J. HE particular cuftoms and manners that may happen to be received in thatftate?
It is difficult to determine on the fland- ard by which the manners of a nation may be tried, whether catholic^ or par- ticular. It is more difficult for a native to bring to that ftandard the manners of his own nation, familiarized to him by habit. There muft boubtlefs be an un- happy influence on the manners of our people produced by the exiftence of flavery among us. The whole commerce between mafter and flave is a perpetual exercife of the moft boifterous paffions, the moft un- remitting defpotifm on the one part, and degrading fubmiffions on the other. Our children fee this, and learn to imitate it;
for man is an imitative animal. This quality is the germ of all education in him. From his cradle to his grave he is learning to do what he fees others do.
If a parent could find no motive either in his philanthropy or his felf-love, for re- ftraining the intemperance of paflion to- wards his (lave, it fliould always be a fuffi- cient one that his child is prefent. But generally it is not fufficient. The parent ftorms, the child looks on, catches the lineaments of wrath, puts on the fame airs in the circle of fmaller flaves, gives a loofe to the word of paffions, and thus nurfed, educated, and daily exercifed in tyranny, cannot but be ftamped by it with odious peculiarities. The man muft be a prodigy who can retain his manners and morals undepraved by fuch circum- ftances. And with what execration fhould the ftatefman be loaded, who permitting one half the citizens thus to trample on the rights of the other, transforms thofe into defpots, and thefe into enemies, de- ftroys the morals of the one part,