Chapter 78: Contracted Slave
Chapter 78 The Indentured Slave
Arthur and Newman sat on a bench in the cemetery, in front of them was a small, low grave with a small, cream-colored coffin pressed under a greenish-gray stone slab.
It was a plain grave, and the burial goods inside were simple; a tiny red dress, a wooden horse toy, a copy of Scourge magazine, a few unopened wrapped candies, and three bunches of white roses used to send condolences.
Newman looked at the small, shallow grave and shook his head, “I know that we are living in a new and strange time. Mankind has been dependent on others since the beginning of time, especially on the clergy to spread faith and knowledge, but now, everyone is beginning to judge themselves.
Freedom of religion, separation of religions, and as a result, in the end, it’s all about money worship, they really do anything for money. But there’s no way around it, even the geniuses of this age are anti-church, let alone the commoners.
But you can’t blame them, as Anglican clergy, we are supposed to be there to help these poor and helpless people.
But those clerical deputies, those magistrates, those enforcers of the Poor Law, seem to be more enthusiastic about collecting money for pews, parish taxes, funeral expenses and tithes. They were less interested in the relief of the poor, which should have been their responsibility.
Even the clergy are so gold-digging that it is no wonder that the Anglican Church is declining in Great Britain; we are to blame for it.
Truth be told, never in the last thousand years has Britannia seen such a state of moral decay.
I know that the feudal age was bad, to be sure, but it did far less harm to the generous and benevolent heart of man’s nature than did the commercial age.”
Hearing this, Arthur could not help remembering what Bianchin had said to him that day.
He asked, “It seems you must hate utilitarianism, right?”
As expected, Newman couldn’t help but frown as soon as he heard the word.
“Utilitarianism? In my opinion, that’s the root of all evil. Bianchin is a liar, and the so-called ultimate maximization of happiness for the greatest number of people is entirely something that only those who profit from it will advocate wildly.
While the spirit of the pursuit of wealth is ancient, such mercenary values have been on a rapid upward trend in recent decades and have become the current norm.
The prosperity of society is only on the surface, and there are far more people crushed to death under the stone tablets than what you see in the newspapers.
The toxin of materialism and money has infiltrated the bone marrow of the country, causing everyone to focus all their energies on success and wealth in life, amassing possessions, aspiring to power, eliminating dissenters and outwitting their superiors, all the while putting on a hypocritical face of untouchability and arrogance, yet being polite and courteous.
The rituals of religion have been simplified again and again, the status of faith has been shaken, the concept of morality has been continuously diluted, and doctrines have become empty texts on paper.
To be honest, sometimes I think those people are even worse than Thomas Paine.
Since the last time I spoke with you, I have become more and more convinced that you are right, and that atheists like Penn are far better than those who claim to be religious, yet deviate from their teachings at all times.
Those people don’t worship God at all, but their desires, and the scattered factions that have splintered off from within the Episcopal Church are so full of appeals to personal self-interest that it’s almost sickening to look at them.
Look at the stupidity of what these people are doing. Murdering people and then selling the bodies. Workers’ relatives die, yet they can’t even give them a day off to attend the funeral. All of these people should be burned at the stake!”
Hearing this, Arthur couldn’t help but speak, “Mr. Newman, truth be told, this time I came to you because I hope you can do me a favor.”
Newman asked, “What kind of favor, feel free to ask, as long as it is something that does not violate moral teachings, I am willing to help. Even though you are a Catholic, that is no longer a big deal to me. I can accept an atheist like Penn, let alone you.”
Arthur spoke up, “Well …… I know that you are highly regarded in the parish of Oxford, that you are unusually eloquent and have a large following.
I’ve heard that Oxford was outraged by the Catholic Emancipation Act and organized an anti-Robert Peel campaign in which you, played a rather important role?”
Newman frowned furiously, “Why do you know about this?” Arthur laughed helplessly, “It’s simple, because you’re on the Home Office watch list, so naturally I, as a police inspector at Scotland Yard, know what you’ve done.”
Newman did not shy away from the matter, “Not bad. Oxford pushed Peel into the House of Commons because it was hoped that he would speak out on our behalf, but he not only broke his promise, but he openly attacked Oxford in the newspapers, calling us ‘slaves to vanity’.
This is more than we Oxford people can stand, Peel deserves what he gets, you don’t have to plead for him on this point, I wouldn’t change my views even if he put me in jail.
He’ll throw me out of Great Britain if he can, and then I may as well try to follow Penn’s example and hang around in America and France.
But I’m luckier than Penn in that I’m still a little rich on my hands, and at least I can afford a ship’s ticket and don’t have to go to the North American colonies as an indentured servant like he did.”
Arthur suddenly froze when he heard this.
He originally wanted to start with Newman, persuading Newman to be able to reverse the Oxford Diocese’s knowledge of the Anatomy Act and to enable him to be willing to lead the Oxford priests in conducting burial ceremonies for those who dissected the dead, but he did not expect to ask about an intellectual blind spot.
He spoke up, “Indentured servants? What is an indentured servant?”
Newman asked, “You don’t know about indentured servants? But yes, things like indentured servants are something you basically don’t see in the UK.
Most of the people who can’t pay their debts here are put in debtor’s prisons, and slavery was completely abolished in Britain more than twenty years ago, so you don’t see this kind of thing.
However, they still existed in the North American colonies, and the so-called indentured servants were white slaves.
They came from three main sources.
The first was those who couldn’t make a living at home, so they entered into a selling agreement with a shipowner, exchanging four to seven years of labor for a ship’s ticket to the Americas.
The second type was debtors who owed debts in America and were unable to repay them, so they sold themselves into slavery and used their labor to pay off their debts.
The third type was the death row convicts who were exiled in the past and used their labor to offset their guilt, which should be the main source of indentured servants in North America.
However, Mr. Penn belongs to the first type of indentured servants, he was lucky at first, just arrived in the Americas, with Franklin’s letter of recommendation in Philadelphia to get a newspaper editor’s job, so he quickly paid off his debt, did not suffer too much, but other people may not be as lucky as him.”
Arthur’s brow furrowed as he remembered the missing list that the Duke of Sussex had provided.
Those who disappeared from the streets were basically women and teenage children, and the whereabouts and bodies of those people had basically been identified.
On the other hand, most of the strong-aged males who had disappeared from the prison were not seen alive or dead, and it was impossible to figure out where they had gone.
A flash of light flashed within his mind, and the vague clues seemed to gradually become clearer and clearer as he ran through them.
Agares suddenly appeared at his side, and the Red Devil murmured, “Arthur, stop investigating here.”
There are two more nightly installments, being written
(End of chapter)