Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-07-09
From fhe Li5erator.
RefOrmerS.

The philosophical editor Of the National
Era. having loratpd himself at Washington,
in The District of Columbia-the capital re-
sort Of the soul-buyers and cofle-drIvers of
the South, and the spot on which are located
the national sIave-prisons-is so little dis
turhed by any thing that he sees or hears
around him. thath he finds ample leisure to draw
the 'PoRTRAITs OF RRFoRMERs.' with just
enough of caricature, and sufficiently spiced
with i%nuendo, to make them highly agreea-
Bile to every cool and calculating conserva-
tive in the land, who, while he is as much
in favor of true reform as any body, (if you
will take his word for it.l is very far from
being either an agitator or a fanatic. An eff
fort like this-at such a crisis in the strug-
gle of the weak against the mighty to give
drliverance to the oppressed if made by the
editor of the New York Observer or the New
England Puritan, would excite no surprise,
and probably elicit no remark. AS it might
seem insulting to suppose that the editor Of
the Era meant TO describe himself in any one
of his sketches of those whom he ~designates
as either 'consIitutionalIy hot-headed and
hasty or with little of the milk of human
kindness in their hearts, and an irascible
temper or as narrow-lninded, who feel,
but do not reason or who are 'consiitu-
iional declalmers, and dealers in tropes and
figures. living only in a tempest'-or who
are metaphysical reformers and creed-mon-
gers '-or who are self-suGicient, ambitious,
and who continue battling from habit, an ap-
petite for excitement, and a love of leader
ship (; and as the aforesaid editor is too mod
est to allow us to suppose that he was de-
scribing himself in his portrait of the true
relormer,' who is the perfection of wisdom
and goodness, we beg leave to add another TO
his gallery.
This reformer is well supplied with self
esteem, and is cautious to craftiness. With
a fair share of talent, good intellectual en-
dowments, but a lack of the neral abhor-
renee of ~wrong-dning which is essential to a
| faithful advocacy of the right, which was so
strongly manifested by the prophets and
apostles, which is one of the most striking
attributes of God as recorded in the scrip
lures, which conflagrated the soul of Jesus,
and which has distinguished all the great re-
formers of past ages, he ilnagines himself to
he complete in all things, wanting nothing.
He aspires to be a philosopher, and can look
on slave shambles, and the sale Of human
beings at public vendue, and hear the clank-
ing of chains and the cries of outraged hui
manity, with philosophical composure. Too
%phlegmatic or too calculating to be hurried
into any excess of speech or language by
generous impulses, he prides himself upon
the fact that no charge of fanaticism can be
Justly alleged against him. Propriety is
with him. what instinct was 10 Falstaff, a
great matter. Though ostensibly engaged in
one Of the most exciting reforms, and seeking
the overthrow of one Of the most despotlc
systems that the pages of history record
and though voluntarily assuming a position
among bloody and cruel men, which, if oc-
cupied in the spirit of Christian heroism,
must excite against him intense hostility-he
manages so discreetly, writes so smoothly,
utters himself so inoflensively, and studies
to behave so gentlemanly that he creates no
alarm, eXcites no clamor, and is regarded even
by the trafickers in human flesh with stolid
Indifference. And this he considers the true
way of conducting a reformatory movement!
In the pIenitude of his wisdom, he is salts
fed that nothing but courtesy is the one
thing neediul to put tyrants on their good be-
havior, and make the path of reform smooth
and fowery. If the old prophets found
themselves in hot water, it was their fault
They were indiscreet in their acts, abusive
in their language, and sweeping in their con-
demnation. If Jesus reused up against him
self the wrath of the chief priests, scribes and
pharisees, and subjected himself to an igno.
minious eruciixion, 1t was because he had
more zeal than discretion. UnfortUn atsly,
he had not the ligh; which s:gnalizss the
> pfeaent : Era He mesnt we'll, but he had