Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-04-13

extent the power Of strict consistency.
The first is dated l742.
"My employer having a negro woman
sold her, and desired me to write a bill Of
sale, the man being waiting who bought her.
The thing was sudden; and though | Ielt
uneasy at the thoughts of writing an ins,ru-
ment of slavery for one Of my fellow-crea-
lures, yet ! remembered ! was hired by the
year, that it was my master who directed me
to do it, and that it was an elderly man, a
member Of our society, who bought her; so
through weakness, | gave way, and wrote it
but at the executing OF it, | was so afflicted
in my mind, that ] said before my master and
the friend, that | believed slave-keeping 10
be a practice inconsistent with the Christian
religion. = = y = = Some time after
this, a young man Of our society, spoke TO
me to write a conveyance Of a slave to him ;
lie having lately taken a negro into his house.
] told him | was not easy TO write it; for
though many Of our meeting, and in other
places kept slaves, ! still believed the prac-
tice was not right; and desired to be excused
from the writing. | spoke to him in good
will and he told me that keeping slaves was
not altogether agreeable TO his mind but
that the slave being a gift made to his wife,
he had accepted her,"
The second extract was written in 1855.
San ancient man Of good esteem in the
ntighborhooJ, came 10 10y home TO get his
will written. He had Young negroes; and
l asked him privately how he p%urposed 10
dispose of them. lie told me; | then said,
! cannot write thy will without breaking my
own peace; and respectfully gave him my
reasons for it,. He signiGed ne had a choice
] should have written it; but as | could not,
consistently with my conscience, he did not
desire IL; and so he got it written by some
other person. A few years after, there being
great alterations in his family, he came again
TO get me to write his will. His negroes
were yet young and his son, to whom he
intended 10 give them, was, since he first
spoke TO me, from a liberline become a sober
young man and he supposed that | would
have been free on that account TO write it,
We had much friendly talk on the sub
ltCt, ana tlEn utitIT6u Is ~ Few ud1S dIltI
he came again, and directed their freedom, |
then wrote his will.
"A neighbor received a bad bruise in his
body, and sent for me to bleed him which
havins done, he desired me TO write his will.
] took notes; and amongst other things, he
told me to. hich of his children he gave his
young negro. ! considered The pain and dis
uess he was in, and knew not how it would
end so | wrote his will, save only that part
concerning his slave, and carrying it to his
bedside, read it 10 him. I then told him in
a friendly way, that | could not write any
instrument ty which my fellow creatures were
made slaves, without bringing trouble on my
own mind. + r y = We then had a
serious conference on the subject; at length,
he agreeing 10 set her free, | finished the
will"
Anthony Benezet, another devoted cham
pion of the negroes cause in early times,
was an active member of the Society Of
Friends. As Woolman, succeeded Lay, so
Benrzet succeeded Woolman. Whittier
thus groups ihem:-
"Lay's ardent soul-and Benrzetth The mild,
S,eddfast in faith, yet gentle as "A child
Meek-hearted Woolman."
Benezet wrote and published much against
slavery and engaged in an extensive cores
pondence with those who he thought would
feel interested in promoting its overlhrow.-
Among his correspondents were Sharpe,
tNbiiEalI and WaSlar H. uuac aopacial-
ly interested in the welfare of the free-color-
ed people, and established schools among
them. He was himself an instructor in one
Of them and in his will directed that after
the death of his widow, his entire fortune
which was the saving of fifty years of in
~dusiry-should, with the exception of a few
small legacies, be applied TO its support
His anti.slavery efforts were energetic and
well directed and he was one who never
wearied in any work that could benefit hu.
mainly. Clarkson says,
"Anthony Benezet, may be considered a:
one of the most Jealous, yigilant and active
advocates, which the cause of the oppressed
Africans ever had. lie seemed to have BEER
poth anu 10 nave liFed TOT the ptohlolloh OF
it,and therefore he never omitted the least op
portunity of serving it,"
He lived a long life Of active benevolence
and when his remains were TO be committed
TO The earth, they were followed to their las
resting place by thousands, and amid tn
crowd that surrounded the grave were hun
dreds Of colored men whom he had person
ally benefited, and who felt that he was alst
The hanefactnr of The raca. An nnicer of LII.