Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1856-10-03
ST. NICHOLAS HorEL \

! Sr. NICHOLAS HOTEL,
| NEW YORK, September 20, 1856 I
on last sunday, while at Boston, sccompa
med oy party of Southern gentlemen 7 ~
tended the services at Music Hall, expectinr
( 10 hear Theodore Parker deliver his hebdom
adai phlliipic against the peculiar institution
OF the south. The spacious hall and gallerie,
wore well filled with 9 respectable audienet
| Oh bOth sexes, among whom were q sprinklinO
Oh negroes. Nr. Parker, at the moment q
our entrance, was at his desk, on the broad
Piaiorm whence the orchestra is wont to dis.
course sweet music to the aris.ocratic citizens
OF this modern Athens, and was Offering nm
In clear, beautiful voice one of his feryent.
classical prayers. In the reclining attitude
| oI his position, his massive head leaning for
ward, showing bold frontal organs, we'll de
| veioPed, with the intonations Of voice mu 81.
| cal sd the sound Of falling waters, sogteped
| aad aided by the rich, luxurious decorations
tue place, he presented rather a UNIQUE
\ appearance tor minister Of the gospel of
peace was reminded Of other associations
and my minds eye saw before me the fascin.
| 1uhg picture Of temple, where the yotaries
VI reason and philosophy had asserted their
autnority, and were assembled to promulgate
tHeir lndepeodence. Ho implored Heaven,
among other inVocations, toremove from among
;.h rs Ine SIC ana curse OF slavery, and concluded
Win the hnal passage of the Lords prayer.
after hymn by the choir, which was suug
beautifully, the orator assembled the rostrum
nrss stating that he would be glad to receive
contributions OF clothing and money for the
! suneripg friends Of freedom in Kansas The
clerical orator then proceeded with his ser
mon. Itwas written discourse upon " Re-
H8ion as the Art OF Life, ," and, like his ESSAYS.
was chaste and highly finished 1t abound
ed with passages of great beauty and elo
querse, and may be allowed, W th tropriety,
70 say that il was the production Of a mind
rich In all the attributes of genius, which he
oehned as = uncommon common sense " and
strung with the pearls of study and reflection
Inc sermon concluded, he repeated the bene
ulcuon, ana the fashionable auditory dis
PerSed, and we left with no worse impression
ot theodore Parker, as a man Of iutellect.
IMAM we had entertained before hearing him
had expected him to indulge in abuse az
the reviled South, but had been toasted with
one OF his most beautiful models Of philosoph-
ical defamation
at the request of Richard Yeadon. ESQ
senior editor Of the Charleston Courier, VINO
lad made an appointment to meet Mr. Par
ker In the evening, l proceeded with that
gentleman, at the designated hour, to his res
laence at Exeter Place. In doing SO, how
ever, must confess that bld to overcome
strong Southern idiosyncrasies The inter
Wow had been sought by M. Yeadon, for the
purpose Of ascertaining in person, as the edi-
journal, the ends and aims Of Northern Abo.
iitlonisIn, from one of its most prominent lead
eIs; and taking shelter under the mantle of
bis presence and wisdom, accompanied him
To witness the discussion. We fouad a party
OF SIX or seven gentlemen, and as many la.
Gies, assembled in Mr. Psrker's library and
were politely received and introduced by him.
Among the guests We were surprised TO meet
several gentlemen who are conspicuous for
their prominence IS Freesoilers and Abo!i-
tlonlsts; but only one of whom L will name
ns his connection with the anti-slavery move
inent is almost cO-equal with its inauguration
William Lloyd Garrison. Mr.. Parker an
sWered Mr. Yeadon, that the presence of third
persons was entirely accidental, but that he
did not regret it, as they were among those
whom he should have selected to meet him
Mr. Yeadon and Mr.. Garrison were soon en-
gagged In earnest conversational argument
which was sustained by the slavery disputsnt
with marked spirit and great ccgency. He
met and answered every proposition advanced
against the lawfulness and immora ity Of the
Institution, and, in doing so, retain ed, with
great propriety, his composure and self posses
sion. When pressed with the force and au-
thority of many pointed passages of the Old
and New Testament, authorisiDg the institu-
tion, and epjoining the reclamation and rem
ditiOn Of fugitive slaves to their masters, Mr.
Garrison denied their relevancy, on the ground
that the genuineness and truth Of the record
from which they were taken, were not conciu-
sive and sufficient, in his opinion, to exclude
the exercise Of conscience and reason upon
the subject. He cOntended that such passages
were unreasonable and apochryphal, and op-
posed to our ideas Of humanity, wisdom and
mercy Of God thus testing the Infinite by n
finite standard, ard subjecting the wisdom of
the Almighty to the compass OF a human law.
In this position, Mr. Parker, who acted, most
Il a.
cided, illustrating it by citing several exam
pies from the sacred volume, where he al
legged that the chosen people Of God were COM
manded to act in direct opposition TO some of
those laws Of Nature which were among the
attributes of the Deity. In other words, the
authority of the Bible WAS rejected, SO far as
it initiated against their peculiar doctrines,
and their opinions were made purer and
higher standard than the revelations Of the
Divine Will.
From this branch of the argument, the dis
cussion became more general, and, in its
course, embraced the history and humanity of
the Southern system of slavery. Mr.. feadon
adduced, in support Of the humanity and len
iency of the institution, the rapid increase
of the slaves, their comparative contentment
and attachment to their owners, and exhib-
tied great familiarity with the facts and de-
tail. of the subject. All Of these facts and
arguments were warmly controyerted by his
opponents, who rejected his statements
those of an inteyested witness, and for that
reason, as they insisted upon the legal tech
nicality that excludes a witness from testify
ing on his own account, they declined to admit
them, disclaiming any intention to question
his veracity. What was strange, however,
while these men reject the statements thus
made by familiar and unimpeachable wit
nesses, they receive, with the most fattering
JUNCTION, the false and exaggerated stories Of
fugitive slaves who are embraced in their
arms while still laden with the gore of their
plundered masters. Fanaticism has wrapped
its fslse mantle around them, and they are
blind to the dictates of reason "Qusm deus
prius cutt perdere dementat l was sur
prised to find that Garrison and Mr.. Parker
differed widely upon many points. Mr.. Gar
rison advocates the abolition of slavery by
mild and patient means-by argument and
persuasion-and is opposed to violent and in
surrectionary steps He was man of peace,
while he Senominated Mr.. Parker, in contra.
distinction to himself, Bunker Hill man
by which he implied that the latter was the
advocate Of any measure, however violent,