Voir moins
Voir plus
[…] What is the conclusion ? Murder has a very venerable antiquity,–but does the precedent of Cain and Abel place homicide in the category of the cardinal virtues ? Polygamy, too, is as old an institution as slavery. If the patriarchs were slave-holders, they were also polygamists ; and the antiquity proves as much for the one as for the other. Human selfishness, the greed of gain, the regard for one’s one pleasures and interests at the expense of the pleasures and interests of others, are as old as human nature. Men were selfish before the flood as now ; and there were then the same inducements to hold human beings in bondage as now. Upon the whole, I think I may safely dismiss this branch of the Rev. gentleman’s argument without further notice.
He next comes to a point which has for centuries furnished the defenders of slavery with material for triumphant declamation. “Among the many prophecies contained in the Bible, and having reference to particular times, persons, and events, there are three singular predictions referring to three different races of people, which seem to be intended for all times, and accordingly remain in full force to-day. The first of these is the doom of Ham’s descendants, the African race, pronounced upwards of four thousand years ago. The second is the character of the descendants of Ishmael, the Arabs, pronounced nearly four thousand years ago ; and the third, and last, is the promise of continuance, and of indestructible nationality made to the Israelites full two thousand five hundred years ago. It has been said that the knowledge that a particular prophecy exists helps to carry out its fulfilment, and I am quite willing to allow that in the case of the Israelites.”
That the knowledge of an existing prophecy may in some instances serve to secure the fulfilment, I can readily understand. Nay more, I can conceive of the possibility that the supposed existence of a prophecy–and the general belief in its existence may tend to bring about the event believed to be predicted, when no such prophecy has in fact ever been made. The supposed prophecy consigning the African race to bondage, may perhaps be an instance of this ; for the truth is, notwithstanding the venerable age of the popular notion on the subject, no such prediction was ever made ; or at least no such prediction is to be found in the Bible. The whole idea is founded upon a demonstrable mistake.–and a mistake so palpable, that it is a subject of great wonder how the prevalent belief in the existence of such a prophecy ever came to be general, and how it has managed to survive to this day ; nevertheless, I repeat it,–there is no such prophecy. The whole foundation of the notion in question, is the well-known curse of Noah, pronounced against Canaan, the youngest son of Ham. But is the African race descended from Canaan ? It is not true that the curse embraced all the descendants of Ham, though the apologists for slavery speak as if such were the case. Let the reader look for himself. The precise language is found in the 24th and 25th verses of the 9th chapter of Genesis, as follows :–“And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him. And he said ‘ Cursed be Canaan ;’ a servant of servants shall he be to his brethren.” Now the descendants of Canaan settled themselves in Asia, and not in Africa ; furthermore, we have reason to believe that the Canaanites were a white race, and also that the negro race of Ethiopia existed before the Israelites left Egypt, and consequently before the Canaanites were driven out of the land of Canaan. But after all, of what relevancy is it, whether the victims of negro slavery are the descendants of Canaan or not ? Does the prediction of an event make the thing right, and justify all those concerned in bringing it about ? Would the prediction of the death of a king by assassination justify the assassin ? This would be a singular doctrine ; it is difficult to decide whether the monstruous or the ludicrous predominates, when we hear a pious defender of Slavery solemnly justifying the buying and selling of human beings, and the breeding of them like hogs for the market, by quoting the curse of Noah and calling it a prophecy. But again, it is not rather stretching matters, to extend the justifying effects of these words to all the descendants of Canaan through all generations, to the end of time ? The language of the curse does not expressly extend to all the posterity of Canaan, or to his posterity at all. […]
