The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-08-21
reputation Of the best kind Of piety-the benef.
cent. Such was the Samaritan in the parable.
With high respect A SusscRrsER
COTTON ETHICS AND THEOLOGY.
To tie Editor of the National Era =.

I
Sir Ever since numbers Of the merchants law.
yers, and ministers Of this city and vicinity. in
subserviency TO the cotton interest Of the coun-
try inculcated passive obedience 10 uncousttution
al and wicked laws, and promulgated the doctrine
that the Union, the commercial prosperity and &c
clesiastica peace Of these States were Of more inn
portance than that righteousness which e1alteth a
nation, we have been accustomed to hear Of cot
ton parsons" cotton merchants,n cotton politi-
clans, and cotton lawyersn II not the most
dgnifed, 1t is the most significant term that could
be used TO describe such persons. As might have
been predicted, these, " when the shoe pinches. .
have been loud in repelling what they consider a
SANDER. One Of our widely circulated religious
papers, The NeW York Obsvpey, considers the use
Of the term cotton theology an attack upon the
church Of Christ in this landn and the {" rel-
gion' of the country, II the theOlogians and lay
professors alluded to comprise the church, as ia
claimed, IL rebuking them is attacking fhe religion
ofthe country, surely much ifnot all that has been
said against the ministry, the church. the religion
mot the Christianity or this nation BY "the Gar.
risons, the Pillsburys and the Kelleys" mentioned
by the Observer, is true. But the claim is mon
strousl As well might that weekly claim that it is
me religious newspaper Of the United States that
its editors the defenders Of the faith and that
its subscribers compose The church militant We
apprehend their modesty will not allow them open
ly and distinctly to assert such q claim
Taking up paper Of this city, of mammoth
size not the journal Of Commerce gentle reader,
but sheet equally cotton, entitled The Dry
Goods Reporter and Commercial GlGaos, we find an
article on Religious Action on Political AffairsD
which is as fair sample Of cotton ethics, as the
sermonso Of certain D. d 3 have been Of cotton the
oogy. For the enlightenment Of those, in town and
country, who as yet are unskied in the art Of win
~ eustoFN ~ soOle"sa hv teuckljng to dema-
gogues slaveholders OF souIpurc6asers Of any sort
will present brief view Of the religion, mAnli-
X = <, s25iS-, 81 tbs eOmWercial DsnsESs->l--a
ed. IL seems that an sttache Of the Reportfr
under the head Of The Prospect" made the fol-
lowing statement
AT all Sunday Schools, and in every way in
which religious instruction has been impaired 20
Northern youth, by societies protesting religion
that religion has been prostituted to the promo.
ton Of English political schemes, and whole
generation has grown up under prejudces inocu-
lated by English political agents operating through
religious societies.
Immediately, as might have been expected.
some officer or friend Of the AMERICAN SUNDAY
School UNION addressed reply TO the editor, in
which he vindicates the society against the un-
founded aspersion, as did "another warm and
sincere friend Of the editor 1t appears extraor-
binary as IL may seem, that they understood the
statement to be tantamount to q charge against
Sunday School Societies as teachers, or forming
the teaching Of Abolitionismp The letter of the
friend Of the A. g. s Union Is as follows:
PHILADELPHIA June 3, 1851.
"MY DEAR Sir: was very much surprised at
the accusation you brought in the last number of
the Reporter, against Sunday School Societies
as teachers or forming the teaching Of Abolition
ism. am mistaken il some Of your best friends
and patrons in New York, who are actively en-
gagged in these societies and schools are not equal
ly surprised.
$50 far is the charge from being correct II re-
ferriDg to the AMERICAN Sunday School onion, the
great central Society Of the country, whose publ
cations furnish great proportion Of the means Of
instruction, that this institution has been for
many years especially honored with the hatred of
your Abolitonists Your worthy fellow citizen.
Lewis Tsppan, has msde it the subject of pamph-
the Methodist Church South supplies it's depOsito-
res chiefly from the American Sunday School
Union for the use Of its Sunday Schools and
many of the best friends of the Society are resi-
dents Of the South The truth u.s. the Society
Avoids all interference wHh The subject Of Slavery in
the schools and libraries.
"Your statement is calculated TO increase the
excitement at the South which you are anxious
to allsy. They know no Sunday School Society
at the North but the American Sunday School
Union, to which they are large contributors, and
which possesses their entire con6dence-to 80 great
a degree that the Governor Of Georgia, In spe-
cial message recommended the purchase Of libra
ries for each district Of its publications. You
now tell them, leave them 10 infer that this So
oiety is greatly fomenting prejudices against the
South, and that the consequence will be an in
crease OF evaporation so far as credited.
Z" hope you will do oil that truth and equity re.
quire to correct the erroneous impression your
statement has made, as your mistake Is a very
grave one, and in this crisis peculiarly wgfOrfH-
nate one.
"The depository Of the Society is at No. i47
Nassau street, New York"
This remarkable letter speaks for itself Who
the writer is we know not The editor ofthe Re-
porter says he iss gentleman literally eduoated,
who chose merchandise rather than literature for
his vocation-a gentleman OF the highest, purest,
and most elevated character" Let the readers Of
the Era Judge For ourselves we merely say, the
craven spirit Of the letter entities the writer,
whoever he may be, TO the appellation Of >" Cotton
merchant
! !. The editor Of the Reporter proceeds TO state
his own views, (Which, perhaps he says, from
too much difidence, we have not heretofore ex-
pressed We have not room for his declaration
Of sentiment entire, and must therefore conhne
ourselves 10 few sentences that fairly represent
the whole article
= awe believe that all true Bile Chriaiday will
be found sustaining the Constitution and laws Of
this country, even TO the support Of the dsmesfsc
institutions of The South We believe that the va
rious orthodox gous societies Of this country
and In particular those referred 10 by our cores
pondents have, almost without exception, adhered
TO this principle TO enlighten the conscience and
leave IL to answer TO It's Greater but do not enlist
II against the "powers that be y when conscience
Is not oppressed. IL Is rather delicate
matter for commercial writer TO discuss Theology
but perhaps there never was an occasion, when
the interests Of commerce and the truths Of reli-
gion more clearly conceded Under the
Jewish Theocracy, divine government Of pc
ouiar people, re soued from the vices and corrup-
lions Of surrounding hesthenlsm, slavery was per-
mitted snd fully recognised all that the Almigh-
ty did through his lswgivers was 10 place checks
upon the abuse Of power. Under the new
dispeDsaton Of the Saviour slavery still existed In
various forms II was might he social evil, per-
haps violation Of supposed naturalright and one
that demagogue would not have besitated 10 have
aalxHinpo to gain political power. st Paul
49, 16tk q runaway slave 10 his owner :. In
ms&t q bis most apt, forcible, and elegant Illus
tr1tiono, he draws his arguments from this insti-
tuition ofslavery, never oondemning IL, bat show
ing that IL was n dispensation Of Providence,
by no means 10 be drawn into an excuse for rail-
ing at the government of human affairs. e.
Much Of the opposition 10 the law and the Con-
stitution, on the part Of the Northern clergy,
comes FROM men Of doubtful private character, and
we know IT, II is q part Of their trade to get mo-
ney, and something else. 80. The writer OF
one Of the letters we have given 10 gentleman Of
education and refinement, and carried their infd-
ence with him into mercantile life. We thank
him for reminding us Of oer dutyj to him we trust
we have excused ourselves, and so, too, 10 those
readers who, taught by the word Of God, know
how 10 regard human institutions-necessities
without perfection, bat submitted 10 10 avoid
greater and more dreadful evis--those Of disor.
der, fanaticism, and the Liberty Of crimen