New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-05-12
5000 rebels under its walls, and captured the
town. The Ices of the enemy wm severe There
is nothing of importance from China

American Tract Society does not concern TIC "0'''n
Of that body alone. The decision, whichever way
il may be, cannot fail, from the nature OF the case
to have much more extended operation. LAST
year the Society resolved unanimously tn" a.
though the political aspects of Slavery lay entirely
out Of ito sphere, yet "tbst those moral duties
(Which grow out Of the existence OF Slavery IS
"well as those moral evils and vices which II 10
"known to promote, and which are condemned In
Scripture, and so much deplored By Evangelical
Christians, undoubtedly DO fall within the
province Of this Society and ought to be DIS
cussed in fraternsl and Christian spirit The
qsestion 10 be decided to-day is whether the 90
ciety will stand by this unanimous resolution
of last year, and will insist that its Pub
sbing Committee shali proceed to carry that
resolution into effect, or whether it will abandon
the ground thus taken and subside into timd
silence upon the subject Of certain moral evils and
vices condemned in Scripture and greatly deplored
by Evangelical ChrstiaRs-evils and vices OF
crying character and wide extent, not unfrequenty
INDUCED in even by protesting Christians, and nom
which protesting Christians Of the humber sort'
tie poor brothers and sisters Of the church. are often
the greatest sufferers. That such is the scope OF
the sileDce proposed will not, we think, be ques-
toned. We DO not understand that any Of those
persons who advocate the silent policy are induced
to do 80 by any doubts to the tact that there are
certain moral evils and vices condemned IN
Scripture which grow out Of the existence
of Slavery, and the extent of which Evan
gelical Christians have abundant reason TO
deplore. We do not understand any of these gen.
tlemen to deny that the existence of Slavery in
commu unity imposes on the members of it, and es-
peci.lly upon the religious members particularly if
they are also Shareholders, certain special duties,
moral and religious. Even those among them who
regard Slavery divine institution, sanctioned BY
Scripture and standing on the same level with mar
rsge and paternity must yet be ready to admit that
as the marriage relation, and the relations Of father
and child, involve certain special temptations and
certain special dute 90 does the holding of slaves.
Nor do we understand any of them TO deny that the
fulillment Of these duties-and especially the duty
of attending to the religious instruction of slaves
the chief topic treated in the suppressed tract on
"the duties of members is a very proper subject
for religious teaching and exhortation. 1t is not
that these gentlemen object to the Christian char
acter of this work. nor even to its urgency aud ne
cessity. They are perfectly willing that it should
be done; nay, they confess that it ought to be
done; only they think that for reasons of prudence
ard expediency, it had better be left to somebody
ellie to do it. The moral evils and vices in question
are so rampant, the public feeling of the South is
so disordered and in1amed, even church members
themselves are in 60 excited state of mind, that
these gentlemen do not like to run the risk which
attends upon the Christian exhOrtation under such
state of things. They prefer that this disagree
able, not to cay dangerous duty, should be per-
formed by somebody else. Their reluctance has made
them acute and Ingenious. The Christian charac-
ter of the Tract Society might seem to demand the
performance Of this duty, dissgreesble and even
dangerous though it be; but then the national char
acter of the Society-sO they argue-not only ex-
cuses from but even forbids its performance.
When we remember that even the Apostle Peter
was driven by terror and apprehension of violence
thrice to deny bis master, We sh,ll not venture to
bring against the gentlemen to whom we refer the
charge of pusillapmity If there was any tolerably
fair prospect that this duty, 80 dreaded BY them
would, if they shirk it, or if they even induce the
Society to shirk it, be performed by anybody else,
we might even be inclined to sympathzo with their
piteous entreaties, if not to yield to the force of
their arguments. But who can be expected to
perform this duty of enforcing the moral duties
specially incumbent on shareholders, and of bring
ing home to their coDsciences the evils and vices
condemned by Scripture and so much deplored
by Evangelical Christians which the existence
of Slavery is known to promote, if the Ameri
can Tract Society has not the courage to UNDER
take it, The example to be set to-day, the
doctrine of Christian expediency and Pru-
dence TO which the Tract Society may give its
sanction, cannot fail to produce a deep mpres
sion. 1t is in vain to expect that the scat
tered preachers, the single churches or the
individual Christians of the South will be
less prudent or more defiant of prevailing preju-
dlces and passions than the American Tract So
cety. The very circumstance that Slavery 10 not
merely personal but national affair, recognized,
as the Supreme Court has declared, by the Federal
Constitution, would seem to render it subject
particularly fit to be taken in hand BY national
Society While Judges from the Supreme Bench
announce that our Government is organized upon
the principle that negroes have no rights which
white men are bound to respect, it would seem to
be particularly incumbent on national Society to
give to our slavehodiDg brethren reminder that,
in Christian point Of view, even slaves have GER
tain rights and masters certain duties. Nor is this
Christian e1hortation merely piece of duty toward
thote WHO are or should be the recipients Of it. 1t is