The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1849-01-13
For the Examiner.


points Of his logic in nutshell, and refutes bis
arguments by the reduefio ad absurdum. As
the second sober thought is generally the best,
il may be hoped, for the sake of the institution
and church with which Mr.. Shannon is con-
nected, that he will conclude not TO have the
aforesaid address stereotyped. The age in which
we live is one Of uncommon progression, and
il may be reasonably inferred, that the day is
not far distant, when a college with pro-
slavery president at its head, will not be any
too popular.
While giving TO the President Of Bacon Col
lege passing notice, II would not have been a
breach Of editorial courtesy. had you honored
the President Of Bethany with a similar con-
sPicuityi for he too il now q pros writer,
and may, perhaps, occasionally deal out the
new philosophy in Baccslaureate addresses to
the students Of his school. He has written a
series OF essays somewhat recently, defining
his position as TO American slavery, in which
he takes the ground, that slavery in itself is
right. That il is sanctioned by the Bible, and
becomes sinful only when the relation or power
is abused. He clearly asserts and defends the
justice of the abstract principle, but condemns
its abuse--leaving it, as a matter of course, to
every master TO determine for himself how far
no may 60 with the principle without abusing IL,
or SHINING against God. That may not misrep-
resen, him, will quote from one Of his essays.
He says: "We take the position, that as chris
tians, We can lawfully, under Christ, 60 no far
Their thah 10 exact from christian masters and
christian servants all that is comprehended in
| those precepts. We have no authority as chris
tians to 60 farther. We have no warrant to
annihilate the relation, but we have to enforce
the precepts."
Again he says: "The laws sustain it. and so
long as the laws sustain it, abstrsctly right OF
wrong, it is the duty of every christian man to
respect it. and to offer it no violence whatever"
This position of the President Of Bethany
gives rise to some intricate questions in morals.
Whether slavery be right or wrong, a christian
dare not give his opinions about 1t! Should
he regard il us ever unjust and wicked, he
dare not As a christian demonstrate against it.
All moral suasion with his christian brethren is
out of the question. He must, in a religious
or ecclesiastical point of view. give II his sane
ton, righ or crOng' So, then, all your efforts
to reach the consciences of masters on Bible
principles are highly improper. Should you
succeed in convincing christian masters that
they are doing wrong in holding their fellow
beings in bondage, you annihilate the relation,
and thus offend God. 1t matters not how the |
relation is created, whether by frasd, force, or |
mutual agreement, you must no, annihiLate il |
by arguments drawn from reason and revela- |
ton. This is certainly a new discovery in |
mora science. In the same essay he says: "a |
christian may by his pOte seek to annihilate or |
modify the relation, but he can 90 no farther as
a christian" He must turn politician, and |
fight under new name! II, however, as Mr.. |
Campbell says, the relation is of Divine authori- |
ty. cannot see how a christian can be jusii-
fable in voting its humiliation. Can he con.
sistently with the law Of Christ, abolish the |
marriage relation by his vote Certainly not
II, then, slavery rests on equal authority, and |
his religion fOrbids his meddling with il as a
what right has he TO disturb il at all
1t > IL problem that may well puzzle the
greatest logician, how thing can be wrong in
politics and right in religion. That Mr.. Camp
bell did, some years ago, regard slavery as
heinous sin, there can be no doubt. When he
issued his prospectus for the periodical he is
now publishing, he pledged himself to write
against it. Shortly afterwards, he was elected
to the Virginia convention. Some of the men,
bers Of that body, Mr.. Campbell among the rest,
seriously contemplated a provision in the new
constitution fer gradual emancipation. Mr..
Moore, Of ROckbridge county, made a strong
sP eech againstslavery, in which he attacked the
principle. denOuncng its injustice in the strong
est language he could command. Mr.. Camp
bell endorsed his views, published copious ex.
tracts from his speech, and recommended il TO
his readers in the highest terms of praise. In
that speech Mr. Moore uses the following lam
guage, which will be found in Mr.. Campbell's
paper in 1882. He says at is an act Of gross
injustice, tyranny and oppression to hold any
part Of the human race in bondage against their
consent. That the right TO the enjoyment of
liberty is one Of those perfect, inherent and in
llienable rights, which pertain TO the whole
human race, and Of which they never can be
Invested, except by an act Of gross injustice"
N order to impress these sentiments more
orcibiy on the minds Of his readers, Mr.. Camp-
ell remarked, THAT slavery, that largest and
'aekest blot upon the national escutcheon, that
n any headed monster, that Pandora's box, that
litter root, thai blghting and blasting curse,
nder which 50 fair and SO large portion of our
eloved country groans-that deadly Upas,
those breath pOlutes and poisons everything
'ithin Its irfuence-is now evoking the atten.
lon of this ancient commonwealth, in a man
er as unexpected as il lis cheering and irresisi-
lie to the phianthropis,. to every one, who has
heart to feel, tear to shed over human
or tongue to speak Of degraded
umanity."
After giving the details of his plan Of coloni-
'tion, he says, "that the sum of ten millions :,
hall be annually appropriated until the soil oil y
ar free and happy country, shall not be trod
the foot Of q slave, nor enriched by drop
his sweat or blood; that all the world NAV
sleve that We are not nation Of hypocrites, r
sorting thai all men have certain natural, in.
'rent rights, which in our practice we deny D,
I'd shedding crocodile tears over the fall of h,
'arsaw, and Illuminating for the revolution of .,
e Parisians, while We have millions of misera. to
. human beings at home, held in involuntary B,
ndage, ignorance, degradation and vice, bya