Incidents in the life of a slave girl.: Written by herself. Edited by L. Maria Child.

The Trials of Girlhood.
ments of nature. lIe told me I was his property;
that I must be subject to his will in all things. My
soul revolted against the mean tyranny. But where
could I turn for protection? No matter whether the
slave girl be as black as ebony or as fair as her mistress. In either case, there is no shadow of law to
protect her from insult, from violence, or even from
death; all these are inflicted by fiends who bear the
shape of men. The mistress, who ought to protect
the helpless victim, has no other feelings towards her
but those of jealousy and rage. The degrada etio n the
wrongs, the vices, that row out of slavery, are more
than I can describe. Thei - egreater than yo would
willingly believe. Surely, if you credited one half the
truths that are told you concerning the helpless millions suffering in this cruel bondage, you at the north
would not help to tighten the yoke. You surely would
refuse to do for the master, on your own soil, the mean
and cruel work which trained bloodhounds and the
lowest class of whites do for him at the south.
Every where the years bring to all enough of sin
and sorrow; but in slavery the very dawn of life is
darkened by these shadows. Even the little child,
who is accustomed to wait on her mistress and her
children, will learn, before she is twelve years old,
why it is that her mistress hates such and such a one
among the slaves. Perhaps the child's own mother
is among those hated ones. She listens to violent
outbreaks of jealous passion, and cannot help understanding what is the cause. She will become prematurely knowing in evil things. Soon she will learn to
tremble when she hears her master's footfall. She
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