Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-03-30
ANOTHER RICHMOND IN THE FIELD.


Evil-doers are proverbially cowardly. They
seldom look the consequences of their conduct
in the face. They are constantly Disgusting
their folly, or painting it with apologies. Very
rarely there appears man so far gone in his
depravity as to justify it, and assert that his
pet vices and vanities are not without their
special divinity. 1t requires a great deal Of
courage, thus to stand up as the champion and
defender of practices which the whole civilized
world denounces as sinful.
Rev. Joseph c. Lovejoy is one of this class of
courageous men. He has many times braved
the moral judgment of his fellow citizens with
out finching. Customs which, in their best
phases are deplorable, have found in his voice
and hand, prompt end agile support Institu.
tons wholly iniquitous in their origin and in
their life, have found in our fellow citizen an
unlimited championship. Bred in the midst of
free institutions, himself once protesting to be
imbued with their spirit, he has, by what pro-
cesses of reasoning we know not, measured
the depths of political depravity, and shown,
by vivid illustration, how easy is the descent
to hell"
The latest demonstration he has seen fit to
make, is in the form of letter to his brother,
Owen Lovejoy, defending slavery as an eco
nomical, humane, and Christian institution 1t
does not disturb him that shareholders them
selves have from immemorial time complained
of the system as wasteful and improvident in
its tendencies. His eye discovers evidences
of thrift and wealth to which all others are
blind 1t does not alarm him that wherever
slavery has existed, the hand of desolation has
swept every field of its fertility and beauty.
His chivalry clothes the land of bondage with
never dying yerdure and fills its desolated
countries with fruitful gardens, poisoning
nnder benignant skies.
The prevalent idea that slavery is state of
oppression he brushes Indignantly out of sight.
"What were the negroes" he asks triumph
antly, when the Christian nations took them
by the hand and led them across the ocean
American slavery has produced and cultivated
more African intellect, more social affection,
more Christian emotion in two hundred years
than all Africa Central and Southern, for
two thousand years American slavery is a
redemption, deiverance from African hea-
thenism. "The dark places of the earth are
full of the habitations of cruelty" and no
land is darker or more cruel than Africa
With equal facility he disposes ofall objections
on the ground of its snfulness. For example:
1t cannot be denied that the idea of slavery
runs all through the Bible; it was stamped
upon the history of the Jewish nation, and up
on the history of every vigorous nation upon
the face of the earth indeed / strongly sus-
peet this is the normal condition of large por-
tions of deprayed race, and | can readily be-
ieve that a man may sustain the relation
of STAKEHOLDER, in all good conscience, and with
the entire Divine appreciation. There are Wis
ible footprints of Gods disapprobation of the
abolitionism of this country. Look at the
f1ocks of unclean beasts and birds that have
out of its train. Infdels that curse God
abuse every good mans character, and then
praise humanity in general to counterbalance
their malignity and blasphemy.
There is nothing remarkable in such letter
except in the quality of the courage which it
requires to announce and defend its doctrines.
1t is easy enough to apologize for slavery, to
cover up its wickedness and shame, to defend
it as necessary evil; it is quite another thing
to tear off all its DISCUSSES, and then worship it
as the French infdels worshipped wanton in
the place of deity. Mr. Lovejoy is consistentas
well as courageous. If slavery must be de.
Tended it is the more honest course to place it
on the high ground of right If the slave
trade can be justified between the slave-breed-
ing and the slave-murdering States, why not
suffer those who desire it to bring negroes
from Africa into the marvellous light of Miss
issippi and Louisiana. What is right in Vir-
ginia cannot be wrong on the Gold coast and
the Guinea plantations.