Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-02-06

ers less fortunate have been met on our borders
by she minions of the slave power, embodied in the
person Of a United States Marshal and have been
carried Ok to the hell Of slavery, not in defiance
Ut law, but in accordance ,cifh IL. The lordly and
ana luxurious master may travel on our thorough
fares attended by his man servant" or his maid
servant" visit our watering places, our. fashionable
hotels and receive the obsequious Hateries of our
moneyed aristocracy, and return with his slape in
defiance OF the efforts Of our courts or laws to free
him. If be may do this with one, he may do ID
with q thousand and where 10 our freedom7 Sl~
very exists, if not BY local law, yet carried by the
sanction of our constitution, or at least the modern
Interpretation of il which signalizos the advent Ct
James Buchanan as President.
But / Gid not intend when ! took the pen, to
write a word Of the slavery of The body. 1t were
labor lost" to attempt to prove that physical
slavery may exist at the North even in opposition
to the will Of many peaceful citizens.
But there is q slapery Of the mind that is almost
equally degrading to the soul. There are unseen
letters that gall and cbafe the spirit and prevent its
upward progress and if one daring intellect pre-
sumo to throw aside these hidden letters, and to-
think, and act, independently, and to mark out u
course of individual action unlike that prescribed
by custom, the fierce bloodhounds of Scandal scent
their prey, and the character or reputation Of tina,
individual is torn and ~mangled by their poisonous
fangs. We are all, or many Of us, the slapes of
public opinion, and shape our course, outwardly
at least, so as to avoid the censure of those, whose
opinion, if taken individually. VIC should regard
as beneath our notice but collectively they form
a ''cloud of witnesses" whose voice is the law Of
anotatv and xpna IN fhnoa rrh0 AipaDnrl - D..
instance, if a woman (no matter how great her
qualifications of mind and heart) should dare to
address a public assembly on the grea. moral aues-
tons OF the day. which interest her in spite of her
sea, she is met at the Threshold of every consecrat
ed house with the inspired assurance that w.
man should mot speak in the church; that she
must not teach, but learn in eilence, and if doubts
perplex, she must meekly TASK her husband at
home, if she has one. Her reputation is set UP.
as q target for the vicious to shoot at her purity
is called into question, and all the low slang in tho
vocabulary of vice is levelled at her, no. only by
the vicious and foolish, but by those who pride
themselves on their respectfully and good stand
ing in community. IF she accept as o co-worker
and fellow laborer in the cause of humanity, one
of the opposite sex, and travel with him in the
same Car or stage-coach, instantly the sensibil,ies
of all good society" are shocked beyond tho pow.
er of expression, and no terms can be found strong
enough to express the concentrated indignation
and contempt which that immaculate body
feels for her, Churches and school houses are
closed and barricaded by public opinion and if
any reckless individual is 80 daring and f~oolharjy
as to run after" these fanatics or express a Gym
pathy for them and their opinions, o portion Of The
same righteous indignation is melted out to every
offender against the majesty Of this unwritten law.
And but few are found sufficiently hardy to make.
the attempt, however much they may secretly de-.
sire to do so. was present in a congregation 9
few months ago when a notice was given out that
a certain lady would speak at the Town House ON
the coming Sabbath. Three ladies who occupied
the sea. with me, all expressed a desire to hear her
if they could go and not hare anybody see them -
Wishing to hear for myself and not being ashamed
to be seen there, l was an interested listener at the
Town House, aud on my return l met the three,
who didn't dare 10 go, as they were returning from
public worship, and saw the finger of reproach
pointed at me. half p~layfully, yet in earnest
Thus are We slaves to the opinions of others and
dare not be true to the impulses of our own hearts.
How many words of sympathy and kindness for
the erring or suffering are thus checked through
fear of what others will say of US. In every lane
and avenue of this life there is o "cross' to bear,
not only for the christian, blu. even for the infdel
and hereto, if they dare to act up to their highest
convictions of duty. For strange as it may seem
to orthodox ears, infdels and heretios have a stand
ard of right and duty which is as sacred to them,
as is the creed of the faithful to the true believer
And 1t requiem as much moral fortitude for them
to brave the sneers of good people in the discharge
Of their obligations to humanity. Home and fire.
side are as sweet, and the family tie rs strong. and
for this reason would they labor that every mem
Der of the great brotherhood Of man whether black
or white, Tor any shade between) may possess the
sanctuary of home ~inviolate and holy, shcred and
, happy as his oven may be. And if this right ia
S smitten down by church or State and the home o.
the humblest being in the form Of humanity, invad
ed by the majesty of law, is it not for us to feel fol-
the unfortunate and aid him to secure his lost lib
critics. Can we bow to the supremacy Of that Law
and acknowledge its force? If We do, are we mo-
slares ourselves, slaves to injustice and tyranny
even though our homes may be in free OhiO,-
:, And shall we 60 on Boosting of our free institu
tions while the clanking of chains is borne on CIV
cry tsouthern breeze, and the clangor of arm,
a comes on the wing OF the WIND, from 1.-THE prairioI
and forests of the far west, while the flying fugitiv,
= finds no rest for the sole Of his fooiin all our north
a ern borders, and the heart-broken mother finds nj
freedom for her offspring in Ohio, only in the grave
to which her own hand consigns themi Will,
the freedom of speech in our halls and State hous
es is followed with blows and bloodshed, can W,
3 truly say that we are free.
Us Will the true patriot close his eyes to the sins o
K his country and join in the vain clarifying of tn,
demagOgue and politician, or will he not labor Il
show the people their sins and turn them from tn,
error OF their ways. even though the attemp
should bring reproach and dishonor upon himself
C. Such has been the thankless toll of disunionists
and may they toll on, and toll ever, until not opl,