Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-11-21
plighted faith.
''Vice is a monster Of such frightfulmein,
That to be hated neeis but to Be seen,
But seen at first familiar with its face
We first endure. then nitY. then embrace :"

! We first endure, then pity, then embrace"
God forbid we should charge any man with hos
tility to Southern interests because he does not
things as we do. We speak of the sluggishness of
] some, the comparative Indifference of others and
the sometimes almost seeming antagonism of others
STILL as evidence only of fatal Inconsistencies of
! the real dangers which environ us, as evidence of
the immense stride which abolitonism has already
made towards conquering the prejudces at least of
! Southern minds We have seen abolitiOnism until
! its face has grown familiar, we now, some of
US. we fear, ready to endure its presence. How
long till we shall pity, then embrace
But shall we not give it a fair hearing, an impair
tial trial the advocate of icentious speech may
ask VIII you allow the tempter admission to the
chamber Of innocence. dspe all prejudice from her
mind and invoke a patient and candid hearing
of his passionate appeals?
There are natural proclivities of the human heart
which revolt against the restraints of society, of
! government and religion. 1t cannot be permitted
that these shall be discussed the presence of i'm
mature minds. We would not disguise from our
selves the fact that Abolition fanaticay appeals to
the most powerful Of all moving instincts of the hui
man heart and especially of the American heart
humanity, justice and the love of liberty
Il is no sufficient answer that these are false ap-
peals appeals only TO the passions that in truth hui
mainly, justice and the love of liberty may with
greater reason be invoked against the abolition
of slavery We grant you that; but without stop
ping to explain the why the wherefore, the great
living fact stares US in the face, confronting our
reason that It has been insufficient to restrain the
mad appeals of fanaticism in the Northern States,
and let it not be overlooked that meet this ques
ton to greater disadvantage than did the conser-
vative men of the North thirty-three years ago
Not an argument an appeal, whether of reason or
of position ever addressed to the of the North
that will not equally apply to the condition Of
Missouri. Kentucky. Tennessee. Virginia, Maryland
and Delaware. Al the moral influences now
arrayed in behalf of Abolitiousm were then against
Public opinion every where againstit 1t was re-
garded as the enemy of peace, as the enemy of tie
Constuon and the Union, the enemy of that frater
nal feeling which fathers had inculcated as ne
cessary bond Of then universally venerated I'm
ion 1t received no counenance from any State
eral Government 1t was rebuked alike bv patriot.
ism and religion. The nations of the world. Great
Britain even had not yet dreemed that humanity
and religion required that she should set her pious
face against it. Her aristocracy had not vet con-
cluded that it was Inconsistent with the cherished
doctrine of our bill Of rights that all men are born
free and equal
These influences are all changed. VIVA: barrier
shall we interpose between them and US: How
resist without new guards the overwhelming moral
influences that are aework to destroy our peace,
What new guards will insure our safety? Is there
no resource left US but appeal to the generosity
and forbearance of oar enemies Must we content
ourselves bear patiently the yoke which our very
slaves have been taught to spurn?
Iii a universal rule of right, that every wrong
may be resisted by whatever means are necessary
but that resistance shall be limited strictly by the
law Of necessity. We may Lot 60 beyond it, for
then We become the aggressor and put ourselves in
the wrong.
We have attempted to show the evil of the pre-
sent crisis" the irrepresibe conflict" wiz some
enc point out the remedy"