New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-12-02

he'd
der the abiding presence Of God feeling the whip and
chain of oppression the slave even Us 70 himself,
with calm convection of eternal duty, throws himself,
his sons hs means everything IN desperate assault at
this gigantic system Of wrong-hoping may be, II
success favored the daring venture 70 hberate some
hundred slaves and retreat with them the border,
or if defeat came was more probable, to bear the
stripes and the prison, and death, many
thousands Of them had done, in order 20 testify his I'M
diving hatred Of injustice, and his sympathy with the
wronged.
OF course was an Illegal enterprise il was fool
hardy and desperate Though not so desperate rs ap-
pearsl Il was fanatical all great enterprises are
Il risked life and all cast, and mourn
the death which has followed. Il was an almost in
zane eort-not TO excite serlle instruction, for this
both Cooks confession and Browns honest speech
deny-but 10 damage the Slave Power by running of
a large body Of slaves.
lis NOT for all this. that the sons OF the Purtans
everywhere feel so intensely with the brave old man
They would not necessarily believe n such modes Of at
tack on this tyranny They regard and spas
mode efforts at rising among the slaves as they would
similar efforts now in Hungary or Napes-foohsh and
unadvisable because certain 10 fail But they, and all
everywhere " 10 respect nobeness and courage, can
not but look with wonder and love this old man,
going down himself to bear the burden of them who
are IN housekeeping wounds and chains,
eeving reproach and insult, and taking the murder
ers disgraceiul death as eheerfully as II II were
crown Of honor for the sake Of the poor disprited
forgotten slave.
They behold him mild, courteous and humane to the
last with a sublime Faith and Cristian spirit OF hum
be sefdevoon, which makes that prson-cel to their
ewes, holier than cOnsecrated chapel.
John Brown is the REORGANIZATION of the deepest
Northern conscience against Slavery. He reveals the
awful earnesness and the subllnly OF that sentiment
against this wrong which politicians have been strly-
ing so long TO wheedle and 10 manage. BE assured,
Sir that there are thousands of in this country,
ready and glad to swing off on the galows, II they
could that it could possibly break the letters OF tins
gigantic oppression.
Il is al this, and not certainly or necessarily
sympathy with the means employed, which makes the
religious masses of the Free States feel so intensely
with the brave old man.
And yet they do not mourn for him. No he risked
the desperate essay he chose the death OF sacrifice for
the tens of thousands Of the wronged who had SUI
fered far more than he.
The eve of Christian faith, too changes the scene.
The old and SCARED body, hanging the murderer's
rope; the chains the eers OF the brutal crowd the
curses Of the excited sodiery; the scorn OF the rich
and the powerful pass away, and the welcome OF
that innumerable crowd Of unseen witnesses, who
have died for truths and righteousness sake, and of
Him who hath halowed set-sacrihee for the poor and
wrOnged for ever more, seem to beglrd the humble
sufferer, rs he leaves the earth
John Brown on Virginia gal0ws, and John Brown
entering the Christian Heaven, might be fruitful
theme for dramatic contrast in the pulpit.
No; the people do not so much sorrow for him,
though this broad Union holds not more noble man.
hood or a religious soul.
We have known linn personally, and many of his
family and we can testify (ifit needed that
man so imbued with the Divine presence, 80 living
under sense of eternal tbngs and filed with the
wrongs of the oppressed, and burning to struggle
for them is seldom TO be met with in this world. We
do not believe him TO be insane, any more than Crom-
well or our own Puritan foreiathers insane. lie
was a Puritan ftle Puritans.
Ii is an immense loss for the country to lose such
manhood. But it is not this which this day Is forcing
out groans and prayers from many in every corner
Of the land it is that ne the freeborn Of the nation,
the descendants of those who periled everything for
ahould n n
which can legally be given 20 the highest nobeness-
courage and Christiany-isbe gdoTs THAT the pur-
est friend of impartial Liberty America has ever known
should have no reward but the murderers halter
that ue are responsible for this, and we have the
Disgrace IL is this that burns the SOUL and makes one
loathe the very soil on which such inquity can be
perpetrated.
but John Brown cannot die. The memory Of that
noble spirit will live for many century in the hearts
of the Northern people Such an utter spirit Of sacr-
fee has already enobed the whole generation, and
viii continue TO do The gallows loses its disgrace
when il holds such men.
That Providence which always works in the affairs
of men, but which we do not always see, has been
especially revealed in all the circumstances OF this affair
An old man, following almost insane inspiration,
strikes feeble blow at an empire OF tyranny, and 10
the surprise of men, trembles 20 the base. Not all
the moral movements, rabd assaults, calm argu-
ments philosOphie investigations of the century have
done much render Slavery ridiculous and unsafe
this hairbrained assault of fanatical Puritan II he
had aroused instruction from Virginia to Texas he
could not have done half so much.
Nothing in our history has awoke the religious
sentiment OF the North The question like this foolish
enterprise.
a thousand things might simply have made Browns
outbreak ridculous but il il everything in
the folly and in the wisdom of men had combined 10
present Browns spirit, words, and death as "a grand
tragedy revealing the spirit of Freedom and of
Slavery.
What things are before us no man can say. Whether
this shall be the beginning OF many martyrdoms until
the country bear more; or whether the South
really alarmed, viii commence a more rational and
human with regard TO this great evil or
whether this is only the opening of that bloody and
bitter collision which shall 20 on between the two
systems until is prostraed-who that is wise can
predict
The ID December is day which our history will
not easily forget. c, L.B.
A VOICE EpnN coNNrprIrIrr