Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-08-27

"piy insutuuon oil whlch We are now so proud VIII
be pointed at as an assurance of our degradation
and our uncivilisstion, Two hundred year, ago,
va pointed to tho laws hanging witches "a eslden-
ess OF our Christian character that We lived in a
land able aud willing to swing over the gibbet, to
shs bed and board Of her chosen bridegroom,
every homely woman who cared to live a single
hfs, and earn the reputation Of being = WITCH
We point nop to the laws hanging witches as as
sfances not only Of a want of civilization, but Of
Christianity, The time will come when our 'un.
dsfground failruad' will be Just MS much a re,
prosch, just as much q laughing-stoc as 0allows
Hill In Salem, the Golgotha in which they broke
The necks Of harmless, innocent women for witch
esan,
Our Underground Railroad, of which We nre
now 90 proud, and in which so many are fond Of
buying stock, but on which few are willing to be
conductors - the time will come when men will
read In History Of it, and they will wonder if it
can be true that in the afte rnoon of the Nineteenth
century, the soil Of Massachusetts was not safe
enough TO shelter a defenceless and innocent wo-
man. We may we'll rejoice, since that is the con-
ditiou OF our country and this Commonwealth, that
there are countries in the world, where freedom
hes AZ abiding place, and that the Underground
Railroad does exist, and that upon it, as on the
highway TO heaven, we can send our weary, DESC
late. despsiring pilgrims, to End at last q resting
place on Abraham's bosom from the hell of Amer
lean slavery. But, Mr.. Chairman, ! shall ~protract
my remarks too far. There is no end to these
thoughts, or to the illustrations Of them. There is
another part Of the resolutions equally important
10 US. l do not know whether you now present
are ready to join in The remaining position of the
resolutions, or ready to pledge yourselves in behalf
Of the ensiaved; or whether you are satisfied yet
shat freedom is better than slavery. Well, Mr..
Chairman, l can easily suppose that to be true,
because | have already affirmed that the reason
Why the LIST of August is not observed is, because
some are not yet born.
Give q horse his provender, his straw and his
blanket, and it is oil he asks. Offer him a bag of
eats and q bag Of gold, and Of course he will take
she oats fool il he didn't. So if you give a man
freedom or provender, if he is a man, he will take
freedom. When you offer him the alternative of
freedom or death, if he is alive go that he can die,
be will say, Give me DEATH
Perhaps you are not satisfied yet yourselves that
slavery is not preferable to freedom. Before the
British Parliament was ready to obey the voice of
the British people, and pass theEmancipation Act,
Il had to be convinced that the enslavers wouli be
better of. provided you paid them sufficiently,
with hired labor than with slave labor. When
this was proved, Parliament, like other weather
cocks when the wind blows from the northeast,
turned towards the southwest. That is the kind
Of morality and economy of most men. Dem On
strate to a man that slavery is more profitable
than freedom, and he goes for slavery. Demon
strate that liberty rays better, and be goes for lib
erty. We are indebted to the church for that
morality, for religion is on the same principle.
Men are warned to repent, not because there is
any virtue in repentance, nor because goodness is
any better than vice or sin, bus because heaven IL
the reward of the righteous, and he'll the doom Of
the ungodly. Now, if you could only change the
position, would there not be a most desperate fall
ing from grace For q greater part of those who
are in what is called the straight and narrow
sosd, are only kept there by the yelling of the hell
hounds on each side of the track. They say,
You are having your good time now we should
be glad to join you we are going to have our
good time hereafter So in regard to slavery in
the West Indies-the idea of freedom for the sake
Of freedom, and justice, for the sake of JUSTICE
why, the commercial world was calculating profit
and loss upon it. Now | say we are indebted to
to the pulpit for that morality. And until we are
prepared to give freedom to the slave, at any cost,
we are not prepared to celebrate this day. Until
q man is prepared TO live the life of the righteous,
without regard to future reward or retribution, he
10 not living the life of the righteous. Until a
man is willing to do right. without the promise of
golden %pavcments,' on which to walk in the
streets of the New Jerusalem'-no matter what
he processes. he is yet in the gall of bitterness
aud in the bonds of i~niquity.' Until he is willing
10 do right for the sake Of the right,-heaven, or
90 hesveu.-hell or no hell,-he is not doing
right at all. When men have to be hired to do
right, the very fact shows that the heart is full of
all unrighteousness. We are not prepared to eel
citrate this day, until we have laid aside our slate
and pencil, and have done calculating profit and
loss.' The question Of the stakeholder should not
be how he shall be compensated, but it will be his
agony, day and night, how he can compensate the
victims who Lave suffered so long in his behalf.
Suppose the West India Islands had been me5e
desolste ; suppose their commerce had wrapped
itself in it's own shroud, and gone down to sleep
forever in the caverns Of the ocean ; supposing
The plantations had become desolate OF inhabitants,
until all the scenes Of Nineveh and Babylon were
reproduced-what then7 If God said, execute
justice in the morning. undo these heavy burdens,
and let the oppressed go free,'-then the deed was
a righteous deed, and the consequences God will
make right in his own good time. l do not know
what would be The fate Of the slavehoiding States
in the event Of emancipation but, unless we are
prepared 10 lay aside all such calculations, VIC are
not prepared to celebrate this day.
Still less are we ready to pledge ourselves in
tile presence of four millions Of slaves, and before
their righteous God and Judge, to achieve their
deliveranee or sleep in death. There is a solemn
consideration connected with this resolution. Why
are we here For one, | came here, feeling the
importance of the day. 1t seems that in the OBJ
servance Of this day. we stand upon holy ground.
l think if the Jews observe their passover with
such solemnity, still more solemn and impressive