e soil, that _might
triumphs over right_, that the strong oppress the weak, that the poor
and dependent too often become the servants of the rich; that the man
of quick discernment, too often overreaches and takes advantage of his
simple, less gifted, and unsuspecting neighbor. That the master, the
land-lord, those who are endowed with superior knowledge, those who
are in possession of wealth, power, and influence, too often become
oppressive, tyrannical and cruel to their inferiors, servants and
dependants. I know that these evil exist, and that many believe that
they would sustain damage by any attempt to mitigate, or remove them.
Self-love, self-interest, the love of money, the love of ease, the
love of wealth, splendor, and power, stand in the way of any
reformation. Their prejudices, too, that have grown with their growth,
and ripened with their years, must be removed. They moreover imagine
that not only their self-interests, but their honor, their ease and
convenience, their all--all that they hold dear in the world, will be
endangered by any attempt to eradicate the evils alluded to. Will
they, under these circumstances, listen to the calls of suffering
humanity, the voice of reason, the laws of Divine revelation, and the
stern dictates of conscience? Can we expect it, when so many interests
are involved, when so many prejudices must be broken down, and old
institutions rooted up, and a new order of things introduced? Can
moral obligation, a sense of duty, the dictates of conscience,
overcome that instinctive passion of the human soul, the love of gain?
Oh! the love of money, that mighty leveller of power, the golden
serpent that beguiles us to transgress the laws of God, to disregard
the rights of man, and to burst asunder the common ties of humanity,
which were designed in the wisdom and beneficence of the adorable
Creator to bind us all together--the world, every member of the human
family of all nations, kindred, and tongues, high and low, rich and
poor, bond and free, into one common brotherhood. Will men ever
reflect, that we are all brothers, descendants of the same earthly
parent, children of the same heavenly father, having common interests,
alike the subjects of joy and sorrow; that the author of our existence
is no respecter of persons; and, finally, that we must all stand
before a just and righteous Judge, and give an account of the deeds
done in the body, "whether they be good or evil." These are sole