Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-03-24
ANTI-SLAVERY BUGLE.
LETTER FROM REV. A. T. FOss.
Row, Noble Co., tInd.l Feb. "a, 1855

unintercsting to the friends in the East to hear a
word of the progress of the great and good work
of freedom for man in the wide West.
During the four months that have been in the
West, have become fully assured that the people
here are more accessible to the ani-slavery worker
and consequently more interested in the antsla-
very work, than the people of more Eastern States
have, in company with the Grifings spoken the
the anti-savery gospel to many thousands in Michi-
gan and Indiana. The pro-slavcry character of
the religious bodies of the land has been clearly
announced and demonstrated. Also, the pro-sla-
very character of the Constitution of the country,
and the immortality and crime of giving ii SUI port
or liberation has been clearly and strongly set
forth as we have had ability to do. All this the
people have listened to with an interest which
gives hope of better and more Christian action in
the future. To be have met with some
very violent opposition, by defenders Of corrupt
ministry and Church, now decayed into a mass of
moral putrescence, which 'causeth the land to
stink; and also from the political hacks who are
vainly attempting to prop up a tyranncal govern
ment, now reeling to its fall But, each of these
demonstrations has only served to fix more deeply
in the minds of the people the utter worthlessness
af n religion without purity, and government
without righteousness; nay, more, of the injury
which both these satanic mowers are working to
the human race.
cannot give you a detailed account Of all our
meetings, SO | will give you, as n specimen, an
account of one of our last meetings holden in Lima,
Lagrange Co., Indiana. The Baptist Church, in
whose mouse we nelQ our meetings, Is regarded as
the most ultra anti-slavery body among all the
churches in this vicinity. | had, some six days
previous to the holding of our meeting been in
the town and spoken twice anti-savery; and
made arrangements for future series Of meetings,
to he attended in company with the rfings-
Just previous to going into my last lecture, l was
informed that the Methodist minister had refused
to read notice OF my meeting, which vas prescn-
ted to him by lady of his church. |, of course,
felt il my duty, under these circumstances, to de-
&c ,,rft
pro-slavery charactes of the Methodist Episcopal
Church. The anti-slavery Baptists listened, of
course, with great interest to this exhibition of
facts, and many and were the commenda-
tions which they gave me for fidelity to the truth
and to bleeding humanity. One, however, of the
Baptist members, expressed some dissatisfaction
that had passed over the Baptists too lightly. !
promised him. that on our return, | would make
ample amends for this delinquency.
WE'LL on Saturday, the 10Th instant, arrived
to commence our lectures, and found goodly con-
gregaton ready to hear the word, which were
as ready to speak. AT the close of evening
meeting, gave notice that on Sabbath morning,
with tho consent of the pastor,-Eldor Flemn,ing,
i would speak of my auti-slavery experiences
among the Baptists. Mr.. F. was not present at
the Saturday evening meeting. He, it should be
understood preached only on Sunday mornings in
Lima. | met Mr.. F. on Sunday morning, and
made the proposition to him, to allow me to relate
my experience in place of sermon. He declined,
on the ground that some thought anti-slavery too
political to be discussed on the holy Sabbath and
he thought it best, on the whole, to hold the usual
worship meeting. He consequently prayed, read
the Scriptures, the choir sung and the Elder gave
usa sermon, which, he said was founded on the
admirable words of Paul, Now, if any man have
not the spirit of Christ he is none of his He
gave us very wordy and bOiserous talk upon
many things in general, and nothing in particular.
In the afternoon, / told what had been my expert
ence in the Baptist denomination. traced the
action of our large relg gious bodies from 1885 do
to the present time the subject of slavery and
proved, by their own published documents, that
they had always been, and were now, in opposition
to anti-savery, and in coalition and Christian fell
lowship with shareholders
While was presenting these documentary facts
and interspersing them with many incidents of
which had been personally coenisant there was
pleased and gratifed exI ression on the faces Ct
many of my Baptist brehren but when | reached
the Free Mission Society to which this church is
strongly attached, and which they had regarded as
par excellence ant-slayery body; and commen-
ced friendly criticism upon its anti-savcry char
acter, the expression Of many faces changed
to doubt and dstrust and some to what seemed to
me excited angry feeling. | stated plainly these
facts: First, that, strictly speaking there was no
such thing as a Free Mission Church; that the
churches which favored the Free Mission Society as
freely admitted members who favored and co-ope-
rated with the proslavery religious bodies in the
denomination those who only co-operated with
the Free Mission Society. Secondly that the
churches WHICH favored the Free Mission Society
were part OF the baptlst denomination, exactly
as were the ehurcheS that repudiated that Socety'
ana regarded it as wholly unnecessary; Ih'rdly;
tnat some OF tne ieaaing ana lnnuen5lai members
OF the free MISSION society were aiso members
and were made within the last two three years,
of the acknowledgedly pro-savery bodies in the
Baptisf denomination. fourtniy; mat the free
Mission pastors exchanged pnipits freely with the
most proslavery ministers IN the denomination;
Even Dr, sharp VINO denounced the higner law OF
whether good or evil. wise or unwise, RIGHT or
WRONG, was not disfellowshipped by the Free
Mission ministers Fitthly; that their principal