Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1859-12-14
RICHMOND WHIG.
THE HARPER'S FERRY CONSPIRACY AND NORTH
ERN SENTIMENT-AN ABLE AND SOUND LET
TER FROM PRESIDENT LORD, OF DARTMOUTH
lOIIECE

TER IRON PRESIDENT LORD, OF DARTMOUTH
COLLEGE
To the Editor of the Richmond IPhi0:
hand you herewith letter which received few
days ago from President Lord of Dartmouth College
New Hampshire The high moral and literary character
OF Dr. Lord together with the re position which
he occupies and the facilities he has where
OF he airms Il seems to ought entitle this letter
TO widespread publication, and in this find my just
heation for placing IL in your hands.
Having been student in the Institution over which
be presdes, and believing him eminently qualified to
speak wisely of the questions here discussed detern
ed 10 communicate with him, aud offer his response
to for the benefit of all who feel to
read the sound conservative views Of New Eng
lands Intelligent thinking / sought it not for
publication, but its author will agrcved
at seeing in print ii think it WILL its publication
'hIl Riasn5 result IN good; M ,..o Very respectfully
DARTNoUIH COLLEGE Dec. l. 1859
To j. NJ CONRAD Eso.-Ny Dedr Sir Your favor
of the 22d ult is at hand. IL proposes difclt ques
ton, viz: What is the predominant sentiment among
your population with regard TO the invasion oil
SOIL and interference with institutonsy Do they
value the Union il isg Aud if So do they not feel
that dissolution must inevitably follow such demo nsira
tons -
The question however is difficult mainly in view OF IL,
relating to other questions which you have not asked
Tho raid at Harpers Ferry, isolated transaction
viewed by all but few fanatics among our peope with
mingled feelings of disgust its folly and indignation
at its wickedness. IL almost doubtful whether IL
should be treated with siratacket for its madness or
rope for its method it that the wheel of us
cc u SO often turned aside upon plausible
insanity But at best is abhorent all our common
y received ideas Such demonstrations stare Us the
more from their direct incidental tendency TO precip
tate general dsorganization and dsunion On that &C.
count the vast majority of people would stamp them
with reprobaton and join you battle If that were ne.
cessary, TO suppress them.
But the mad attempt Of Brown and his coad-
tutors cannot be wisely viewed apart from its NJ
latOns. Ii is complicated with all the questions of sla.
very which now so much confuse and agtate the coun-
try, and which, sometimes fear will not be settled
In tnafV Vfo
timent is divided and the division awakens more
concern among thoughtful mem
According to my judgment public opinion at the North
mostly represented in this respect by these several
classes;
l. Those who study the subject slavery by the meth
cd OF faith in the lights of moral government as reflected
from natural and revealed religion These are worthy
persons of grave pursuits in Church State who look
at things they revealed from Scripture and experi
encc. They regard all men depravcd beings guilty
and condemned by the law Of God yet repreved by the
Divine goodness placed providentialy in various states
OF probation, according TO their dverse of character
individuals nations races and subjected to diner
en degrees of restraint and discipline by governments in
the family State church, constituted aud appointed
10y God, TO serve the ends of probationary state Slave
ry of the constituted forms of government and il
ower and duties accredited and described both in
the Old and New Testaments 1t is wisely adapted to the
uder portions ofmankind and in iions of the
social State necessary its best conditions or to its pro-
servaon during the appointed time The necessity grows
out OF the imbecy and unractableness those ruder
casses Some hold il to be judicial necessity entaled
|
dispcasue for peculiar wickedness sgniGed by the
curse OF CaESsn and having analogy in the judgments
now Tor long time inflicted upon the Jews Yet mer.
| cy Is mingled with Judgment and the doomed devise
benefits which they would not could not have recey
ed but for such proyidentia ordering of affairs The
discipline may serve eventually higher reformation
and lifting up than could otherwise have been possible
during the present arrangement of the moral system
But this gives 10 right superiors oppress and in.
hict interiors injurousy for their selfish ends and all
dbuses OF right Institution react providentiay to the
rlle.
God ss respccor Of persons. He holds the men who
like the pariaIchs and early Christians, hi or,.
areehby to their design, but punishes the evil
doers. And his government individuals aud ma.
tions one aud uniform in this respect in all the ages
Men of the class here described sprinkled all
New England Their insensibe influence serves to reg
ulate, in measure, the confused masses and TO
counteract the destructive of the insane
But they are not comparatively numerous, aud could
not things are greatly affect the generality They
are looked upon with dstrust frequently magned and
their conciatory influence is opposed. Their reasonings
often condemned without examination civilized with.
out Judgment or msrepresented for bad popular effect
For that they retire for the part their
cre places and wait to be justified by the providence
| God.
late disturbances in Virginia. They regard all such
temps by whomsoever conceived stimulated OF car.
red on, unchrstan immoral and mpolitic having no
tendency but 20 eNaggerate the very evils real imag
rywhich they profess remedy. That abuses of slave
~ exist tile South they deny not Just as they acknow
edge the manifold abuses which exist in the social
|
the ytuperation and ncendarism which are excited hy
nfdels and fanatics the North and encouraged by
more unprncpled politicians hoodwinked teachers
OF morals and religion Good and evil exist in in.
stituons well yours and are both inexcusable
IL We bite and deyour another, because of the bad
accidents which belong TO respective different or.
ganzatious administrations Of the social State You
might well lay Waste with fire and sword for our
errors and sins you for yours and for aucht
know, in this case with greater reason inasmuch as
there are probably fever men at the South who hold
| At
North who subject themselves and Others as far as their
influence eNtends 10 the yoke Of Wfil ignorance
| ntoNcaiOng delusioRs and malignant passions.
g The subjects this intellectual and moral seryude
constitute another class at the North. mean the Wild
about whom you do not inquire and OF whom need
not speak particularly They are known and read of v
all men Their history l. the same in all countries and
periods-thc history Of a wanton imagination unscru.
pulous ambition, bewildercd Judgment immodcrae vau
Is and sccOnceit fiery passions ever driving them
onwards to fatal plunge.
| Yet they are not numerous probably not as nu-
merOus powerful yOu imagine There are
| scarcely five in a village, and fewer in the rural
| districts They are mostly cougrcgated in the cit.
les where they collect rabbc by their fiery clio.
quence and sometimes decent people whose varrapt
curiosity love Of indiscriminac excitement masters
their discretion They not otherwise formidable than
as knot Of burglars and incendiares who sometimes
| create panic through town county by a few mid.
Night outragcs that for while clude detection That
there not laws for such deous men argues as vet
moral sonndneSs Of the people The public voice meas.
| urably controls them The time may come when they
VIII require iOrctlc restraint sometimes almost fear
H. But should fear that then all laws would lose their
power, and should begin the horrors Of civil war
which certainly many politicians hitherto have not seem.
ed anxious to prevent. These caterers TO the unhoy
sympathics and anpahics Of do what they can to
prccipiiatc that result And they have a wide fcd in
our third aud largest class
3. This third class the great body Of the people
Strictly th- Class should be largely subdivded for
IS composed Of a varieties from learned aud profes.
sona men to operatives In the mills aud day-nborcr In
the fields In Part of the world there greater d.
vcrsitc 0f sect and parties Of temperament and tastes
Of fashions, pursuits and interests than az the North All
shrcwd intelligent capable aud earnest They study
books, read the newspapers, talk politics, and discuss
morals and theology. They diFr dispute divide scp,.
rate and quarrel But yet they have a common ria-
eWitml that holds thcm viz: the constitution aud the
laws. To these all have prncplel aud strong attach
ment as the old Jews had to the ark Of the testimony
With all their differences n matters OF Church or state
and occasional heats Of political religious controversy
| they meet with accord on the Fourth Of
Jolly, and celebrate fraternally the nations FREQ.
| dom. They would lay aside all the iealousies OF
faction and competitions Of rival interests and fight to.
gether icr their magma charia. That this bond has
been somewhat weakened by unprincipled dcmagogues
Who have extensively subsidized and prostituicd the
aud Influence Of uf,re