It　may；　perhaps；　be　fairly　questioned；　whether　any
  other　portion　of　the　population　of　the　earth　could
  have　endured　the　privations；　sufferings　and　horrors
  of　slavery；　without　having　become　more　degraded
  in　the　scale　of　humanity　than　the　slaves　of　African
  descent。　　Nothing　has　been　left　undone　to　cripple
  their　intellects；　darken　their　minds；　debase　their
  moral　nature；　obliterate　all　traces　of　their　relation…
  ship　to　mankind；　and　yet　how　wonderfully　they　have
  sustained　the　mighty　load　of　a　most　frightful　bond…
  age；　under　which　they　have　been　groaning　for　cen…
  turies！　　To　illustrate　the　effect　of　slavery　on　the　white
  man；to　show　that　he　has　no　powers　of　endurance；
  in　such　a　condition；　superior　to　those　of　his　black
  brother；DANIEL　O'CONNELL；　the　distinguished
  advocate　of　universal　emancipation；　and　the　mighti…
  est　champion　of　prostrate　but　not　conquered　Ireland；
  relates　the　following　anecdote　in　a　speech　delivered
  by　him　in　the　Conciliation　Hall；　Dublin；　before　the
  Loyal　National　Repeal　Association；　March　31；　1845。
  〃No　matter；〃　said　Mr。　O'CONNELL；　〃under　what
  specious　term　it　may　disguise　itself；　slavery　is　still
  hideous。　　~It　has　a　natural；　an　inevitable　tendency　to
  brutalize　every　noble　faculty　of　man。~　　An　American
  sailor；　who　was　cast　away　on　the　shore　of　Africa；
  where　he　was　kept　in　slavery　for　three　years；　was；　at
  the　expiration　of　that　period；　found　to　be　imbruted
  and　stultifiedhe　had　lost　all　reasoning　power；　and
  having　forgotten　his　native　language；　could　only　ut…
  ter　some　savage　gibberish　between　Arabic　and　Eng…
  lish；　which　nobody　could　understand；　and　which
  even　he　himself　found　difficulty　in　pronouncing。　　So
  much　for　the　humanizing　influence　of　THE　DOMESTIC
  INSTITUTION！〃　　Admitting　this　to　have　been　an　ex…
  traordinary　case　of　mental　deterioration；　it　proves　at
  least　that　the　white　slave　can　sink　as　low　in　the
  scale　of　humanity　as　the　black　one。
  Mr。　DOUGLASS　has　very　properly　chosen　to　write
  his　own　Narrative；　in　his　own　style；　and　according
  to　the　best　of　his　ability；　rather　than　to　employ　some
  one　else。　　It　is；　therefore；　entirely　his　own　produc…
  tion；　and；　considering　how　long　and　dark　was　the　ca…
  reer　he　had　to　run　as　a　slave；how　few　have　been　his
  opportunities　to　improve　his　mind　since　he　broke　his
  iron　fetters；it　is；　in　my　judgment；　highly　creditable
  to　his　head　and　heart。　　He　who　can　peruse　it　without
  a　tearful　eye；　a　heaving　breast；　an　afflicted　spirit；
  without　being　filled　with　an　unutterable　abhorrence
  of　slavery　and　all　its　abettors；　and　animated　with　a
  determination　to　seek　the　immediate　overthrow　of
  that　execrable　system；without　trembling　for　the
  fate　of　this　country　in　the　hands　of　a　righteous　God；
  who　is　ever　on　the　side　of　the　oppressed；　and　whose
  arm　is　not　shortened　that　it　cannot　save；must　have
  a　flinty　heart；　and　be　qualified　to　act　the　part　of　a
  trafficker　〃in　slaves　and　the　souls　of　men。〃　　I　am　con…
  fident　that　it　is　essentially　true　in　all　its　statements；
  that　nothing　has　been　set　down　in　malice；　nothing
  exaggerated；　nothing　drawn　from　the　imagination；
  that　it　comes　short　of　the　reality；　rather　than　over…
  states　a　single　fact　in　regard　to　SLAVERY　AS　IT　IS。
  The　experience　of　FREDERICK　DOUGLASS；　as　a　slave；
  was　not　a　peculiar　one；　his　lot　was　not　especially
  a　hard　one；　his　case　may　be　regarded　as　a　very　fair
  specimen　of　the　treatment　of　slaves　in　Maryland；　in
  which　State　it　is　conceded　that　they　are　better　fed
  and　less　cruelly　treated　than　in　Georgia；　Alabama；
  or　Louisiana。　　Many　have　suffered　incomparably
  more；　while　very　few　on　the　plantations　have　suf…
  fered　less；　than　himself。　　Yet　how　deplorable　was　his
  situation！　what　terrible　chastisements　were　inflicted
  upon　his　person！　what　still　more　shocking　outrages
  were　perpetrated　upon　his　mind！　with　all　his　noble
  powers　and　sublime　aspirations；　how　like　a　brute
  was　he　treated；　even　by　those　professing　to　have　the
  same　mind　in　them　that　was　in　Christ　Jesus！　to　what
  dreadful　liabilities　was　he　continually　subjected！　how
  destitute　of　friendly　counsel　and　aid；　even　in　his
  greatest　extremities！　how　heavy　was　the　midnight　of
  woe　which　shrouded　in　blackness　the　last　ray　of　hope；
  and　filled　the　future　with　terror　and　gloom！　what
  longings　after　freedom　took　possession　of　his　breast；
  and　how　his　misery　augmented；　in　proportion　as　he
  grew　reflective　and　intelligent；thus　demonstrating
  that　a　happy　slave　is　an　extinct　man！　how　he
  thought；　reasoned；　felt；　under　the　lash　of　the　driver；
  with　the　chains　upon　his　limbs！　what　perils　he　en…
  countered　in　his　endeavors　to　escape　from　his　hor…
  rible　doom！　and　how　signal　have　been　his　deliverance
  and　preservation　in　the　midst　of　a　nation　of　pitiless
  enemies！
  This　Narrative　contains　many　affecting　incidents；
  many　passages　of　great　eloquence　and　power；　but　I
  think　the　most　thrilling　one　of　them　all　is　the　de…
  scription　DOUGLASS　gives　of　his　feelings；　as　he　stood
  soliloquizing　respecting　his　fate；　and　the　chances　of
  his　one　day　being　a　freeman；　on　the　banks　of　the
  Chesapeake　Bayviewing　the　receding　vessels　as　they
  flew　with　their　white　wings　before　the　breeze；　and
  apostrophizing　them　as　animated　by　the　living　spirit
  of　freedom。　　Who　can　read　that　passage；　and　be　in…
  sensible　to　its　pathos　and　sublimity？　　Compressed
  into　it　is　a　whole　Alexandrian　library　of　thought；
  feeling；　and　sentimentall　that　can；　all　that　need　be
  urged；　in　the　form　of　expostulation；　entreaty；　rebuke；
  against　that　crime　of　crimes；making　man　the　prop…
  erty　of　his　fellow…man！　　O；　how　accursed　is　that
  system；　which　entombs　the　godlike　mind　of　man；
  defaces　the　divine　image；　reduces　those　who　by　crea…
  tion　were　crowned　with　glory　and　honor　to　a　level
  with　four…footed　beasts；　and　exalts　the　dealer　in　hu…
  man　flesh　above　all　that　is　called　God！　　Why　should
  its　existence　be　prolonged　one　hour？　　Is　it　not　evil；
  only　evil；　and　that　continually？　　What　does　its　pres…
  ence　imply　but　the　absence　of　all　fear　of　God；　all
  regard　for　man；　on　the　part　of　the　people　of　the
  United　States？　　Heaven　speed　its　eternal　overthrow！
  So　profoundly　ignorant　of　the　nature　of　slavery
  are　many　persons；　that　they　are　stubbornly　incredu…
  lous　whenever　they　read　or　listen　to　any　recital　of
  the　cruelties　which　are　daily　inflicted　on　its　victims。
  They　do　not　deny　that　the　slaves　are　held　as　prop…
  erty；　but　that　terrible　fact　seems　to　convey　to　their
  minds　no　idea　of　injustice；　exposure　to　outrage；　or
  savage　barbarity。　　Tell　them　of　cruel　scourgings；　of
  mutilations　and　brandings；　of　scenes　of　pollution
  and　blood；　of　the　banishment　of　all　light　and　knowl…
  edge；　and　they　affect　to　be　greatly　indignant　at　such
  enormous　exaggerations；　such　wholesale　misstate…
  ments；　such　abominable　libels　on　the　character　of
  the　southern　planters！　　As　if　all　these　direful　outrages
  were　not　the　natural　results　of　slavery！　　As　if　it　were
  less　cruel　to　reduce　a　human　being　to　the　condition
  of　a　thing；　than　to　give　him　a　severe　flagellation；
  or　to　deprive　him　of　necessary　food　and　clothing！
  As　if　whips；　chains；　thumb…screws；　paddles；　blood…
  hounds；　overseers；　drivers；　patrols；　were　not　all　in…
  dispensable　to　keep　the　slaves　down；　and　to　give
  protection　to　their　ruthless　oppressors！　　As　if；　when
  the　marriage　institution　is　abolished；　concubinage；
  adultery；　and　incest；　must　not　necessarily　abound；
  when　all　the　rights　of　humanity　are　annihilated；　any
  barrier　remains　to　protect　the　victim　from　the　fury
  of　the　spoiler；　when　absolute　power　is　assumed　over
  life　and　liberty；　it　will　not　be　wielded　with　destruc…
  tive　sway！　　Skeptics　of　this　character　abound　in　so…
  ciety。　　In　some　few　instances；　their　incredulity　arises
  from　a　want　of　reflection；　but；　generally；　it　indicates
  a　hatred　of　the　light；　a　desire　to　shield　slavery　from
  the　assaults　of　its　foes；　a　contempt　of　the　colored
  race；　whether　bond　or　free。　　Such　will　try　to　discredit
  the　shocking　tales　of　slaveholding　cruelty　which　are
  recorded　in　this　truthful　Narrative；　but　they　will
  labor　in　vain。　　Mr。　DOUGLASS　has　frankly　disclosed
  the　place　of　his　birth；　the　names　of　those　who
  claimed　ownership　in　his　body　and　soul；　and　the
  names　also　of　those　who　committed　the　crimes　which
  he　has　alleged　against　them。　　His　statements；　there…
  fore；　may　easily　be　disproved；　if　they　are　untrue。
  In　the　course　of　his　Narrative；　he　relates　two　in…
  stances　of　murderous　cruelty；in　one　of　which　a
  planter　deliberately　shot　a　slave　belonging　to　a　neigh…
  boring　plantation；　who　had　unintentionally　gotten
  within　his　lordly　domain　in　quest　of　fish；　and　in　the
  other；　an　overseer　blew　out　the　brains　of　a　slave　who
  had　fled　to　a　stream　of　water　to　escape　a　bloody
  scourging。　　Mr。　DOUGLASS　states　that　in　neither　of
  these　instances　was　any　thing　done　by　way　of　legal
  arrest　or　judicial　investigation。　　The　Baltimore　Amer…
  ican；　of　March　17；　1845；　relates　a　similar　case　of
  atrocity；　perpetra