Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1852-09-25
WHOLE NO. 365.

!
Of slaves, said; al will not, cannot Justify
l.. However culpablc ny concict, win ~
far pay my devoir 10 virtue, rs 10 own tho
excellence and recliiude Of hcr lrccepts,
aud lament my want Of conformity 10 thrnL"
AZ this very period, IN the Legislature OF
Maryland, on bill for The relief Of oppress-
cd slaves, young man, afterwards, by his
conslunmate learning and forensic powers,
the acknowledged head of the American
bar William, Piclney. in a speech Of earn
est, truthful eloqiicnce--belicr far for hs
monoyy than bis tralisendant professional
iame--brandud Slavery MS "iuiquiinus and
mos, dishonoralle y "ioundcd iu dsgrace-
ftl traffic !" "os shameful in continuance as
in origin;p aud he openly declared that,
"by the eternal principles Of natural justice,
no master in the Stute has right 10 bold
his slave n sugIc hour"
THUS at this iinio spoke the NArIoS. The
CHuncn also joined Us voice. And here,
amidst The di,efsities of religious fifth, il is
instructive TO observe the general accord
The Qnakefs first bore their testimony. At
tho adoption of the Constitution their whole
body, under the eally teachings OF George
Fox, aud by the crovning excriion Of Hen
czct aud Woolnlan, Ind become an organized
baud of Aboliioilisis. penetrated by tie con-
liction that il was unlawful 10 hold fellow
man in bondage. The Mcihodists, numcr-
ous, earnest, nnd faitliin, never ceased ly
their preachers TO proclaim tie same ruth.
Their rules in 1873 denounced in formal
language " The buying or selling of bodies
nnd souls Of men, women and children, with
AN intention to enslnvc fbcm.n The words
of their great apostle, John Wesley, were
constantly repeated. On the eve Of tho
National Convoniion, tho burning tract was
circulated in which he exposes American
Slavery as the "vesiv of the world" such
Slavery us is not iouud among the Turks af
Agirrs" --Gnd, niicr declaring liberty The
binhriglIt OF every human creature, Of which
no human law can deprive him" lac pleads:
ll,therclore, you have any regard 10 justice
| TO say nothing OF mercy or the revealed
law of Godl reudcr unto all their due. Give
liberty In whom liberty is due, that is, TO
every child Of mnn, TO every partnkcr Of
human nature" AZ tie same time the Pres
byterinns, a powerful religious body, inspired
4 10y the principles Of Jollu Calvin, in more
moderate language, bat Ivy public nct, re-
corded ilieir Judgment, recommended "io
all the people under their care, 10 use tho
most prudent measures consistent with The
interest and the state Of civil society, 10 pro.
cure eueniualiy tae faai aboiiion Of iSlaucry III
.1merica.n Tie Congregaiioualisls Of New
4 Englnld, also Of ihe iniill Of John Calvin,
aud viii the hatred OF Slavery belonging 70
TIC great non-coulorniisi, Richard Baxter,
were stcrnly united against this wrong. AS
early as 1776 Samuel Hopkins, their eml-
neut leader aud divine, published his tract
showing il 10 he the Duty and Interest of
the American States TO Enaucipaie all their
| African slaves, and declaring that Slavery
is in every instance wrong, unriglIieous, aud
] oppressive very great and cry ing sin
there being noling of tho kind equal To il
OH the face Of the Garth" And, in l79l,
shortly nltcr the adoption of the Constitution.
the second Jonathan Edwards, u twice.llon-
ored name, in an elaborate discourse often
published, called upon his country, "in the
| present blaze OF light" OH the injustice OF
| Slavery, to prepare the way for " lis total
abolition" This he gladly thought at hand.
"lf we judge the future by the pnst," said
] the celebrated preacher, "wiIlin fifty years
! from this time, it will be as shameful for
man TO hold u negro slave us 10 be guilty OF
common robbery or theh.n
! Thus, nj this limc the Church in harmony
with the Nation, by It's leading denomnn-
| tons, Quakers, Methodiss, Presbyterians,
aud CougrcgalionuIists, Numbered against
/ Slavery. The COLLEGES were in unison
With tie Church. Harvard University spoke
10y the voice of Massachusetts, Which had
already abolished Slavery. Dartmouth Col
legc, by one of its learned professors, claim
ed Tor the slaves "equal privileges with the
whites" Yale College, 10y its president, the
eminent divine, ezra Stiles, became tie head
of the Abolition Society OF Connecticut
And the University of William aud Mary, in
Virginia, testified lis sympathy with this
cause at this very Time, hy comforting upon
Granville Sharp, tho ackno owIedged chief of
British Abolilonisls, the honorary degree oil
Doctor OF Laws.
The LITERATURE of the land such as then
existed, agreed with the Nation, The Church,
aud The College. Franklin, ia his last liter
AIRY labor of his life; Jefferson, in his notes
on Virginia; Barlow, in his measured verse
Rush, ia II work which inspired the praise OF
Clarkson the ingenious author Of the Alge-
rine Caplve-the earliest American novel,
aud though now but little known, one of ile
earliest American books republisiIed in Lon
don-were all moved 10y the contemplation
Of Slavery. III our icllow-ciiizens of the
Southern States are deaf to the pleadings OF
nature" the latter exclaimed in his work, Z"
will conjure them, for the sake of consisleI-
cy, to cease To deprive their ielow-creutures
OF freedom, which their writers, their orators,
representatives and senator's and even their
constitution of Government, have declared
10 he the iualieable birllIriglll of man."
Such, sir at the adoption of The Conslitu-
ton and al the first organization of the Ma
tionnl Government, was the outspolen, une-
quiyocu heart OF the country. Slavery was
dbllored. Like the slave trade, il was re-
garded as temporary; und, by muny, il was
supposed they would both disappear together.
: Voices of freedom filled the air. The pa-
triot, the Christian, the scholar, The writer,
We'd in loyalty TO this cause. AL were
: Abotionisis
Glance now at the earliest Congress under
the Constitution. From various quarters
memorials were nresented 10 thia Indy