It holds society together; it is the basis of all trust and confidence; it is the pillar of all moral rectitude.

Without it, suspicion would take the place of trust; vice would be more than a match for virtue; men would prey upon each other, like the wild beasts of the desert; and earth would become a _hell_.
Nor is slavery more adverse to the conscience than it is to the mind.
This is shown by the fact, that in every state of the American Union, where slavery exists, except the state of Kentucky, there are laws absolutely prohibitory of education among the slaves.

The crime of teaching a slave to read is punishable with severe fines and imprisonment, and, in some instances, with _death itself_.
Nor are the laws respecting this matter a dead letter.

Cases may occur in which they are disregarded, and a few instances may be found where slaves may have learned to read; but such are isolated cases, and only prove the rule.

The great mass of slaveholders look upon education among the slaves as utterly subversive of the slave system.