The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-09-02
For the National Era.
EXPLORATIONS.

mainly should undertake 70 at the tongue out
OF every author honest enough TO denounce
the enormity, is just what we might expect.
Having made the slave dumb, so that he can
not plead for himself it only acts ont It's true
character when it endavors to make dumb all
who would plead for him. Aboitionists do
good work when they expose and denounce
the attempts to expurgate from our literature,
sacred and profane, the eaven of free sent-
ments. But they should be cautious Their
rebukes may be too denunciatory. Their con-
formations are unjust and extravagant When
this is the case, they recoil upon themselves,
and good cause is wounded by its own
friends. To what extent Anti-Slayery men
may have erred here, / cannot tell In one
case, however, think they are wrong They
have charged the Presbyterian Church (Old
SCHOOL, with some things of which it is not
guilty 1t has been frequently affirmed that
the General Assembly of that church, through
its Board of Publication, expurgated page of
Anti-Slavery matter from Keith on the Prophe-
cies" The facts are these: The Board own
no press they get all their printing done by
contract. In l845, they adopted Keiths work
entire, las they adopt every other book they
publish and ordered it to be printed. The
pIOOi-Shccb cut Oub lut DdHt
on his own responsibility, and the Board knew
nothing of it until the edition was partly
through the press. As soon as they learned
the fact, they stopped the press re-inserted the
exscinded page, and haze published the Work
entire euer since. These explanations were
given in the Assembly of 1916, of which was
member. have examined the issues of the
work made since, and find it whole.
1t has also been laid to the charge of the As
sembly, that in the new hymn book adopted
in 1912 it left out anti-slavery matter that had
been in the old That one .stanza is omitted
is undeniably true. | know of no more. |
am truly sorry that this much was done. But
is the Assembly to be blamed for it ! | was IA
member of that Assembly 80 was Brother
Bradford, now n member of the re Pres
byterian Church Other good Anti-Slavery
brethren were also members. Nothing was
said in the Assembly about that omission. 1t
was in one adopted by the Assembly of 1881,
which never went into general use in the
church. For my part, knew but very little
about that book, and did not know that it con-
tanned such verse presume it was so with
many, if not with most of the members of the
Assembly But were not the committee who
compiled the new hymn book, guilty? If they
were, the whole Church and the whole As
sembly ought not to be charged with this sin,
unless it can be shown that they were apprized
of it, This cannot be done. The following,
from the pen of a prominent member of that
committee Rev r. J. Breckenridge, d. d., of
Kentucky, will help to show how far, as a
committee they are to be blamed:
"All the members of the committee, except
my brother, Rev. John Breckenridge, and my
self, were from the North, and not one of them,
am convinced, ever had the slightest desire,
motive, feeling, or principle, that would lead
them to favor slavery, much less to use dlshon-
orably sacred trust to promote indirectly the
interests of that unhappy institution. Nor is
it possible that they could have done anything
of the sort rs members Of that committee,
without my knowing it. My brother and N.Y.
SELF the only Southern members of the com
mittee who participated largely in its labors,
it is well known, never considered slavery in
any other light than as an institution hostile
to the rights, the duties the happiness and in
| terests of mankind and therefore no two men
on earth were less likely to do the act which
it appears, some are reckless enough to charge
US with"
Now, how or why the verse in question was
left out, | do not know. Perhaps William s
Mastien's proof-sheet reader can tell But
that the committee who compiled the book did
not leave it out on pro-slavery grounds, is evi
dent, not only from the testimony of DIR
Breckenridge, but from the fact that they re-
tanned much anti-slavery matter in the book
they prepared There are number of anti
slavery psalms which my good old friend, Rev
Dyer Burgess, used to thunder out at our Ado
lition meetings with terrible effect. These are
all in the new book A writer in a late mum
Der of the Chriaia Press tells us that the fol
lowing verse has been left out of his hymn
book, viz:
| Blessings abound wheree he reigns:
| The joyful prisoner bursts his chains,
| The weary find eternal rest,
| And all the of want are best"
This verse is in the Assembly's book and
in another version of the same Psalm, (72d
these lines are found:
| His justice shall avenge the poor
! And pride and rage prevail no more
| With power he vindicates the just
| And treads the oppressor in the dust"
In the 6sth Psalm, first part, L. NJ, we have
| these words:
Z" In Him the poor and helpless find
Judge that's Just, Father kind
| He breaks the captive's heavy chain,
And prisoners see the light again
Such verses as these often occur in the Psalms
and Hymns
58TH PSALM.
l. Judges who rule the world by laws,
VIII ye despise the righteous cause
When vile oppression wastes the land
Dare We condemn the righteous poor,
And let rich sinners seape secure,
While gold and greatness bride your hand ?
2. Have We forgot or never knew
That God will judge the judges too
High in the heavens his justice reigns
Yet you invade the rights of God,
And send your bold DEGREES abroad
To bind the conscience in your chain
SD PSALM.
Why will We frame oppressive laws,
Or why support tho unrghteous cause
When will We defend the poor
That foes may vex the saints no more y
I35TH PSALM
Through every age the Lord declares
His name, and breaks the oppressors rod Sc.
l29rH HYMN.
The prisoner here may break his chains,
The weary rest from all his pains
The captive feel his bondage cease,
| The mOurner find the way Of peace
| 572D HYMN
| 60 to men in darkness sleeping
Tell that Christ is strong TO save
| Go To men in bondage weeping,
| Publish Jreed0m 10 he siaU, 80
| 63srH HYMN
| There rest the prisoners now released
| From slayery's sad abode;
No more they hear the oppressors voice,
Or dread the tyrants rod ;"
The hymns from which the last two verse:
are taken are an The near hymn book, but rer.
not IN the old Surely they are Anti Slavery
Besides, the titlepage of the book tells US that
these Psalms and Hymns are adapted to be
sung by the Church in the United States. Car
we in the United States read or sing of "ty
rants" and "oppressors," and rods" anC