SOLON ROBINSON, 1849 265 



dained for the good of the Canaanite race; the excesses 

 of his animality are kept in restraint, and he is compelled 

 to lead an industrious, sober life, and certainly a more 

 happy one than he would if he was left to the free in- 

 dulgences of his indolent, savage nature. 



I am not maintaining that it is not, but on the con- 

 trary will offer evidence by and bye to show that slavery 

 is, an evil, as it exists at present in the U. S., but the evil 

 falls upon Japheth and not upon Ham — the latter is ful- 

 filling a decree of the Bible ; while the former is punished 

 for his sins, while carrying out that very decree. 



Permit me here to inquire whether the arts of the abo- 

 litionists of the present day, are not tending to make 

 more infidels than all the infidel publications of all the 

 Voltaires, Paynes, Wrights and Owens, that have ever 

 been printed. For they are generally professing Chris- 

 tians, whose every act should tend toward convincing all 

 who are not so, that they believe in the words of that 

 book which they profess to believe. Now, I have often 

 heard the argument made use of by those who are op- 

 posed to abolition, though not advocates of slavery, that 

 if, as abolitionists are wont to assert, "slavery is a most 

 damning sin," then is the Bible false: for, as they con- 

 tend, and as I am bound to believe myself, slavery was in 

 Old Testament times, an institution of God's own order- 

 ing — that human beings were bought and sold and held in 

 bondage. Even old Abraham had servants, and Joshua 

 made hewers of wood and drawers of water of the con- 

 quered tribes of Canaan. And Noah declared, as by in- 

 spiration, that the descendants of Ham should be the serv- 

 ants of the descendants of his brothers. Is it for man 

 to say he shall not? 



And if it should be denied that the African race are 

 the descendants of Ham, then again will it be said that 

 the truth of the Bible is denied. 



The word Canaan is derived from a Hebrew verb, that 

 truly and literally means, to submit himself, to bend the 

 knee — which is indicative of his natural qualifications for 



