Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-07-26
Tbe Anti 5lapcrp Buolc.
SPEECH
OF THE
REV. q. B. FIR OTHIN G H A Nj,
American Anti Slarery Society in New York, Nay
Sh 1856
BEFORE tn

n,
8th, 1856.
1t is great privilege, in my estimation. to oc
cupy place upon this platform, with these ole
tried soldiers of noble cause, who have tough
the good fight so long, bearing the burden and
heat of many weary day. cannot hope tn con
tribute anything to the ideas or sentiments which
they have So ably enforced l have no new facts
to communicate, no new arguments to urge, NJ
new plans of action to submit, no new course OF
conduct to recommend; | only wish to express my
profound sympathy with the principles that lie nj
the basis of this AntSavery Movement,and with
the movement itself as the modern embodiment OF
those principles. There is grand monotony in
all antl-savery meetings. They shyw magnh.
Gently the capacities If single ca. They are
splendid illustrations Of the power of playing
every sort OF music on single string. People
complain that this is an old story that he thought
Is threadhare. Not so
No thought is old till it has done its work The
great G"spel-word, Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself" is and original to-day as it was
eighteen centuries ago, and equally new and 0rigi
nal will it be until the Kingdom of G ID shall be
established earth. Though one we're Just t.
reiterate with all the power of his soul the iunda
mental truths-that God is Lnve-that man is
made in the image OF Gud-that every man is
brother to every other man-that every man is his
oro,her's keeyer-applying these truths to the
special evils u! the age, rs they came into prOmi-
prophets work in enlightening and arousing the
conscience of his follow-man. 1t has always seem
co TO me that the plan ot the original AbOlitonists
was the true one-to leave speculations about
ways and means-to run into no fatiguinG digres.
sions for the entertainment of this or that clique,
but to gather up all their energies to shatter the
barred gate of cunScience and let the light OF
Gods truth shine into the SOulS of men. There
would be little question then Of ways and means.
Details would arrange themselves
Never did this grand policy demand more fdel
ity than now. Never did the publ C cunscieny
need more eal nest and pointed appeals. The out
works have been carried. The abuliturists have
compelled the public mind to grant the abstract
wrong OF slavery. But they have not vet rnrced
the public will to war against slavery as a sin
Men are intellectually convinced, hut not morally
mored. Everybody calls himself an aholitinnist:
few follow tat calling and until the calling is fol.
lowed, nothing is achieved. In meditating upon
the posture of our people towards the institution
OF slavery. am more and impressed with
the Tact that this posture is unequvocn one.
Anti-Slavery people are rs numerous as our north
ern population; hut whore is the anti slavery ac
tlonf You will scarcey y find u nan. be he Whig
Republican, or know-Nnthing. who will not de
clare explicitly and with emphasis that his antpa
thy to slavery is rs strong nv yours. The lawyers
cay so: the merchants say so, the capitalists say
80; venerable old men, and mnssy young men, ali
say 81 alike. There is not Il conservative. pOrty
or wrlnkled, who does not feel nsulted if yon cnil
him a prO-slhvery man utwheretu does all This
profession tendl To nothing: ave, to less than
nothing. 1t is positively untriendy to the cause
OF freedom. Leaving profession aside taking char
acter and the influence thereof by itself, are the
majority of the people ant-slavery men? The,
arc proslavery men. Their action is practically
on the 0ppressor's side. The name of abolition
lists is assumed not as pledge "f hostility to the
slave poTer, but sign of neutrality. Ii
declares, n"t that men are in league with the
friends of freedom, but that they wish to eludp
their notice and to avoid their assault; not that
they are prepared to fight, but that they are anx
ious to escape from fighting. y young man takes
charge OF II parish rs its minister. In public or
in private he gives out that his views are Oppose
TO slavery. Forthwith the respe.tuble members oi
the society meet him bianiy, t.ke him by the
hand, express their joy at his coming, and their
entire concurrence with his sentiments and ad l.
significantly in allusirn to this special matter
"os course, you know we are all anti slavery peu
pie here; all symparhize with you entirely on
that point" Now, why is this said? Is it spoken
in praise of the sermoa in question? No; it spa
ken in condemnnti,n of it, Is it meant to encnur-
nge the young preacher tn declare his convictinus
to the public fully and freely ensuring them IA
vorable audience and the support Of his congre-
CATION? No: it is meant ~ II hint that his con-
yictions are not wanted, that he may as well keen
them to himself that they will fall upon unwilling
ears People anri-slavery people and for that
reason read no anti'slavery books, pamphlets, pa.
pers, hear no anti slavery speeches or sermons.
vote no anti slavery ticket, support no antslavery
organizations Does this sound like carca-
turo? | verify believe it is not | could name
repeated Instances wherein it has been sim
pie TRUTH to my own experience. The spirit of
compromise has taken possossion of the pubic
mind. And the task now is, not to bring men to
acknowledge the wr Ingfuness 0f slavery, hut.
which is far mnre difficult, To make them faithful
to an acknowledgement whose demands have never
I
chambers of the intellect. The state of compr0-
mise is of all states, the must hopeless; for the
compromiser does but poise arguments instead of
wieliiDg princirles; he plays with subject intel.
lectualiy. instead Of graphing it spiritually; he
stands with 6ath ears wide open on the opposite
sides Of his head fancyns that the more contradic
tons he hears the wiser he is, but to the heating
heart in his bosom lie pays no heed at all. lie is
full Of interest in the cause before him, but one
does not wait long to see that his interest is all
for himself and nothing for the cause.
II is great saying that man must either
Goo or mann lie may profess 10 serve both.
but he serves only one. lie may profess to serve
one and vet reay serve the other. A p1rely NOR
al question-aS the question of slavery pre-emi-
nently s-hls but two sides to it; the one is right
the other is ,orong Man has but one faculty by
which he may learn whieh is the right and which
is the wrong and that faculty is his conscience
This necessarily struggles to confirm him in the
right The passions, which promise animal com
fort and LUXURY as incessantly struggle to confirm
him in the wrong. Tn yield cordially TO both is
impossible No sooner do we attemI to obey the
laws of the conscience than the passions are reused
to stormy opposition. No sooner do we yield n
little 10 the solicitations Of desire than conscience
pronounces its vehement protest. Every creature
tha. is neither brute nor an angel is conscious oi
these divergent and conflicting forces within him.
Everv rational being knows that one can prevail
only if the other is suppressed Every honest
man accepts the alternative, and chooses which he
will serve.
Jsav there are but two ways Of honestly meet
;,s a crave moral question, The first is to be
GUIDED simply by conscience, to keep the moral
snss sle3r and quick oSl"f1llr ~ Tsp'Ts'e e'h