Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1858-04-17
GBs aaiIp spp.
nc MetheaI.t Conferenoe.

One of the most interesting features OF the
New England Conference, just closed in this city,
was the presence Of Rev. ]. D. Long, of the Phil
ad.iphia Conference. author of the book publish
ed last June, entitled pictures of Slavery in
Church and State" which book, from its fearless
exposures of the alarming prevalence and abhOr'
rent character of slavery in the Methodist Epis
eopal Church, has caused more commotion in the
church than anything that has occurred in their
history since the division of 1874.
A member of the same conference prepared
long string of accusations against brother Long,
charging him with Islander, falsehood, misrepre'
ssntation, &C. At the annual meeting OF the
Philadelphia Conference, held at Easton, Pa.
three weeks since, these charges came up, but
were almost without ceremony showed aside. and
brother Longs character "passed. This, Mr..
Long informs us, was not from any sympathy
with him, for he thinks that a large majority of
the conference were opposed to him. but they
had ascertained that he was prepared to prove all
his published statements true, and far within linn
its as to what he could truly have stated, and
they feared the investigation would be worse
than the book had been, and dared not go into it,
neither did they dare to put him out without tri-
al and SO they passed" him.
The New England Conference held an anti
slavery meeting at the Salem Street Church on
Tuesday evening, which was fully attended. Mr..
Long made the first address, speaking with great
apparent feebleness from i'll health but with great
strength OF matter. he said he had been opposed
to slavery from early childhood. although he had
been reared In slave State, and had father and
6 andfsther who we're shareholders. He had been
blessed with pious mother, whose heart had
bled in view of the wrongs and sufferings of the
slave
Now, because OF his statements, he could not
visit Maryland, his native State, to weep over the
grave Of his mother. His life would not be safe
there.
Slavery existed in that State in all its abhorrent
deformity, it was the DEVILS masterpiece, the
greatest Of wickedness, and yet it existed in the
church, as we'll as out of it, and with as hdeous
character. In its presence all protesting Chris
inns and Christian pulpits were dumb. The
Gospel was not, and couldlnot be preached in Ma
ryland, although there were there the represen-
tations Of all denominations, from the Universal
list up to the Methodist Episcopal.
Those churches that upheld slavery, he said,
were bogus churches and not Christian, and
would not recognize pro-slaveIy minister as
Christian minister.
1t might be asked, he said was it best to make
this exposure-ought he not to keep silent. He
thought not. He did not believe in the philos,
ophy Of concealment, but every evil and dalk
thing should be brought to the light and exposed
IN order that it might be corrected. But would
mot this exposure furnish the Garrisonians with
weapons against the church Perhaps it would
but the surest and best way to silence the Gar
risonians was to extirpate slavery from the
church, and il we did not do this we ought not to
complain II their structures.
He gave many interesting statements as to the
incidents Of slavery which he had witnessed which
our limits prevent our referring to at this time.
But his address was attentively listened to. and
apparently heartily endorsed by all of the large
audience that heard it.
Rev. Mr.. Hanson, fugitive slave, now resid-
Jag in Canada, whose life and character furnished
Mrs. Stowe with the material from which she por
igAyed her "Unce Tom" spoke next. He was
very black man, apparently about sixty years of
age, with tall, strong, and well knit frame.
FMS speech abounded with wit and pathos,
though it at times consoled his auditors, while lie
portrayed the various incidents Of interest in his
life, under the iron shod hoo Of this diabolic in
stitution, which had, as he said, broken and
crippled nearly all his limbs, which fact was ap-
parent to the audience from the crippled appear.
ancs Of his arms and hands, which ne could not
raise above his head.
Many OF his variations show him to possess
that remarkable conscientiousness which Mrs
stows's book portrays, but it did not follow him
through, for when he found at last that his mas
ter kept no faith with him, but cheated him Of
his hard earnings with which he had paid for
himself in part, as BY an agreement he had made
with him, he began 20 look out for himself, ard
and at last took his wife and little one, by the
underground railroad to Canada.
Mr.. Longs book, which we commend to all
who are interested in the slavery Of the Metho-
dist church is for sale at Clapp 3 Heywood's.