Society in America

The views we expressed of this admirable work in our hasty notice in the last, number of this paper, are confirmed by an attentive perusal of the portion now before the public. We are struck with surprise, in reading it, at the vast amount of information she gathered during her short sojourn in our country, the accuracy* of her details, and the happy talent of generalizing tram particular facts, which her book every where displays. This surprise is increased by the reflection that she labored under the great disadvantage of partial deafness, a fact which would never he guessed from her work, the express allusions to it she herself frequently makes were struck out.

Her opinions on the political frame of our government display both knowledge and sagacity beyond what could have been expected. But a small portion of our legislators bring to the discharge of their public duties so comprehensive an acquaintance with political science, viewed in its true light as the most important branch of morals; and but few are animated with so cheering and well-grounded a trust in that great maxim of liberty on which our institutions are founded, the equality of the rights of man. Her confidence in the universal capacity of the human race for self-government, and in the soundness of the dogma, as one of universal application, that governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed, is one of the moat interesting features of this book.

The opinions which Miss Martineau expresses on the subject of slavery, do honor to her intelligence and philanthropy. She considers that subject, both in its moral end economic influence on our country, and in both respects treats it, with great copiousness and force, as a most deplorable evil. But it is one which she does not survey with despondency. Her confidence in man upholds her in the belief, that the day is fast coming when this stain on our national character will be wholly effaced, and when the great boast of our political theory will not be reduced to the bitterest of mockery, by being mingled with the clank of the bondman's chain.

The descriptive and narrative portions of the book are written for the most part with great felicity of expression, and some passages rise to a very high order of eloquence. On all subjects, she speaks her opinions freely and openly, in that spirit of philosophical frankness which is best calculated to promote the great ends of truth. This plainness of speech is never exercised, however, on any topics which are not proper subjects of public disquisition, and ought not, therefore, to give offence. But, unfortunately, a large class of readers in this country desire to render the institution of slavery a tabooed question; and one who discusses it with the freedom and unreserve which Miss Martineau displays, will certainly encounter great asperity of treatment. She saw enough of the press in this country, and enough of the despotism of opinion on that particular subject, to be well aware what sort of comments her book would provoke; and the attacks which have already been made upon her, in a number of the journals devoted to the interests of the slaveholders, should they ever meet her eye, will not occasion her the least surprise. Her work, however, will do good, much good, on the very question her freedom in treating which, will cause it to be most strongly denounced; for she does not oppose the evils of slavery with sounding declamation, but by the calm statement of truths so clear and unanswerable, that they will sink deep even into those minds in which they excite temporary anger, and will ere long bring forth good fruit. Every truth, calmly and soberly spoken, by one to whose sentiments so much respect naturally attaches, is an important addition to the cause of sound public opinion. We thank Miss Martineau for the service she has rendered on the side of freedom in the great struggle which is now going on in this country.

There is nothing of the flippancy which characterizes ordinary tourists in this book. Its author set about recording her observations with a deep sense of the obligations which rested upon her; and at times, fearful tint she might be led to false conclusions by her glimpses, of American society and institutions, and unintentionally swell the amount of international misconception and prejudice, she was almost no the point, she says, of abandoning the idea of saying any thing in print on.the subject.

'Whenever I encountered half-a-dozen irreconcilable, but respectable opinions on a single point of political doctrine; whenever half-a-dozen fair-seeming versions of a single fact were offered to me; whenever the glow of pleasure at obtaining, by some trivial accident, a piece of important knowledge, rigged into a throb of pain at the thought of how much must remain concealed where a casual glimpse disclosed so much; whenever I felt how I, with my pittance of knowledge and amidst my glimmerings of conviction, was at the mercy of unmanageable circumstances, wasted now here and now there, by the torrents of opinion, like one surveying a continent from a balloon, with only starlight above him — I was tempted to decline the task of generalizing at ill from what I saw and heard. In the intervals. however, I felt that this would be wrong. Men will never arrive at a knowledge of each other, if those who have the opportunity of foreign observation refuse to relate whet they think they have learned; or even to lay before others the materials from which they themselves hesitate to construct a theory, or draw large conclusions.'

Book Review date: 
Friday, September 1, 1837 to Sunday, October 1, 1837
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