New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-03-28

THE A, r. CT. VI AND POLNGAMY.
We Published on Fridsy last 'etter from the
Rev. George ". Wood, cOntrsdlctiDg the lnputa-
ton contained in our leader Of the 23d inst, that
the A & C. Z. ~ co1descended so far 10 the in
frmiiies Of their neophytes as TO wink at their
i1dulang In the luxury of more than one wfe, IN
countries where the Domestic Institution of P0lyg-
amy va, an established one. II the definition Of
the verb ueuter "to wink be correctly given by
DR.. Samuel johnson, as " To conniTe, 70 refuse to
see. 70 tolerste," we are inclined TO tlink that
Impartial Judges will agree that we did not over.
state tie position Of the Board as to this matter IN
% describing it, We cannot say whether or not
the missionaries of the Board have admit the
husbands of more than one wife TO the mission
churches; We only affirm that, when the question
came up formally for settlement, the Board refused
to forbid them to Go so And inst is what We un'
derstsnd BY "wnking at the indulgence, if the
missionaries should st any OF the stations think
the cause of Christianity might be promoted By
this slight deviation from one OF is commonly re-
csived principles.
We trust that it is true, az Mr. Wood thinks,
that the position OF the American Board
on the subjec. of Slavery is well under
stood in this community. If so, if we are
not greatly mistaken, they know that the questions
Of Slavery and Polygamy have received precisely
the same disposition at its hands viz: the qur Ston
of the admission of shareholders and of polygaulsts
to the church is referred 10 the missionaries where
the case arises for decision. OF course the Board
caurot regard POygamy, any more than Slavery.
as maium in Sc, sin against God under ali cir
cum,tances OF il would not have hesltated to pro-
hibt IT'S missionaries from recognizing any convert
as Christian who lived in the pra:tice Of the
same. In this particular, We commend the con-
slstency and the ntreptity of the Board in taking
the deDms with which il, unfrends had
bought to pin it down, by both its horns at ooce.
At tie Annual Meeting of l54i, we think it was,
tie question whether the missionaries TO the Chsro-
kee and ChOctaw Indians, or elsewhere, should
admit ayeholdiDg converts to church membership,
was referred to Committee, Of which the Rev.
DR.. Wood was Chairman. At the Annual Meet
ing Of l545 this Committee reported, substantially,
that the missionaries should decide, ia each case,
how far Slavery. caste, and various other forms Of
oppression. should be a reason for rejection. Tue
report stated expressly that they cannot think
" Lst In all ca.es, Slavery involves individual guilt
81 such manner that every person implicated IN
81 Can, on Scripturs grounds, be excluded from
Christian fellowship" Various attempts at
.n entment or modification were made, but in vain,
and the report was foally adopted without dis
,entDg vote.
Now, if Slavery, which denies the marriage
institution itself to tho slaves be thus held no bar
to admission TO the church. when, in the opinion Of
the missionaries to whom the application is made,
it is consistent With the Christian character surely
Poygsmy, which j, merely one of its inc.del tal',
one Of the many items Of which the sun Of all
" ViIlanies is made up, may, with per ecE pro-
prety, be RENTED 70 the same local III ,dlc non
for settlement. Accordingly no quarrel can be
had with the logical necessity of the action of the
Board in making the same disposition Of this
pc9gsmous improperly when It was forced upon
its notice By some troublesome, d" NEEDLES )me,"
4" sntri,h Il" enemies Of the Board - (as they We're
characterized in the debsse), who sen. up memo
rals on the subject. The suffice. was referred to =
Committee, Of which the Hon. Reuben II. Wal
worth, The or recently Chancellor Of this State
the Cbaumsn, which made Report 10 the Meet.
ing held in New-Hsven, September, 1916, referring
the determination Of any cases OF this kind which
should arse to tee plety learning, aud ,ound udg
nent Of the missionaries, AMI declining to assume
the very questionable power Of giving more specific
directions IN the preni,es. OF course this uasel
was dsrkened with many words; bu! the substance
visa that Polyesuy, Ike Slavery, was ore Of those
moral evils for which nobody is TO blame, and IS 10
tie character Of which, in each particular Gaze, the
missionaries were to decide whether or lot it
disqualified the party concerned in 1t for admission
10 the Church OF Christ. This is the Eind Of stti
tude toward Poygsuy which Ne metaPnorlcsIy
described as winkiug" at it. at any rate, we
must cay that it seems to haze strong sqlnt that
way.
TIE Board, OF course, is responsible only for its
corporate action in accepting this Report which it
did wlthouts dissenting voice. But in the debate
which preceded its adoption, more decided opin-
ions on the subject were expressed by eminent
members Of 1t, than any contained in the R,por
itself For instance, the Rev. DR.. Taylor, the
head Of the New Haveu theology Of that day, said,