The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-10-21
SflinoIeburp &rgistsr
MID DLER
WEDNESDAY, OCrUi
Tho Tract Society.


inst, publishes the last circular of the
Committee Of the Tract Society giving
their reasons for refusing 10 comply with
directions of tho Society The remarks
of the SeatsAelsare worthy of notice, on
ly as expressing its views Of the highest
/, /, type Of Christian choraetr Speaking of
the circular, it says: it is eminently chris.
!, tan and servative.-The conservative
portion of the country and the Society
= will cordially uphold and sustain their
action &c. The eminently Christian
conservatism which the Sentinel TO
- much admires. is in this instance as usual
in these lattor lays, an unconditional
yielding to the bebests Of Slavery
1t seems that the report of the special
+. committee at the last anniversary, which
. 81 was at the time generally considered as
n inaugurating change Of policy by re.
commanding the publication of tracts up,
+. on the'moral evils knoa0i, 10 result from
Slavery is not to be carried into effect
i. by the committee having these matters
in charge. .t. e.
The report, which has given rise to
-. the present excitement, was at the time
!. of its adoption considered remarkably
we'll adapted to settle the disturbance
which'tbe Slavery question has produced
-. Notwithstanding the wide DILIGENCE of
opinion on the subject, which ptvailod
) .,among the members. of the society near.
ly all its members, pro-slavery and anti
slavery, conservative and radical seem.
ed satisfied. But later developments
:. =. :. have shown (what indeed other events
- in eur history might have taught them J
that compromise on question in re.
-, =, gard to which men radically disagree
az produces harmony only SO long as it re-
mains question to be discussed, and not
: :" acted upon. When it was proposed to
: publish tract on the tDuties of Mas.
ters," it was found that the Southorners
-. would not submitto it. Although the
work was written by southern men, and
contained not q word against Slavery in
itself considered, yet they would not con
q. sent that anything relating to Slavery in
49, any way sh ould be published Here was
poser The publication of this tract
>. was to be token of a change, however
small concession this would have been
. to the more ultra auti.slavery men it
-. - would at least, have been departure
:. from their previous course. But even
this was opposed. Therefore, to avoid
r.. excitement. the secretaries addressed
circular TO the Southern friends of the
Society, telling them that there would
be nothing published on the subject of
. :. Slavery. W hen this conduct had been Sc
>, ..verely criticised, eyaddressod another
:. to the North Afterwards the Publish
ing Committee, the Distributing Com
mittce and the Finance Committee con
jointly prepared an address defending
= the course of the Publishing Committee
and recently, the Secretaries have, made a
statement in regard to a meeting of some
. .. of the officers of tho society, together
- with some agents and cOlporteurs, who
were in New York, ut which it was
agreed that it would not be proper to do
anything that would offend the South
b The executive Committee claim that
ID the report of the Special Commit tee was
not binding upon them as rule OF con-
duct, but that they were allowed to reg
- ulate their course by circumstances.
: 'sS' They now claim that new state of
:, things has arisen since last May, such
SO. that the committee would not recon
= mend them to do otherwise than they
e have done, We are not sure that tn ey
=, are wrong in this The fact is, the re.
/. port was very moderate in its tone and
= rather vague 10 its directions and rec.
u omendstions But however that may DO
the prominent fact in the case now is
!. +. thisr- that the managers of the Society
= refuse to allow any thing to be published
- " on Savery,and for the simple reason not
:. that they are not themselves opposed 10
!. :; Slavery, but that if il should be done.
the South would withdraw, and thus
'-' y large field of upefulness would be closed.
-. To us, the whole course of the society
a seems .cowardly III the extreme. 1t is
z nonsense to defend it from the provisions
- of the constitution, which requires that
/, their publications shall be such as shall
be calculated TO meet the appreciation of
=, ~ all christians, If this provision prOhib-
!. its tracts on Slavery, it certainly does all,
AinAa,nn..... Ill 4. L. 4 l.