstanced for a restoration of the soil; and the most practical measures for this purpose are, first, to limit the quantity of land to be hereafter acquired by individuals or associations; and second, to prevent all further traffic in land by the government, and to make the public lands free, on the principle proposed by the National Reform Association and its Auxiliaries throughout the United States."" The editor then says: "These principles might be stated in a briefer form, thus: "1. Laws are never binding when a savage chooses to break them. [Instance, the savage heroes of 1776.] "2. The leading measure of reform is to commence by a WHOLESALE ROBBERY of every man who owns lands." Now, candid reader, is there a sentiment anything like this, even by the utmost stretch of implication, in the article quoted by himself, and of which the above is his travesty? But the strangest part of the business is, that this editor wishes to be considered a man of truth and veracity. Rather a curious way he has of making such an impression upon the minds of his readers. The language he himself makes use of in regard to the persons composing the World's Convention, is extremely applicable to himself. This very editor "might fairly be taken for an escaped madman." "We thus notice" him, " in order to give our readers a correct "idea of what sort of" a gentleman he is. The gentleman' goes on with his travesty, thus: 6 "The United States of North America are very favorably circumstanced for the commencement of this wholesale robbery. "These are certainly plain and frank propositions. [But the travesty a shameful misrepresentation.] This society of thieves could not have stated them plainer, and, it is probable, would not have been more honest." Such, then, is a sample of the honest integrity of an editor of a public paper, and such his lessons of moral teaching. "The utmost charity that can be extended to' such teachers, “is, that are greater blackheads than 11 |