Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1853-03-26
T II E B U GLE.
Explanation and Defence.

BAPlhuutlVH unu DtltHtt,
Since the publication of my speech in Tn
LiRELAToR, delivered at the lust annual
aieetirg OF the Massachusetts ti-Slavery
Society, Mrs. STOwE has very kindly, adj
dressed inc letter, from which 1 extract all
relating to On. BEEcHER:
'One part Of your speech occasioued me
pain. You know what il il, presume, aud
you will he glad, also presume, to find tlia,
you have overstated the subject. will give
you the facts ia the case, aud leave il to your
own honorable oind to Judge what allate-
ment should bc uiade ia the case. Ny father
did mol sileuce the discussion in Lane Semi.
nary. Those resolutions of the Trustees
were not passed at his request, either ex.
pressed or Implied. They were pissed while
lie aud my husband were here in New Eng
lnnd. They were passed will, such deter
tnination, aud IN such "A state of feeling, tlnt
they had no choice, except 10 throw up their
proiessorship, or submit to them. My father
being, ns you know, in the advance purity of
tile church in the clergy, was at that time
ns much n pesecnted nan in the Presbyteri-
an church, us WM. LLOYD GARRIsoS has
been IN the world. Such bitter, interruptions
enmity, such bgoiry, such persecution, can
Ouiy bV w NHt HlSlOIl vi ltlt uOOi-
itonIsts. To destroy his influence, 10 dctach
from him all his friends, to break down the
Institution he wns trying to build, and to
force him away from the Western country,
these were tile objects in view. TnEoDORE
YIELDS enthusiasm, aud the whi,lwind OF
excitement which he produced, were equal
Iy welcomed by this party as so much capital
TO he used against him. With all credit to
my good brother THEODORE, must say that
prudence is not his forte, aud that there was
plentiful lack of that useful article in all
those worthy reiorners. ] sympaihiZc most
cordially IN that generous contempt for prti-
dence, which seems TO he u necessary part
of young L,Ithers but cannot help seeing
that the want of it was rather unfortunate
in that crisis. II seems to me, that il was not
necessary always to present disngreenbc
subject in the nIost disagreeable wny posi-
BILE, and needlessly to shock prejudice which
We must combat at my rnte. That, howev-
er, is II matter of opinion: will not insist
upon il. But the simple question before my
father was, either to give up the enterprise
Of Lane Seminary, or TO submit temporarily
TO those regulations. So much for that
gladly give DR, BEEcHER the benefit Of
this statement 10y his daughter, aud we'll re-
collect how every free heart sympnthzcd
with him in his conflict with big0ted and
unscrupulous foes. But, with all respect for
Mas. STOWE, cannot see TINT the facts she
states form any excuse for his conduct ms
President of Lane Seminary. They seem
TO me TO deepen the fault. The students nt
that Seminary were not ol-boys, but OF
mature age, aud some of them graduates of
other Colleges, preparing for the misstry.
At no time did their nnli-slnvery abors or
discussions Interfere with their regular stud
les lead them to omit a recitation, or TO break
the established rules of the lnslilution.-
Such men the Trustees forbade either TO
discuss the slave question in public, or TO
converse about it in private They issued
their order in Difference 10 a corrupt public
opinion, and for fear of II mob. Surely this
was to sacrifice the slave to the welfare OF
the Seminary.
L.. these circumstances, Mrs. Stowe says
DR. BEEcHER submitted to these orders
which he had neither requested nor advised,
in order to'disarm his Presbyterian enemies,
and save the Institution. That il, against
dis own judgement, he sacrificed the slave
10 his own standing TO his sect, mud to the
pveIfare of Lane Seminary. This is Just
sWbaf The clergy Of the United States are do
jDg at the present moment Few hate the
SlnYe Tor MS own shhe. lHey OUly sacrifice
his rights to their own populprity, to ,leiI
sect or party,--lO something they like better
.or value more. Those familiar with the his
tory of Lane Seminary will hear me ont in
ahe assertion, that whatever DR. BEECHcR's
conduct or language in private, he pursued
such n course OF action, that the public in
ferred, had a right TO infer, aud could not hul
infer, that his heart was with the Trustees.-
When, after leaving the Seminary, the young
men began to ecIure on slavery, in tina
neighborkood, DR.. BEECHER's name ant
course were quoted by protesting Christians
as a reason for refusing to give them hear
ing.
We have never asked that any man, o
bodytOf men, should devote themselves ex
clusWely to the anti-slavery cause. But ",
have claimed that they should give il u fa
fhare Of attention and, above all, that they
should never repudiato or deny IT, even fo
an hour, In order to save or to increase lhei
own popularity, or build up a favorite pro
ject. All good causes are a brotherhood.-- -
We have no right to repudiate one, Or TO sa
cfifce its claims, that we may be more abl,
10 serye.another Indeed, this is not posi-