Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-01-21
CHRISTIAN ANTI.sLAVERY.~

SALINEvILLE, Jan, Is, 1860.
FRIEND JONES Thinking it might be ~interes-
ting to the antit-slavery public to compare notes in
regard to the progress Of The cause in different To-
calities and in its different phases of presentation,
| send you an account of an anti-slavery meet.
ing which has been held in this place by an agent
of the Christian Anti Slavery Convention, which
convened at Columbus some time since.
The gentleman (Mr. Baker) proposed to treat
the subject from a moral and religious stand
point, and proceeded first to de fine what Slavery
was. After citing various definitions which be
considered defective, he at length defined it TO be
chaftetsm; in other words o slave was q chattel
personal. Hebrew servi.ude, our lecturer avered,
was not included in this definition.
The next point which my memory retains, was
an alluSion to the book entitled "The Testimony
of q Thousand Witnesses against Slavery" citing
from it various authenticated accounts of cruel
barbarities practiced upon ~slave-y's helpless vic
Tins, when to my astonisbment 1 boheld the spea.
zer INDUCING in q laugh, in which he was Joined
by the numerous boys, and even some of the men
among bis audience.
Slavery as a punishment for crime was referred
S"'bS fSooOiibR kiScu " lllu6ITht
the gentleman's views upon that subject. Citing
the case of a brutal murderer, the supposition was
made that such an one might be sold to a humane
master. While on the other hand, a boy who had
committed but a trivial offence might be sold to a
man of the opposite characteristics. The bro.sla-
very positio, of the church was deplored, and ns
an illustration Of their pro.slavery character, the
speaker told Us he had been denied the use of their
pulpitsfo auti-s'avery lectures even when he prom.
tsed them he poutd trea tonly upon the morality ofthe
question, letting alone she political aspect of the
subject.
Finally. We were told that it was not proposed
to place the slaves upon On equality with the free
men. The elective franchise, right of holding Of.
fec, &c, &c, we're not to DO theirs according to the
views of this "Anti-Slavery Christian" In the
course of the address on anti-slav cry prayer meet
ing was recommended, and at the close, a commit
tee was appointed to keep up an interest in the
subject, by getting up meetings, securing speak
ers, 60.
Now to one who has long been accustomed to
accepting the golden rule as the sum and sub
stance OF the Christian religion, and of looking
upon every human being as equally entitled TO
life, liberty. and the pursuit of happiness, this
whole discourse seemed a libel upon Christianity.
l could not refrain from then and there entering
my protest against such things being proclaimed
in the name of Jesus. What! q representative of
Christianity laughing as he contemplated the
woes OF outraged, brutalized humanity? Every
fiber of my heart thrilled with horror at such
m%ockery, in the name of him who made the sor-
rows of a world his own. Did the speaker sup
pose that the author Of that book, designed to ex-
cite the mirsh of his readers by arraying before
them a thousand instances Of the brutality of the
accursed system Had he no deeper conception
OF what it is to be . slare, a chattel; than to sup
pose that death in any form is not far sooner to
be accepted. than even the mildest ty pc of such O
system2 If he has not, let him ask the mother if
she would with more reluctance resign her darling
to the cold embrace of death, than to that of the
Shiny, soul crushing embrace of the monster sla-
very. Does he remembe Margaret Garner? Did
Christ when he entered the synagogues put O pad
lock on his lips and refrain from condemning the
rulers! Is politics something with which reli-
gion has no concern ? Finally. can the withhold.
ing of any part of mans God given rights be rec
onciled with doing unto others as ye would that
they should do to you?
can but express the hope that those protesting
christians whose consciences are calling upon
them to make this demonstration in behalf of the
slave. will receive q further baptism of the spirit
Of Christ, till they shall be ablo more perfectly to
emulate his example.
Yours for the cause,
NJ. @. X. A.