Page:The future of Africa.djvu/344

338 complete fulfilment of his prophetic curse upon Canaan.

To sum up, then, vre have, for the application and limitation of this curse to Canaan and his posterity only, the following facts and arguments: 1. The text of Genesis. 2. Two fundamental rules of law and logic. 3. The testimony of Josephus. 4. The Scriptural account of the fate of the Canaanites.

But, in reply to the above arguments, it may be said that, granting that the three elder sons of Ham were not under the curse, nevertheless the Negro race may be the descendants of Canaan, and hence under the infliction of this prophetic judgment. The facts of the case warrant the most positive denial of the assertion that the Negro race are the descendants of Canaan. In fact, of all the sons of Ham, Canaan was the only one who never entered Africa. Of this there is abundant evidence, sacred and profane. The evidence, so far as Scripture is concerned, is given us in Gen. x. 19: "And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest unto Sodom and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboim, even unto Lasha." The locality here designated is evidently the land of Palestine, and in Asia; and in the Pentateuch, this region is frequently called the land of Canaan. A reference to the names of the descendants of