The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-04-21

ceedlng out OF the throne OF God and OF the
Lamb1H
For the National Era.
THE LONDON RELIGIOUS TRACT SOCIETY.
Mr.. EDITOR: The position held by some of
our religious publication societies-particularly
the American Sunday School Union, and the
American Tract Society-respecting the dis
cussion Of slavery, is probably known to most
of your readers, 1t is maintained that the
mass Of their publications would be excluded
from the South, if in any of them the subject
of slavery were specially treated, and that thus
the general moral benefit of their issues would
be lost to that portion Of our land that, in the
great diversity of opinions among evangelical
Christians on the subject of slavery, they are
not bound to publish since, by so doing, they
must ALLEVIATE, from the extreme right or the
extreme left of the anti-slavery ranks, many of
the supporters Of these benevolent enterprises
and, finally, that in many other ways the sub
ject is being discussed and that this discus
sion, though they do not share in it. is no way
hindered by them, but contrariwise aided, and
its better effect secured, by the vigorous and
enlightened conscience which their publica-
tons are creating. This is the ground held by
the American Tract Society, as stated, few
months since, in the reply of its corresponding
secretary to the memorial of the Fox River
Qll.) Union on this subject; and we presume
that the managers of the other societies above
designated concur in this view of the case.
1t is not my purpose at present to reply spe-
officially to this argument. 1t is held, doubt
less, in all candor and Christian integrity by
those who advance it, and who are to be COM
mended for their devotion to great and noble
work. Still, we deem their position regarding
slavery as untenable, for reasons that have been
stated, and can be urged more ably by others
The principle of "division of labor which
they seem to advance, we think will not hole
in this case Of the advocacy of moral truth
Paul" may "plant, and Apolos water" il
the progressive unfolding and application O
moral truth to the growing wants Of Chris
tan life. This is a very natural succession o.
labors but, in the present case, the questions
of moral duty incident to the existence of sla
very are already raised and no man can vel
| avoid giving some opinion upon them. Tn
d;oisson of labor now virtually proposed il, i
seems to us, as though Paul, after havin
planted the germs of Gospel truth in the mind
Of the Corinthian church, should have left t
others the half-score questions of casuistr
which he discusses 30 freely in his letters 4
them These opistles, in which Paul defers 81
much to the vigorous and enlightened con
science of those to whom he wrote, while h,
rebukes and admonishes them SO faithfully anC
lovingly, are models, we think, of the method
that should be pursued by American Christians
on the subject Of slavery If, in any of their
great evangelical labors they are in this mat
ter altogether silent--or rather vainly strive to
be silent and neutral--such effort, or such
seeming Indifference can only increase the
impotence and acrimony with which tho SUBJ
ject is discussed in other quarters.
And the policy of our societies Of religious
publication is not only unviSe, but, we think,
withom fair precedent. The course pursued
by our Saviour and his Apostles affords no ex-
ample of this significant silence on questions
fairly mooted and everywhere else discussed.
The most successful missionaries to corrupt
heather nations, in ancient and modern times,
have not Stunned to give an opinion respecting
any specific heather practice of questioned mo-
rality. Tho materials are wanting, indeed, for
an exact precedent for the present case of our
publishing societies. There has never before
been free religious press, in a country where
so grave a sectional evil has had to be discuss
cd. Still tho case which il most like that Of
our publishing societies is an example against
them. This is that of the London Religious
Tract Society, in its attitude towards the social
evils of Great Britain, of which we Yankees
have been won't TO say so much The laboring
classes of England are not it is true the sub
jects Of a peculiar institution" like the serfs
of Russia, or the slaves of our own land, nor is
their degradation "local" affar--the con-
Germ Of one half of the nation, with which the
other half has nothing to do. But even here
the precedent is not 30 lame as might be sup
posed. The landed and manufacturing inter-
csts Of Britain are as really involved in the
condition Of the laboring classes as are the
plantation interests Of the South the middle
classes Of England are, moreover, in q position
very analogous TO that of the people of the
South The difference of race is that which,
moro than anything else, makes the case Of the
African slave peculiar and, in question of
social duty or Christian morals, this ethnologi-
cal consideration can have little or no place
Ii it be said that the condition Of the operative
is not to be compared with that of the slave
we do not care to dispute about the fact ; but
tho plea will come with an i'll grace from those
who are wont to say that our Southern laborer
is every way better off than the drudge Of IN
irish aero or Manchester loom. IL IL be 30,
no great evil can come, assuredly, Of few
tracts for the Southern employer and employee,
however sincerely these people may deem it
waste of benevolent effort
We think, then, that for all who have 10 do
with American slavery the analogy is fair and
complete, and that the example OF the London
Religious Tract Society is not to be disregard
ID, or lightly dismissed by her cisatlantic com
peer the more no, because the London is like
he American, a catholic society---a restrict
ID bond Of union And the object Of each
IDENTICAL The London Society "was formed
o promote the circulation Of religious books
md treatises, in foreign countries rs well as
throughout the British dominions, and 10 con- |
lucted by q committee composed Of an equal
PORTION Of members Of the Established Church
md and Of Protestant Dissenters, among whom
he greatest union happily existsD Such is its
II was instituted in 1899, and
Is present business is somewhat larger than |
hat Of the American Society. Its principle in |
he preparation of its publications. 10 cvangeli- |
al. Every tract and book shall contain u
lear statement Of the method Of sinners re- |
'overy from guilt and misery, by the atonement
md grace Of the Redeemer.O 1t has doctrinal
,ass setting forth that we are acc )unted right
'ous before God only for the merit Of our Lord
md Saviour, Jesus Christ by faith, and not for
'or own works or deserving that, being JUS
fled freely, we are made the sons OF God by
Idoption; made like tho image Of his only be-
,ottcn Son, Jesus Christ we walk relgiously
n good works, and at length, by Gods mercy,
We attsin to everlasting felicity This way OF
Aviation must be plainly taught in every issue
4 the Society.
So much for the sptness Of the precedent
md now for the example. ]