Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-12-03

tian spirit. This can be done without Civ.
ing up one word of truth, or one principle
of Righteousness. A man may he fearless
and plain-spoken, and yet give evidence Of
being sympathetic, and knd-hearted and
loving.
2. The breeding of discomfort among the
bondmen Of our land is not the way to help
them. Whatever gloomy thoughts the
slaves own mind may brood, qCe are not to
carry disquiet to him, from without.
If could have my way, everv man on
the globe should be free man, and at once !
But as they cannot be- will not be for ages,
is it best that bitter discomfort should be
inspired in them-or Christian quetness
and patient waiting? If restlessness would
bring freedom, they should never rest. But
| firmly believe that moral goodness in the
slave is the barbinger of Liberty! The in
fuence of national freedom will gradually
reach the enslaved, it will hereby inspire
that restlessness which precedes deveope-
ment. termination is the most silent, but
most disturbing Of all natural processes.
Slaves are bound to feel the universal sum-
mer Of civilization In this way they must
come to restless warnings. Wecannot help
that, and would not if We could. 1t is Gods
sign that spring has come to them. The
soul is coming up. There must be room for
it to grow. But this is very different
thing from surly discomfort. stirred up from
without, and left to ranke in their unen-
| lightened nature. The time is rapidly COM
ing when the Southern Christian will feel
a new inspiration. We are not far removed
from q revival of the doctrines of Christian
manhood, and the divine right of men,
| When this pentecost comes the slaves will
be stirred by their own masters. We must
work upon the master. Make him dscOn.
tented with slavery, and he will speedily
take care of the rest. Before this time
comes, any attempt to excite any discomfort
among The slaves will work mischief to them
and not good. And my experience-and |
have had some eXpirence in this matter-is
! that men who tamper with slaves and incite
them are not themselves to be trusted
They are not honest men, unless they are
fanatical. If they have their reason they
usually have lost their conscience. never
will trust such men with money, nor place
any confidence in them whatsoever | do
not know why it is so, but my experience
has taught me that men that do such things
are crafty, and come forth from such tam
perinS unreliable men. COnSpirators the
world over, are bad men. And if were in
the Southland l think have the reputa-
tion of being a tolerable stout abolitionist
i should, not from fear of the master but
from the most deliberate sense of the ininr-
| iouS effects of it to the slave. never by
word. nor sign, nor act, do anything to ex-
cite discontedt among those that are in
slavery. The condition of the slave must be
changed, but the change cannot 20 on in
one part of the community alone. There
must be change in the law, change in the
church. change in the upper classes, change
in the middle, and in all classes Emanci-
patton, when it comes, will come either by
revolution. or by change of public opinion
in the aohOle community. No influences, then,
are adequate to the relief of the slave, which
are not of proportion and power sufficient
to modify the thought and the feeling of
the whole community. The evil is not par
tial. 1t cannot be cured by partial remedies.
Our plans must include a universal change
in policy, feeling, purpose, theory, and
practice, in the nation. The application of
simple remedies to single spots, in this great
body of disease, will serve to produce use-
less irritation; it will merely tester the hand
but not cure the whole body.
3. No relief will be carried to the slaves
of the South, as a body, by any individual
or organized plans to carry them of, or 10
incite them to ahscond.
The more enlightened and liberty-loving !
among the Southern slaves, bear too much |
of their masters blood not to avail them
selves OF any opening to escape. 1t is their
right; it will be their practice. Free loco
motion is an incident to slave property,
which the master must put up with MIN
BILE legs are much used in providence to !
temper the severity of slavery. If, there |.
fore, an enslaved man, acting from the yearn-
ings of his own heart, desires TO run away, |
who shall forbid him? In all the earth, F,
wherever human being is held in bondage
he has a right to slough his burden and
break his yoke if he can. If he wishes lib
erty and is willing to dare and suffer for it,
let him! If by his manly courage he
achieves it, be ought to have it. And l
honor such man!
Nay, if he has escaped and comes to me
owe him shelter, succor, defense, and God
speed to final safety. If there were as
many laws as there are lines in the Fugitive
Slave Law, and as many officers as there
were lions in Daniels lions den, | would |
disregard every law, but Gods, and help |
the fugitive The officers might catch me-
but not him if l could help it, A man
whose own heart has inspired liberty and |
courage sufficient to enable him 10 achieve
what he desires, shall never come to my
door, and not be made as welcome as my
own child. Twill adopt him for Gods sake |
and for the sake of Christ, who broods over |
the weak and perishing. Nor am | singu- |
lar in such feelings and purposes. Ten
thousand men, even in the South, would feel |
and do the same. A man who would not |
help fellOw-creature, flying for his liberty |
must be either villain or a politician.
But all this is very different from stirring |
up discomfort, aud setting on men to escape |
by outside influence.
l stand on the outside of this great cor
don of darkness, and every man that escapes
from it, running for his life, shall have some
help from me, il he comes forth of his own |
free accord; yet, | am not the man to go in |
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