The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-04-07

lim not nON rs a servant, but as brother
beloved, which is above a servant"
The practice of Polygamy was, in the
Apostolic times, equally universal as Slave
ry, and both had the sanction of law Mr.
Taunton admitted thelc was no direct in-
terdict against Slavery, neither, he said is
there against twin monster Polygamy, which
is equally a violation of the natural law and
yet nobody doubts but the in fluence of
christianity abolishes both the one and the
other. 1t remained for latter age to revive
that Slavery an age especially markell by
its acqriisitive propensities. How were these
two universal institutions tPo'ygamy and
S'avery) abolished by the Gospel, without
any attack Those crimes and vices which
the law denounced, were severely denounced
by Christ and his Apostles whilst those
established by law were differently dealt with;
they were left to the silent vet sure operation
of the Golden Rule, "WhatSoever We would
that Others should 10 unto you do We even
so unto them" No man could hold plural
itv of wives. or single slave, without vio-
lation of natural law, and consequently
violation of the Golden Rule 1t was arglef
that the two sexes are born in equal num-
bcrs, and hence il man takes fifty wives, he
necessarily violates the law Of nature, and
compels forty-nine men to single life this
is not doing unto those men as he would they
should do unto him. H. equally. violates
the natural law towards those fifty wives,
for, it was asked, would Mr.. Fowler like to be
one of fifty men, engaged in equal partner
ship in the person of one woman? !? To have
claim on just one-fiftieth part other affec-
tions and endearnentS? No reply to this.
Very disasreeable question. However we
will presume he would n 't::--then how could
he. as christian, ask fifty women to be joint
participants in his tsmporalities' Here the
Golden Rulc works so beautiful that it is inn
possible not to admire its simplicity and
power. 1t needed no direct command to
Danish Pulygamy, for under the benign rays
Of the Sun Of righteousness it melted away.
o, the institution of Slavery mankind
were more tenacious; the natural but cor
rupt lust for dominion over his fellowm n,
gave to the slave interest great power of re-
sistance to the Gospel; and hence it with
stood, for considerable period, the eiferts of
the church for its extinction. Here in the
discussion brief historical sketch was given,
showing how the spirtural power Of the church
was used after it became consolidated
Suffice it to say that the church threw her
self zealously into the conflict with slavery,
and never ceased or slacken her efforts un-
til it was banisied from the pale of the
christian world -f
Mr.. Fowler attempted to apply the Golden
Rul. so as not to clash with Slavery, and in
doing this, he seemed to be fully conscious
of the desperate nature of his undertaking.
Many of his friends were grieved, while his
opponents were in high spirits, at his mani
fest failure to pervert the word of the Lord.
He placed himself in Penitcntiary, senten-
ced for some henious crime. ''Now," said he,
Il wish the Governor to pardon me-" AT.
ter making up his mind to that, he jumps
ont of the penitentiary and into the Govern
ors' Chair, putting some other convict in the
prison in his stead; snow them" he said,
must I pardon that convict because wish
ed to be pardoned when was in his condi-
tiong Certainly not. Neither is the mas
ter 10 free his slave merely because the
slave desires it." Alth ugh this is the vital
point: the real key commanding the whole
position on christian ground, vet this was
the only resistance the gentleman could Of
fer at this important christian Therinopyle,
1t reminded me of an inidel who once said to
me, Sir, your Golden Rule is golden hum
bug: win show you It's So Thus, I de-
sire that every man meet for the next three
months siloull give me one hundred ,'ollars,
then must | give to every one meet for tho
same period of time, like sum. There, sir,
your bubble is bursted-all is humbug."-
My pro-slavery friend, It's true, took rather
different views of the Golden Rule, but both
arrived at conclusions equally subyersive of
the spirit of the Gospel. They neither of
them seemed to be aware that ''the better
killcth, but the spirit maketh alive" or
course Mr.. Taunton found no difficulty with
this matter; the facts need but to be stated
and the candid mind yields assent at once
lie said there was no analogy in the two
cases. The one was convicted for the COM
mission of a henious crime, the interest OF
society demanded his punishment, mercy to
him would be inhuman to society, whom he
had outraged. But the slave is unconyicted,
unaccused, and has lost his liberty by no
voluntary act ofhis own. Any attempt to
parallel the two cases entirely fails. In point
of morality the master and Shave may be re-
garded as equal; being thus equal before
God, the spirit of the Gospel would apply its
self in all its force and vitality to the master,
whatsoever, &C."
Lhaye now completed my skctck of this
discussion, a discussion which has been most
disasterous TO my Democracy. have striven
to do this with fidelity; and, in my mind to