104 AN AMERICAN FARMER IN ENGLAND. 



ment as a part of the character of the country, in replying to 

 certain very favourable comparisons he had been making of 

 England with other countries, said-&quot; We are not used to 

 regard that class in forming a judgment of national charac 

 ter.&quot; And yet I suppose that class is larger in numbers than 

 any other in the community of England. Many have even 

 dared to think that, in the mysterious decrees of Providence, 

 this balance of degradation and supine misery is essential 

 to the continuance of the greatness, prosperity, and elevated 

 character of the country as if it were not indeed a part of 

 the country. 



A minister of the Gospel, of high repute in London, and 

 whose sermons are reprinted and often repeated in America, 

 from the words of Christ, &quot; the poor ye have always among 

 you,&quot; argued lately that all legislation or co-operative benevo 

 lence that had the tendency and hope of bringing about such 

 a state of things that a large part of every nation should be 

 independent of the charity of the other part, was heretical 

 and blasphemous. Closely allied to such ideas are the too 

 common notions of rulers and subjects. 



In America we hold that a slave, a savage, a child, a 

 maniac, and a condemned criminal, are each and all born, 

 equally with us, with our President, or with the Queen of 

 England, free and self-governing ; that they have the same 

 natural rights with us; but that attached to those natural 

 rights were certain duties, and when we find them, from what 

 ever cause, no matter whether the original cause be with them, 

 or our fathers, or us, unable to perform those duties, we dis 

 possess them of their rights : we restrain, we confine, we master, 

 and we govern them. But in taking upon ourselves to govern 

 them, we take duties upon ourselves, and our first duty is 

 that which is the first duty of every man for himself im 

 provement, restoration, regeneration. By every consideration 



