Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-01-07
From The Louisville Examiner.
The Removal of Evils.

There is no evil that ~aflicts s~ocie,v which
ought to he considered irremovable. bad in.
situations have existed in all ages, but it deos
not follow that they are therefore TO he i'm
mortal. There is no evil, there is no @ins,i,u-
ton from which flows injuries TO the world.
that is so rooted in the nature of man. n, oC
such monstrous Dimensions, that it can resist
all efforts to destroy it. Though an %institu-
ton may arise before the awe-stricken fancy
OF persons like a Gibraltar; and though the
enemies OF truth and right ma, have firmly
entrencheG themselves within its dpfpnccs,
Its overthrow should not be despaired off,
Bring the right sort Of energy 10 the task,
and let a sufficient number OF hands be en-
ployed in the labor, and the time-defying pyr-
amids Of Gizeh may be RACED to their founda-
lions.
There is a deplorable i~nirmity which af-
ficts too many well-disposed persons-peo-
pie who deeply regret the existence of evils
Of great magnitude, and fancy that because of
their magnitude it is useless to attempt their
removal. Now, this is the very reason why
they ought TO be warred against-why they
should be Immediately attacked with vigor,
and their determination decreed. 1t is weak
ness and irresolution in an individual to fold
his arms and refuse to make war on an evil
because of its formidable extent. The hero
ism Of a true-hearted man is ~vitalized in the
presence Of great obstacles, and his soul burns
with lrrepresSible ardor 10 attack and over
come them. Such a man does not think that
because an enterprise is surrounded with ma
ny great difficulties, he ought to content him
self with signing and uttering lamentations
Whlmperlng is a very poor substitute for
work-it can accomplish no good, but we'll
directed labor is always followed by good re-
suits.
The old doctrines of fate and destiny are
nuisances, which every enlightened mind
ought 10 reject as debasing. They answered
very well as foundations for the machinery
Of Greek tragedies, but they are unsui,ed tc
the hearts of champions who deem reforms
practicable. The Musselman says that it i.
the will of God that things shall take place
as they do, and will not lift his hand to avert
any evil however threatening. Evils are the
results of mans perverted nature, and it is the
business of man TO remove and utterly to ex-
tirpate all that former wrong-headedness and
wTong-heartedness have introduced. Crime
and oppression have always degraded and de-
pressed society, not because il is the will of
Heaven that they should afIlict the world
not because the Great Supreme needs them
as means by which He can secure a greater
amount of good 10 His creatures than would
otherwise be within their reach, but because
men have rebelled against His will, and have
entailed on themselves the punishment which
always follows a departure from or trampling
on His laws. 1t is a very poor philosophy,
indeed, which teaches that the evils that az
flict society are necessary to whatever good
society enjoys, and that because human tur-
pitude in past ages has subjected us TO vast
penalties, we ought s~upinely TO regret them,
and not grid on our armor TO attack and to
overthrow them.
There are many very good people who tell
us that such is the magnitude of African sla-
very, so wide and profound is its baleful sha-
dow, that we ought to despair rather than I'M
dertake its removal. tits sheer cowardice to
permit the vastness of an evil to appal the
soul. The deeper and more deplorable it is,
the greater is the necessity why it should be
attacked. We despise the slavery of fear,
and scatter to the winds that miserable pru-
dence that induces timid men to crouch in
the presence of an evil because it is great
The cause of emancipation in Kentucky is IA
noble and glorious cause, worthy to fire the
souls OF heroes, and worthy of the blood of
martyrs. 1t cannot be promoted by regrets.
1t calls for able hands and honest hearts, and,
thank God, there is a host of heroic men in
our state whose souls are painting to expend
their best energies in the great struggle which
is approaching, on the issues of which hang
the life or death of slavery. They are not
appalled, at the extent of the evil on the con-
trary, their courage expands whenever they
reflect on the vastness of the difficulties which
they have resolved to overcome. All the
signs of the times presage for these chan-
pions Of truth and justice one of the most
signal victories that ever won the smile of
Heaven, and filled the hearts Of good men
with joy.