The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-04-21
A THEME FOR A BOOK.

We do not know whether the thought has occurred
to him; but we do not see how like him, so
alive to the preposterous and absurd, so prone to
phoaophize upon the foies of his race, and fond
Of chronicng the history of their rise and progress
could fail of being struck with that most stupendous
folly Of our age, and especial monstrosity of Ameri
can poitcs--the antslavery agitation-as fit sub
ject for his pen
While the two greatest English satirists ridi-
culing the ostentatious and hollow hypocrisies of
Exeter Hall, in fctions which the readers of both
hemispheres devour by the month with voracious
avdity the acute and more modest historian of de-
lusions and humbugs might employ his pen, with in
finite profit to himself and mankind in recounting
the history of anti slaverythe most superlative fol-
| ly which ever bewldered and debased the human
! intellect.
The influence of Exeter Hall on public opinion in
| Great Britain may be still so great as to deter so
| mild parsonage and discreet an author as Mr..
Mackay from undertaking a subject requiring the
sashing and trenchant dissection; he may, in
deed, for all know, be himself victim to the de-
fusion; but it would be, in the highest degree, de-
srable, that the history should be written while yet
the monster idol surrounded by its worship
pers still held dominion the minds of its fanati
cal votaries and still received the homage las fam
tastc as abect) of it's dcluded victims. Originating
in Exeter Hail. whence it was transplanted to our
American SOIL here to be nursed by emssaries from
that grand seminary of fanatcisms the delusion
would have most appropriate chronicler in writer
for the Million dwelling its precincts, such
Mr.. Mackay The delusion has had growth on our
continent that has had parallel in the whole range
of fact or fable, unless we except the marvellous
bean of Jack in the nursery book but it came
first from Exeter Hall, the ark from which have is
sued all the broods of folies, with which our earth
has tcemed in modern times. an
Whoever shall be the historian of this grand de-
fusion of the nineteenth century, he will have theme
worthy of the pen OF Juyena Cervantes, Butler,
or the author of an account of the SouthSca Bubble
There is scarcely Of the various species of tai
ent that characterize the different classes of writer's
which the subject in some other Of its aspects
weud not tempt into requsition.
In that Babel of hypocrites of all names and
tongues who periodically crowd Exeter Hail. and
In the thousand and ono ostentatous charities
mock phianthropies, and naughty bcnevolences,
to which they vaunt their pure devotion, what rich
mines of material would be found for the irony,
ridcule, and invcctive of satirist.
In the economical effects Of the anti-slavery delu
sion--no less desolating and blasting in the British
West Indies than in all the Spanish American republics
where the dogmas of Exeter Hall have been engraft
cd upon the practical polty of Statcno less hurt
full to the African beneficiary of the spurious phila
thropy than to the victimized European master
what fruitful theme of commentary is presented
for the statistician and politico economist
But far more grand would be the theme, if some
impartial De Tocquevie, or Montesqueu, or Car
lyle should turn his regards to the results Of anti
slavery in this our confederacy, and in
the spirit of an enlarged and elevated politi-
cal philosophy, should depict the progress of the
moral distemper through the land, and descant
upon the madness and meanness of its minstering
spirits. What vivid contrast would he present be-
tween the kindly sentiments which mutually actuated
the various sections of our Union at the beginning of
this dabocal agitation and the social political and
religious alterations it has produced never to be Grad
icaed. What utter barremess Of good results would
be shown to have marked its whole career I; what
miraculous fruitfuness in acrimony, hatred, and all
uncharitabeness could it be shown to have exhibit
ed To what certainty and brillianoy of success
could it be shown that great experiment of free
government was tending before yet this agitation
began its fell work upon our system into what
perils of wreck and failure it is driving the devoted
ship of State How would not such writer lash
with the thong of his Indignation the malignant and
senseless designs of the agitation upon the integrity
and peace of our social RELATIONSHIP respect to the
negro proposing to convert him from industrious
and contcnted slave, into idle pauper and vaga-
bond in respect to the white of toll, proposing
to amalganlate him with an inferior race to de-
grade his free and honore6 labor to the level of
that of black brute and to associate him indus
trially, socially and politically with the 'brother"
African and negro fellow citizen" The future of
our republic that would have BEEN if the fraternal
sentiments planted by its founders had been allow
cd to work out their grand natural results and the
future which this insane and atrooious agitation will
achieve for our portion Of the American continent
just it has achieved il for The portions Of it sonth
ward of MS, would afford topic for another chapter
of indignant reflection.
But we have sufficiently indicated the leading fea
lures of treatise which will yet be written by
hand directed byProvidencc to the task. 1t will
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