New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-05-12
PROPnssORs IN TROUBLE.

moved from his post Of President Of the South
Carolina College at Columbia. He still holds the
place Of Professor in the College, but preparations
seem to be on foot to remove him from that also.
DR.. Leber, as is well known, was one Of the editors
of The Encyclopedia Americana. An article, signed
Scrutator, lately appeared in The Columbia Times
calling attention to certain remarks to be found In
tfat work under the word "Savery." Without
any reference to the circumstance that Inc
Encyclopedia Americana ia mainly translatlfA
from the German Conversations Lexicon, Dr.
Lieber, in the newspaper article referred to, was
held personally responsible for what The En-
cyclOpedia Americana says-a view OF the case
quite the same as that which has been taken by
the publishing Committee of the American Tract
Society, and which has led to certain well known
emasculatiOns on their part Of works reprinted as
part of their series. The unfortunate DR.. Leber,
lees gifted with the cardinal virtue OF prudence,
lacking perhaps the spiritual enlightenment pos
sessed By our Tract Committeeman, or 1t may be
not foreseeiDg that having been martyr to liberty
and republicanisp in his youth at home, he was In
bis old age to be placed on the rack OF South
Carolina nquisition-admitted into the Encycio'
pedia Americana, under the word Slavery, the fol'
lowing highly infanatory. and considering them as
the sentiments of resident in South Carolina
moot TIRE asonable and seditiOus sentiments.
"The idea of making man save-that ia, OF SUBJ
iectDg all he has and is to the disposal OF master VINO
is not bound his part to render anything IN return
as at car NTH the first principles Of bodes poht'e.
Slarery can nerer be legal relation: 1t rests entirely
on force The slave being treated as property, ana
not allowed legal rights cannot be under legal ooga;
tions. Slavery is, also, inconsistent Nth me moral
nature Of man.
"The abolition of Slarery and its kindred institu-
tion vlanage, and the improvement III the CONDITION
of women, are among the most important serrices
which Western Europe has rendered to the world.
"The effects of Slavery have always been most in
furious to the nations which have permitted 1t. 80
directly opposed TO the nature OF man, that IL mas al
ways had q palsyiDg influence on the industry and
morality both of the masters ard the slaves.
"The numerous Instructions in the West India Isl
ards and in the United States, have shown that the
abolition Of Siareryis HIGHLY DEsIRABLEi but the
difficulty is how to bring 1t about"
The publication of the article containing these
quotations, of course, produced no little excite
ment. Our readers may imagine to what pitch
that excitement was wound up, by the appearance
the next day in The Carolinian Of an article with
the signature Carolina" not merely apologizing
for but actually indicating the anti-Slavery ideas
above set forth What aggravated the case was
that the writer Of this second article avowed him
self native Carolinian, large portion OF whose
"worldly Inheritance" consisted In this spe-
cies of property, to wit Slaves, whom he
affected to justify himself in retaining in bond
age, on the ground that Slavery is can in
"stitutiOn of the land"-the whole "sin OF en-
"slaving the African" attaching not to the Gin
nOcent" South, but to the mother country and
"our brethren of the North, who, as this writer
alleged, stole the negroes in the first place. But
what awaited all this, unless to show up his own
inconsistency if Lot the inconsistency and inde-
fensibility of the system, in the mouth Of man
who maintained at the same time that the "prin-
"ciple of Slavery in the abstract could not be de-
fended that such principle "was only adapted
"to the rudest state Of society, and was wholly in
"cOnsistent with the present state of mOlals and
"religion;" that "Slavcryi bar to the progress
"of society" and that the slave trade is
"bloody atrocity'" This writer says:
81 am aware that there are some few persons
among us who would reopen the slave trade; and
within the last twelve months some Of the leading
of our State and some of our most prominent editors
have openly advocated the measure. am not afraid
to say that would oppose it to the last in conflict
with the spirit of the age as detrimental TO best
interests and subverive of the high ends of well
regulated government.
Here at the North there are large number of
political and theological moralists, who are even
yet unable to see the inconsistency Of condemning
the principle of Slavery, and at the same time
advocating or apolOeizing for its practice. But as
to this point the more intelligent of our Southern
brethren have pretty generally got their eyes open.
The man who decries the principle of Slavery is, in
their eyes, an Abolitionist, and his being slave.
holder or pretending to justify the practice of
Slavery, only makes him so much the more dan
gerous. Tie Charleston Standard, 10 commenting
on this subject, says:
eve owe it to ourselves, to practice Slavery in its
integrity or to abandon it. Public virtue cannot long
consist with the continued practice of acknowledged
wrong. If Slavery was wrong in its beginncg.
il must be wrong in It's continuance, and wrong apd
directed to the high purpose Of its abolition. Ii even
we believe it wrorg the moral degradation is scarcely
ess than if it were SO In fact
Such lie the ground now generally taken at the
South, and of course the article signed Carolina"
attempting to apologize for DR.. Lieber, because
the article in The Encyclopedia Amsreaxa, con.
dennipg the principle of Slavery, contained also
some Of the od.fashoned apologies and excuses for
Slavery in the United States, only made the matter
worse Not only were these heretical sentiments
contained in work that DR.. Lieber had published
DR. Lieber, now Professor in South Cal DINA
College-they had, it seems, made convert of
native Carolipian STAKEHOLDER and had inspired him
with the fanatical courage to ayOw his opinions