Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-10-20
COMMUNICATIONS.
GurLroRo, 10Th nc. end, 1913.


22nd ult., over Ne signature OF WHO IL own
send, 8 communication purporting 10 be a
brief account Of the proceedings of the Or
lhodox Yearly Meeting. In this production
! find the author saying, that 80 far nothing
has been done by this large body Of people,
that will teEd to benefit or %enlighten the
woodworking that will cause humanity to
one sigh, or drop one tear less. If the world
is ever redeemed from its darkness and sla-
very, and Freedoms triumph hour shall come,
itmustbe in spite Of anything that the Friends
are now doing to hasten so suspicious a day"
Now, il our author found, or finds a justifi-
cation for the above sweeping animadversion
Of the Society Of Friends in the unhappy ex-
%istence, at this time, Of a spirit Of contention
and division-in the fact, as he observes,
Gods peculiar people" should be quarrel
ing about Gurneyism and Wilberism, togeth-
er with "a great deal of wrangling and con-
tention about very small matters''-and also
that 1t was livery obvious the sectarian ami
mostly is becoming more v%irulent, and the
party lines more distinctly drawn" | can
not, with the information | now possess Of
the circumstance Leading to, and growing
out Of, the much-to.be-regretted split which
took place in the ~Anti-Slavery Society Of the
United States some eight or ten years ago,
see why he should not include the latter also
in his general anafhema.
To see the party luminosity" the scowl,
the corroding acidity, the infamatory acri-
mony, the enthusiastic denuncia,ion, the
Wholesale elimination, the biting sarcasm,
the whitening hate, struck off with a master
ly hand and moulded with a giant intellect,
equipped in a dress without a parallel, per-
haps, in the English language, which cha
racterized the proceedings Of those who made
a very loud profession of their sincere regard
for the oppressed Of Misunderstanding out
lived the dag and time when "ihe elements
of discord, ignorance, superstition, and Secta-
rian pariyiSm" should have cramped the IL
beral mind, we need only consult the jour
mails and newspapers OF those times.
If Friends "wrangled and commended about
small matters at tier late Yearly Meeting.
has not the A~nti-Slavery Society been like
guilty, and should therefore have a like retri-
button! Let him that is without fault cast
the first stone.
Before comparing Friends TO little "chil-
dren playing on the sea-shore amid the sand
,,J J;r, ~ hoc,nsa ,bay Cound .hopealvee
unpleasantly contending "about Gurneyism
and Wilberism,' a subject which they, as a
society, must necessarily investigate, and
which to them was one OF no ordinary impor-
lance, he should have blotted out of memory
Garrisonites and Tappenites, or must forget
the Liberty party and the Dissoluiionists are
continually contending and jarring about
matters which, to impartial spectators may
appear as small as Gurneyism and WILDER
ism did TO him. This very unpleasant. Sub.
ject does properly belong 10 the Society Of
Friends as an organized body alone; not
that man should be gagged, but that it could
not reasonably be expected of others, not with
them in Religious connection, should fee
the same interest in it.. Had not ~allusion'
been made with some particularly to thi'
very unpleasant controversy, now disturbin!
the peace, and almost threatening the perma
nency of the Religious Society of Friends
in America, and the probability of the com
munication meeting the eye of those not &C
quainted with its nature. / should not hav'
taxed your time for a moment. But as it is
| thought il nothing more than fair that some
thing should be said on the opposite side.
Friends have always been distinguishe
from all other Religious denominations, {
organizations, not only as regards religion
faith and doctrines, and their very peculi'
views of many portions of the Holy Scri
lures, but also as respects their Disciplin
or code Of laws for church government, beiI
truly democratic in lis character; no otht
they conceive can be properly deducted fro
a Just Interpretation of the doctrines of Chr
iianity.
Every organization, religious, politics
moral or scientific, must agree upon sor
rule or law for its government. While
members are willing to observe these rul'
they are consistent and admitted to all Il
these laws, allow or the full enjoyment
membership; but when any neglect or Y
late them, they are at once subject to
penalty of the transgression, and can no i
ger claim a just right to the privileges a
benefits of such organizations.
The Ohio Yearly Meeting of the Soci
Of Friends held at Mount Pleasant in
year 1919, agreed upon a set of rules or d
cipline, the introduction of which Il
commences 4" In the morning of the gos
day, the apostles and disciples found it
- .nnA tnnnihar cor iha nnnenlai