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For a full developement of the late views upon this subject, we refer our readers to the chapter on "Woman," in the second volume. For a practical commentary, we refer them to much of the preliminary history of the first French Revolution. The midsummer-madness of the whole entitles it to an attentive perusal, in order to afford us an incidental test, if that were necessary, of the soundness and value of Miss Martineau's judgement in other particulars. But it is not worth while to pursue it further. Indeed we are not sure that we should have said a word on the subject of this inconceivable and outrageous nonsense, if we had not perceived some temporary evil (pregnant, we doubt not, with future good) resulting from the publication of these ridicu lous doctrines. Some of our friends in the boarding-schools have begun seriously to question whether they can be bound to obey laws which they have had no hand in enacting; and we have every reason to believe, that it was under the peculiar prompting of Miss Martineau,* that Miss Angelina Grimke and her sister, to the utter confusion of that modesty which crowns, like some inestimable jewel, the head of woman in her appropriate sphere, have been sent abroad,

To rave, recite and madden round the land.

We will not, therefore, enter into the religious argument upon this subject. Let us only say, in conclusion, to Miss Martineau and her adherents, that if they will endeavour to forget the whole of that affected and tawdry sentiment, which, in our opinion, has nothing either of the spirit or reasonableness of pure religion, and will read their Bibles with fidelity and humility, they will stand in no danger of mistake as to the true condition and real duty of woman.

Considering, therefore, the peculiar intensity of Miss Martineau's zeal in advocating her mistaken, though we sup pose we must account them sincere, views upon this subject; it is not at all surprising that she should be found in the forefront of the battle, in maintaining the other wild and foolish schemes of a day uncommonly prone to extravagances of various descriptions. We have purposely foreborne, until this moment, to allude to her notions with regard to slavery in the United States; which, nevertheless, consti

* See Vol. II. p. 128.

tute the obvious basis of her speculations upon every topic treated in her work; while her discussions of the direct subject, under various names, occupy, we should judge, about one-third of the space contained in the two volumes. Neither do we feel it necessary for us to enter into a detailed argument on this question; with regard to which, we need hardly say, our views are entirely different from those entertained by Miss Martineau. Miss Martineau is, as might be expected, an abolitionist of the first water. Like them, she looks upon slavery as that one great and enormous crime, in comparison with which, all others which have hitherto devastated the world, "pale their ineffectual fires." Like them, she believes it to be so great and dreadful an evil, that she is willing, with them, to hazard the Pandora-catalogue of all other evils, in order to secure its immediate abolition. Like them, she regards it as that one deadly and devouring sin, by the side of which, those ordinary fruits of the wickedness of men's hearts, denounced in the decalogue, and preached against by Christ and his apostles, fade into comparative and venial insignificance. We believe that we do not state the case too strongly, although certainly it is not of universal application. We too, with Miss Martineau, believe slavery to be an evil; but we also believe, in opposition to her sickly sentiment and that of such as she, that there are and may be other evils, both political and moral, of incalculably greater magnitude. Nor have we much doubt of the eventual emancipation of the slave; because we consider the state of bondage as factitious in itself, and not necessarily resulting from any of those constant causes, which produce and perpetuate the ordinary and various conditions of human society. Indeed, we are warranted by Scripture and reason, in believing that a holy and happy time will eventually arrive, when the influence of a vast power of melioration will have become diffused through the utmost extremities of social existence. In the mean time, the operation of Providence is usually gradual in the administration of the affairs of this world; because it is not an executive, but a persuasive power, and asks and demands of man the co-operation of his sound and reasonable faculties, for its fulfilment. Such, we think, will be the progress of emancipation. And whoever believes that the slave will ever be freed by means of the measures advocated and fostered by Miss Martineau

and her adherents, in our opinion, dreams. The truth is, that the efforts of the abolitionist are necessarily fruitless, because the end at which he aims is impracticable. We do not mean the freedom of the slave, but his immediate, unconditional emancipation. To expect to produce such an effect by such means, contradicts the uniform experience and the common judgement of mankind. On the contrary, it seems to us that every effort of the abolitionist, only defers the expected day; and that whoever is looking for its advent, under such auspices, is in the condition of the countryman alluded to by Horace :

Rusticus expectat dum defluat amnis; at ille
Labitur et labetur,

We will not finish the quotation, because we entertain better hopes. Indeed, we think that we perceive the glimmering dawn of a better day. We think we perceive that the unsound and unhealthy enthusiasm upon this subject, is beginning to wear itself out. This is incidental to all kinds of enthusiasm, properly so called. The more violently it has raged and foamed, the sooner will the channel become dry. Then, from that deep, still lake of living Christian benevolence, will flow a gentler stream of just and rational humanity, and enlightened, effectual action, to refresh and fertilize the land.

Perhaps some extenuation may be found for Miss Martineau in the fact, that as a foreigner and an Englishwoman, of a certain class, she cannot be expected to understand the true character of this question; although, surely, it requires a strong reason to excuse so resolute a determination as she evinces, to do positive mischief, for the sake of doubtful and indeterminate good. Perhaps, also, we have been so unfortunate as to underrate the legitimate effects of her own personal influence and eloquence in this matter. Observe the influence upon Congress of her six weeks' sojourn at Washington:

"When I entered the United States, there was an absolute and most ominous silence in Congress about slavery."

"Before I left, it (that is to say, the question,) had found its way into both Houses!"

We had supposed this remarkable change to have been brought about by the direct agency of Miss Martineau, until, upon glancing at volume II, page 162, we found a solution, not of the fact stated, but of the reason why Miss Martineau may have made a mistake as to the actual weight and authority of her character. She is speaking of our western population:

"In the sunshine of complacency, their free thoughts ripen into free deeds, and the world gains largely. There are naturally instances of extreme conceit, here and there: but I do not hesitate to avow, that prevalent as mock-modesty and moral cowardice are, in the present condition of society, that degree of self-confidence which is commonly called conceit, grows in favour with me perpetually!"

There is one light in which Miss Martineau views this perplexing question, and upon which she enlarges to a very considerable extent, which demands from us some passing notice. It shows to what an extraordinary degree passion and prejudice have jaundiced her mind and corrupted the whole current of her thoughts. We shall give it but a few words, for we begin to feel that it is really high time for us to have done with this butterfly philosopher. It might, of course, be fairly anticipated, that those individuals in this country, who entertain the justest and most truly philanthropic sentiments upon this subject, feeling naturally the deepest respon sibility, would approach it with much caution, and speak of it in the spirit of modesty and distrustfulness. Not so thinks Miss Martineau. Self-restraint is a word odious in her eyes. Those common barriers of opinion and manners, with which society has hedged in such as are subject to its conventions, are abhorrent, in her view, to the native dignity and freedom of the human character. That announcement of the Gospel message, which is "peace and love," and which the author and finisher of our faith has adapted to soften men's hearts, and, in his own good time, to convert the world to himself, suits not that flaming and insensate zeal, which would snatch the banner of the rapt crusader from its burial-place in the burning sands of Syria, and plant it for a standard before the fantastic shrine of some new Diana of the Ephesians! which would march on triumphantly to immediate conquest, trampling to destruction the countless filaments and intervolutions of human society, until all men had learned the value of their inestimable priviledge-to fall down before the altar

of Sophistry under the name of Reason, and to worship in the temples of falsehood, folly and crime, in the various disguises, which they too often assume, of universal benevolence and philanthrophy!

It is under the influence of a spirit similar to this, that Miss Martineau denounces, in good set terms, the great body of the clergy of this country, as, indeed, she does almost every other class amongst us, for what she calls the "idolatry of opinion," and the fear of man rather than the fear of God! Indeed, she much more than insinuates, that the great motive of the clergy, in refraining from what she considers a proper interference in this matter, is the base and slavish one of apprehension on account of their pecuniary interest. It is true, that this class of pure and devoted men, as they are in this country, if any such were ever to be found, have, with uncommon unanimity, abstained from fanning the flame of this fierce and intolerant crusade. It is true, notwithstanding Miss Martineau's sneer about "spiritualism, learning, speculation, and advocating third and fourth-rate objects of human exertion and amelioration," that they have seemed to consider the grand object of their mission to be, to preach repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; leaving it generally to the influence of these principles to effect every object which is necessary to the progress of social amelioration. It is true, that "while society is going through the greatest of moral revolutions, casting out its most vicious anomaly, and bringing its Christianity into its politics and its social conduct," † they have not deemed it any part of their duty to aid in the holy work of destroying the whole body, for the sake of cutting away an excrescence, which time and seasonable medicaments would easily remove. It is true, that in their conduct upon this question, they have imitated the example of Christ and his apostles. It is true, that, like their Divine master, they have been willing to "render unto Cesar the things that are Cesar's, and unto God the things that are God's."

We can only quote a passage or two from Miss Martineau's pages on this subject, in order to show what spirit she is of:

[This review is from the pen of a layman.-Ed.]
↑ Vol. II. p. 356.

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