The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1855-01-19
Me,hodis,, the Presbyterian and .Rapiisi

Methodist, the Presbyterian and Bapiisi|
Conventions.
He therefore claimed that the anti.slavery
movement, was the child OF the churches. in
the earlies, days Of The republic, and thai
The new movement, commenced twenty
five yeats ago, by Garrison and his friends,
was merely reriusl Of abOlilionism. I'm
der the old movement emancipation wal
% be gradual. That il has partially sue.
ceeded, and in New York and other slaies,
slavery had been abolished. In Tennessee,
North Carolina and New Jersey free col
ored men were legal voters. But under
The new movement, nothing short Of imme.
date emancipa,ios was sought fol-. The
rssul, had been that no slaves could be free
wi,hou. leaving The states In which they
had been held. Free blacks could moi
vote, and more sringeni restrictions had
| been thrown over tie whole race both bond
and free. These considerations however
did not change his mind as to the expedi'
ency cfimmediaie emancipation. asl
He then went into On examination Of the
manner in which tie new movement was
received by tho people of the nation at large,
and then by the church. 1t WIS bitterly
opposed on all hand, and its advocates were
mobbed, and some killed, and Others i'm.
prisoned. The church repudiated their own
offspring. The churches that professed to
worship that being whocame to set tho bond
Ifrcc and relieve the poor and distressed,
were applied to, to old the cause, and the
angel Of mercy stood at their doors with
streaming eyes duplicating help for the op.
pressed, and vas denied pdmission, because
the subject was not proper one. And
thus the churches lost and and cast aside o
noble opportunity. -.,i'r .
Mr.. Douglass, until this point, confined
himself slightly to his written lecture, and
with o fine sonorous voice which moro than
filed tho house, pursued his subject with
very little hesitation. On apologising for
rtainipg his hearers 30 long, ho was desired
u 20 on. He then, for time, left his notes
md began to be really eloquent. This part
Of the lecture is the most difficult part to be
conveyed to the reader. II would DO i'm.
possible to describe It without stretching o
report beyond the limits, and giving the very
language used. To DO brief, no wont into
on enumeration of the various parties OPP
Grating against slavery, and spoke of their
creeds. He spoke Of the Free Soil party as
having many aliases,-so many that he could
scarce tell where or what it was,-but
thought it was progressing. Tho free
democratic patty, and the Seward. or con.
science wings. Then the Garrison or dis.
unionist party came under his lash. He
argued agains their doctrine Of disunion,
and came to tho conclusion that they had
|given up the whole ground. That they
commenced rght but. had changed their
ground and deserted their original principles
But yet they deserved much credit for what
they had done, and for tho noble courage
with which they had stood up against every
species Of opposition, not only by tho poo.
pie, but by the churches. He eudeavored to
apologize for tho apparent in6delity mani.
tested by the Garrison party, with the
general argument that the first principles of
christianity woro opposed to slavery. That
tho churches upheld slavery, and that they
were forced in opposing slavery to oppose
the churches. He enumerated the divines
who had Grained down carloads Of sermons"
to show that the anti.slavery question was
On improper one to be acted upon by the
churches, and in the gontlest manner posi-
bic limited that tho feeling was still enter
,aihed at no great distance from where he
was then speaking. But there was young
clergy springiug up, who not only thought,
but would act differently. He spoke Of The
introduction Of tho coston.gin and that the
Shareholder becoming wealthy by it, was
considered gentleman and admitted to the
church in the South ; but he forgot to men,
ton how the churches, at tho North, had
admitted some oligarchical demagcgues
after they had acquired wealth, who ruled
them with as strong hand as the slave
holders Of tho South did. Mr.. Douglas
himself belonged to tho liberty party, who
advocated emancipation and insisted that
Congress had right to legislatc upon sla.
very. ..'
The lecture occupied two hours in the de-
livery, and il would DO impossible TO give o
full description Of it without occupying more
room than we can afford. The lecturers
style, manner, and appearance, were un-
eSceptionablO and manly, in the highest
degree. He was listened 10 with respectful
attention, interrupted only by several do.
monsiraiions of applause and when he
closed, tho whole assembly gave him vote
of thanks for his "oloqucrt, able and truthful
lecturo." g-.
JOINT STANDING COMMITTEES.
The joint standing committees, Of the
Legislature. are as follows: f.'