The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-08-27
the NORTHERN PRESS,

THE NORTHERN PRESS.
From the Boston Traveller
THE TRACT SOCIETY STILL In TRousLH
The American Tract Society has another
agitation in prospect for its next annual
meeting. The declaration adopted at the m ee..
ing in May gave general satisfaction to the
Anu-Slavery religious press. Bot Southern
religious presses and bodies soon began to ex.
press their dissent from this policy. The
South Carolina Branch, among Others. con.
sidered the subject at one of their meetings,
and came to the conclusion that "the aboli.
tionizing tendency of the parent society % eyi
IDENTITY eliminated in the last anniyerssry.n
and they would feel justified in severing the
existing connection" but advise that the
Branch in every respect make ready for an
unconditional separation in case the Parent
Society does no. relieve itself from its present
unconstitutional and hostile position.n Il is
curious how exactly these Southern religious
oooies follow the political organizations, with
sne,r threats of secession and dissolution.
But the new agitation is not altogether from
the South side. The first thing which excited
fresh uneasiness in the Northern men was the
revelation of the fact that prize tract on Sla.
very, BY Mr.. Whipple, of Boston, which had re-
ceived the appreciation of Rev. President Way
land and Bishop Clark Of Rhode Island. C..
Stoddard of Massachusetts,, and Rev. David
Brown of Scotland, representing four evangel
zeal denominations, had been presented to the
Society for publication, and had been declined.
But It turned out that this action was taken be-
fore the May meeting. Lately, new source of
disquietude has arisen. The Correspondpg
Secretaries of the Society have iesued a circu-
lar, addressed "to evangelical Christians, and
especially to the Society Colporteurs, Superin.
tendents, and General Agents, and to editors
OF the religious press throughout the Southern
and Southwestern States" guarding them
against misapprehensions as to the true i'm.
port of the report of the Special Committee {"
II is intimated, in this circular, that the prin.
ciple by which "the Society has for thirty
years been governed will be adhered 70, and
that, as heretofore, no tract will be published
that does not receive the unanimous sanction
of the Publishing Committee" of which Rev.
Nehemiah Adams, of Boston, author of the
'southside View of Slavery" is a member.
A week or two afterwards, another circular
followed, explanatory of the frst, and giving
as . reason for its publication, that the action
of the Society had produced deep sensation
in the South, especially among q certain class,
who believed that the Society's policy was
to be so changed that publications would be
Immediately issued, which, in the eye of the
law, would be regarded as incendiary, and rem.
der any one who should attempt TO circulate
them liable to arrest and imprisonment" The
Secretaries cay they felt bound to prevent such
misapprehension. 1t was hardly worth while
for the Secretaries to take such official notice
of the misrepresentation of the Southern press
The Tract Society merely declared, in May, that
Those moral duties which grow out of the
existence of slavery, IS we'll as those moral
evils and vices which it is known to promote,
and which are condemned in Scripture, and 80
much deplored by evangelical Christians, un-
doubtedly do fall within the province of this
Society. and can and ought to be discussed in
a fraternal and Christian spirit"
Men who could see incendisrism in the course
of action here proposed, would not be likely to
be satisfied With any assurances which the Sec
retaries could give. Besides, the true way TO
satisfy both North and South, is to obey the
Injunction expressed in the resolution above
quoted. The Vermont Chronicle, BY no means
fanatical sheet, advises to this course. 1t
says. very sensibly-
"If, as may be presumed much that has
been said on the subject at the South arises
from Misunderstanding. it can best be met by
showing, in actual publications, what it is that
the Society expects to do. The Evangelical
knowledge Society of the Protestant Episcopal
Church found no difficulty in publishing the
Memoir of Mrs Page, in which the duties of
Christians who hold slaves are so prominent a
topic, and are treated in manner so truly
Christian. We have never heard tn at the use
fulness of that Society IVES curtailed, or that it
was excluded from or hindered in any field
of labor on account of that book Such an
example has incomparably more weight than
iuconsiderate language uttered at excited meet
ings. and the Society may well initiate it, with
out fear as to the general result"
The american Missionary suggests that an
Anti Slavery tract be compiled from the wri.
somewhat threatening language. 1t says the
most obvious wav to contradict the misrep-e.
sensations at the South was
"To publish the identical tract which was
ready to be Issued at the moment when the re.
port was made to the Society, and printed cop
les Of which were in the hands of the Special
Committee. Would that publication have been,
in the eve of the law at the South, 'incendi-
aryi' Would it render any one who should
attempt to circulate it liable to arrest and i'm
prisonment?' Where is the tract? What has
been done with it? We demand the publica-
tion Of it. If the Committee will not publish it,
give US copy, and We will publish it on our
own responsibility. With that tract in their
hands, the Secretaries and the Executive Com.
mittee know what the meaning of the report is.
Do they intend to obeyf Or will they defy their
constituents 2"
1t is evident enough that the Tract Society
will not see quiet times at present. The inex-
orable Anti.Slavery mind and conscience of the
country will not be satisfied with mere resolu.
tons.
From the Portland Oregonian, July4.