The weekly Anglo-African. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1859-1861, 1860-03-31
Conservatism on the Move.

A spirit--to call it by no worse name
of conservatism, which is skulking about
the land, visited, few days ago, the good
city of Brooklyn. 1t violently seized and
entered the breasts of few professedly
pious brethren there, and compelled them
to attempt to stife free speech. AS little
as we value much that is said and done
by the professedly Christian public, we
envy not the men, nor the piety which
would prompt them to such step in this
day. Had the attempt been made sby a
band of low politicians--had it even been
made by clique of respectable wire-pul-
lers-then there might have been some
shadow of excuse. We think we could
have foreseen some political interest to be
estopped or advanced by the act; but that
an intelligent laity of an enlightened
church, in the very Getty of churches"
should have been the parties to such a
proceeding, is to us, in any light we can
view it, wholly inexplicable.
The facts, as we understand them, are
simply these A committee of gentlemen
DESTROYS of having the able, fearless, and
well-known scholar and champion of hu-
man rights, Wendell Phillips, lecture in
Brooklyn, obtained for that purpose of the
trustees commodious building, the Brook
Ign Tabernacle, worshipped in by the Rev
Mr.. Bartlett's congregation. What the
general practices of this people, or the style
of preaching they receive, we are not pre-
pared to say; but one thing is certain
that when the time had nearly arrived for
the lecture to be given, these good stew
ards of this Lords tabernacle got faint,
their knees smote together, and they final
ly gave way.--Mark, they had pledged
the house SO says the report. They
knew in the outset who was to give the
lecture. Then why this forfeiture of their
pledge2 What spirit was it that swerved
them from their first purpose? Was it
our modern conservatism, or was it even
more than that? OF what or of whom
were they afraid 2-of mob? Who said
500 Who told them that mob was to be
collected on that occasion? From what
quarter was such a conglOmerated monster
to come in the hitherto good, quiet city of
Brooklyn?
Should even the prospect of Temporal
ry disturbance check free speech, which,
in this land, ought to be regarded as not
merely right guaranteed by human laws,
but religious right guara nteed by God
hims elf Rather would it not have been
far better that every church in an extremi-
ty of this kind, had been RACED to the
ground, than to have yielded this vital
point to vile mob2 AS much as we love
order and harmony throughout all the
ramifcations of society, we think, notwith-
standing, we could better have afforded
this than we can allow mob to rule the
minds and consciences and the speech of
men. We think that day has gone past.
Thanks to the good sense and better judg-
ment of the masses-who, after all, seem
to be in advance of both institutions and
leaders all fears of this mob. if any ever
existed, were groundless.
Even Plymouth Church, which, in years
past, to maintain free speech, granted Mr.
Phillips hearing on the direct question
at issue in this nation, viz: the abolition of
slavery-even Plymouth Church, too,
when applied to on this occasion, like the
Levite of old, passed by on the other side
The fell spirit of the hour tapped his black
wings over her, and she too feared, trem-
bled, and refused Alas alas her glory
and her day, we fear, are departing The
Plymouth of 1850 is not the Plymouth of
lS60--what will be the Plymouth of an
other decade of years is rather painful, at
this moment, to contemplate. If the foun-
dations are destroyed where will the build
ing be? Changes have occurred and will
occur again.
We were passing, not long ago, through
one of the quiet streets of the goodly city
in question, and observed, as we thought,
one of her temples, once dedicated to the
worship of God, being transformed into a
house of merchandise, and inquired of one
of the hod-carriers if such was the fact
eyes, by jabers, and / wish many more of
the id houses of the same sort were
sarved in the same way" was the prompt
if not very fattering reply. "Aye, aye,
troth, sand So do we" was the equally
prompt response from a dozen fellow