Epilogue

In the foregoing pages the reader has witnessed a cavalcade of men, women and children passing through one hundred years of misery, degradation, injustice, outrage and slaughter - in the main for sordid ends. The picture is indeed a dark one.

But it has another side - Abolitionists and Emancipators believed and believe that all men are equal in the sight of God, and that the doctrine ' there is no equality in Church or State between white and black ' is a negation of the laws both of man and of God. In this belief they have fought on doggedly for a hundred years, winning battle after battle for right, and in doing so have established for Britain a truer title to fame than all her commercial and imperial greatness. In Lord Rosebery's words: 'I believe that this country when it stands before history, will stand, when all else has passed away, not by her fleets and her armies and her commerce, but by the heroic self-denying exertions which she has made to put down this iniquitous traffic.'

With humility, but with deep national thankfulness, let us take courage in the fact that within the last twenty years great things for native races have been accomplished under British leadership.

Under Britain's leadership the nations of the world have been persuaded to commit their respective countries to the doctrine that the treatment of native races is for civilisation - a Sacred Trust.

Under British leadership the nations of the world have been persuaded to sign a Treaty (the Slavery Convention), under which they have solemnly committed their countries to bring about the total suppression of slavery in all its forms throughout the world.

But it is one thing to sign treaties and to register pledges, it is quite another thing to get them carried out.

When the Maharajah of Nepal in his memorable speech of 1924 denounced slavery, he said 'the Curse of Heaven rests upon it.' It does indeed. When David Livingstone saw some of the things portrayed in this book he called down upon all who would help to remove that curse 'the Blessing of Heaven.' That all men might hearken to that message the British nation wrote it on his tomb in Westminster Abbey: 'May Heaven's rich blessing come down on every one - American, English or Turk - who will help to heal the open sore of the world.'

It is the fervent hope of the author that many a man and many a woman 'will help to heal the open sore' of slavery and thereby enjoy the Blessing of Heaven.