Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-06-10
The American Trac. society.

public mind. Every avenue to creduli-
ty, pref udice or conscience, is eagerly
appropriated, and antislavery sentiments
of every grade inculcated, from the bit
ter, defiant, blasphemous intensity Of
Garrison, to the mild and christian fer
vor Of those divines who believeto to be
their duty to bear testimony against the
sin of ~slave-holding. Yet, although
there Is unceasing activity, continuing,
preserving untirihg agitation, on the,
part of political as we'll as religious abo
litionism, 1T is Il remarkable as well as
encouraging fact that us soon as the
noisy workers are brought before the
competent tribunal to test their relative
numbers, they at once dwindled into a
faction, and are overpowered by the ma
tional conservative sentiment of the
country. While in the open field, with
their disclaimers and their presses, they
appear from the noise they make to be
a mighty host, but when drawn up in a
line and counted, the deception vanish
es, and their real poverty of numbers
can be no longer disguised. The Amer
lean Tract Society has just gained a
splendid victory over the abolition ele-
ment which sought to use it as a vast
machine for the dissemination of anti
slavery tracts. The history of this con-
test, resulting in the total discontinue
of the abolition wing, is an interesting
feature of the times, and an illustration
of the fact we have stated, that the agi-
tators have but to be brought in contact
with the conservatives to be beaten.
The American Tract Society is an or
ganization embracing all the Protestant
denominations of the country, North
and South. Its publications have uni
formly avoided reference to controverted
doctrinal points, or any subject, which
would tend to disrupt the bonds of fra
ternal union but were confined to es-
sential truths constituting the common
ground of all creeds. Some New Eng
land and New York ministers and lay
men, who regard s~laveholding as the sum
of all human depravity, could not rest
easy while their christian brethren Of
the South remained undenounced, and
they demanded the publication of tracts
assailing the institution of slavery. This
busy factionslabored and schemed until,
in 1857, they procured the adoption of
a resolution providing that Those moral
duties growing out of the existence of
slavery, as we'll as those moral evils and
vices which it is known to promote,
should be discussed in the publications
| of the society. Under the sanction of
this resolution a tract was written in
structing masters as to their duties to
their slaves, the publication of which
would have produced al intense excite
ment at the South, and caused the i'm
mediate disruption of the society. The
Executive committee very prudently re-
| solved not to publishthe tract, in view
of the incalculable evil it wonld occa-
sion, and appealed to the annual meet
ing of the society for an endorsement of
their course. That meeting was held on
the 18th instant, at New York, and the
committee were sustained by a vote of
ten to one. The excitement of the con-
troversy drew forth all the members of
the society, and the utmost exertions
were made on both sides. the anti-slave-
ry wing stimulated by the hope of grasp
ing the great engine of the Christian
Church, and hurting it with destructive
effect into the midst of those polluted
by the sin of slaveholding; the conserva-
tive wing animated by a calm determi-
nation to stay the desolating tide OF
aggression, and preserve the society from
the destructive assaults of the fanatical.
The victory of the latter was emphatic
and final.
The ia that this very tract upon the
duties of masters, which the consciences
of some of the restless anti-slavery
members of the society demanded should
be published, was written by a decided
freethinker and laudator of Theodore
Parker is an admirable Illustration Of
the genius of Modern New England
abolitionism. No .fouler spirit ever
: needed exorcism. Those infected by il
have a marvelously acute vision for II
e mote in their brothers eye. What
would have been the use of publishing
Y a tract attracted particularly to mastersi
0 It would not have obtained circulation
: at the South, and at the North it could
+ have no other influence than to inha MT
: already overheated imaginations. Why
t not leave the task of reproving cruelty
s neglect, and e other ~undoubte(
e evils growing out of the institution O
e slavery, to the christian minister located
in it's midst; whose duty it is to preacl
: to the masters. Is not the meddling o
Northern ministers, and worse than all
Northern men who make no pretence II
Uni III dSSi"'o'Su ihSuiC hhiSi
c even forbearance could not tolerated
Northern men talk of a c~onscientiou
conviction of duty which demands tina
e testimony should be borne against tn
great national sin of slavery. Suppos
= the tables to be turned, and that South
n ern men should demand-and from con
d scientious conviction of the duty too
tract against the evils of abolitionism
and its poisonous moral fruits, wha
could be said against that? Could the
d not point with reason and truth at tn
n rank inidelity terminating in abolition
ism and it's offshoots, spiritualisn
woman's rights free love and kindre
antasies? Could they not show tina
the religion of Garrison, Parker, Phil
E. lips, and the host of abolitionism VIII
h disgust and shock the very lowest NOR;
Iy development by their b~lasphemy an
u their gasconade, is but a morbid human
itarianism devised by men who hav
truthlessly trampled out the last spark
of vital christianity? And after uncoi
IN ing fold after fold ofthis slimy monster