Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1846-01-02

meeting refuses to take action on any subject
the inference, with strangers TO their orderis
that the majority have thus decided. ms
is a prevailing error with persons who pass
sentence upon the society. If friend Barna-
by in a temperance meeting votes with a MI
nority when a resolution passes to put the
law in force against the rumseller, there is
more semblanco of justice in holding him
accountable for the act, than there would in
a Friends meeting where a majority override
him and pass an act. In the first case he
has assented to the principle that the MAORI
ty have a right to rule, in the latter case he
has made no such concession. The idea OBJ
tanned to O extent that 10 ''submit" in a
Friends meeting is equivalent to Il sanction,
is incorrect. "submit'' when the constable
takes my COW for a muster fine.
BY the third proposition, my friend thinks
if l do not unite with the regulations Of So
cicty, l deceive it and the world. l do not
agree to the correctness of many regulations
in the Society. Nor yet DO l deceive them.
If they ever supposed me to be in favor Of
all regulations, they are undeceivod long ere
this or | 90 not know how to do it. As to
the 'world,'' so far as I can "shed a feeble
ray around" my views are more or less
known and never on proper occasions with
held.
4th proposition. I do not believe the soci-
ETY. carries out his proiessed principles, but,
dat duty requires, that | should hence with
draw, is not 50 clear with me. 1t there be
a society or d man anywhere who does do
dis. /. is what l did not know. Our very
weaknesses it appears to me, constitute one of
the strongest reasons FOR forming ourselves
into society--that h. the potency Of combin-
ed action, we may improve each other and tho
world. My friend and l have entirely differ
ent ideas Of the object Of religious societies.
He thinks there should be no such society
till men arc perfect OF can carry out their
principles, that they could not ccntaminaie
each other, and then there would be no need
Of such a society.
| venture nothing in asserting that my
friend Barn1by processes to believe in a doc
trine which is even above the profession q
Friends, which requires greater practical
christian perfection to carry it out than any
in the Society of Friends, hey do net be-
Iieye human nature competent to attain it. 1t
is the doctrine Of community, yet he doubt
less falls quite as far short Of carrying cut
his principles on this subject and probably
others as do Friends any part of their Profes
sions which he can name. lie admits that
he does not carry out his principles. In this
he is like myself and others.
Yet he disowns the society for the same
omission of duty! There is the difference
in favor of Friends; Msy do not understand
their principles to require them MOTTO vote, &c
as was the case with nearly all the non-resis-
tants till recently. 1t is friend BaraaJy'S aP-
p~hcq'ioa Of their principles that shows them
to be 50 inconsistent in this matter. In his
own case, he acknowledges that the carrying
out Of his principles or professions would
lead him to a very different course.
The sum and substance Of all his reasons
for disowning Friends is, that they fail to put
l their principles into practice, and my friend
will not deny being like Mem in this respect.
That he did not do it while a member, nor
: does not now do it. | consider this a reason
why he should not disown the society. l
! showed sufficiently in my last, how we'll the
, reform societies with which ]. B. is connec-
ted, carry ont their principles by hiring
. Shareholders to furnish them with cotton lux
, urics, &c.
I j. Barnaby's idea, that, the right of sin
/ gle member to disown the body being rath, 7
superior to the right of the mass to disown a
member. does not appear so obvious to me.
If he and | have a settlement of accounts,
: and a question Of justice arises between US
involving 500, | should be induced to
, change my opinion of his honesty if he
\ should persist in carrying out this principle
Of claiming to have a better idea of right than
, a whole community or society to which l
would desire to have the matter referred.
Why should not a declaration of my friend,
, in a society, and out of it of his opinions
: and his dissent from its erroneous course be-
a virtual d~lsownment of the society so far as
it is wrong! Would he feel guilty in his
conscience for a wrong act of the society aE-
ter laboring to the best of his ability 10 pre-
vent it! Does he regard the fact that public
sentiment might look upon him as implicated,
as constituting him an evil doari On leaving
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