There is very little moral mixture in the 'Antislavery' feeling of this country. A great deal is abstract philanthropy; part is hatred of slaveholders; a great part is jealousy for white labor, very little is consciousness of wrong done and the wish to right it.
Interpretation
The quote critiques the motives behind antislavery sentiments, suggesting they are often mixed and not purely moral.
George William Curtis highlights the complexities of the antislavery movement in America, arguing that while there are noble intentions, such as a desire to end injustice, many motivations are influenced by self-interest, social jealousy, or mere abstract philanthropy rather than a genuine moral condemnation of slavery itself. This reflection prompts deeper consideration of the true intentions behind social reform movements.
In practice
This quote can be used in a discussion about the motivations behind social justice movements in academic settings.
I think that to have known one good, old man-one man, who, through the chances and mischances of a long life, has carried his heart in his hand, like a palm-branch, waving all discords into peace-helps our faith in God, in ourselves, and in each other more than many sermons
Reputation is favorable notoriety as distinguished from fame, which is permanent approval of great deeds and noble thoughts by the best intelligence of mankind.
The fragrance always stays in the hand that gives the rose.
First causes are outside the realm of science.
When thinking about the future, it is fashionable to be pessimistic. Yet the evidence unequivocally belies such pessimism. Over the past centuries, humanity's lot has improved dramatically - in the developed world, where it is rather obvious, but also in the developing world, where life expectancy has more than doubled in the past 100 years.
We don't need to 'control' free speech, we need to control ourselves.
Who gets up early to discover the moment light begins?
There are forms of oppression and domination which become invisible - the new normal.
One of the challenges Christians confront is how the politics we helped create has made it difficult to sustain the material practices constitutive of an ecclesial culture to produce Christians.
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