The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-01-27
BOLD AND MANLY LANGUAGE IN
THE SOUTH.


which few superserviceable friends of the in
stituton in New England volunteered to preach
and teach few years ago, has disgusted the
more manly minds fthe South, and the attempt
to revive the slave trade has afforded the oppor-
tunity of repeling the heathenish and inhuman
imposture. What will the Reverend Mr.. Nehe-
miah Adams think of sentiments like the fol-
lowing, which come to us from the far South
And what must the Southern churches, which
in the spirit of mercenary time-serving have
adopted the basest of New England coinages,
think of the predicament in which they stand
teachings are thus secuted for their immortality
by the political press NJ
1t will be seen that the article below from
the Georgia paper, which we find copied with
appreciation in leading Alabama paper, scouts
the idea of ustifying Slavery and the slave trade
by the Bible, and at the same time takes the
Higher Law ground of reason and religion.
What next?
The AFRICAN SLAVE TRADE.-We confess
that we have been somewhat disappointed by the
rapidly growing popularity of the idea OF re-
opening the African slave trade In rie,c, hO1c-
eger, Of tie doctrines aohich the Church has been
teaching for Seceydt gears back, perhaps II aoeye
more reasonable that zee should be surprised that
ats popularity IS no g7edter. In its zeal to JUS
tify us in holding the slaves that we have, the
church has-by implication, at least-inculca-
ted the doctrine, that if it is not our positive
duty as Christians to bring Africans to this
n, 20 # Ionef IL ,,L, IL
God has gicen as, and achich 1ce can exercise
greatly to oar mutual interest. The African
can labor for us, and in return, we can make a
Christian of him and if he happens to be so
obtuse as to be beyond the reach Of our labor
OF love, why, we can just requlte him by begin
ming earlier, and civilizing and outstanding
his pOsterity, if he should have any.
Some time ago, we told our readers that we
seemed to be approaching the point when the
religion OF this country was to consist of two
great dOgmas-the one at the North, which al
lowed no man to be Christian who owned a
slave; and the other at tie South, achich pould
gice him no chance for hearen unless he lad
shOwn his faith and obedience 6y aiding to
carry ont Gods DEGREES IN tile importation of a
negro from Africa. We had then no idea that
we were near that point.
We never had any sympathy WITH or conf
ton in holding our slaves, in the curse which
Noah pronounced upon Ham, nor its legitimate
offspring, that philanthropy which makes ara
rice and cupidty, and all the lo,cest passions
and most depraced feelings Of oar nature, the
missionaries TO bring acid africans to this
country, that their descendants may be chris
tanned. As missionary effort however, it
has one great merit, in these days, when the
church seems to need 50 much money. 1t can
command any amount that may be needed for
that purpose.
We do not know that anything we can say
will have any effect to stay the tide which seems
to be setting so strongly in favor of this great
lRiquiy; but because we do not know what
effect it may have, we shall say it. If we knew
it would have none, it would be the same thing
to u.s. We should still say it,
We have no love for the Union, we have no
respect for the General Government, and we
have no particular regard for human enact
ments, merely because they bear the name of
laws. We scout tie idea that men are morally
Gouid to obey bad ialcs until they are repealed.
II this 1cere a correct principle, .Shddrdch,
-Neshach, and AJednego had not been east into
the burning fiery .ttunace, nor cOuid DANIEL
hare been cast into tie Lions den. nor acou3d
any Of tie Christian martyrs hare suffered
Mey 'couid hare escaped by obedience to the
lars.
1t is not therefore from any of these consider
atoms that we opposed to the reopening of
the slave trade; bit Il as because ii IS opposed
to all oar instincts, to all Our feelings, to all oar
CONNECTIONS as man and Christian Con-
sidered in ittelf, it is at war with all our ideas
of humanity and right feeling; considered with
reference to our section, it is opposed to all our
notions Of interest or Of policy.
Those who advocate the reopenng of the
slave trade do it, so far as we are able to see,
upon the following grounds:
/. That unless we insist upon the morality of
it, We cannot defend ourselves from the charge
of immortality in holding the slaves that we
have, and especially that we cannot defend the
trade between one State and another.
=. That we need and are entitled to cheap
labor, to develop our section of the country to
extend our civilization, and to strengthen our
selves against the North, and to strengthen the
institution of Slavery as it now exists amongst
us. All of these things we consider unsound
and untenable, and we shall attempt SO to show
them.
Then as to our defence for holding the slaves
that we have. So far as others are concerned.
the only defence we have to make to them, in a
moral or social or political point of view, is,
that it is none of their business The great
moral question is between ourselves and God
And to Him our justification is, that we find
ourselves occupying relation to them which
we can by no possibility change to their advan-
tage. More than that: a relation which We
cannot change without great in ury to ourselves,
and certain destruction to them 1t is, there
fore, not only right for ourselves, but duty
to them, that we shall preserve and maintain,
protect and defend, this relationship. Whoever
believes this as we do, has disposed of the mo-
raity of the thing to his full satisfaction, with
out either falling back upon Noah's curse upon
Ham, and without making it necessary to be-
come missionary to hunt up wild Africans to
bring them here to christianize them
But it is said that we cannot Justify the in
ternal slave trade, while we brand the foreign
as immoral. In other words, that if it is wrong
TO bring slaves from Africa to the United States,
it is wrong to bring them from Virginia to
Georgia. If there is any analogy between the
two cases, it is too slight to give any strength to
the argument Yet, slight as is the analogy, we
fear that great many good men have been
misled by it, especially since the
Church has prepared the way by proving that
God intended the Africans for our slaves and
thence the conclusion is very easy and natural,
that we are very greatly out of our duty, and
are guilty OF great sin, in permitting so many
of them to be suffering from ignorance and
barbarism and sunshsne, when we might have
them here, teaching them the great English
language, make them wear clothes, and con-
vert them into good Christians and good field
hands, Corner Stone Columbus, Ca =
\ The Paris correspondent of the Boston 7raD-
eler writes from Paris, Dec. %, of the death OF
several eminent Frenchmen:
] I IN no alv death