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〃Of the two; I consider that the slave with a fairly kind master is to
the full as happy as the ordinary English laborer。 He certainly does
not work so hard; if he is ill he is carefully attended to; he is well
fed; he has no cares or anxieties whatever; and when old and past
work he has no fear of the workhouse staring him in the face。 At
the same time I am quite ready to grant that there are horrible
abuses possible under the laws connected with slavery。
〃The selling of slaves; that is to say; the breaking up of families
and selling them separately; is horrible and abominable。 If an
estate were sold together with all the slaves upon it; there would be
no more hardship in the matter than there is when an estate
changes hands in England; and the laborers upon it work for the
new master instead of the old。 Were I to liberate all the slaves on
this estate to…morrow and to send them North; I do not think that
they would be in any way benefited by the change。 They would
still have to work for their living as they do now; and being
naturally indolent and shiftless would probably fare much worse。
But against the selling of families separately and the use of the
lash I set my face strongly。
〃At the same time; my boy; whatever your sentiments may be on
this subject; you must keep your mouth closed as to them。 Owing
to the attempts of Northern Abolitionists; who have come down
here stirring up the slaves to discontent; it is not advisable; indeed
it is absolutely dangerous; to speak against slavery in the Southern
States。 The institution is here; and we must make the best we can
of it。 People here are very sore at the foul slanders that have been
published by Northern writers。 There have been many atrocities
perpetrated undoubtedly; by brutes who would have been brutes
whenever they bad been born; but to collect a series of such
atrocities; to string them together into a story; and to hold them up;
as Mrs。 Beecher Stowe has; as a picture of slave…life in the
Southern States; is as gross a libel as if any one were to make a
collection of all the wife…beatings and assaults of drunken English
ruffians; and to publish them as a picture of the average life of
English people。
〃Such libels as these have done more to embitter the two sections
of America against each other than anything else。 Therefore;
Vincent; my advice to you is; be always kind to your slaves…not
over…indulgent; because they are very like children and indulgence
spoils them…but be at the same time firm and kind to them; and
with other people avoid entering into any discussions or
expressing any opinion with regard to slavery。 You can do no
good and you can do much harm。 Take things as you find them and
make the best of them。 I trust that the time may come when
slavery will be abolished; but I hope; for the sake of the slaves
themselves; that when this is done it will be done gradually and
thoughtfully; for otherwise it would inflict terrible hardship and
suffering upon them as well as upon their masters。〃
There were many such conversations between father and son; for
feeling on the subject ran very high in the Southern States; and the
former felt that it was of the utmost importance to his son that he
should avoid taking any strong line in the matter。 Among the old
families of Virginia there was indeed far less feeling on this
subject than in some of the other States。 Knowing the good feeling
that almost universally existed between themselves aid their
slaves; the gentry of Virginia regarded with contempt the
calumnies of which they were the subject。 Secure in the affection
of their slaves; an affection which was after…ward abundantly
proved during the course of the war; they scarcely saw the ugly
side of the question。 The worst masters were the smallest ones;
the man who owned six slaves was far more apt to extort the
utmost possible work from them than the planter who owned three
or four hundred。 And the worst masters of all were those who;
having made a little money in trade or speculation in the towns;
purchased a dozen slaves; a small piece of land; and tried to set up
as gentry。
In Virginia the life of the large planters was almost a patriarchal
one; the indoor slaves were treated with extreme indulgence; and
were permitted a far higher degree of freedom of remark and
familiarity than is the case with servants in an English household。
They had been the nurses or companions of the owners when
children; had grown up with them; and regarded themselves; and
were regarded by them; as almost part of the family。 There was; of
course; less connection between the planters and their field hands;
but these also had for the most part been born on the estate; had as
children been taught to look up to their white masters and
mistresses; and to receive many little kindnesses at their hands。
They had been cared for in sickness; and knew that they would be
provided for in old age。 Each had his little allotment; and could
raise fruit; vegetables; and fowls for his own use or for sale in his
leisure time。 The fear of loss of employment or the pressure of
want; ever present to English laborers; had never fallen upon them。
The climate was a lovely one; and their work far less severe than
that of men forced to toil in cold and wet; winter and summer。
The institution of slavery assuredly was capable of terrible abuses;
and was marked in many instances by abominable cruelty and
oppression; but taken all in all; the negroes on a well…ordered
estate; under kind masters; were probably a happier class of people
than the laborers upon any estate in Europe。
Jonas Pearson had been overseer in the time of Major Wingfield;
but his authority had at that time been comparatively small; for the
major himself personally supervised the whole working of the
estate; and was greatly liked by the slaves; whose chief affections
were; however; naturally bestowed upon their mistress; who had
from childhood been brought up in their midst。 Major Wingfield
had not liked his overseer; but he had never had any ground to
justify him making a change。 Jonas; who was a Northern man;
was always active and energetic; all Major Wingfield's orders were
strictly and punctually carried out; and although he disliked the
man; his employer acknowledged him to be an excellent servant。
After the major's death; Jonas Pearson had naturally obtained
greatly increased power and authority。 Mrs。 Wingfield had great
confidence in him; his accounts were always clear and precise; and
although the profits of the estate were not quite so large as they
had been in her husband's lifetime; this was always satisfactorily
explained by a fall in prices; or by a part of the crops being
affected by the weather。 She flattered herself that she herself man。
aged the estate; and at times rode over it; made suggestions; and
issued orders; but this was only in fits and starts; and al