Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Articles, Letters to the Editors, etc. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Tea-Table Talk. Helen and Maria. (Sketch) Description An account of the resource " Dear me, Helen, I cannot conceive why you think that taking a lump of sugar in your tea, or eating a piece of cake, or a preserve, can do any harm to the slaves. And when you are in company it must be so disagreeable, and look so singu-lar, to decline eating almost every thing that is offered you ! I think you must almost starve sometimes !" " I have never yet been driven to such an extremity," answered her friend, smiling ; " but I will acknowledge that it is certainly very disagreeable to be obliged so frequently to dis- appoint the kindness of my friends ; neither is it at all pleasant to appear singular in one's notions, which however is not now greatly to be feared, since abstinence from slave articles has become lately quite common. But even if that was not the case, my reasons are, I believe, sufficiently strong to render singularity in this respect entirely proper, and to enable me to bear the imputation of it patiently." " But you have eaten of such things all your life, till lately, and never thought it wrong ; and all the rest of your family make use of them, so that, begging your pardon, cousin Helen, I cannot think it otherwise than very silly for you to make such a fuss about it now." ' ' In telling me that I have made use of slave produce through the whole of my life until lately, you have mentioned an excellent reason, my dear Maria, why I should patiently and cheerfully endure any privations that an abstinence from it may impose upon me now. But because I have done wrong ignorantly, or because those whom 1 most love have not the same views with myself in that respect, shall I continue to sin against my conscience ?" " I suppose you should not, if the use of slave produce really were wrong, or could be done without altogether ; — but other people do not think it wrong, and why should you be more particular ?" *< Shall I tell you why I think it wrong, Maria ?" " Oh ! now, you want to tell me some horrid story about the treatment of the slaves. I do not know how you can bear to think and talk about such things." " How, then, dear Maria, can you wonder that I should re- fuse to assist in creating them. It is indeed very painful to think upon the vast amount of suffering produced by slavery, but not half so painful, cousin, as to assist in producing it. Do not imagine that I think I deserve credit for my abstinence from slave luxuries, or what I suppose you would call necessary articles. I claim none — to partake of them would be to me far the greater punishment. There are times when I almost shudder at the thought, and when I feel as if I could almost as easily endure the taste of human blood, as of the sweetness of the slave-grown cane ! It is wonderful to me how any fe- male, who has even a partial knowledge of the horrors of slavery, can be willing to support such a system, or can receive the least enjoyment from the indulgence in comforts and lux- uries which are purchased by the sacrifice of so many lives. We shudder to think of the immolation of human beings by savage nations, at the altars of their gods ; but when our own gratification is in question, we become careless of the poured- out blood of thousands !" " Now you are severe, Helen ! Do you think I would con- tinue to use slave produce, especially when I could avoid doing so by any means, if I thought all I made use of would occasion the loss of life to any human being ?" " Yet you must acknowledge, Maria, for I believe you are aware of the fact, that, even excluding those who have sunk under the pressure of long continued toil and hardships, the number of the miserable beings who have been deprived of their lives by actual violence is immense. And the cause of slavery, and all its attendant ills, can only be found in the prof- its of its extorted labour." " But, cousin, all the slave produce I should use in the whole course of my life would make no difference in the number of slaves. Abstinence would only punish myself, without any benefit to those you compassionate." " The articles you make use of cannot be produced without some time and labour, be the quantity what it may. Allowing the labour of a slave for six or twelve years to produce all the various slave-grown products which you may use during the course of your life, would not he who was so occupied be in effect your slave, during the time he was thus employed? Do you not receive as much benefit from his oppression as the in- dividual who is his nominal owner, but in fact, for that length of time, only your agent? Nor will the circumstances of this portion of labour, being divided among many persons, create any difference. You must excuse me for considering that for the time that is necessary to produce the articles you consume, you are a slave-holder ; or that you are doing worse, by paying another for the commission of a crime which you would not dare to commit yourself!" " You speak very plainly, Helen ; but I will not be offended, I for I know you feel strongly — nay, I will even acknowledge that I have taken my last cup of tea without sugar, and that it was not so very disagreeable. But I will talk no more upon the subject now, only to say that if I was fairly convinced you were right, I believe I would give up the use at least of slave sugar." Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Elizabeth Margaret Chandler Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived The poetical works of Elizabeth Margaret Chandler: with a memoir of her life and character Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Lemuel Howell Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 1836