Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-10-27
SELECTIONS
From the New England Religious Herald.
American Board and Slavery.

Those who expected advanced action on
the subject of slavery by the American
Board of Commissioners for Foreign Mis-
sions at Pittslield, will be disappointed by
the report of their proceedings. The whole
may be summed up in three words-they did
nothing! Yes, they met, they talked, they
sang, they prayed, they heard reports, they
listened to addresses, they learned that their
churches still received and fellowshipped
Shareholders, they listened to letters from
their missionaries defending the employment
OF sldvc-labor, and they then adjourned hay
ing done nothing! Yes, that expresses the
precise truth. They did nothing TO relieve
their missionary operations from the odium
and sin of conniving at oppression. 1t seems
to have awakened great Joy in many minds
that such should have been the result of the
meeting. The New York Observer is in ec-
stacies at the +" mastery inactivity, the let
alone, the do nothing" policy, which, to the
horror of multitudes even Of its own readers,
it u few months since recommended as the
proper course of NortheTn Christians on this
subject. Those members of the Board who
feel tiattered with the praises sounded thro'
that spcaling-trumpet of shareholders, will
OF course be delighted at the commentators
bestowed. Those, however, who justly sus-
poet that what suits the Observer and the
South, cannot be yerysdeiinitely or practical
ly opposed to slavery, viii grieve that the
Board has allowed another opportunity to es-
cape of correcting its position. For our
selves, we cannot say that we are much sur
prised at the direction which matters took.
Why should any definite, tangible action
have been expected? According to the old
maxim, lex nihilo nihil fit" From nothing
nothing comes') If the Board do not actually
feel disposed to separate their missions from
slavery, why should we expect them to do ii?
Where there is no disposition, there will, Of
course, be no action.
We hope to publish in a short time the
letter which the Choctaw mission addressed
to the Prudential Committee, that our read
ers may have Il clear understanding of their
side of the question. A more complete spe-
cimen ofsophistry we never read, by which,
however, we do not mean to deny that it
seems good reasoning to those who wrote il
and 10 those who endorse it. We shall en-
ter upon no reiutation of ii, however, till our
readers have the document before them.
Mr.. Treats letters, which take ground with
which in the main we fully concur, were no
endorsed by the Board, the Prudential Com
mittee, whose views they embody, stating
that it was not necessary or desirable, mas
much as they were not binding on the mis-
sions, but were only intended as suggestions
This strikes us as u remarkable position oil
ctth q CttiJCAts SOIIiillltltC tAN
amusing themselves and the public with
mere discussion with the missionaries, quit
interesting in its nature, but very unpractica
in its results. AS the Committee uuiortu
nately did not succeed in convincing tn
missionaries, the latter are 10 be allowed t
have their own way, Notwithstanding tn
suggestions" of the former! True, tn
Prudential Committee think it is about tim
that shareholders should be kept out of tn
mission churches, and that the missionarie
should cease using slave-labor, but IS the
cannot make their agents understand that W
are living in the middle of the nineteen,
century, things must remain as they are
Christianity has not been developed fl
enough TO become intolerant of oppression
We honestly grieve over the inaction of Il
Board, because we believe that it will injul
It's prospects and be detrimental to the mi
sionary cause. That cause is dear to Of
heart, as embodying the very spirit of Chri
family, and initiating the example of Chris
We fully s~ynpathize with all the other exc
cises which took place at Pittsfield. III
discussion respecting the lack Of men for 4
work was needed, and will do great goo
but 1t was Lot sufficiently thorough. We C
tell the Committee that the attitude of /
Board on the subject of slavery keeps ma.
young men from engaging in its servit
while the very existence of slavery in O
land prevents others from seeking a field
labor elsewhere, they believing that there
work TO be done at home more importc
than that abroad. We know of one Won
man whose heart was set for Years on I
missionary work, but who finally decided
remain ut home, in whose mind the questi
of slavery had the greatest weight. lie
that he could honor God more by laboring
the United States and throwing his influeI
against that system of oppression, III
Church and State should be purified from
polluting presence, than by leaving tn
millions OF heather bondmen at home al
disgrace to the Church, and going TO spe