like horses and cattle. Like them they are brought to the auction block,
and like them subjected to a rigid examination as to their age, and
soundness of wind, chest, and limb. Said a gentleman to me: "When I was
at----, I visited the slave mart; and as I saw one and another and
another of my fellow-beings brought forward to the block, and rudely
exposed and minutely examined, in order to ascertain their marketable
value in dollars and cents, and then struck off to the highest bidder,
amid the gibes and jeers of the vulgar, my heart was nigh unto bursting,
and I was obliged to turn away my eyes and weep, exclaiming, O God! can
it be! thy children! my brothers and sisters of humanity,--perhaps my
fellow-heirs of heaven,--precious souls for whom the Saviour died, whose
names may be written in the Book of Life, and over whose repentance
angels may have rejoiced! Can it be?"

For myself, I never witnessed any such scenes, and heaven grant I never
may. It is enough, and too much for me to know, that they exist. I
allude to them in this connection, not to awaken and pain your
sensibilities, but simply to illustrate the fact, that American slavery
sanctions them, and by its operation brings down the noblest work of God
to a level of the beasts that perish. As far as it can do so, it
dehumanizes man, and treats him as a thing without a soul. It may be
remarked, however, in passing, "A man's a man, for a' that."

I might speak in this connection of the obstacles which are thrown in
the way of the slave's obtaining redress for his wrongs should he
unfortunately get into the hands of a cruel and unreasonable master,
being forbidden to defend himself, and not allowed the testimony of his
brethren to be given in his behalf; but there are other features of this
system which more urgently demand our attention.

Neither will I dwell upon the ignorance and mental degradation which are
an essential part of the system. You need not be informed, that, in ten
States, knowledge is kept from the slave by legal enactments,--that
teaching him to read is regarded a crime, to be severely "punished by
the judges." I was happy to find that you and a great many others
totally disregard that law, and, in spite of legislators and penal
statutes, you teach your slaves to read, and in some cases to write. For
this _crime_, I doubt not but heaven, at least, will forgive you. I
shall allude to this latter topic again in a future letter.

Most truly an