The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-10-13

1
South, but party whose principles are ident-
cal with those of the patriot founders of our
Republican Government, and whose policy
looks to the welfare Of the whole country and
the whole people.
WHY SAMBO WAS "SNUFFED OUT"
| The National Era, Abolition organ at Wash
ington,) we observe, echoes with junction. the
denunciatons of the, Independent, here, of the
Episcopalians, for unceremoniously shutting the
! door in Sambo's face at their recent Diocesan
| Convention in this city. We quote:
"By this action, the Episcopal Church of
Eastern New York declares to the world, that
if not in favor of the slave trade, it is utterly in
different to its enormities. 1t has no word of
censure for the infamous pirates who make
merchandise of the very heather whom it is
endeavoring, by its missionaries, to bring with
in the pale of Christianity. The members of
the Convention are no strangers to what the
slave trade is. They know that its victims are
supplied by rapine and war, that the savages
are stimulated to make war upon each other, in
order that the prisoners may be sold to the
traders; they have heard Of the horrors attend
ing the transportation of the poor creatures
across the Atlantic I; and yet the Episcopal
Church has no word of reprobation for the
monstrous wickedness, and a proposition to
censure it is met with laughter and scorn, and
voted down by an overwhelming majority"
This may be fine rhetoric and good bun
combe, so to speak but it is not good logic,
nor as near the truth as it ought to be- One
cannot well see how the Episcopal Church, in
turning Mr.. Jay and his Sambo" out of ST.
Johns Chapel, has declared its utter indiffer-
ence to the enormities of the slave trade" or
any other enormity. If any member of that
body had got up and introduced a series of reso-
lutions denouncing the enormities of adultery,
say or stealing, or Sabbath. breaking, or muir
der, in all human probability he would proba-
bly, have been "snuffed out" just as Mr. jay
and Sambo were, for the good reason that all
these several "enormities are to be reached
through better channel, and overcome by
more expeditions means than any of the pro-
fessional Abolitionist and agitators have to Of
| fer. But would it be true or just, thereupon to
infer that the Church was in its favor The
should understand, is composed of ten olanks,
or tables of stone, rather far more endurable
| than any which the wise men Of this generation
are able to constructs and to these planks they
adhere, as the very best chart for their conduct,
as Christian men, good citizens, and-if you
! pease-friends of humanity. The editor of the
Era will find it all laid down, Just as it came
from Gods mouth on Mount Sinai, in the
chapter of Genesis or in the book of Common
Prayer. "Love your neighbor as yourself"
That covers the whole ground, as regards the
slave" far better than Mr. jays mischieuous
preamble and resolutions could cover it. This
is one of these two commands on which hang
all the law and prophets" Men who are really
obedient to that law, cannot be Indifferent to
enormities of any kind, and cannotneed any
new commandment from the National Era,
Mr.. John Jay, or any other friend of Free
| DOM" The objectionable sin of the Diocesan
Convention is, that it chooses to follow the
| Bible and the teachings of the Saviour. it
does not believe in doing evil that good may
come" 1t does not believe in righting wrong
| by the performance of another wrong. 1t does
not believe in "irrepressible conflicts" But it
does believe in the doctrine of " Love one an
other" 1t does believe in dwelling together
as brethren in unity;" and hence it was Just
because of that belief, Mr.. John Jay got for his
frebrand only daughter and scorn."-Neac
York Express.
The Era has not echoed with junction the
denunciations of the Independent, and could
not have done so, since the two journals are
printed simultaneously. So far from echoing
denunciations from any quarter, we were rather
prompted to the course we thought proper to
pursue by the seeming indisposition of the New
York press to discuss the subject. We could
see no reason why the American Tract Society
should be held to strict and rigid aceounta.
bility to the offended moral sense Of the COM
munity, while the Convention of the Episcopal
Church is permitted to go unscathed and I'M
criticised. We think the moral responsibility
nj fha e al. q
1t be richer and more powerful, it should not on
that account go unrebuked by presses which
were justly severe upon the less important and
responsible tract-publishing organization.
In regard to the defence set up By the Er
press for the course pursued by the Episcopa5
Convention, we apprehend that that body will
have reason to exclaim, "Save us from our
friend !" According to the Express, the plat.
form of the Episcopal Church consists of but
ten plGnks, or tables of stone" and that these
are as old as the days of Moses. According
to this lay exposition, the Church ignores alto.
gether not only the great and lesser propbets
but Christ and the New Testament! We must
take issue on this point with the Express. We
are no enemies ofthe Episcopal Church, however
much we may deprecate the action of partieu.
lar branch of it. We know that the members
of the Protestant Episcopal Church in England
have taken the lead in the humane and Chris
tan enterprises of the day, and especially in
that which has for its object the suppression
of the slave trade. Wilberforce, Broupham
and, we believe, nearly every great name in Eng.
land connected with the Anti Slavery cause.
were and are members of the Church and Il
is not in the power of the New York branch
of it, or its lay organ, the Express to deprive
it of its well-earned reputation.
The Express speaks of Mr. Jays "nsischiero,ts
preamble and resolutions" VIII that journal
inform us what the " mischief" consists in.
and to whom the mischief is to be done2 The
preamble and resolutions only propose mis-
chief" to the slave traders, not to honest men
or Christians anywhere. Does that journal
mean to say that mischief to the slave traders
viii be mischief to the Church of Eastern New
York? Does it mean to intimate that dist;n-
guishsd and wealthy members Of the Church