“But, my dear sir,” said he, “I maintain that oppression is inseparable from the holding of a slave.  I insist that this Southern lady, if all her feelings and conduct toward her servants are like her letter, is an exception among her people.”

“No, Sir,” said I, “she is the general rule among all decent people, and there is as much sense of decency and propriety there as with us, as many good people, kind, humane, generous, and it is as rare a thing for a servant to be ill-used there, as for our apprentices, and servants, and even our children.  How kind and good you would be, Sir, if Providence should place a human being under you as his owner, for the mutual good of both of you.”

“Dear me,” said he, “I should try to feel and act just as I suppose those Southerners do who, you say, are fairly represented by this lady’s letter about the slave-babe.”

“Mr. North,” said I, “suppose that the State should make you the absolute owner of some of those boys who set fire to the Westboro’ and Deer Island institutions.  In consideration of your personal responsibility for them, there is ceded to you all right and title to their services, and absolute control over them, subject, of course, to the laws against misdemeanors and crimes against the person.  My only point is this:  Where would be the sinfulness of that relation?  All that would be sinful about it would be in your neglect or violation of your duty as a master.”

“How glad all this makes me feel,” said he, “that I am not troubled with slaves.  If we do not like our servants or apprentices, we can get rid of them.”

“Then,” said I, “you surely ought to pity those who are bound to their slaves and have to put up with a thousand things which you say we can escape by changing our help.”

“But,” said he, “can they not sell off their slaves when they please?”

“Suppose, however,” said I, “that they happen to be humane, as Mr. North is, and as we all are in the Free States! and that they are unwilling to turn off a poor helpless creature for her faults, to be sold, and to go they know not where!”

“Slavery,” said Mr. North, “is surely a great curse.  I am so glad that I live under free institutions.”

“Who made us to differ from the South in this respect?  How came those blacks there?  Whose ships, whose money, imported them?  You remember that it was by the votes of Free States, that the importation of slaves was continued for eight years beyond the time when the Southern States had voted in the Convention that it should cease.  And now what would you have the South do with the slaves, to-day?”

“Set them all free,” said he, “’break every yoke; proclaim liberty to the captives, the opening of the prison-doors to them that are bound.’”

“Allow me,” said I, “to smile at your simplicity, for you are very child-like, not to say childish, in your feelings.  You would have the colored people universally go free.  Do you really think that Kate is worse off in being what you call a slave, than that young, free black woman who keeps a stall and sells verses and knives near our Park?”