436 
THE SLAVE QUESTION. 
by tbeir firesides, some very plausible tlieories and plans, 
and they have found, — in the hot-bed of premature 
culture, — plants which seemed fitting instruments to 
warrant the warmest hopes of success ; but like infant 
prodigies these have generally failed in the result, to 
justify their anticipations. The faidt appears to us to 
be in the fact, that we have constrained the precocious 
and half-formed agents to see with our understandings, 
and to work with our methods, expecting at the same 
time that the race to be benefited should readily ap- 
preciate the good we propose to them. 
It is, however, of no use attempting to work on the 
untutored mind with abstract principles. We submit 
that the converse of this method would be more likely 
to succeed, namely, that we should take the African and 
his institutions as they are, and after ascertaining what 
is good in them, bestow our utmost exertions on their 
full development and improvement. 
The success will depend on circumstances, on 
which we cannot now decide the value ; — the failure 
will only be the loss of some few thousands of 
English money in a cause in which we have lavished 
millions; but at all events it Avill be carried out on a 
grand principle of justice hitherto denied ; and as such 
we submit it with all deference to higher judgments. 
