Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1846-05-27
Correspondence Of the Sentinel.
Tinmicum, May IS, 1874

.r'Htc-E ~. Itnntcum, may lo, 1910.
GRNrLRmEN:-As the Constitution and the
Church, seem to be the unfortunate objects
against which the ,Urath of this new order
Of fself>styled reformers is principally vented;
and as dissolution, disorganization, and de.
are the objects of the war they
wage; it may not come amiss to offer few
hints touching seme Of the leading features
of This crusade. >,
II has been observed with no less truth
than olequence, that she thai goeth about to
rersuade multitude that they are not so
well governed as they ought to. be, shall nev.
er want attentive and favorable hearers"
This in our day and generation, has proved
most emphatically true. He that would oe
applauded, and draw after him an admlrlng
multitude, can attain to his purpose in no
way SO well, as to commence an attack upon
established and righteous institutions. The
unprincipled, barbarous war. cry, which her.
aids the downfall and destruction of those
principles of truth, justice and virtue, which
have so long been struggling to raise their
often sufused heads above the foam and spray
of llfe,-which are the pillars Of our national
fabric, and the foundations Of our faith.-and
which, it is fondly hoped, are destined soon
to dispell those clouds which now darken our
moral and political horizon:-ever has been,
and still continues to be heard with savage
fondness. 1t matters little from what source
the invader comes; for come as, and from
VIII ence he will, he is received with shouts
and acclamations, and his words and doc
trines "swalowed" with a starving greedi>
ness: for the public smaw,' like "the horse
leech, hath two daughters, give, give" and
it matters not who gives, or what is given,
for no sooner does one class Of agitators pass
from the stage, then they are ready, with
equal avidity, to listen to, and endorse the
instructions of other and opposing teachers.
This satisfactorily accounts for the degree OF
celebrity, to which our heroes-before men.
tioned-have so suddenly attained.
Like all others of that nnumerable class.
styled men of "one idea," they have broken
from the great mass of truth a little corner.
which they have placed directly before, and
so very near their eyes, that the world over,
it would be Impossible TO present to their
vision, or convince them that there was in
existence another truth. This they have
made their .4tpha and Omega the one great
object, the beginning and ending of their
existe ence, constantly holding it out to the
gaze of that great class Of mankind who nev.
er reflect, but believe his doctrines who is
the most boistrous and barefaced in publish.
ing them, they are able to fix upon it tho at
tention Of many, and thus lead them into er.
ror, delusion, and the most culpable fanat-
clsm. ........ ..
After this manner have those who would
destroy the constitution, uproot the church,
and establish an entire new order Of things,
as they think, and for ought that shall con-
tend, truly, discovered in these ancient and
venerable institutions one fault or imperfec.
ton, and, as we may lsgltimately conclude,
but one, FOR this constitutes the whole ground
of their attack. To remedy this one fault,
they have made the great end of their being:
which "vile blot" can they wipe it from the
archives Of the church and State, they will
have blessed and saved a world. With this
'tone idea" SO before THEN mental vision, that
they can see no other, and driven on by tho
fattery and applause Of an unprincipled null
titude; they madly trample upon, and with in
cendary madness, seek to destroy, ali that
is good and scored in the world; and consci>
enciously too, believing verify that they are
doing God service; for blinded and deluded
by this one isolated truth. where il leads they
must follow, and he Is anathema who pre-.
sumes to gainsay or oppose them. Many
illustrations of this order of things are on
record, Of which, among the most modern are
Mormonism, Millerism. and barn burning
Foster Abolitionism. But, as distinguished
writer gravely observes, "t is a paltry .humor
tha: inclnes man to condemn or rail at any
human institution or performance, because it
is not absolutely perfect" Perfection in man,
or his institutions and performances, cannot
be expected; for, though based upon the
principles Of eternal truth, 60 long as they
are framed by, and adapted by mankind, they
cannot be absolutely faultless. But because
thus faulty, or because evils, or even Gin it.
self grows out of them, it does not follow
that they must be destroyed. Were the
sweeping principle, which these agitators
have inculcated, to be universally adopted;
that "whatever is the cause of sin or sustains
it. should be destroyed" what on earth, ask,
could remain2 Sin groweth out of the very
hearts of men; and none, it is to be appre-
hended, would sooner be led to the martyrs
stake, than these same ngitators ;--for if they
are perfect, heaven deliver US from impsr>
fection!! ,,...,-' ....-a
That slavery is sin, and should cease to
U6 uiA oNilS CvCu tHdt WuICu mas U6cu
produced by the agitation of this question,
should be done away. I allow; but because it
exists in connection with our moral and po
litical institutions, although entirely inde-
pendant Of them; or because they do not, in
go bold and boistrous manner discounte>
nance and condemn It as some would desire,
I am not prepared with them to say, that our
whole constitutional system should be dss.
troved, and the nation tarned loose upon the
elements, without a pilot, or a compass, by
which to direct its motives. ,''l'
Slavery does not exist in conseouence of|
any regulation ofthe constitution, or canon of
the church, it is, as to them, an independant
institution, which can be regulated onIv by
State laws: and a dissolution o: the Union.
or a division and disorganiza,ion Of the
church, would result only, 50 far az that sys.
tenn 10 concerned, in an entire suspension Of
the little influence enlightened men are now
able to exert over it. They ARE therefore |
most grossly inconsistent with themselves,
who At the same time desire to amsliorAte the
condition Of THE slave, aad'tc cat olf every
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