This scene was presented before me to illustrate the selfish love of slavery, and the desperate measures which the South would adopt to cherish the institution, and the dreadful lengths to which they would go before they would yield. The system of slavery has reduced and degraded human beings to the level of the brutes, and the majority of slave masters regard them as such. The consciences of these masters have become seared and hardened, as was Pharaoh’s; and if compelled to release their slaves, their principles remain unchanged, and they would make the slave feel their oppressive power if possible. It looked to me like an impossibility now for slavery to be done away. God alone can wrench the slave from the hand of his desperate, relentless oppressor. All the abuse and cruelty exercised toward the slave is justly chargeable to the upholders of the slave system, whether they be Southern or Northern men. {1T 266.1}

Dette drama blev fremstillet for mig som illustration for slaveriets selviske kærlighed og de desperate forhåndsregler som sydstaterne ville indføre for at værne om denne ordning og de frygtelige lange veje de skulle gå, før de måtte opgive. Slaveriets ordning har indskrænket og vanslægtet mennesker til dyrenes stade og de fleste slavemestre betragter dem, som dette. Disse mestres samvittighed er blevet forhærdet, ligesom Faraos var; og hvis de blev tvunget til at befri deres slaver, ville deres grundtanker stadig være uforandret og de vil, om muligt, have deres slaver til at mærke deres underkuende magt. For mig så det ud, som en umulighed at få afskaffet slaveriet nu. Gud alene kan vriste slaven fra hans desperate og ubarmhjertige modstander. Al den mishandling og grusomhed der udøves mod slaven er med rette pålignet slaveordningens tilhængere, hvad enten det er nordstaternes eller sydstaternes mennesker.