The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1852-03-28

C00x0Ce
ter, Design, and Ehrect-Anta-slayery.
The lecture season, which is now all bat closed,
has proved to be very unproductive one, notwith-
standing the great number Of laborers in the field
The most popular series that delivered in Broad
way Tabernacle, under the title of the "People's
Lectures" This course, chiefly in consequence of
the small charge for tickets, attracted largo
audiences, the attendance averaging perhaps fifteen
hundred night and as the half Of the receipts
was paid to the lecturers it will be seen that these
individuals brought their pigs to a good market.
Some few Of the productions possessed considerable
interest; but the majority of them the merest
trash; having no merit to warrant their being read
to an intelligent audience. There was, however,
prominent feature apparent in mostly every one
of them, tending to prove that there was a certain
unity Of design in their preparation and that all
were intended to subserve the same object-that
feature was the sentiment Of abolitionism, with
which they were deeply tnged.
When this course Of lectures was announced, at
the beginning ofAhe winter. the originators of it
kept behind the scenes, concealing their names
from the public. Some of them were abolition cdi-
tors, and the rest preachers and advocates of anti
slavery; and being well known in the community
for the violence of their opinions, and the reckless
of their co duct this subject they felt con-
vneed that, if it generally known that they
were the prominent movers in the scheme of
insidious propagandicm, it would fail for want
Of support. Consequently they kept in the
background themselves; but they selected as
their instruments in this game some of the bit
terest anti-slavery agitators Of New England.
From this and other circumstances, we foresaw the
drift Of this plan, which was represented by the
abolition journals Of this city as being of most
laudable, beneficial, and philanthropic character.
We were convinced that, though its avowed purpose
was the dissemination Of useful knowledge, yet the
real motive and design of its managers was to make
it the vehicle for propagating their own dangerous
ideas And we so stated in an editorial article. at
that time. Our anticipations in this respect have
been fully verified by the lectures since delivered.
Though none of them openly took slave institutions
topic for their dscourses, yet all, with or
two exceptions, branchcd into it, and brought the
artillery Of their eloquence against the men and
things of the South, taking advantage Of the large
assemblies who had met for amusement or instruc
ton, to introduce this subject, which was entirely
foreign to the occasion.
Those who have attended this course, and listen
ed to the vague, inflated noralizing of Mr.. Mann;
the dreamy, speculative ultrasms Of the transcen-
dental Emerson; the impetuous, revolutionizing
rawlings Of the irreverent Henry Ward Bcecher, and
the Sinking, pharsaical delineatons Of loaferism
by Mr.. Patton and much other stuff similar in kind
but inferior in quality must have felt the impress
sion that, though in all these productions there was
nothing valuable in itsclf-no new fact expounded,
or new idea developed in morality, science, litera-
ture-yet they were all deeply imbued with the
leaven Of abotionism, which permeated them all,
and made their design and end apparent.
Thus, these lectures were the cloak used for
the purpose of propagating pernicious principles.
They the vehicle through which the poison of
disunion might be infused into the community with
the greatest effect. Anti-slavery doctrines were
artfully inwoven into them, and very few Of the lee
turers failed to make use Of the opportunity ac-
quired, by Misrepresentation, to denounce the cha
racter of Southern planters and their institutions.
This subject the 6 snake in the grass whose
folds their long-winded sermonizings sure to
develope. And in this insidious, designing manner,
did the abolitionists in this city seek to spread
their doctrines, regardless of the serious consc-
quences in which they might and did involve the
community.
The effect Of thus publicly countenancng an
agitation which knows bounds and breads no
consequences, must necessarily be to make the cti-
| zens Of Southern States avoid city where such
things not only tolerated but encouraged. The
| patronage and support which our mercantile and
trading classes give to journals professedly cstab-
| lished on anti-savery principles must have the
| effect of depriving themselves of those benefits
which they would derive from Southern traders.
The hotels and places Of public amusement are, in
consequence of the system, likewise seriously
affected by the comparatively small number of
Southern visters who now come to New York.
So general is the evil done by thus fomenting dis
sension between North and South, that, as we have
learned from good authority, the number of visters
from the South, now in New York. is thirds less
than the average number in former seasons 1t
would be impossible to estimate the extent Of the
injuries inflicted on the industrial classes of the
city from the causes We have specified; but we
have been informed of one incident which will serve
a very good illustration OF them.
A few weeks since, eight gentlemen, who had
come here from the South to make large mercantile
purchases, happened to 60 into the Tabernacle, to
hear one Of the peoples lectures. The lecturer,
might have been expected, made ddom, and in
troduced the slavery topic, indulgng in some most
abusive and insulting observations the character
Of Southern planters and their institutions, which
elected much applause and some Kisses. Justly in
dignant that this highly improper conduct should
he encouraged in public assembly, these gentle
men met next morning, and, on dcliberation, re-
solved that they would eyince their sense Of the
insult by declining to deal with the merchants of
New York, and, on the same day, they took their
departure for Philadelphia, where they transacted
that business which they had intended TO do here
This incident should demonstrate with sufficient
force and cleaness the results which must nscessa-
rily accrue to citizens from persistng in lending
their countenance and support TO such agitating
schemes as that of the peoples Lectures" The
community has already suffered much injury from
the favor they have shown to set of unprincipled
dpmagogues, who are actuated by no higher senti-
ments than those Of vanity and self esteem; and