The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1839-09-28

which it discusses, than for the elegance and fore
= of the language which it employs. / am particu
arly struck with the Just and satesmanlike view
which Mr.. Philips has adopted, in reference to tn
recent attempt to bring the subject of India betor
' this country, by means of British India Society
7 This letter will bring me by natural process tt
the subject upon which am peculiarly anxions t
address you tonight and upon which shall
: dwell for few moments, if you do not see cause
to dismiss me- (Chcers.)
: The following is the letter.
"My dear Thompson-I am very sorry to say
no to your pressing request, but cannot come to
Glasgow, duty takes me elsewhere my hear
will be with you though, on the LIST of August
and need not say how much pleasure it would
give me to meet, on that day especially, the men
to whom my country owes so much, and on the
spot dear to every American abolitionist as the
scene of your triumphant refutation and stern re-
buke of Breckenridge. do not think any of you
can conceive the feelings with which an Ameri-
can treads such scenes. You cannot realize the
debt of gratitude he feels to be due, and is eager
to pay, to those who have spoken in behalf of hui
mainly, and whose voices have come to him across
the water. The vale of Leven, Exeter Hall, Glas-
gow and Birmingham, are consecrated spots-the
land of Scoble and Surge, of Wardaw and Bux-
ton, of Carkson and O'Connell, is hallowed
ground to us. Would could be with you, to
thank the English aboitionists, in the slaves name,
for the great experiment they have tried in behalf
of humanity-for proving, in the face OF the world
the safety and expcdiency of immediate emanci-
pation-for writing out the demonstration OF the
problem, if with letters of light the blue vault
of Heaven-to thank them too, for the fidelity
with which they have rebuked the apathy, and
denounced the guilt of the American church, in
standing alooff from this grea. struggle for freedom
in modern times. The appeals and celebrations
which have from time to time, gone out from "a.
mong you may seem to have fallen to the ground
in vain but far from it they have awakened, in
some degree at least, slumbering Church to
great national sin, and they have strengthened
greatly hands which were almost ready to faint
in the struggle with giant evil. We need them
still-spare us not moment from your Christian
rebukes-give us line upon line, and precept up
on precept Our enterprise is eminently a reli-
gious one, dependent for success entirely on the
sentiment of the people. 1t is on hearts that wait
not for the results of West India experiments
that look 10 duty, and not to consequences-that
disdain to make the fears Of one class of men the
measure of the rights Of anoher-that fear no evil
in the doing of Gods commands-itis on such
that the weight of our cause mainly rests, and on
the conversion of those, whose characters will
lHeIll SuCU It's lululC ploSlCoo hJuSI NC
pend. 1t is upon Just Such minds that your ap-
peals have most effect. hardly exaggerate when
| say that the sympathy and brotherly appeals of
British Christians are the sheet-anchor OF our cause
Did they realize that slavery is most frequently
defended now in America from the Bible, that
when Aboitionsts rebuke the church for uphold
ing it, they are charged with hostility to Chris
tanity ITSELF they would feel this. If we construe
text in favor Of liberty, it is set down to partial
ity and prejudice. A European construction is
decisive. Our rebukes lose much of their force,
when they are represented though falsely osprng
from personal hosiity-from zeal which undue
attention to a single subject has made to outrun
discretion Your appeals sink deep-they can
neither be avoided nor blunted by any such pre-
tence, and their first result must be conviction.
Distance lends them something of the awful weight
of the verdict of posterity. May they never cease.
Let the light of your example shine constantly
upon us, till our Church, beneath its rays, like
Egypt's statue, shall break forth into the music Of
consistent action
England too, is the fountain-head of our lite
nature. The slightest censure, every argument,
every rebuke on the pages of your Reviews, strikes
on the ear of the remotest dweer in our country.
Thank God that in this the sceptre has not yet
departed from Judah-hat it dwells still in the
ldllu vi fulle anu vi yul lldIlIIueIlj
of Sharp, and Cowper, and Wilberforce-
THE dead, but sceptred soveregns,
Who still rule spirits from their urns.'
May those upon whom rests their mantle be true
to the realms they sway. You have influence
where we are not even heard. The prejudice
which treads under foot the vulgar abolitonist
dares not prescribe the literature of the world In
the name of the slave beseech you let literature
speak out, in deep stern, and indignant tones, for
the press,
Like the air,
Is seldom heard but when it speaks in thunder
" | am rejoiced to hear of your new movement
in regard to India. 1t seals the fate of the
slave system in America. The industry of the
Pagan shall yet wiring from Christian hands the
prey they would not yield to the commands of
conscience, or the claims of religion. Hasten the
day, for it lies with you, when the prophecy of our
Randolph (himsef slaveholder) shall be fulfilled
that the time would come when masters would
fy their slaves instead of slaves their masters so
would be slaves labor in comparison
with his support. To you-to the sunny plains of
Hindcstan we shall owe it-that our beautiful
praires are unpolluted by the footstep of slave
the march of civilization westward