The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-05-27

Alabama elder was present, sat with the church
. but declined part lkipg CT the elements. Til,
next day, he sccosted me, said Mr.. T.. auC
said. "your minister was rather hard upon me-
, Yesterday" He was reminded of the CONVEX
sation on the previous Saturday, and of his re
. mark that he believed him faithful, uncom
promising minister. eyes" said he, ahe wa,
faithful and uncompromisinr; and. to tel S va-
the truth, he made me feel, for the first time If
! nv life, that had no right to be at the Lord.
table while hold my fellow.creatures in bond
age / resolved, while sitting there, that
would go home and emancipate my slaves. and
not partake of the communion until I had done
it."
/ Mr.. T. mentioned ether instances of tbe
power of truth, faithfully applied. upop tbs
hearts and consciences Of Shareholders. ard
also to some signal instances Of failure to con
vince them of the error of their ways by sof
palliative, spologeticsi illusions to the evils Of
Slavery. In this connection he referred to the
course taken by Edward Everett, when he first
took his seat in the Congress of the United
States Ambitious to succeed, as he vaul.ed
from the pulpit to the political platform. be nm.
dertook to vindicate Slavery from the Scrip
lures. Neither he, nor any other Northern as.
pirant for political honors, who is solcitous to
gain influence with the South by subserviencv
to Shareholders, will ever forget the memorable
rebuke administered to Mr.. Everett on the oc.
casion referred to, by the eccentric but elo.
quent John Randolph of Roanoke. AS Mr..
Everett took his seat, Mr.. r. arose, and said
something to this effect
Mr. Speaker, am the owner of some four
hundred slaves. May God forgive me. for
standing in such a relation have never de.
Tended myself, as a STAKEHOLDER, from any au.
thority. human or divine, and least of all from
the Bible. l leave that, pointing his long, bony
finger to the seat of the young member from
Massachusetts, Is to the recreant New England
parson."
| These anecdotes, said Mr.. T., demonstrate
the power of truth, properly applied, upon the
hearts and consciences of Shareholders, and the
contempt with which Northern advocates or
apologists of Slavery are treated by the most
enlightened and conscience stricken men of
the South TRUTH is the great weapon with
which to assail the system of Slavery and the
practice of slaveholdrg, and truth spoken in
! love will be mighty, through God, to the pull.
ing down of strongholds" of sin and Satan.
| Mr.. Tappan said that, before he concluded,
he wished to warn his friends against bein ?
| more influenced by personal considerations
than regard for the interests of humanity. The
| fraity of human nature was such, that men
| often felt more keenly personal insult than the
| insults and injuries done to those whose cause
they protested to value and to advocate. Let
them beware of feeling more disappointment
and indignation against the Publishing Com.
mittee of the Tract Society, for not obeying tie
directions of their constituents, than displeasure
that the wrongs of the slave have been overlooked
or despised. he might also say, that true pol
icy, no less than right principle, urged that the
highest ground should be taken on the subject
by the friends of Freedom. If low ground is
taken, If we urge upon the Tract Society con-
siderations of expediency, that they shall first
of all inculeate right conduct on the part of
masters in relation to their treatment of slaves,
in hopes that afterwards they will be able to in.
Weigh against the sinfulness of the system ITSELF
they will probably find themselves mistaken
Low ground once taken, it will be diff cnlt, if
not impossible, to take higher ground. South
erners themselves, who were content to have the
abuses of Slavery inveighed against, will Cd
pose assaults upon the system, and accuse their
Northern friends of having deceived them and
the Southern community. Bat take the high
est ground at once, declare that slaveholdipg is
sin, sin of the highest kind, that there can
be 70 Christian fellowship with shareholders,
and the conscience of the South will be reached;
and if it does not now, it will hereafter, respond
to the Christian appeals and expostulations of
the Northern church.
Again: the awakenings, conversions, ard
reformations, now going on, under the good
providence of God, may be the means of enlist
ing thousands and tens of thousands of youth.
full Christians in the great army of moral re-
formers, who otherwise will not attain to
higher standard than the conservative platform
upon which the church has hitherto stood.
Young converts naturally seek for the highest
standard. Let the friends cf Freedom raise
L Il i Il
fearle.sly onward, on which is inscribed Truth,
Righteousness Freedom, aud Holiness, ard
their ranks will be filed with numerous hest
Of those who have recently confessed Christ,
and who d sire to follow Him.
Let there be no empiricism, said Mr. Tap
pan, in dealing with the great disease of the
nation. Call things By their right names, aud
apply the proper remedies. Suppose, said be,
that man who has cancer on his hand
should consult physician, who should tell him
that 1t was mere pimple, to be easily cured,
would such qnackery avail for the recovery Of
the patient? There is q cancer upon the bcay
polite Of the nation. Let it's nature be under
stood let its evil and dreful fleets be distinct.
ly pointed cut let the proper remedy be faith
fully used let the surgical knife be fea-lessly
applied. A cure may be effected by the appli.
cation of suitable remedies promptly admins
tered, while palliatives, deceptive appliances,
will only deceive and ruin. Shame upon the
American Tract Society, that treats this cancer
upon the nation as if 1t were a mere pimplel
Mr. Tappau concluded BY presenting the fol,
lowing resolution .
"That it be recommended to the American
Tract Society to authorize and direct that the
Publishing Committee issue a tract. without
unnecessary delay, on the Sinfulness of Amer
can Slavery"
The Committee here came in, and presented
their report
Mr.. Tappan moved an amendment to the first
resolution, viz that Whereas American Sla.
very is sin before God, therefore -
Rev. DR.. Asa d. Smith, of this city, referring
to the amendment, said that, if it were intended
TO affirm that the essential spirit of Slavery was
q sin, he was with his brethren who had pre-.
ceded him. He thought it somewhat ambiguous
whether it referred to Slavery as chattel SIa.
very or not. IL it meant chattel Slavery, he
went with the mover of the amendment
Mr.. Tappan Immediately rose and said he
tutor, and would cheerfuly meet his views by
introducing the term chattel" into the amend.
ment, 30 that it should read American chatteI
Slavery" He said he now called upon DR..
Smith to renew his pledge, and join hands in
support of the amendment.
DR.. Smith replied, that what he was disposed
to do as an individual, he mighty not perhaps
do as q member of the Tract Society. He
thought the ter m chattel did not take away
the mist as to the system of holding slaves
Mr.. Tappan. DR.. Smith said, if meant
chattel Slavery" he would go with me. do
say chattel, )" and now he refuses to vote for
The amendment. Laughter.
RELEASE OF ARCHY LEE-rHE END OF IT.