Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-10-27
Movements among Orthodox Friends,

-
We copy what follows from The Non-Slavc-
holder, published in Philadelphia. Though wo
attach very little Importance to the particular
measure which that journal urges with SO much
zeal, we nevertheless rejoice to learn that Ortho-
dox Quakers are not totally and universally
dead to the claims of the slave. Is it not a
shame, that a large body of Friends, like the
Ohio Yearly Meeting, (Orthodox) "wAs NOT
PREPARED TO TAXI ANY ACTION" on such a sys-
TEN as Slavery? In the name of all that is
just and humane, what weye they prepared to
dol But to the extracts
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ONO FREE Pro
DUCE ASSOCIATION OF FRIENDs.-It is with
feelings of much satisfaction and encourage
ment that we are enabled to lay before our
readers the proceedings of the Annual meet
ing of this Association, including the Report
of the Managers, held on the 5th ult., in
Friends Meeting house at Short Creek. We
understand the subject of avoiding the use of
slave produce was largely discussed in the
Ohio Meeting for Sufforings- recently, indi-
eating an increased concern on the subject
amongst Friends. In the late Yearly Meet
ing OF Ohio, this important testimony also
received consideration, as appears by the
following paragraph, extracted from Ffien9s'
RcUieC =
"Ihe subject of slavery engaged much of
the attention of the meeting, and desires
were expressed that all our members might
be fully alive to the necessity of improving
every right opening to plead the cause of
this oppressed portion of the human family.
1t was cause of thanktulness to find that this
important branch of our testimonies is in
praoGInn in tntornef ,,,-.3 a.. Il
this Yearly Meeting, particularly in reference to
the use Of The produce Of SLAVE labor; and
though the meeting was not prepared to take
any action in relation to it, Friends were en-
couraged to attend to their individual con-
%victions of duty"
If we do not mistake the "signs of the
times" there are now indications in various
parts of the Society of Friends of an increas-
ing conviction that their testimony against
slavery is, indeed, not yet complete, and we
rejoice at these indications.
There is warning as well as instruction in
the slow steps by which the Society of
Friends emerged from a state of darkness,
as respects its position in relation to slavery,
In which its members not only held slaves
but imported them from Africa, and bought
and sold them in this country. The true
character of slavery has never been more
clearly portrayed nor more decidedly con-
demned than in a remonstrance to Philadel-
phia Yearly Meeting, from the German
Friends of Germantown in 1858, and vet
slaves were held by members of that meeting
nearly a century afterwards and subsequent
to the passage of the Pennsylvania act of
emancipation in 1850. An impartial exami-
nation of the history of that period shows
clearly, that what has been praised as "cau-
tious perseverance," and held up in the pre-
sent day as worthy of imitation, was really
a disgrace to the Society, being simply the
result of opposition to the jealous and indie
fatigable labors of a few faithful Friends from
those slaveholding members who were inilu-
enced by the same :elfishness, desire of gain,
and love of power which mark the general
character of Shareholders in the present day.
From the disgrace1ul delay in emancipa-
ting their slaves which thus arose in the So
ciety of Friends, a salutary lesson should be
learned by those who are now, by their prac-
tice in word and deed, standing opposed to
that complete testimony against slavery
which forbids a participation in its fruits and
q contribution OF the support by which it is
mainly sustained. We have no doubt that
the time will come when the present general
custom of Friends in purchasing and selling,
using and consuming the products of slave
labor will be regarded by their p~osterity with
the same establishment which we now feel
in contemplating the fact that our forefathers
both held slaves and imported them from
Africa.
The humane and enlightened of all Chris
tan and of some Mahommodan nations have
come 10 look upon the African slave trade
with such detestation and horror, that if the
fact were not well authenticated it could not
be credited that members of the Society of
Friends were allowed 10 engage in the dread
fil traffic up to a period almost within the
recollection of persons now living, notwith-
standing the sin of slave-trading and slave
holding was undoubtedly seen in its true
light by individuals for several successive
generations.
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