the negro, in virtue of his peculiar constitution, color and temperament, is well adapted to the tropical and torrid regions. And this we conceive to be the reason of his color and temperament. This argument will have due weight with the honest and intelligent physiologist. But perhaps some who cannot perceive, or will not admit, the argument, will smile at such an exposition: to such I would remark, if God accommodates the polar bear to his habitation of endless ice and snow, and qualifies the stormy petral for its ocean home, would he show less wisdom and benevolence in fitting man by temperament and otherwise, for a residence under the burning line?
The sum of our physiological argument is this—God found it necessary to curse the ground the second time, as already stated—and not willing that any part of his footstool should be uninhabited, especially so valuable a part as the tropical regions, must prepare a part of the human family by constitutional and physical organization and temperament, to meet with safety the physical and climatic changes and influences consequent upon the latter curse. Now we know that the negro is fitted every way, both for a tropical residence and for tropical labor. And the fact is well established, that just in proportion as he recedes from warm climates, just in such proportion does he degenerate. And I have no hesitancy in venturing the assertion, that the tropics will never be successfully cultivated by free and voluntary labor: because there are two causes to prevent this; the enervating influence of climate producing such a lassitude, mental as well as physical, which even cupidity and avarice cannot always shake off—and the second is, the munificence of nature spontaneously avarice cannot always shake off—and the second is, the munificence of nature spontaneously affords a sufficiency for the few and simple wants of nature. And the tropical regions never have been successfully cultivated but by servile labor.
But perhaps some will think, that I would infer from the preceding argument, that Ham and his posterity were created for slavery; to this I answer, no—no more than I believe and teach that God created the antediluvians for the pleasure of drowning them, or the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorah for the pleasure of burning them, or a part of the human family for the pleasure of damning them. There is a great difference between what God desires and commands men to do, and what they perform; and his will and purposes are not always fulfilled. His will is that man should keep his commandments and love one another, which is not always done; and his pleasure is that all men might be saved through his son, who has tasted death for every man, and who offers pardon, life and heaven to all—for all are under condemnation, and yet many will go away into everlasting perdition. Men who talk and write in magnificent phrase about the omnipotency, omnisciency and omnipresence of God, take it always for granted,
