Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1854-11-16
eastern GimrS,
BATH, NOVEMBER 1e, 1854.
DR.. Adams on Slavery.


sdered II his duty to preach ab5Iiti0hisHi j
his pulpit. He states. among his tfotts j
the abolition cause, he felt it to be his duty +
represent, in 4th of July oratUn, three mil
lions ''0f our fellow population y to be utter
Ing groans and canking chaitis, while the JOY
ful noises ushercd in the nations birthday
aud that The last thing Of the sort he did was
TO he1,, frame the famous Neuc Engfona cler7co
5coon,Jyance against the NEBRASKA bill and sign
t..
But what we were going TO say Is, that DR.
Adams has spent the present year some -four
months at the South, and has just published a
book entitled "a South Side View of Sla-
very,' wherein he expresses sentiments wor-
thy OF the serious consideration of many of his
brethren in the ministry.
A gentleman Of his weight of character, po-
sition and ability, says The Boston Post, is no
ordinary observer; and testimony from such
source would be received in certain quar-
tiers, which, coming from other sources, would
be rejected. This would naturally be the
case, aside from the mere manner Of giving it.
In this case the manner adds force TO the mat
ter The subject is handled in way as pc
culiar as it is conciliatory, and that cannot
fail to cause good men, not excepting political
clergvmen, who have lent their aid to the saw
age war now being waged on the south and the
constitution, to pause and examine the ground
they stand upon. Surely one of their number
has right to be heard who claims to speak
"not as a partizan, but as a Christian not as
northerner, but as an American not as a
petitioner, but as friend of the colored race. :"
DIR. Adams gives his first surprise on land
ing from the steamboat on Southern soil, as
follows -
'sThe steam tug reached the landing, and
the slaves were all about US. One thing i'm
mediately surprised me they were all in good
humor, and some of them in a broad laugh.-
The delivery of every trunk from the tug to
the wharf was the occasion Of some hit or rep
artee, and every burden was borne with iol-
ly word, grimace or motion. The lifting of
one leg in laughing seemed as natural as
Frenchman shrug. | asked one of them To
place trunk with a lot of baggage; it was
done up went the hand to the hat-sAny-
thing more, please, sir g What a contrast,
involuntarily said to myself, to that troop at
the Albany landing on our Western Railroad
and on those piles of boards, and on the roofs
of the sheds, and al the piers, in New York
] began TO like these slaves. | began TO laugh
with them. 1t was irresistible Who could
have convinced me, an hour before, that slaves
could have any other effect upon me than to
make me feel sad One fellow, in all the
hurry and hustle of landing US, could not help
relating how, in jumping on board, his boot
was caught between two planks, and pulled
clean off; and how dis ole teller went clean
over into de VOTER with shout as though il
was a merry adventure"
We must pass pr. Adams description OF
slavery, 70 allude 70 his view Of The duty Of
the north. In the first place there - much
here relative 10 the south and north rarely
sseu IN such quauer. Here j. specimen
tho italics being ours -
" What has she (the souih) ever done, cx-
cept IN sclEdciencc, IN our long quarrel.
which, upon reconciliation, would ankle IN
our memories and make IL hard Tor Us to for
give and forget PoVfirely noi one hing
Ec hare I,cn ne assaiiaHfs. she M mari lrc
fkc prosecutors, she he dsfcadaaf; acc tie &c
olsrrs, she hc Nb-JEgfpag rcsp0ndeHf
Unless we choose 90 live IN a state Of per-
pciual war. we must prevent and punish all
attempts 10 dccoy slaves from their matters.
Whatever our repugnancc to slavery may be,
there IA a law Of the land. constitution, 10
which VIC must submit, or employ suitable
means 10 change il. While IL remains, all
our appeals 10 a higher law are fanaticism.''
" Until We diride The L1Hon, or procure a
change IN he constitution, if we resist one Of
its provisions from repugnance 10 il, and SO
nulliy il, we make breach in dam which
has behind il a desolating river
q II the south should by any means obtain
and keep the ascendancy in our national cOun-
ellis, in what way would she have the power
and disposition TO conflict with northern inter-
ests, leaving the subject of slavery and our
sensibilities out of the question:
With regard to what are called the en-
croachments of the slave power, the demands
of the south, are they at all to our injury ex-
cept as they offend our opinions and feelings on
the subject of slavery! Political appoint
ments would be made with less of sectional
spirit if we were at peace.
One would think that the south were Philip
of Macedon, and we at the north the states of
Greece, Judging from our phillipp;cs against
everything else, the perpetuation of an evil
under which both Of us were born, but which
we at the north were enabled to remove; an
effort on the part of the south TO defend and
maintain her institution of slavery, under the
constitution; 10 maintain the right guaranteed
By our social compact, but dssailcd By as. We
seem to have forgotten how the royal family
of the mother country, the king and queen at
the head, and many Of the mobiles, contributed
towards the first importation of slaves from
Africa TO this country; how Jefferson in his
first draught ofthe declaration of independence,
charges the king with making depredations on
an innocent people, and in1icting them as
slaves on u.s. and how, at the. close of the
war, we at the north heightened out the i'm
portation of slaves TO the sonth beyond the
term voted for by a majority of the southern
states Nor do we consider that the south
was approXimatIng the work of emancipation
by public discussions, by acts Of assembly
drawn up and ready to be proposed, and by
votes in her ecclesiastical bodies, when the
outbreak Of northern opposition to slavery,
and attempts 10 emancpate the slaves at once,
drove back the south from her purpose, and
that all her subsequent attempts at the extern
sion OF slavery have been intended as retalia-
tory acts or In selfdefence.
latter this Thereafter will not be surprised
at alto read DIR. Adams chapter containing
strong dissuasive from interfarance with tho