Page:A Chapter on Slavery.djvu/44

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A CHAPTER ON SLAVERY.

greater part of the inhabitants of those countries were in the condition of serfdom. But with the spread of light, knowledge, and civilization, and above all, of Christianity, the only true liberator, — that condition gradually passed away, and nothing of it now remains. And so, doubtless, will it be with Russia. As the light of truth, with its power, penetrates those hyper-borean regions, — as their commerce extends, and communication with the rest of Europe becomes more easy and frequent, — above all, as the warmth of Christian love gradually melts the ice of selfishness in the masters' bosoms, — the bonds of servitude will be relaxed more and more, and finally be dissolved: and the suns of another century will, we trust, shine on Russia, a nation of enlightened freemen.