Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-09-02
An Ecclesiastical Jeu D'Esprit

An Ecclesiastical Jau D Esprit.
The following paper was issued at Phil
adelphia some years ago, and has beer
lately reprinted there. 1t Is keen com
mentary on many Of the usuges of slavery
The Episcopal Church at the south.
MEMORIAL
| To the General Convention of the Protestant Epis
eOpal Church in the United States of America.
Right ReuereHd and Recersnd Fathers ar,c
Brethren:-We pray leave to address you
on a subject of the profoundest Interest
to our beloved Church. and particularly
to our Southern dioeeses.
The inscrutable DEGREES of Providence
have committed to us the charge IN
things spiritual, as well as temporal, oi
the colored biped Inammalia, now several
millions in number, who are domiciled
among US. You know with what pious
vigilance and devout fidelity our Zion has
protected and cherished those black and
yellow lambs of the flock, striving ever
to keep them from going astray, and tc
make them daily more abundant in good
works. We have indeed labored without
ceasing, and not wholly in vain, to make
| those those entrusted 10 our Christian
rule good and faithful servants-sparing
no means that could promote this our
godly endeavor. To keep them unspot-
ted from an unbehevins world, we have
denied ourselves the happiness of shar-
ing with them our stores of profane
knowledge. and have made il a felony TO
teach them 10 read. That they might
not be hindered in running the race that
is set before them, we have forbidden
them 10 cucumber themselves with
worldly goods, and to retain even the
fruits of their daily labor, and we our
selves have borne the additional burden
without complaining The task of NOR
tifying the flesh and bringing it into sub
lection, which even the great apostle to
the Gentiles was compelled TO perform
| for himself, we have taken off their
hands and performed for them. That
they might not learn to set their hearts
on things of this world (which passeth
a~ay like a shadow, we have ordained
that their domestic ties should be transi-
ent, and that they, with or without their
wives and children, be kept in free circu-
latIon as the basis of trade. And we
have labored generally, in the spirit OF
Christian love, TO assimilate them to that
order of created beings which is eommen-
ded in Holy Writ as superior even to the
| favored people of old, for that lit know
eth its master"
And thus we may say without boasting
that the Christian graces Of humility,
long-sutfering, and submission to wrong
| SO difficult of attainmentl, are nowhere
manifested Oh wider scale than by this
generation, though 10y nature stiff-neck-
! "A aud ,I - sraHa.1 n
blessed thought that these biped mil
lions, who might at this day have been
herding, with their families around them
in contented degradation,
| Where Afrie's sunny fountains
Roll down tkeir golden sands,
and bowling down before Mumbo Jumbo,
or Baal, or that hideous IDOL Boo-Ghoo-
Boo, now sit where the light of evangel-
ical truth and apostOlicl order shines on
those who own them, and where they
daily learn that all help in adversity
comes from God alone, and not man.
But to make the system OF the Church
more self-cousistent and harmonious, and
TO adapt her minIstrations 10 these ten
der lambs of her flock and TO Southern
Churchmen, We hold certain changes in
her liturgy and discipline to be indIspen-
sable.
Our attention to this subject has been
specially awakened by the introduction,
during your present session at Philiadel-
phia, OF a Canon" absurdly miscalled
''of Discipline" so ignorantly and mis-
schieYously framed I'VE would tain believe
without actual malignity of purpose /,
that, under its proposed provisions, a
dozen or more mulatto mot 10 say negro)
COMMITMENTS, if unfortunately eye-wit-
nesses Of a crime committed by deacon
or presbyter, might actually have been adj
mitted TO testify 10 the fact, and thus to
subVert the whole political and social fab
ric of Virginia or South Carolina. Tho
this insane or unchristian novelty (which
disturbed our peace) was promptly re-
jected by a unanimous Southern vote,
the mere fact that it was put forward Is
enough to suggest gloomy forebodlngs,
and entities us TO demand OF the Church
securities for the future, and such chan
ges III ritual and order us shall suit both
10 Southern institutions. Can 1t be
doubted that communicates not credible
under oath require special Liturgy ?
1t is TO be observed that the 71hOLe
Prayer Book is intended for homogene-
Gus congregations of responsible beings
capable of forming domestic ties, and en-
joying personal rights. 1t is, therefore,
as whole, unfit for congregations where
the front pews o10n the free sittings-as-
semblages composed, in varying proper
tions, of two classes of Christians, one OF
which bought the other yesterday, and
may sell it tomorrow.
But, waving this for the present, GER
tain prominent details require immediate
| change.
For example; the promise and vow of
the marriage service, Il, NJ, do take
thee, N, be my welded husband, and to
| have and to hold -. till death do as par" +"
is mockery when uttered by enc of this
beloved but subordinated race. We can
not bear thus to put unreal words into
the mouths of those so dear to us. 1t
should be amended to read, ''till death,
or my owner, his executors, administra-
tors or assignees, do US part" So, too,
the demand wilt thou, --, keep
thee only to him so long as ye shall both
liver" and the answer, Il will" should
be improved by adding to the words Il
will" some form of prOteStaado reserving
the legal rights of the owner, present or
future, of either party with which the
'Hm. Gilmore Sins.