New-York tribune., 1879-12-07
THE FALL OF SLAVERY.
RFCOLLECTlONs or AN ABOLITION1sT.
BY OLIVER JOHNSON.
XVIII
THE AGITATION GAINING HEADwAY.

operations promptly aud vigorously. making New
Yock its headquarters. Its Office was the corner
o! Nassau sud Spruce-st,.. on the very spot
cuped hy The Tribune Building Among rs Off
GERS wee few men or considerable distinction.
Arthur Tagpln, the president stood high as a mer
chan. sad was widely known IS a liberal supporter
Of IT,. religious and benevolent societies Il the day
lis brother Lewis man OF very remarkable execu-
tive force aad fertile ia plans for promoting the
cause, member Of the Executive Committee
Professor Elizur Wright. jr., from the Western
Reserve College. the domestic corresponding
secretary. Tile committee. a. a whole was well
chosen aud very efficient body of men-eyery one of
them. n mistake not. an orthodox Christian. One
of - first IN ssures the adoption IT. own Of
The EiaGaGPat3r-a weekly paper which had
existed for several months uuder the editor
saip Of tho Rev c. W. DenisOn. William Goodell,
powerful writer and thoroughly familiar with the
slavery question. appointed editor. Arthur
Tappan subscribed SS. .0Oo-a large for that
day To Dc gwen ANY benevolent cause J"hn Kan
kin subsc .i0ea 81 200. LOWS rIppan, $1,000, AMI
other friends lesser sums. u promote the cause.
Tracts prihted and sent hYiug through the
lAud Aiao1g these traces. If / remember aright.
were tie Rev. Dir. Sainnel Hapk.ns's Dialogue ON
slavery and Dr. Jonat nan lwagis's famous auti-
slavery sermon. Lectdrug agents were aiso sent
0ui. 1he society began igs work 80 vigorously and
with such determined purpose. that wmls its
fgie lds much encouraged, its cuemies became
more and more angry Accessions to the OF
both ministers ani laymeu were numerous, mnch
80 that for a time the hope was indnlgsd that the
leaders of the different religious denouigatiOus at
the North woald soOn up their opposition, that
the whole body ~ the churches would wheel into
line aud ne palpi; hit mp united voice in oppos-
tion o. slavery. This was what We al lOnged for;
for tbs We incessautly tol-d and prayed tor we
were tlon iuls awace OF he truth, a.Icrwari PRO
claimed by Albert Barnes. that there Was no
Iower Odts,de of tue church that would sustain
slavery an hour il II we've not sustained in IT, We
sAw Therefore. chat the terrible responsibility for
TIE existence Of slavery rested upoI the chulches
30 w appealed 10 them. in the uamo Of God and oi
CHRIST and by arguments drawn from the Bible, 10
abandon then position OF open coun'yancc. or of
not iess guilty silence. IN respect 20 the which
made Jefferson ,renlOle for his country when hc Ic
il,larCred thit nd Is JUST But oug p.ciGing- FOR
t.c most part 50 .ar as the leaders IA the clUrches
were coAcerueG tell up0n duh cars and coLscicnces
hardened by long completely with s.n One power
t. ally OF Our cause az this time wa7 The Aer-
luk tcgdGflis, then edited by the =. y. Joshua
leayitt. Ii had a considerable circulation. and
'rea wide influence among the " New school
prc,iyter.ns, who we're active ia the revva's that
occurred IN connection with the labors If tae R,v
Charles q. Fnney. Ii advocated The cause vita
zcal aud earnestuess aud many clereymen and lay
men were led by 1t 10 declare themsoves Abolition
ISIS. Wuen Mr.. Leavitt withdrew from The tcaa-
g,ilst 10 become editor of The EmGacPaioT. the anti
slavery tone of the former came quite iceb'e IN
compliance. doubt. with the Weli-and. rs;ood
d-slre OF tie larger number of its readers n WIS
never afterward an abolition paper, but wiah ccf-
tam auti-savery Tendencies. supporter Of the New
Scaool Presbyterian Church which James G.. biT-
ney said was one of the bulwarks of slavery"
The Society held its Glst anniversary Nav 6,
lS3i taking the place in Anniversary Week
which It afterwari held among ths religious and
pliauthropic associations of the country. 1T this
meeting IL look step which caused much excite
ment. The American Bible Society rad been en-
gagged in supplying every family IN the United
= ltes with a Bible, and had announced tc the
british Society the completion Of this work. But
:. had taken 10 more account OF tnc scores of
thousands OF failie, OF slaves than OF cne cattle
upoa d Thousand nill-,' CT the wiid beasts tIpt
roantd the forests. The An.i-Slavery So"ie r
PASSED resolution calling panic afte ,lou fo bis
on ssion. and offering. ii the Bibe society would
appropriate 500 OJO tr this purpose 10 rl. n;o its
treasury one-q quaTter Of that sum. commit. ., o.
which Mr Lewis Iappan was the cnalfiD1n, was
made the bearer Of this proposition u le board oi
manager, # the Bible Society. Nj lagIau hay-
iax presented It. asked permission 30 say "a few
,rol,is in explanation but he denied hearing
aud no mention Ot the matter whaje' er appea-e, III
The official report Of the societl's procec .iugs
Considering that the Shareholders and their allies
alwavs insisted that the Bible sanctioned slavery.
their unwillingness that the slaves should read il
for themselves appears not little strange.
The agitation had now gained such heanway that
the Pro-Slavery party became desperate. Tie press
o. me country with some noble exceptions.
teoraed with sentati0ns and denuuciati0ns
of A50iitiOnsts which sounded strangely en0ugh
when compared with the complaints made OF them
IN -ae same quarter on account Of their alleged
s.verty. Iregret 80 saw that the religious was not
less abusive than the secular press. Here and there
religious paper treated the subject with som Hg
Ike reasonable fairness. bGt general rue. the
or.sns Of the different secis were bitterly hostile
TIE Methodist paper OF New Ea gland Z0as Herald
vsach was not under ecclesiastical control. WAS
f-,eadiv: but The Christian AdrOcdte II this city
tie official organ Of the Methodist Chu.ch, was hilel
yirn gioss abuse of the Ab0iltionsts A. there ap-
l~qrs 10 be "a disposition quarters To deny or
conceal these ugly facts. and to make tine Abuh-
ton,sts themselves responsible, through their a.
led nprudenee and recklessness for he 0pipsi-
ton they net WITH let me fortify ny own tssti-
tpo,v ~ citing that Of the Rev. William Goode,,
vrowss alvinist Of the Calvinists to the dav OF
d., dea,h He SAYS: "Ibc religions presses of The
rriocinai sects at the Nor'h. pariicu'aTlv If Tie
C,,..~.o,tio.a sect. IN the hands Of the con-
s..vs-,ve party were the first 20 tradu,e. 10 mis-
re,--s-nr - why aud % oppose the ALoli,pnisis
ra,.r~sarting them rs anarchists, JacoJins, vlheIs
- ,rreat and good men, incendiailes. potiets
Of InsurrrctIon and disurion, and enemies
a. the pu5hc peace" AMI now behold
Vhen the shameiul complcity of the churches ot
t. lsv VITA slavery. their bitter opposition TO the
a.,i-si&vtry movement and their persecution Of
I'LL.