The New York herald., 1849-05-10
The Anniversaries.

The Anniversaries.
We are now in the midst of the New York ami
yersares-those assemblages of Moralists, Chris
tans Philosophers, Atheists, Saints, and Sinners,
who are generally brought together at this season
Of the year. to exhibit the curosities of the mind
and amuse and instruct their generation
During the last few days we have been enabled
to place before the country fuller and more accu-
rate reports of these anniversaries than have ever
been hitherto presented to the American people.
The interest and influence of such assembages
have, without doubt, been increasing for some
years past; full account Of their progress and of
their opinions seems, therefore, to be necessary
part of journalism, and of the history of own
extraordinary age. Fifteen years ago, solitary and
alone, we commenced this curious historical re-
cord in the columns of this journal How vastly
both the meetings and the journal which recorded
them have grown into importance since that time
Already about half dozen of these assemblages
have been recorded in our columns, most of them
of an ordinary and commonplace character, dis
closing movements made to forward religion and
morality upon the old plan, with the old weapons
money, music, and melancholy. Nothing of
very exciting or interesting character has been
hlbited, except in that assembiage where we find
the original agitators of anti-slavery assuming an
important position, relating to the history of their
past transactions, and disclosing what they mean
to do in future.
Anti-slavery is a species of socialism of Amerl-
can growth. During the last ten or twelve years,
we have had importations of foreign socialism, both
from France and England, and, singular to relate,
he French system of socialism seems TO have sur
passed in popularity and progress that of any other
foreign manufacture Of the kind. The antslavery
agiators, now assembling in this city, are boasting,
day and night, ofthe success, thus far, which they
have achieved in partially disorganlsing the two
old parties, and forcing both of them to assume
more or less their own ultra ground. In one of the
speeches made at one of their meetings, the speak
er congratulated his auditors upon the fact that
they had forced John Quincy Adams to take the
ultra ground he had assumed long before his death,
and that they, by their agtations, had compelled
both the whig and democratic parties at the North
to come out as far as they had already done, upon
what is called the free soil question.
We think there is some ground for these agita-
tors in taking this amount of credit to themselves.
But they do not confine their operations or denun-
Cations to the political parties of the day We
perceive that these men, with degree Of energy
and recklessness without parallel, deneunce al
most the whole Christian church of the land,
aad hur condemnation against the whole uody of
clergy, for the course which this class of public
teachers has pursued for some years past. Thus,
we find that politicians and politics, cergymen and
the church, the constitution and the laws-in a
word all the settled Institutions of the country
meet with the general denunciation and condem
nation of these agtators, because slavery exists IN
the Southern States, and they cannot reach the
evil, as they call it, there, and root IT out.
There can be no doubt but that these agltators,
whe have generally sprung from Boston, and who
only come to New Y ork annually To pour out their
opinions and denunciatlons here, have operated to
an extraordinary extent upon the public mind of the
North, during the last twenty years Under their
influence, the anti-slavery party was organized in
the general election OF 1914, and poled over 6o,ooO
votes at their very first effort. Under the same
influence, though with slightly different name,
the free soil party organized In the North, and
four or five times many votes were poled, laying
foundation for the complete disorgansatlon OF
the old whig and democratic parties. The anti
slavery men may, therefore, take credit to them
selves withou, grounds, tor obtaining victory
over both the great factions which hitherto have
governed the country, by opening the door to
a state Of things which must inevitably bring the
North and South in dreadiuly hostile array against
each other, at an early day, and possibly even at
the next session of Congress.
The proceedings and the speeches at some Of
these anniversaries, therefore, have an important
and practical bearing uron the progress of public
events of general and national character. The
anti slavery men are, however, not alone in the
bus,ness. The socialists of the French school
belong, in degree, to the same formation, and are
included in the same category. Albert Bnsbane
has lust come back from France, from which coun-
try he has been ordered away by the government,
in consequence of his nfammatory speeches upon
the subject of socialism at some of the meetings OF
the socialists at PARIS The socialists on this side
of the water, whose organ is the New York T'1-
b1me and its coteries, and who received the hrst
germ Of their doctrine from philosopher Brisbane,
are also very busy, and will exhibit themselves IN
their speeches, debates, and their love-feasts, to
the admiration, the surprise, and the laughter OF
the community
But there is one feature connected with this sim
guiar agitation Of all descriptions, which begins to
awaken the attention of sobriety and seriousness.
They appear to be approaching towards general
union and combination with each other in work.
ing upon the public mind In such way and shane
as utterly to dsorganze tho two old parties, and TO
throw the whole country into violent disagree
ment and disunon upon the question of anti.
slavery, the results of which may be seen in the
next Congress-
1t ls in this point Of view, to which we wish to
direct the attention OF the community, that these
hoc'esies are important, tss sney Oes1n 70 exAIstt