Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-06-16
NEW ENGLAND ANTI-sLAvERY CON.
VENTI0N.
E OF MRS. ROSE,
Mr.. PRESIDENT AND FRIENDs {.

United States Of America. 1t gives me grea;
qualification in being able to do ing duty in enter
ing my protest against that eternal crime against
humanity-the h%olling Of n man as a slave; and
also against that great, incomrrchensiblo inconsis.
tency, that slavery should oxist in a country thai
calls itself a Republic.
Mr.. Higsinson well vindicated here the position
of Russia. Truth is consistent; Error is always
Inconsistent. Truth is 4 unit, consistent with it.
self, and consistent with every other truth. And
as Truth is, 50 also is Freedom. Human freedom,
also, is n unit, and consistent with itself, aud
where freedom is, slavery cannot be. IN compnr'
ing the two countries. Russia and Amcrica-aIas
that we should be able to institute q comparison
between such q dark and b~euightcd land with one
that calls itself a Republic-yet, sad as the fact is,
it is nevertheless true, that in instituting a com
parison between the two counties, Russia, dark
and benighted ms she is, much as she Expresses
man, We at least must give her the credit of con-
sistoncy, for she processes no freedom; while here,
with ali the glorious professions of republicanism
and freedom, the whole land is cursed with the
most 0dious system of slavery. | remcmber | was
but n little child, hardly able to understand the
import of words. that | had already listened to
those who pronounced it the Republic of the Uni
ted States of America; and even then, though en-
tirely unable to appreciate the import, the nobility
of it, yet, somehow or other, it to uched a vibrating
chord in my heart, and | thought, if | lived to grow
up a woman, o how | should like to see a RepHb-
lie! [Applause.) l did grow up, aud attained
that great hope; and, friends, | well remember
| doubt whether | shall ever forget-th2 sensations
and emotions | experienced when | first placed
nv foot on tho soil of a Republic may, more,
the first Fourth Of July that | spent here. Why,
everything in nature appeared to have changed
and become superior. The sun shone brighter;
the trees looked more b%cautful; the grass looked
rreeuer; the birds sang sweeter; all the beauties OF
nature became EXCHANGED in my estimation, for |
viewed them all through the beautiful rainbow
colors of human freedom. loud cheers Alas !!
little knew then what | should experience, If l
remained longer. Had | left this country on the
fifth of that July, | should have gone away with
the glorious emotion, that there was one spot OF
earth on the whole globe where a man may stand,
and call himself fully and entirely his own. But
| remained here too long; and what a change has
come over the spirit of my drcamsI All the en-
chantIents have disappeared, one by one. Not,
indeed, the entertainments of what q Republic
ought to be, or the beauties that would result from
a true Republic, bat the entertainments of the idea
that there was such a Republic in this new world,
Instead Of the poor fugitive from the old world
coming to this place of refuge, and calling himself
q freeman, we have to send the poor fugitive from
the new world to the old, to an aristocratic, mon
srohial government, and there, however oppressed
he may be in many instances, at least, he may
call himself, his wife and children-except, indeed
in Rlssia-his own.
1t gives me no pleasure, | assure you, my friends
to dwell upon the dark side of humanity. l wish
l could always dwell upon the bright and fair side
IlL ilcts ann tTuIu always CIlIu pltlu "a
This country has sont forth to the world Il great
and glorious truth-that eternal truth of the
equality Of men upon which the Declaration oi
Independence is based--that all men are created
equal, and endowed with an inalienable right tt
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness Thai
declaration, waited like q bright vision of hope OF
the breezes of heaven to the remotest parts Of thu
earth, to whisper freedom and equality to the down
trodden millions of men. And yet, while tha
declaration is thus waited by the genius OF free
dom all over the earth, here, under its shadow, tn
children that have been born and brought up her
are subjected to dark and bitter bondage. Thi
country, therefore, stands before the moral consis
tency of tho world, to be judged thereby. From
monarchical and despotic countries we do not ex
pect much; but those countries have a right to hol'
YOU to your professions. The Quakers say, tina
according to the light you possess, is the deman
made upon you. Ii is n true and correct saying
According to your professions, we have a right t
hold you responsible; and therefore, this countr
stands responsible for its false and hypocritic'
professions, without carrying out the great, eternt
truth of the equality of man. (Cheers.)
You know all about the evils of slavery.
would &c presumption, as well az folly, in me-, eve
tn attempt to describe what slavery is. No ma
uan place himself SO entirely in the position OF Il
slave as adequately to describe the horrors of TIL
relation. lie only who has ez experienced them, al
who has felt, at the same time, the fame Of FIRE
dom burning within him, can tell what slavery
/ have heard many eloquent speeches from til
platform, and from other antislavery platform
but | was never so affected as | was this mornii
by the few simple words that fell from the lips
Anthony Burns. (Applause.) He stood here
= living, breathing, moving witness Of the gre
~iniquity of slavery. Only one year ago, he W
doomed to slavery once more; and were 1T not tn
Il few benevolent men were untiTlng and preslste
in their determination to rescue him, cost what
would, Anthony Burns would not have been he
this morning to give his evidence, as he did, to t
large audience, that, slave as he was, crushed al
oppressed as he was, chained, not only in bod
hut also in mind, nevertheless, he was Il MAN; I
there was the love of freedom, and the determin
purpose to achieve it, whenever the opportu i
was afforded. And when he told of the pleasu
he felt in being able to stand here, i appreciat
it. | felt it; it touched my heart as no other spec
no matter from whose eloquent lips it fell, h
ever touched me, and confirmed me in my estin
ton Of the depth of infamy iayolved in keepi
humln beings in the darkness of bondage.
Who can tell what Anthony Burns might ha
been, had he been deemed free from the nome
he drew his first breath! How often do We he
the South say that slaves are not the same as VIII
inen-that they are not human beings! Why,
j. only as if it were yesterday that any portion
the shareholders, and not only the slavchold(
at the South, but the Shareholders at the North,
acknowledged that the colored man is a human
ing at all. Aud there are many now who ia
that position. Even scientific men have cor
down from the glorious heights Of science ],
SiiHuBb 10 DC bought ny SOuthcfn SOlu, ana
deayar 60 prove that the colored man is a difere
being from the white man, and therefore it is rig
10 hold him as a slave. | will not attempt to ent
into any consideration Of this subject, for there
ne need Of it. Like or unlike, he is n human
ing; and ! will use the same argument with rega
10 him that | use when pleading-no, not VIII
pleading-when claiming the rights Of woman.
Like or unlike, he is a human being, aud cntitl
10 all the rights that humanity can bestow a
man can enjoy. (Applause) 1t is worse til
tune lost to enter into any such consideration,
cause human r~ights:lo not depend on the shade
color; they d. not even depend on a somewhat
ferent construction, or somewhat different sh,
of body, or somewhat different shape of mind.
will say of the slave, as | often say when claim.
the rights Of n-humanity recognizes
color, mind recognizes no color: pleasure or pa
happiness or misery, life or death, recognizes
color. Like the white man, the colored man col
Involuntary into existence. Like him, he poss
Sses physical, mental and moral powers, upon