Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1858-05-20
The Tract Controyersy--What Next
[From the Evening Post.J

The management of the Tract Society yes
terday triumphcd, after a stormy struggle,
over the anti-slayery opposition, and the old
board Of officers was reelected by a decided
majority The society, in thus reversing its
position taken last year, decides that no tracts
shall be issued on the slavery question, and no
alusion be made in its publications to an insti-
tuition which a ma jority of its members consider
a great obstacle to the progress of Christianity
in the southern states. 1t is claimed, however,
that practically tbs is a consideration of small
consequence, as most Of the Socety's issues
are circulated among the non-sIayeholders of
the South and that the prejudice among slave
owners is such that the publication of docu-
mentS on slavery would destroy its influence
altogether in that section of the country.
Whether this be 50 or not, we cannot de-
termne. The opposition, however, maintain
the negative aud have all along asserted that
the whole truth Of God involves condemna-
ton of slavery, and that a mntlated gospel is
no gospel at all though they are guilty Of the
Inconsistency of urging the publication of
documents like Bishop Meades Instructions to
Masters recognising aud prescribing rules
, for an institution which they stigmatize as
inherently Immoral and wicked Hence the
root and branch abolitioniSts of the Lewis
Tappan or the Garrison schools rather exuIt,
we suppose, in the discontinue of the anti
slavery moderados, headed by Drs. Tying and
| Thompson.
These latter, however, assert, if we under
stand them right that the issue Of rules fol
slavery will prove an inefficient, though indi,
rect, attack on slavery itself, inSuring its down
fall perhaps as speedily as direct attack upor
the system-a species Of argument of which
our recent Kansas legislation in Congress has
furnished such notable examples.
Meanwhile, as the Tract Society insist on it,
inability to do anything but preach the undis
puted word, and on not promugating what
will give offence to evangelical Christians of any
section, of course it will not again violate sucl
consistency by inveighing against intoxicating
drinks, dancing, theatre-going, or any othel
practice on which a difference of opinion eX
| lists among church members. This, undoubt
edly, would have been the smoothest and easies
policy had it been adopted at the start, bu
how it will work now, after so great an agitation
has been excited, remains to be seen. w
rather doubt its success
But what will the defeated opposition do
Will they, for the sake of the half million 0
property and the 100000 annual receipts o
the Society, still adhere to it after they arr
thus hopelessly prevented from controlling it
VIII they join in the work of refusing tn
Gospel to slaves and shareholders Will the,
adhere to the organization and neutralize it
influence by continuance of hopeless conten
ton, or will they throw themselves on thei
wealthy northern consttuentS--the churche
Of New England and the WeSt-and peacea
ly secede? This appears to us the best course
/ We should then have two harmonious Organ
zations working in different ways, for tn
same noble object-the eyangeization ef tn
, world.