ords translated 'servant' in hundreds of instances are, in the
original, 'slave,' and the very passage you quote, Noah's words--'Cursed
be Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren'--in the
original Hebrew means exactly this--'Cursed be Canaan, a _slave_ of
_slaves_ shall he be.' The Hebrew, word is _'ebed'_ which means a bond
slave, and the words _'ebed ebadim'_ translated 'slave of slaves,' means
strictly _the most abject of slaves_.

"In the New Testament too the word translated 'servant' from the Greek is
_'doulas,'_ which is the same as _'ebed'_ in the Hebrew, and always means
a bond slave. Our word 'servant' formerly meant the same, but time and
custom have changed its meaning with us, but the Bible word _'doulos'_
remains the same, 'a slave.'"

It seems strange that a man of such a gentle, kindly disposition should
have upheld the outworn institution of slavery, but he honestly believed,
not only that it was ordained of God, but that it was calculated to
benefit the enslaved race. To Professor Christy, of Cincinnati, he gives,
on September 12, his reasons for this belief:--

"You have exposed in a masterly manner the fallacies of Abolitionism.
There is a complete coincidence of views between us. My 'Argument,' which
is nearly ready for the press, supports the same view of the necessity of
slavery to the christianization and civilization of a barbarous race. My
argument for the benevolence of the relation of master and slave, drawn
from the four relations ordained of God for the organization of the
social system (the fourth being the servile relation, or the relation of
master and slave) leads conclusively to the recognition of some great
benevolent design in its establishment.

"But you have demonstrated in an unanswerable manner by your statistics
this benevolent design, bringing out clearly, from the workings of his
Providence, the absolute necessity of this relation in accomplishing his
gracious designs towards even the lowest type of humanity."

CHAPTER XXXVIII

FEBRUARY 26, 1864--NOVEMBER 8, 1867

Sanitary Commission.--Letter to Dr. Bellows.--Letter on "loyalty."--His
brother Richard upholds Lincoln.--Letters of brotherly reproof.--
Introduces McClellan at preelection parade.--Lincoln reelected.--Anxiety
as to future of country.--Unsuccessful effort to take up art again.--
Letter to his sons.--Gratification at rapid progress of telegraph.--
Letter to George Wood on two great my