judge
of this great subject in all its relations. The greatest and wisest men
are divided in opinion about it."

"Great subject!" said she, "please let me interrupt you; there is but
one side to it, I should judge, from reading our papers. What do some of
the 'greatest and wisest men,' on the other side, have to say for
themselves? Are they all 'friends of oppression,' 'enemies of freedom,'
'minions of the slave-power,' 'dough-faces'? Husband, I am thoroughly
disgusted. I have been compelled to have uncharitable feelings toward
thousands of people like this Southern lady; I confess I have really
hated them, as I hate men-stealers and pirates. This letter has
convinced me of my sin. It is like the Gospel in its effect upon me."

"But, my dear," said I, "recollect that good people may be in great
error, and we read, 'Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbor, and not
suffer sin upon him.' Now, to hold a fellow-being in bondage,--how can
it be otherwise than 'stupendous injustice'?"

"I wonder," said she, "if Kate feels that she is in 'bondage' to this
lady. I wonder if she would not think it cruel, if her mistress should
set her free."

"But it is wrong," said I, "to hold property in a human being, whether
the bondman be in favor of it or not."

"'Property!'" said she. "I should like to be such 'property,' if I were
a black woman. If it were wrong in the abstract," said she, "it might
not be in practice."

"Oh," said I, "what a pro-slavery idea that is! where did you learn it?"

"I learned it," said she, "at our corn-husking, when the Squire read
extracts from John Quincy Adams's speech about China, in which he said
that if China would not open her trade to the world, it would be right
to make war upon her. Now war is wrong, but circumstances sometimes make
it right. So with holding certain men in slavery, under certain
circumstances. I cannot believe that it is right to go and enslave whom
we will; but the blacks being here, I can see that it may be the very
best thing for all concerned that they should be owned. This may be
God's way of having them governed and educated."

I found that I was getting deeper into the subject than I intended, and,
besides, it was time to rise. As I left the room, she said, "You _will_
change those papers, won't you? then we will have some more pleasant
talks about this subject." She called to me from the door, "Please don't
send back the lady's letter; I wish to copy it." This is