And thou shalt remember that thou wast a bondman in the land of Egypt, and the Lord thy God redeemed thee: therefore I command thee this thing to-day.
"'And if it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee, "'Then thou shalt take an awl and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant forever.

And also with thy maid-servant thou shalt do likewise.
"'It shall not seem hard unto thee when thou sendest him away free from thee: for he hath been worth a doubled hired servant to thee, in serving thee six years; and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all that thou doest.' "Is not this very beautiful and touching, Mrs.North ?" She said nothing, but hid her face in her little babe's neck, pretending to kiss it.

But Mr.North wiped his eyes.

"There is not much barbarism in that," said he.
"The golden rule," said I; "for this is the law and the prophets.
"The people to whom these touching precepts were given by the Most High, and who were susceptible to these finest appeals, are, as we have said, sometimes represented as a semi-barbarous people, so gross that God was obliged to let them hold slaves! Now, could anything be more civilizing, refining, elevating, than such relationships as this limited servitude of poor Hebrews created?
What scenes there must have been oftentimes, when the six years were out, and the servant was about to depart, laden with gifts! And what a scene when, with strong attachment to the family, the servant declined to be free, and went to the door-post to have his ear pierced with the awl, to be a servant, and not only so, but to be an inheritance forever! "Is this 'the sum of all villanies,' Mr.North ?" said I."Yet it is 'slavery.' 'Auction-blocks,' 'whippings,' 'roastings,' 'separations of families,' are not 'slavery.' They are its abuses; slavery can exist when they cease.

I pray you, is such slavery as the God of the Hebrews appointed, in such cases as these, 'forever,' an unmitigated curse?
"Now," said I, "go through our Southern country, and you will find in every city, town, and village just such relationships between the whites and the blacks as must have existed where these Hebrew laws had effect.
Think of the little slave-babe, and the Southern lady's letter, which have given occasion to all our conversation.