The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1859-10-14
I" What is Evfl!D

The strong minded females and the phil,
anthropic, cold-water, abolition, free-love
socialistic, hairystocratic males, have been
holding convention in Buffalo. The chief
object of the assemblage is said to be to
offer an opportunity 70 the progressive
friends of humanity to deliberately examine
and finally solve the greatest problem
What is evil?" The largest portion of
the convention was composed Of Boomers.
Al Davis presented synopsis of the de-
alterations of the Utica Philanthropic con-
vention in the form of resolutions
Resolred That the primary cause of evil is
referable to parentage, by which We receive
both body and soul
Resolvfd, That the evil in its last analysis is
ignorance an organic fact incident to human
existence.
Resoired, That the mOnogamic marriage is a
divine relation, sprlnging from universal and
lmmutabe law OF natures God and that the
evils and sufierings experienced by the married
are referable not to the !aw, but mans gnor-
ance, and therefore abuse the sacred rel tons
which grow out of it.
Resolved, Thst sin results from evil, evil from
error. error from ignorance; and that ignor-
ance is the first estate OF an immortal being
whose individuality is eternally to be swayed
and regulated by the laws Of association, pro-
gression, and development.
VIM. Denton, of Ohio, made the opening
speech, first offering, however, the following
resolution
ResOied, That the cause Of all evil lies in the
lack OF perfect development, and that it can
only be cured by harmonious development Of
mans whole nature.
This gentleman offered few remarks in
explanation of certain sentiments he had
previously advanced, and then made an
audacious assault on Christianity and its
founder. He asserted that Jesus was
guilty of a great many errors that business
men would 60 to ruin in six months if they
should adopt the impracticable precepts Of
Jesus of Nazareth that the whole idea of
salvation by Christ was utterly false. Mr..
D. was several times Kissed by portion of
the audience, though the majority present
applauded him.
The attendance at the afternoon session Of
Saturday last was larger than at any previ-
Gus time-the increase being principally in
the number of curious spectators. Upon
the opening of the meeting by the chairman,
Mrs. Mary F. Davis read a series of resolu-
lions of anonymous origin, covering the
whole ground of evil, as existing in Church,
State, society, marriage, etc. The Troy
Harmonists sang a quartette song in very
fine style, and Mrs. Stowe, CT Michigan,
took the stand for trance speech Appa-
renty, when she came forward she was not
thoroughly possessed" but after mo-
ments twitching of the features her eyes
closed, her face assumed an eXpressionless
immObility, and the speech commenced
flowing with mOnOtOnOus vOubilty. The
speaker is described by the reporter of the
Buffalo Erpress as a hard-featured, bold
looking woman-a fair type of the class of
female reformers. She spoke very rapidly,
in a high tone of voice., and the controlling
spirit warming with the theme, the vehe-
mence of the somnambulist speaker in
creased, and she hammered the desk with a
reckless disregard of her knuckles that was
extremely painful. The leading subjects of
the speech were land monopoly" and a
harmonial physical development" Its
essence might be distilled into few words.
If land was given to all the " landless," and
if the world was filled with we'll developed
men and women" then evil would be indu.
bitably overcome She, or rather the spirit
in possession of her, was savage upon parents
for raising so many children, or for raising
any if they could not populate the world
with sound and perfectly developed speci-
mems of humanity. Where was the need of
bringing forth children to fill the poor
houses and State prisons, the pauper and
criminal institutions of the world? But the
speaking spirit failed to inform the parents
how they should find out whether they could
raise good boys and girls without trying the
experiment. Mr.. Stebbns, of Michigan,
Mr.. Brown, of Vermont, Mrs Coleman, of
Rochester, Fred. Douglass, S. S. Foster, of
New Hampshire, and Mrs. Thompson, of
Toledo, were all present Parker Pillsbury
very ungallantly interrupted the last men
toned lady's spirit medium poetry, charac-
terizing it as a waste of time, &c. She ac-
cordingly " dried up" at once. The scene
created some excitement which was soon
dispelled by pathetic remarks from Mrs.
Davis. The session then closed.
The above proceedings answer the ques-
tion at the head of this paragraph Such a
convention is about as great "an evil as
we have had the melancholy pleasure of
chronicliDg-Boston Post.