Selections: Extracts From Douglass' Narative

ingly, we vere not reqwred to perforro l'nbor, more tian to feed nnd take care of stock. Tliïs time we regarded as our j !ni',i i, by the grace of our mastera; ond we efore used or abused it neiuly as we ''" sed. Those of ua who had fnmiíies at a anee, were generally allotved to spend the ile 6ix days n their society. This time, k-ever, wns spont in varións wave. The d, eober, thinking and industnous ones of ' numher would employ themselves in ma? corn brooms, mats, hörEêcolIars and kets: and another class would spend the e in huntingoppoBsums, hare?, andconns. ? by fár the larger pnrt engaprd iñ Fch irts nñd merriments és píayinp ball, v, runnin? fooi-races, fiddling, dancing, _ nking whiskey; and this latter mode of mTing the time ws by fa f the most {f e to the (eeíings of öilr fnaefers. Á slave 10 would work riuring the holidays wns conlered iry our masters aa pcarcely deserving ;m. líe was regnrded as one who rejected '" 5 favof of Iris masten ït wns deefned a v igfrace not td gei dronk at Christmas; anti la "vas règarded as lazy indeed, who had not ovided himself with the necessary means, rin2 the year, to get whiskey enough to ?t liim through Christmas. ' ' From what I ítnow of thé effect of these 2 Aulni .mort the efave. ï beliete thenï to be B1mong the most eflfcctive means in the hands fthesluveholderSin keeping down the pirJj i of insi.rrrclion . Were fhö slavelïoldèrs at J nee to abandon this prnctice, Í have nöt the liehifcst doubt it would lead to en immediate a „surrectjon mong the slaves. The hol.n lays serve ns conductor or safety vaives, to ' arryofftherebelüoüs spirit of enslnved hua nanity. But for these, the slavc vould be breed iip to the tvildest desperalion; and woe - Def.de hö slaVeholdêr, the dj he ventures to t remove or hinder the operntion of tbosè conluctore! ï vtarn him thtt, in such an event, o spirit tvill go fort in their tnidst, more to bc I tireaded, than the most appalÜit eartbj [janke. The holiddyé arö port and parecí of the rrdss frftüá, wrong, arid inhurmnity of fíate ry They ara a professed custom cstablished by the benevolence of tHo laVeliolilers; but 1 1 undertoke to a-iy, It is the rësult of selfishncss, ■ and ofleofthö grósseat frauds comniilted op' on the down trödden elave; T!y o not give L the slaves this time liecdiue théy vould not ,lce 10 have theif wc-rk dürfté f 0Dtin"nccj büt beèaüsé thëy khoiir it ivoul'd be unsafe to end those days in just euch a mannrr guishing ko them as g'.ad of their ending as .f tüned pie in'ng. Thoir object 6eem8 t o bc, to ihst theri hcir slaves with freedom, by pJ'inging oulij as u o the lowcst tlepths of di&ipai.on. - Here nee, the ölaveliolders not only like to nsvlum, i lave drink of his own accord, bit will thnt you, ■ious plans to make drunk. - sinner oi ?, to make bets on their slavea, ís to Oberlin." drink the mo.t whis-key wiifiout et hnd the 1 ik; and in i his way the y eucceed in ple of se t-hole multitudes to drink to excess. - meastirin ïen tho elaves 8sk for virtuoos freetngenul} cunning elaveholder, knowing his Hcre the ï, cheatshim with a dose of vicious who gre n, artfully labeled with the nnme of Never w The most of na used to drii k it wrons d the result wns jii-t what mijriit be lierethei1: many or us werejen 10 umin ma ip' sa liille to choose bétween linerly nnd exercie; We feit, and very properly too, that matïity, almos as well be slaves to man as to imrlirc o when the holidays ended, we slat.' rMwset] jp frons thö filth of our wallowing, comea mg breath, anti mnrclied o the fieid. FTmv I upoD the wholo, rathcr ii'ad togo from irmkea ur masters had deccived us into a The as freedom, back to Ihe arma of present the mo ï unid that tfiis mode óf Ireatmen is commr f the whole system of fraud and At t ofslavery. It is so". The mode here Mr. p(1 to di?gust the slnve wilh frcedom, by theTp; himtosee only the abuse of it.is of the n other things. Por itistince.a plave speech lolasses; heeteal6 Rome. His mastrr,in contrai ases, goe8off to town, and btiys a largo irangt y; be retufns, takes hia whip, and nol rps the blave to eat. the molasses, untl the the fuI Uow ia made sick at the very mention wuage Tlie same mode is pometimes ndopted hundt líe the slaves refrain from akiug for a mne ood than tlieir regular allowaíice. A chafL una through hisalövvance, and applies Si. all iré. Hh maSteris rnrsged at him; hut. Party Hing to 6end him off without food, give? Cloy, iore than i? necessary, ïnd compels him boen i it within a given time. Then, if lie (,f tl ains that hecannöt eat it he is said to War, isfied neither full nor fasting, and is men_ d for being hard to nlease! I have an thee; an6e of such illstrations of the snaio Satar ple, drawn from my own observanon, .t us e cases I have cited are sufficier;t . The httle ce is a very comfnon on. ■J 'ir1 ' ' - Ot Comtnuuttattott