New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-09-12
ANInTpREsTlNG DILEMMA.


in tho Methodist Church, aid which resulted in the
division of that ecclesiastical organization into
Church North aud Church South. stlll lett At
tacteJ to the Northern section large district oil
.lsvekoldiDg country and = considerable number OF
slayehodirg members. TIE Discipline OF the
Methodist Church settled at the tine OF its first
planting in this country, did, indeed, exclude from
men bersLip Of that communion all persons who
engage in "the bUyirg and selling of men, women,
sBd Chi dren, with the IL tention to enssye them
As the fret converts to Methodism made here
were almost entirely among those too little PROVIDED
with this worlds goods to be slayeholders, con-
science ard the sense Of justice did not fluid them
selves then as now brought into conflict with per-
sopal and pecuniary interests There eau be little
doubt that it was the intention of the trainers OF
this rule to stgnatize slayehoding "a sin, aud
disqualification for membership of their religious
community 1t is true that, looking merely to
ts terms the rule does not seem TO 90 that length
The exclusion from membership is confined 20
tho.e who engage "in buying aud selling men,
women, aud children" and might, therefore, be
D sus bly, limited to the purchase or sale, to the
exclusion of the mere holding Of slaves. Looking,
however, ut the rule little more narrowly, it will
be seen that the grsvaneb of the act prohibited as
ire ,nsisept with membership Of the Methodist
Church Lot the mere buying and selling, but the
intention to ensaye-an intention which seems to
be il separabe from the act Of slnveholdpg, to
which buying or selling are but mere preilmins-
ries But if the rule ever received this logical and
consistent Interpretation, it vas only for q very
short period As Methodism spread rapidly
through the Southern STATES i. coon came to 10
cluds amopg its members considerable number OF
shareholders, ard tie rue above quoted, though it
might be understood as condemning the A'ric N
Slave trade and even perhaps The domestic slave
trade, when carried on professionally and IS
regular busiress soon sunk, for ali practical pur
poses, into dead letter IL va, held to sppy
merely to the case of reducing to slavery those
previously free
1t is well known that the ssitation agsinst
Slavery started under the aus pices Of the American
Abti-Slsvery Society, some twenty-five years sIuc-,
bad in lis origin nothing whatever political or
topal. That movement was based, ike the En-.
el.h movement for the abolition of Slavery In IN.
Wee, Indies from which it might be sal to he
alphabetically derived exclusively upon religious
aud moral considerations. Tnose who engaged in
it addressed themselves ~ mems cUpsciences and
religious CONVICTIONS. upon the operation Of which,
ard rot upon any combinations Of party or politi-
cal interests they relied for the accomplishment Of
the objects which they had in view. That yely
measure of spres6iog their tracts and publications
broadcast through the South, which excited against
ZEN the first violent oatturst of .l,yetoldag TO-
dignstcn, DC less than the character Of those pub
hcators. showed their object u be- rot TO
raise up political party st the North,
but to apleal 10 the religious sentiment Of
tie country, and especially = that sentiment in
tie brea,t Of the slave noliers themselves. large
part Of these early Aboltouiss have indeed siren
uou-y repuciat. d. even to this day, al connection
with poli.ics The question was f1st made poii.
Gel BY tie scts Of the save holders themselves. ia
attempting 70 suppress this religious agitation BY
sutiecripg the pMsies engaged in it to species Of
civil ou!lawfy, not only BY depriying them 10 the
halls # Ccueress Of their rights petitioners but
by insisting that the Northern States should enac.
psnal laws se,inst them, and BY string up mobs
10 asssi their persons and destroy their property.
Being thus purely religious and moral IL it,
org ard early character il is rot surprising that
hs agitation on tie sub ec. Slavery should have
AIKEN strong hold upon many members and MN
isi,r. of the Methodist Episcopal Church, ard TIA.
the division above referred TO into Church North
and Church South, should already have resulted
tie direct question vhetre, or not the holding of
slaves is consistent with membership of the Metho-
dis. Church urcer the rule above stated |. gcew