Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-06-08

After Parker Pillsbury had concluded his
remarks, Wendell Phillips addressed the
meeting as follows;
Mr.. Chairman-I feel as much regret as
my friend who has Just taken his seat, at be-
ing obliged to address the audience that has
assembled here, TO listen to some discussion
on the subject of American Slavery, and l
would with him most gladly be excused from
this duty to-day. Indeed | suppose we
should all be gladly excused from coming
here year after year TO lift up our voices, and
record our protests against the Church and
the State: against all that is sacred and holy
is the estimation of the community in whose
EtiGst we live. No one can suppose That we
are doing . work hich is very pleasant to
ourselves. He must be a mailman who vii.
lingly sacrifices his good name, and his pros
poets Of comfort and social respect, of ease,
ot literary enjoyment, Of whatever his taste
&rsay dictate, to the s,erner self sacrificing du.
ty of awaking the community TO a sense Of its
duty. Now Mr.. Chairman, without mean
ing 70 aGrogate to ourselves any superior en-
iiehtenmeut, or any superior virtue in our ap-
pedls TO The mass o! those that look upon our
daily lives, it would be equally mad in us to
pursue the course that we do, TO organise the
association TO which we belong, TO spend our
lives in the labors to which we are devoted,
If we did moi think that we wero possessed
of a principle of vital If appearance to the we'll
being Of the American people, We DO not
come TO tickle your ears with an amusing
sale, 10 startle you with vain words, TO dis
gust you merely by strong expressions; we
come not here with any motives OF this sort.
You must take our lives as the only evidence
which we can give you Of the sincerity OF our
convictions, and we must trust to the candid
consideration of the audience, and the public
before which we are constantly arrdigned, for
a consideration of The arguments upon which
those convictions are based, appealing still 10
lhe verdict Of posterity, 10 determine whether
we are moi after all in the right-whether,
strange as our language, radical as our prin-
ciples, startling as our position may be, that
after all the absolute truth is not with us, and
1t is you are blinded by the errors of the day,
by temporary delusion, by prejudice, by edu-
'cation,--by the interests Of your position, by
tho giimmer that the magnificence of social
prosperity, and a widespread church organl-
cation have thrown over your eyes.
We are charged every year with introdu-
cling new tests into the Anti. Slavery agita-
lion. Those who differ from US are constant
Nv averring that they stand where the Anti
Slavery enterprise stood in its best and palm
lest days, and that we are fanatical, and i'm
practicable reformers who they care not TO
follow. On the contrary we affirm that when
NC laid Town the principle that Slavery was
a sin, we adopted the line of conduct which
we have pursued ever since and we chal-
lenge the logic of the community to discuss,
whether there is any point at which the
Church or the State can stop short of our Po-
sition whenever it is allowed that Slavery is
a sin. The essential principle Of the Anti
Slavery cause is, that Slavery is a sin and
in the full spirit of Christianity we have pro-
claimed that it is the duty, The immediate du-
" OF the sinner 10 cease 10 sin. And when
the promulgation Of this principle had tested
The moral state and character Of the nation,
when we found as we went lower dow into
the state of The national mind, that The rami.