## Chapter 77: Contract Slaves
Arthur and Newman sat on a long bench in the cemetery, before them a small, low grave. A tiny white coffin was pressed beneath a grayish stone slab.
It was a simple grave, with simple funerary objects: a small red dress, a wooden horse toy, a copy of “The Scourge” magazine, a few unopened candies, and three bunches of white roses to pay respects.
Newman looked at the shallow little grave and shook his head. “I know, we live in a strange time. Humans have always relied on others, especially priests, to spread faith and knowledge, but now everyone is starting to judge for themselves.
Religious freedom, separation of church and state, and in the end, it all boils down to materialism. They’ll do anything for money. But there’s no way around it, even the geniuses of this age are anti-church, let alone the common folk.
But you can’t blame them. As Anglican priests, we should be helping these poor and helpless people.
But those church representatives, those magistrates, those Poor Law enforcers, seem more eager to collect pew rents, parish taxes, funeral fees, and tithes. And they don’t seem to care much about the poor relief that should be their responsibility.
Even priests are so materialistic, no wonder the Anglican Church is declining in Great Britain. It’s all our own doing.
To be honest, in the past thousand years, Britain has never been so morally corrupt.
I know the feudal era was bad, but it damaged the innate kindness and compassion in human nature far less than the commercial era.”
Arthur couldn’t help but think of what Bentham had said to him the other day.
He asked, “It seems you must really hate utilitarianism?”
As expected, Newman couldn’t help but frown at the word.
“Utilitarianism? In my view, it’s the root of all evil. Bentham is a charlatan. The so-called ‘greatest happiness for the greatest number’ is something that only those who benefit from it would crazily promote.
The pursuit of wealth has always existed, but this crass value system has been on the rise in recent decades and has become the mainstream.
The prosperity of society is only superficial. Those crushed under the stone slab are far more numerous than those seen in the newspapers.
The poison of pursuing material desires and money has permeated the marrow of this nation. It has made everyone focus their entire energy on chasing success and riches in life, accumulating wealth, craving power, excluding others, surpassing their superiors, while putting on a hypocritical facade of arrogance, conceit, and politeness.
Religious rituals are repeatedly simplified, the position of faith is constantly shaken, moral concepts continue to fade, and doctrines become mere empty words on paper.
To be honest, sometimes I think those people are not even as good as Thomas Paine.
Since my last conversation with you, I’ve increasingly felt that you’re right. An atheist like Paine is far better than those who claim to be religious but constantly betray their faith.
Those people don’t worship God, they worship their desires. Those scattered factions that have split from the Anglican Church are filled with personal desires, they are simply disgusting to even look at.
Look at the stupid things they’re doing! Killing people and then selling their bodies. A worker’s family dies, but they can’t even afford a day off to attend the funeral. These people should all be sent to the stake!”
Arthur couldn’t help but speak up. “Mr. Newman, to be honest, I came to you this time hoping you could do me a favor.”
Newman asked, “What favor? Just ask, as long as it doesn’t violate moral teachings, I’m willing to help. Although you’re a Catholic, that’s nothing to me anymore. I can even accept an atheist like Paine, let alone you.”
Arthur said, “Well… I know you have a high reputation in the Oxford diocese. You’re an exceptional orator and have many followers.
I heard that Oxford University was furious about the ‘Catholic Emancipation Act’ and organized an anti-Robert Peel movement, and you played a very important role in it?”
Newman frowned sharply. “Why do you know about this?”
Arthur smiled helplessly. “It’s simple, because you’re on the Home Office’s watchlist, so as a Scotland Yard superintendent, I naturally know what you’ve done.”
Newman didn’t shy away from this. “That’s right. The reason Oxford University wants to push Peel into the House of Commons is to have him speak for us, but he not only broke his promise, but also publicly attacked Oxford in the newspapers, calling us ‘slaves of vanity’.
This is something we Oxford people can’t tolerate. Peel deserves his fate, you don’t need to plead for him on this point. Even if he throws me in jail, I won’t change my opinion.
If he has the guts to throw me out of Great Britain, then I can try to learn from Paine and wander around America and France.
But I’m luckier than Paine in that I still have some wealth, at least I can afford a ticket, unlike him, who had to go to the North American colonies as a contract slave.”
Arthur was stunned at these words.
He had intended to use Newman as a starting point, persuading him to change the Oxford diocese’s perception of the ‘Anatomy Act’ and get him to lead the Oxford clergy in conducting funerals for those dissected bodies. But he didn’t expect to ask a question about a blind spot in his knowledge.
He said, “Contract slave? What’s a contract slave?”
Newman asked, “You don’t know about contract slaves? But then again, you basically don’t see things like contract slaves in England.
Here, most people who can’t repay their debts are thrown into debtors’ prisons. And Britain abolished slavery completely over twenty years ago, so you wouldn’t see such a thing.
But it still exists in the North American colonies. A contract slave is a white slave.
They mainly come from three sources.
The first is those who can’t survive in the country, so they sign a contract with the ship owner, exchanging four to seven years of labor for a ticket to America.
The second is debtors in America who are unable to repay their debts, so they sell themselves into slavery to work off their debts.
The third is the convicts who were exiled there in the past, using their labor to atone for their crimes. This is probably the main source of contract slaves in North America.
But Mr. Paine was a contract slave of the first kind. He was lucky when he first arrived in America, using a letter of recommendation written by Franklin to get a job as a newspaper editor in Philadelphia, so he quickly paid off his debts and didn’t suffer too much. But others may not be so lucky.”
Arthur frowned, recalling the missing persons list provided by the Duke of Sussex.
Most of those missing from the streets were women and young children, and their whereabouts and bodies had been basically identified.
As for those missing from prisons, most of the adult males were missing without a trace, with no clues as to where they went.
His mind flashed, and the vague clues seemed to gradually become clearer.
Agareus suddenly appeared beside him. The Red Devil murmured, “Arthur, stop there, don’t investigate any further.”
(To be continued)