It appears clear to my mind that, in a qualified sense, a master sustains the same relation to a young slave, that he sustains to an orphan as a guardian; and that his relation and obligation to an orphan as guardian, does not differ materially from his obligations to a son or daughter.  Suppose that he purchases a young slave with his money; he is legally his property during his natural life.  Suppose that he becomes guardian to an orphan child; he acquires a legal right to control the child until he is twenty-one years of ago.  Let him ask himself, what are his obligations to the orphan?  Whatever they are, he is under the same obligations to the slave.  But if he is at a loss as to what are his obligations to the orphan, let him ask himself what are his obligations to a son or a daughter?  In a qualified sense, he is under the same obligations to the orphan that he is to a child, and ho is under the same obligations to the slave that he is to the orphan.  They may differ in degree, but they cannot differ in kind.  They are of the same kind, of the same quality, for the reason that the temporal wants and the eternal interests of the slave, the orphan, and the child are the same; and he, as master, guardian and father, is bound to make provision for them.  He is morally bound to act with reference to the present happiness and eternal interests of the child, the orphan and the slave.  As a general rule, whatever conduces to the happiness of the child, conduces to the happiness of the orphan, and whatever conduces to the happiness of the orphan, conduces to the happiness of the slave.  They are each persons of like feelings, passions and propensities; requiring at his hands the same kind of training; the same moral and mental culture.  I admit that the profession or occupation which they are destined to follow through life, may render it necessary that there should be some difference in their scholastic training and attainments; but it does not follow because a son is destined for the medical profession, and therefore requires a smattering of Latin and Greek, that an orphan who is expected to follow the occupation of farming, should not be a tolerable English scholar; nor, that a slave, though he remain a slave during his life, should not receive at his hands that amount of mental culture which is requisite to expand his mind, and elevate his character above that ignorance, superstition, degradation and vice, in which the African race are involved.

The laws in conferring the right to hold slaves as property, did not invest any one with the right to act the tyrant.  Every father is invested with the right to control his family; but he has no right to treat any member of his family harshly or unkindly.  It is the duty of the father so to demean himself, and so to govern his family as to secure the good order, and promote the peace and happiness of every member of his household.  A man’s slaves are members of his household; and the same rules,