Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-03-20

serted that the Society does knoao that II stands
in the way of i-Slavery, Temperance,
and Peace reforms. We do kno,U, ! reply,
that persons standing highest in the Society
have declared these movements to be OF the
~deyil-devised in the wisdom Of this world
that Friends have been advised again and
again TO keep away from them-to shun them
as they would shun destruction-that G.. f
White and a host OF other recommended min
listers in both divisions Of the Society, have
for years, been doing every thing in their
power to discountenance these reforms. b.
B. d. has admitted all this and agrees with
me that their course is wrong, whatever he
may think of the motives which lead to it,
My friend is altogether in error in expecting me
to admit that the intention determines the char
acter of an action. Slave holding is a grievous
wrong; a violation ofall the rights of man. The
fact of the person engaged in it, believing he
has a right to the body and spirit of his broth
er man, does not change at all the character
of the action. So of all other criminal acts
they are wrong in themselves, though they
are doubtless sometimes committed without
any evil motive. II it were true, as my friend
seems to suppose, that the intention always
determines the motive of an actie n, it would
be nonsense TO speak of men doing wrong in
tenti"nally.
1t is probably true that many of those bigot-
ed opposers Of reform in the Society of Friends,
as we'll as in other Societies, have the most
perfect confidence that the Anti-Slavery move
ment is of the devil D.; and that in their oppo-
sition TO il, and their prosecutions of its advo-
Gates, they are fulfilling their duty. M,ny
of them, | doubt not, verify think they are
doing God service as Paul did when he per-
secuted the Christians; and belief on their
part is just as good a reason for b. B. d. re-
naming in fellowship with them, as he would
have had, if he had lived eighteen hundred
years ago, for remaining in a simiIar Society,
that should have joined with Paul in his
principles and persecutions-and no better
other things being equal. Is the wrong of
the Friends unintentional : so was that Of
Paul. Is the Society "a good field of labor ="
The Society in the case supposed would have
been the same. Every one will see, | believe,
the weakness of my friends argument here.
He has shown that the pro-slavery acts of
the Friends may be done with a good motive
giving the presumption that as many of the
members as are honest, are better in heart
than himself. For while they uphold that
which they believe to be right, he, by his con-
~ncction with them, gives countenance to that
which he believes 10 be wrong.
My friend objects to the comparison of the
sheep thief as not being in point. Let us
see. He admitted certain acts of the Society
to be wrong, but pointed me to other acts. and
wished me to give credit. If | had asserted
that the Friends were base in heart-that they
delighted in wickedness and nothing else
he might have pointed me to these to prove
them got wholly degraded. But such WAS
not my position. l had endeavored to show
that the Society committed and tolerated acts
which were wrong in themselves. My friend
without denying this, referred me to other
acts of the Society hence the comparison.
He supposes | must know that there cannot
be a thief without intentional wrong to which
| reply that | do not know this. For any
thing | know, or believe, there may be, and
have been, thefts committed without any evil
motive. The degradation into which thous-
ands are introduced at their birth, and reared
and educated, is such that | think it less
strange such persons should in some cases
think it right to steal, than, that among a peo-
pie SO intelligent and enlightened as the So
ciety of Friends, a majority should he found
ignorantly unfolding a great system of rob-
bling and crime and blood" and opposing
blindly those who are laboring successfully
for its overthrow.
b. B. D. seems unable to see any " sense
in my other Illustration. / did not intend to
represent c, as being wicked in heart, but
as committing acts Which ,Uere crimina-
though l confess my language here was not
sufficiently explicit. l ask my friend to re-
fer TO the illustration once more and to sup
pose that C's conduct is criminal, and his
motives unknown or even good. Will he in
form your readers whether A and B in the
first case (both having light) are not implica-
ted in guilt, whatever may be the condition
of C? Will he also inform us in the second
case whether b can retain his connection with
A and c, without sanctioning the wrong
which he believes them to be doing, whatev-