Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1848-03-17

and distinctly state what the "hlgh charges
were that the accused had made against the
Society, thus airording her an opportunity to
plead intelligenily TO them, it refused to do
tit denied her the right which every court
OF law accords TO the vilest criminal; and
without knowing itself what the charges
were, absurdly and wickedly sat in judg-
ment upon her, pronounced her guilty, and
cast her out Of the pale of the society OF
which she was born a member. There was
however a reason why a specification of the
alledged charges should not be made, for if
it had been, the accused or her friends might
have done what the rulers above all things
else dreaded-prore them. The Committee
however, who had charge Of the case and
labored for the reclamation Of the offender,
we are informed frequently REQUIRED to these
charges and endeavored to convince her that
the Society Of Friends is not pro-slayery,
and that its members are not under priestly
influence as she had asserted for these were
the charges the s%ectarian leaders could not
UtdIy dnu lOI hdhlnp NHlCh-''Bt'''' WIN
other offences of as grave a characteristic
was disowned.
The clerks Of the meeting, it will be seen,
also state that she was guilty of ''pursuing a
course Of conduct contrary to the advice Of
her friends" One would naturally suppose
that the degree Of guilt involved in this Of
fence would depend very much upon the Kind
Of advice given, and there would be a great
er semblance of justice in the charge had it
declared that she neglected the goOd advice
of her friends; though we think the mee-
ting, even then, would assume a very consid-
cradle authority to punish so severely for the
rejection of ad vice with which it had nothing
TO do, and was perhaps both unasked and un-
needed. To read the Testimony of Disown-
ment, it would be inferred that the meeting
regarded it as an anti-christian act for any
member 10 ''pursue a course of conduct con-
trary to the advice of his or her friends.''-
Now unless Jane NJ. Trescott's friends all
gave her the same kind of advice, which we
presume they did not, she could not possibly
act without going counter to the advice of
some and in accordance with the ad vice of
others. So act as she would, she laid herself
open to church c%ensure, though probably not
more so than has every other individual who
is a member Of Salem Monthly Meeting. Ii
is likely, however, that the clerks %uninten-
t%ionally omitted the use Of a capital letter
when writing "Griends." This would mate
rally effect the character of the statement, for
as ii now stands, it assumes that it was her
friends, her individual friends, those with
whom she holds familiar intercourse whose
advice she rejected but use the capital, and
it refers 10 the members of the Society of
Friends, no matter whether they were her
friends or enemies in reality. If this was
what the meeting meant it is still in a diem
ma, for to our certain knowledge, members
of the Society and Of this particular Monthly
Meeting encouraged her to pursue the course
she did, and no one advised her to refrain
from it, until after her case had been officially
noticed, so that the charge the meeting makes
does not agree with the fact.
To those acquainted with the ~constan,
chickering's that have prevailed for some time
past among the members of the Orthodox
branch of Quakers-and it is of that portion
we have been s~peaking-who know Of the
hostility existing between the Gurneyites and
Wilburites which compose it, and of the de-
termination of both parties to pursue a course
of conduct contrary to the advice of the
Friends who take the opposite side, it is pit
liable to see such uniting to cast out from
among them one, who by their own show
ing, has done no more in this respect thai
they have each done themselves. But il
the Quaker Church, as in all other bodie
: that have power, might is too apt to be mis-
taken for right.
Our readers can more readily underslan
the nature Of the acts Of which Jane NJ. Tres
colt was guilty, and which have SO much di;
turbed the minds of Friends, if we brief
state them in ordinary phraseology. Sh
goes TO anti-slavery meetings and has eve
pSCb INV SpSdh u tlCil SHb dltenut
some of the sittings of the Hicksite Nearl
S Meeting; her roof sheltered Lucretia Mot
e a prominent reformer who is not an Orth,
dox Quaker, and who cares more for doir
righteously than for upholding sect; she e
e tertained Joseph Dugdale and wife and OF
y er heretics; declared the Quaker sect to
r DrO-slayery. and lis Members under nriest'
influence. For these offences she has real
though not ostensibly as appears by Il
At Bull Of Excommunication-she has be,
lie dealt with and disowned. She has been E
y communicated while those who believe
at right to vote tor a STAKEHOLDER; who elect
e. office the Commander-i in Chief of the arm
h and navy of the United States; who cons
l. tute a component part Of a slavehol1ing g