Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1847-08-13
From The Pa. Freeman.
EXtraneOuS Work.

NAh
The American Tract Society has issued n
solemn appeal against ''the SIM of dancing,
which is thus noticed by the N. +. Puritan,
Ia religious paper, published in Boston,
which possesses the bigotry and intolerance
OF those stern men whose name it takes, but
lacks their integrity and courage and devo-
tion.)
DANcING.-I have Just read with great
pleasure the new Tract on Dancing, No. 49l,
just issued by the American Tract Society.
1t is timely and is well written. In spirit it
is logical and scriptural. 1t takes reason,
conscience, common sense, observation and
experience along with Scripture precepts. |
do not see how any Christian can well get
away from its positions. and its close and
pungent quesIionings. The author has done
a great and good work in the composition of
that tract. 1t ought 10 be put into the hand
OF every young Christian and every Christian
parent in the land, IN this day, when dancing
has SO invaded the Church of God, and so
many have thereby grieyed their brethren,
and wounded their own souls. Iwish to put
one into all the families of my people, and
have ordered two hundred copies for that
purpose.
The same Society has published tracts
against profanity, (that is, swearing when the
law OF respectable custom do not authorize
n,) misunderstanding, gambling and other
pracuces, which II names vices or crimes,
and we presume the well-fed Puritan has
said amen to all this.
Now, we have not yet noticed any tract
from that Society showing the sinfulness of
slavery, or the horrors of the slave system
with its monstrous traffic in human beings,
or exposing the wickedness of the war on
Mexico. Nor have we seen any recommen-
dation in the Puritan for a general circulation
OF the anti-Slarery tracts which have been
sent forth from other sources on the other
hand, when w call on the Tract Society and
the religious press, 10 speak out against the
enslavement of Gods little ones, they answer
that the subject is "extraneous," and they
cannot turn aside from the work of %'saving
SOULS" to NEEDLE with it. This is the Ste
Ieotyped answer that is flung into our teeth,
from almost all the religious corporations of
the country, from the corpulent and venera-
BILE Foreign Missionary Society, down to that
poor starveling-the Evangelical Alliance
"Extraneous work !" We ask them, in the
name of consistency, what they have 10 do
with dancing or profanity! Have they done
up their work of saving souls" that they
have time to talk to men about their sins, or
evil practices or are they willing to imply
that this is included in the duties of Christian
teachers! In either case, what is their en-
cuse for censuring the petty fault, while the
bloody crime goes unwhipped of truth! Is
1t so very clear that dancing and labor On
Sunday are sins, and SO doubtful that slavery
and a murderous war for its extension are in.
consistent with the gospel, that pious men
dare not rahuka tboca thnpuh tbau bnrl l;rht
ning-bolts Of condemnation at those?
We envy not the moral vision that cal
see naught but sin and evil in the labor o
farmer or mechanic on the first day Of tn
week, or the social amusement of the dance
/ while 1t finds scripture apologies and apos
/, tolic sanctions for slavery-''the worst III
sun ever looked upon"-and complacentl
looks upon the invasion of Mexico, and il
dreadful slaughters, as ''the manifestation {
. the hand OF Providence in opening a Cathc
lie country 10 Professionalism" This Ne'
England Puritan is the same paper that aC
. vocated the return Of George Latimer int
slavery, and said, sit would be better that
hundred Latimers be sent into slavery, tina
a that the constitution of the country be viola
n ted" 1t has also labored zealously to thwaT
every movement Of the abolitionists, especial
q ly where they aimed to purify the churches
and missionary societies of the blood stains
/. upon their faces and hands. Yet how his
2 pious soul yearns for the purity of 1.-THE
a church of God" "invaded" by "dancing y
: How he mourns that members by this prac-
tice "should have grieved their breihren;'
r and with what an overlooking liberhlity he
. opens his purse to distribute the anti-dancing
: tract to every family of his people! WHAT'S
it to him that heart-strings are swapping, and
hearts are crushed under the auctioneer's
hammerl What has he to do with the two
hundred new victims which each day brings
into life, to bear the doom of the slavel-
What cares he that one George Latimer, or
a hundred, are torn from the shelteriug roof
of the good Samsritaus who have succored
them, and given up to human byenas to be
.'kilIed by inches :" OF that the church his
opened its gates to the soul-trafickst, and
consecrated the man-thief to the ministry OF
the pulpit and, sent it's holy men to s%anctify