UNCLE TOM'S CABIN

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KEY TO UNCLE TOM S CABIN.
217
men who have had benevolentand laudable ety if theywill publish a tract on the sinfulness
objects carry, and who did not realizethe
of slavery, thoughsuch tract should
fullperil of the slave-system,
nor appreciate be made up solely from the writings of Jonathan
the moral power of Christianprotestagainst Edwards or Dr. Hopkins! Ask the
it. When, therefore, cases have arisen where SundaySchool Union if it will publish the
the choice lay between sacrificing what they factsabout this heathenism, as it has facts
considered the interests of a goodobject, about Burmah and Hindostan ! Will tl icy
givingup their rightof protestțhey have 0, that theywould answer Yes !
generally preferred the latter. The decision Now, it is freelyconceded that all these
has alwaysgone in this way : The slave power sad resultshave come in consequence of the
will not concede, must. The South motions and deliberationsof goodmen, who
says, " We willtake no religious book that meant well ; but ithas been well said that,
has anti-slavery principles
it." The Sunday
in ^critical times,when one
wrong step entails
School Union drops Mr. Gallaudet's the most disastrous consequences, to
History of Joseph.Why? Because they mean well is not enough.
approve of slavery? Not at all. They In the crisisof a disease, to mean well
look upon slavery with horror. What then ? and losethe patient, the height of a tempest,
in
"
The South will not read our books, if we
to mean well and wreck the ship,
do not do it. They willnot giveup, and we a great moral conflict, to mean well and lose
must. We can do more good by introducing
the battle,
are thingsto be lamented.
gospeltruth with this omission than We are wreckingthe ship, are losing
we can by using our protestantpower." the battle. There is no mistake about it.
This,probably, was thoughtand said honestly.
A littlemore sleep, more slumber,a
The argument is plausible, but the littlemore folding sleep, and
concession is none the lessreal. The slave we shallawake in the whirlsof that maelstrom
power has got the victory, got it by the which has but one passage, and that
very best of men from the very best of motives
downward.
; and, so that it has the victory, There is yet one bodyof Christianswhose
cares not how it gets it. And although it influence wre have not considered, and that a
may be said that the amount in each case of most important one,
these concessions is in itselfbut small,yet, of New Englandand of the West. From
when we come to add together all that have
she
been made from time to time by every different
cannot giveso united a testimony as Presbyterianism
denomination, and by every different
; yet Congregationalism has spoken
benevolent organization, aggregate is out on slavery.Individual bodies have
trulyappalling ; and, in consequence of all spokenvery strongly, and individual clergymen
these united,what are Ave now reduced to ? stillstronger. They have remonstrated
Here we are, in thiscrisis, in this with the General Assembly,and
nineteenth century, when all the world is theyhave very decided anti-slavery papers.
dissolving and reconstructing
principles But, considering the whole state of public
of universal "
liberty, we sentiment, considering the criticalnature of
are sending our Bibles and missionaries to the exigency, mightysweep and force of
ChristianizoMahometan lands,are upholding,
all the causes which are goingin favor of
with all our might and all our influence, slavery, has the vehemence and forceof the
a system of worn-out heathenism which even testimony Congregationalism,
as a
body,
the Bey of Tunis has repudiated !
been equal to the dreadful emergency? It
The Southern church has baptizedit in has testimonieson record, very fulland explicit,
the name of the Fatherțhe Son,and the
on the evils of slavery ; but testimonies
Holy Ghost. This worn-out, old,effete are not all that is wanted. There is
system of Roman slavery, Christianity
abundance of testimonieson record in the
once gradually certainly abolished, Presbyterian Church,for that matter,quite
has been dug up out of itsdishonored grave,
as good and quite as strong as any that have
a fewrlaws of extra cruelty, as Rome been givenby Congregationalism. There
never knew,have been added to it,and now, have been quite as many anti-slavery men
baptized and sanctioned by the whole Southern
in the New School Presbyterian Church as in
church,it is goingabroad conquering the Congregational, strong antislavery
and to conquer ! The only power leftto the
Northern church
and will they
is the protesting power ;
Church has had trialof thismatter that the
the Congregationalist
the very nature of Congregationalism,
newspapers ; and the Presbyterian