7/77 If his master refuse to give him one, he can then go without it. There is an _unjustifiable inequality_ in the apprentice laws, which was pointed out by one of the special magistrates. The master is punishable only for cruelty or corporeal inflictions, whereas the apprentice is punishable for a variety of offences, such as idleness, stealing, insubordination, insolence, &c. The master may be as insolent and abusive as he chooses to be, and the slave can have no redress. Hard labor, solitary confinement, and the treadmill, are the principal modes of punishment. |