The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-06-09
THE SHORTER CATECHIsM, WITH SHORTER
ANSWERS

The New School Presbyterian General As
sembly, at its recent session at Buffalo, decided
with great unanimty that it is wrong and sin
full for Christians to dance--that u professor of
religion should not travel on Sunday, except to
and from church, or upon some errand of ne
cessity-and, that man may not marry his
niece. These questions were put to rest with
out disturbing the peace of Zion or the harmo-
ny of it's sanhedrim; but resolution proposing
to ascertain, by n committee Of the body resi-
ding within the slave States, the facts covered
by the three following queries, strained the
bonds of the ecclesiastical union near to crack
ing
That, with an express dsavowal of any in
tcntlon to be mpertinently inquisitorial, and
Tor the sole purpose OF arriving at the truth, so
as to correct misapprehensons and alay all
cauSeess irritation, u committee be appointed
of one from each of the Synods of Kentucky,
Tennessee, Missouri and Virginia, who shall be
requested to report to the next General Assem-
bly, on the following points:
81. The number Of shareholders in connec-
ton with the churches, and the number of
slaves held by them
-. The extent to which slaves are held
from an unavoidable necessity imposed by the
laws of the States tn, obligations of guardian
| ship, and the demands Of humanity.
% Whether the Southern churches regard
the sacredness OF the marriage relation, AZ 1T
exists among the slaves whether baptism IL
only administered to the children OF the slaves
protesting Christianity and, in general, 70
what extent and in what manner provision Is
made for the religious well being OF the en-
| shaved
This resolution was offered by the committee
to which had been referred the petitions OF
eleven Synods and Presbyteries Of the North
praying for particular information in REGARD
to the extent Of the practice of slaveholding il
tho Presbyterian church, and in regard also
to certain alleged aggrayations of it in the un
, christian and cruel treatment of the slaves
and one memorial from the South, complainin,
,. of the injustice of Northern brethren in charg
/. ing upon them practices of which they are no
f guilty sc.
= The discussion which arose upon this report
}, and the inquiry recommended, was all that i
). meant by exciting in religious body; bu
J., it had some sense and boldness on both sides
d The Rev. Benjamin Mills, of Kentucky, wen
|. bravely for the investigation. He castgate
a DIR. Ross of Tennessee, for treating the repor
q with ridicule he declared himself as Ken
# tuckian, ashamed to hear some of the apologize
!. and arguments in favor Of Slavery, offered b,
Northern men denounced the clustering an,
threatening with which the proposal was me
by members from both North and South, an,
a declared that he was himself willing to serv
=, on the Committee of Investigation, and name,
/ two other gentlemen - one of the Synod o
% Tennessee, and the other of Missouri - VIII,
% would also net. The Rev Mr. McIane, o
e Mississippi, tocd the mark like hero Plum,
o and plain he answered for Mississippi tina
o they would not receive such committee, bu
! he would answer the nterrogatories ff.hand
q "lf you ask how many Of our church member
{ are shareholders answer all who are able Il
4 BIO. IL you ask how many slaves they own,
answer, just as many as their means permit
I, And he notified the Assembly that the Syno,
1 Of Mississippi would secedo, in ease this actor
+ should be taken by the body.
The report was ably and effectively sustain
!. ed by Drs Montieth and Thompson but III
II debate was suddenly terminated by the movin
+ and carrying Of the previous question; aud tn