Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-01-30
For the Bugls.
THE ~UNPARD0NABLE SIN.

The Alabama Methodist Protestant Annual
Conference has adopted the following resolution.
That any parents or guardians!belonging to yur
church, who shall patronizo that school of sin,
the dancing school, by sending their children or
wards, shall be subject to trial and reproof, sus.
pension or expulsion as the case may demauaL,'
When a very young child l used to live in con.
slant lear lest | should ignorantly commit the up-
pardonable sin of which | heard so much said bv
the preacher; and l have spent many weary
hours Oh anxious thought puzzling my childish
BRAIN with the vain effort to discover uaat the
objectionable sin was, what crime coalhbe 40,
great, that good people were commanded not to.
pray for the transgressor. 1 believe the Book
says it is the sin against the Holy Ghost. and s,.
great was my fear of committing that sin. that I
scarcely dared breathe the word onlz in n sonnress.
cd whisper. Had | then have me. with the nbovs
resolution adopted by the most pure and holy
church OF Alabama, it might have enlightened
my dull comprehension and put a calm and peace.
tul quietus upon all my fears. Having never in
all my life been guilty oc the sin Of tripping "t.s
light fantastic toe" to the music of the "unpodlv
fiddle | can now dismiss those weak and cbildi,b
fears, ard smile at the pain they caused me slonp.
long ago"
But seriously. we are pleased with the praise-
worthy efforts of this jealous church. to purify
itself from the contamination of that school of
sin," and hope the. morals of its members NAV be
improved thereby. And we would merely sur.
gest that when they have faithfully administered
the discipline to the fullest extent, and purpe ed
themselves from this henious crime, that thew
| should examine thap, oalvas o,j 80 .rl
still some minor offences which require reproof
auu CORRECTION. We are not 30 ignorant az to
suppose that any OF their members of the weak.
er sex are guilty of wearing enormous bonnets
and high head dresses" for this would be a sin
against the prevailing fashion of which no lad
not even a Methodist would be guilty. Probably
they all discard vain adornments, artificial flow.
ers, finger rings &c. according to the rules of tn,
venerable wesley. Of course they are guiltless
OIL any connection with that sin which be truthful
y declared was "the sum Of all villianies."
we read Of those in ancient times, very Jealous
church members they were, who paid ti,hes Of
mint and annise, and cummin, and forpot tbs
"weightier matters of the law" and we are we'll
convinced that the race is not yet extinct; and wa
are painfully amused at this pious zeal of slave.
noiuins CHRISTIANS, that frowns upon all amuse.
ments' and looks with holy horror upon the poetry
OF motion, regards laughter as q sin and thinks
TO please God by wearing q long s%anctimoniou
lace, when all nature smiles and ever and anon
breathing u long drawn sigh as a thank Offering.
that they ARE not as other men are." They keen
the Sabbath, attend church, pray three times a
day, fast often, and live and grow rich apon the
unpaid toll of The Stare! If they feel any pangs
OF conscience they go to the Bible to find evidence
to prove that the system of slavery is right, and
thus fortified with divine authority they 20 on
expressing their fellow men buying women and
children, crushing the impress of the Deity from
their souls-and all this under the sanction Of
their most holy religion.
If we were not aware that they considered 'the
peculiar institution of divine origin, we might
think that they wished to divert attention from
the greater sin, by their zeal to destroy dancing
&c.-tha their efforts to purify the ''outside of
the platter" was meant to conceal the corruption
within.
But this ~obliquity of the moral vision that secs
a greater criminal in the devotee of pleasure than
in the brutal shareholders, is not confined to the
latitude of Alabama. There are those in FREQ
Ohio ~ who advocate the same sentiment. Less
than two years ago, l heard "a minister of the
Gospel" who was troubled with exhibitions Of
r~owdyism during public worship, say that such
acts as he had seen while preaching land he spec
flied shutting cords in the gallery, and dancing
before the door of the church) was porse than the
act Of Slareholders! that they were not guilty of such
immortality Verify, they do :'strain at a gnat and
swallow an elephant" who make this nice distinc.
ton between two evils.
But are not such teachers, "blind leaders %
D and is i. safe to follow their teachings implicitly Z
And need we wonder when we hear such minis
t tiers and their faithful deacons, deprecating all
. agitation of the slavery question as tending to
infdelity, and hear them say as they often do,
D that if a person gets excited upon this subject
be is sure TO lose his religion" Away with any
and every religion that makes us deaf and blind
to the suferings of humanity, and let us have
t hearts to feel for the slave as bound with him.
G. r. COLBY.
Cherry Valley, Jan. Ilth, 1858.