Charter Oak, 1840-12

              Vot. III.
December,
F R E E P R I N C I P L E S — F R E E M E N — F R E E S P E E C H — A N D A F R E E P R E S S . No. 8.
PUBLISHED BY THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE CONNECTICUT ANTI-SLAVERY SOCIETY, HARTFORD. 1840.
T H E CHARTER OAK is published on the third Wednesday
of each month, at No. 7, Asylum Street, Hartford, at the
following prices, to be paid in all cnscs in advance:
1 copy, 50 cents per annum.
20 copies, 5 dollars" "
50 copies, 10 dollars " "
100 copies 17 dollars " "
To sin^e subscribers, who take their papers at the Office,
twenty^ve cents.—If delivered in the city, fifty cents.
All orders and communications for the OAK, should be
addressed to S . S . COWLES, Hartford.
For the Cliarter Oak.
T h e IVewiBVt*n Uleetinff.
MY DCA.R FRIEND :—You could not come to
the meeting at Newington, but you would like to
hear an account of it. It was one of the best I
have ever attended. I rejoiced to be there. I
rejoiced to witness the determined perseverance
of the Abolitionists. There is a power, a spirit,
aud an eloquence among them, that will, I feel
assured, abolish slavery.
We called on some friends on our way, and
were told that the nieeiing-house had been refu-sed.
They said they thought the academy
might be procured and they wouM get ready and
come as soon as possible. If they did not care
for abolition, they cared for their friends—they
felt mortified to have them so treated, and they
would be wiih us at the meeting. They kept
their word, and their presence was a comfort and
a support to us.
It was raining some when we arrived at the
meeting-house. It is beautifully situated on a
fine green hill. A little cluster of abolitiorusts
were standing on the steps, and they were soon
joined by others. I had never been in Newing-ton
before, and I looked around me. The pros-pect
from the hill is charming. Rich, cultivated
farms lay spread before me, with neat white buil-dings,
and pretty cottages. But every door
seemed closed against the bondman's friends.
Where could they go lor aid or shelter ? Not tc
the church, for that was shut; aye, locked
against them. The cold east wind was blowing,
and the rain was beating on the heads of the devo-ted
abolitionists. You will perhaps ask, why came
they there; why did they leave their cheerful
homes to meet where thej' could find no shelter ?
They came to ask for sympathy, for pity for the
slave. They came to ask for aid to break the
yoke and let the oppressed go free. They came
not there to seek for worldly wealth or grandeur.
They came not there to pray for blessings on
themselves or their children. They came to de-vise
some means to aid the suffering slave. They
asked not for him power or honor. But they did
ask that he might freely breathe the air of heav-en,
and walk the bounteous earth unfettered.
They did ask that he might read the Book of
Life and learn a Savior's love. For this they met,
for this they prayed. They prayed. The fervent
tones of earnest supplication seemed to ascend up
to the very sky—to that God w^ho made the
world, and made all nations of one blood. He
gave the earth to man and gave to him the fishes
of the sea, the fowls of the air, and the beasts
of the field. But lie did not give to him a ri^t
to chain ami crush his fellow man. He did not
give to him a right to take from him all earthly
couifoits and all lieavmly hopes. He cannot do
it without guilt—he cannot protect and support
those who do it without guilt, while his Bible
tells him he should do to others as he would that
others do to him.
Our much respected President w^as there, and
also our faithful Secretary. The meeting was
called to order. The ladies sat in their carriages
under the shed, and the gentlemen were stand-ing.
Interesting reports were made of the pro-gress
of our cause in difTerent towns, committees
were appointed, and resolutions drafted. There
was no hurried movement—no impatient action.
All was calm, cheerful, and dignified. They
shrunk not at the chiUing wind—they heeded not
the drenching rain.
A small academy was provided for the meeting
in the afternoon. There were many able speak-ers,
and that lone little school house resounded
with the charming strains of real eloquence.
There is music in the voice that pleads for the
redress of others' wrong.s, and prays for mercy for
the sufTering, and the dumb, and him that hath
no helper. Compared with this, all other themes
are cold and selfish. Compared with this, all
other oratory seems but as sounding brass and as
a tinkling cymbal.
Very few of the people of Newington attended
our meeting. Why did they stay away ? Did
they fear to know the wants and miseries of their
fellow beings T While seated around their com-fortable
fire-sides with their friends and children
by them, did they fear the story of the slave
would mar their happiness ? We do not like to
read the accounts we have in history of tortured
criminals and captives. We pass thetn over,
thinking such barbarity cannot be true, or if it be,
it will do no good for us to know it. Little do
we realize that there is in our own country a sys-tem
of cruelty, practised by our citizens, and pro-tected
by our laws, as dreadful as any thing that
can be found in history. The story of the slave
is true. We cannot even hope it is not, and we
may not pass it by and refuse to know it. If we
do we are guilty of the sin of remaining in wil-ful
ignorance of the suflferings of our country-men.
Since there is such wickedness practised so
near tis and upheld by those around us, as Amer-ican
citizens we ought to know it—and we must
know it, and devise some means to end it. No
•elfish Mnsibilitj should deter us. The knowl-edge
of it cannot crush us, as the practice of it
does the slave.
We left that meeting refreshed and strengthen-ed,
and spent the night with our hospitable
friends. Their kindness, their sympathy, and
their pity for the slave will never be forgotten.
L.
For the Charter Oak.
I^ettcr f r o m B e v . R . 91. c h i p n a n .
Harwinton, 10(A Dee. 1840.
MR. S . S . COWLES :—
DEAR SIR,—Having communicated to Rev. R. M . Chip,
man, late pastor of the Congregational Church in this place,
(now in Athol, Mass.) an application to be present and ad-dress
the County A. S. meeting to be held in this place, on
the first Wednesday (2nd) of the present month, he de-clined,
as you will perceive, on the ground that the invita.
tion did not reach him seasonably, but addressed to mc the
enclosed reply, which was presented to the meeting, and
on motion, it was resolved that the letter should be trans,
mitted for publication in the Charter Oak.
Yours, &,c. &,c. GAYLORD WELLS.
Alhol, Ma. JVov. 25, 1840.
MY DEAR SIR,—Your letter, dated ' Harwin-ton,
Nov. 16th,' and postmarked '.Newing-ton,
Nov. 20th,' reached ine yesterda^. " In be-half
of the friends of the slave and of your [my]
friends," you invite roe to be present and address
the Litchfield County Anti Slavery Society at
its next meeting; an invitation which, had the
request reached me a few days earlier, I should
have felt myself honored to accept. I deeply re
gret that a pleasure so great, and a prospect of
usefulness so cheering are denied me.
I write this amid the pressure of other duties,
but cannot forbear a few sentences.
To-morrow is, in this Commonwealth, the day
of annual Thanksgiving. On my heart the obli-gation
seems as fresh as it did a year ago, to be
grateful that I am privileged to dwell where, for
souls philanthropic toward their countrymen in
chains, there is a practical freedom of thought
and expression which leaves nothing to be de-sired.
Amid the efforts I have hera^adc m be-half
of the innocent ^inhappy o'* ^h®
<riiiltviand more wretrhp.d RlavprVnllpa' thn nnna.
it may be proper to state very briefly, some of the than to remonstrate and reprove. We would ra-ly.
" ALL churches
guiltyiand vQre wretched slavelh)]!^' the ques-tion
in\olu»iLaj|j^ starts, " Caa JtDte ;hat here,
wheie no o p ^ s i t i o q ^ t ^ i ^ f Rtf e, where
every thing, save comparative apathy, invites and
apjlroves action against slavery; that here, where
no man could be a pastor of Christ's flock who
should fail to exemplify a spirit like Jesus in re-spect
to his downtrod and brutalized poor; that
here, where not ~
own p
l , b
whi% rnlffC iS'Dn
daring sin, and assert that
their ptliiora foremost SHOULD do their utmost to
hasten it^xj^fifall;" that here I came by cross-ing
only one^tatC'boundary, and am only one
hundred miles fvom that loved yet unregretled re-sidenc
«,^here the pastor with a godly and con-sistent
Ijpw could plead his master's cause but at
the haiJird of all that is dear ?" Dear brother, I
ha\*>6tCause of manksgiving indeed.
TfffocouuPOTces of this month in 1837 and
well remember. For whatever agency
God, and m}' constituents in the Convention at
Cliflbrd, permitted me to have in giving existence
and support to your Society, I never had, nor
could have, any regret more than I could for
loving God and aiding man. God forgive those
who vainly sought to make that agency an occa-sion
of my ruin ! God bless those with every
blessing who stood by me, and were not ashamed
of Christ! My spirit is with them even now,
and if they still suflfer opprobrium and worse
a.alice from " unreasonable and wicked men,"
my soul tenders them a brother's and a Chris-tian's
sympathy. Pre.ss on. God is with you.
Take and keep fast hold of his strength. It can-not
be long before Dagon, North and South
Dagon equally, will tumble fiat before the ark—
even though that symbol of God's presence is im-prisoned
among Philistines. All who oppose,
all who are indifferent to your cause of righteous-ness,
keep that position at the peril of, at least,
their own salvation. I look forward to see such,
with the slave and the slave's friends, waiting
the decisions of the final day. The wealth of
both the Indies could not induce me to have that
fear, as to my eternal destiny, which I am com-pelled
to entertain respecting theirs.—Be valiant
for truth, and enterprising. Wait on the Lord
and be of good courage, and he will give you the
desire of your heart. As ever yours,
RICHARD M. CHIPMAN.
GATLORD WELLS, M . D .
For the Charter Oak.
N e w H a v e a Younir m e n ' s A n t I SlaTerjr
S o c i e t y .
The young men of New Haven, citizens, mem-bers
of College and Theological Seminary, who
are opposed to the alarming usurpations of our
slaveholding power, met on the last week for con-sultation.
The result of our meetings and dis.
cussions has been the regular organization of a
society, to be called the "New Haven Young
Men's Anti Slavery Society," by the constitution
of which we have with perfect confidence in the
truth of our principles, unanimously, solemnly and
deliberately pledged all our influence, both moral
and political, for the immediate, unconditional,
and total annihilation, of human slavery.
As this is the first organization in our State re-quiring
consistent political action on this subject,*
* This is adapted, unintentionally we suppoee, to convey
an erroneous impression. The article of the Constitution
in reference to the subject i* as follows:
causes which have led to the disruption of our
former political connection.
We believe that the system of American
Slavery is a sin against God, destructive of all
the rights of the slave, opposed to the Geniits of
our Republic, and dangerous to the liberties of th
fret;—that through the apathy of the North, the
slaveholding power has been constantly increas
ing, until swollen with pride, it bids defiance to
justice and law, and rides in triumph over the
down-trodden rights of the nation;—that it has
set at nought our most revered tribunals of justice
and laid its vandal hands upon our national halls
of legislation: prostituting our government to the
support of its crimes, by making laws to sanction
its iniquities, and barring their doors against even
the petitions of freemen, condesccnding to remon-strate,
where they ought to command ;—that
emboldened by success, it has arrived at such
pitch of arrogance and pride, that while it denies
all right of the free to interfere in any w^ay with
the sin, it at the same moment demands our re
sources to protect it against the legitimate fruits
of its crimes ; requiring our State Legislatures to
descend to the inhuman and degrading office of
hunting and catching its self emancipated ne
groes, our money to build its prisons, our men to
carry on a horrible frontier warfare, expensive to
us, shameful to the nation, and as unjust in its
origin as it has been disgraceful in its prosecu
tion ;—and lastly requiring us to furnish an army
of 200,000 men to be wielded by a " Pro Slavery
Executive" for the protection of crimes with
which they tell us we have nothing to do.
We believe that a power so subversive of the
rights of a part of our fellow citizens, and danger-ous
to our liberty, ought at once to be crushed ;
that a part of the Representatives of the North
have been bought into subserviency, or awed into
silence by the slave power ; that bj' the election
of such men to ofiices of tru^, the political parties
of t]m,r^rth have joinel nVnd in hand for the
sup^^ o?the slave pow«, tj^s proving recreant
to the ^(fcause of freii^^ltjd Ithe twie interests of
^ e wpul]^ ; aiyl c)Sin to the confi-dence
or co-operation offreemen.
We believe that for us to remain longer in union
with these parties, would be to encourage them
in wrong, forfeit ortt ^tmsistency of character,
neutralize our iKflueft^and abandon the " glo-
)uacause of unK'ersab^rty."
^\Vith the^f^ieVs,^^path of duty seems plain
^ v e chj^en the only alternative
consistent with honor, and it only remains for us
to bid our former pohtical parties a cheerful and
final farewell.
Resolved, that a copy of the above be forward-ed
for publication to the Editors of the Emancipa-tor,
A. S. Standard, Zion's Watchman, Christian
Reflector, Congregational Observer, and Charter
Oak. S. M . BOOTH, President.
HEXRY FITCH, Recording Secretary.
By order of the Society,
N . H. CHE3EBROI;GH, Cor. S e c.
New Haven, Nov. 18, 1840.
Important i.etfer flrom Scotland.
AMERICAN SLAVERY.
To our felloK-Christiana in America, the Address of the
Annual Meeting of the Coneregational Union of Scot,
land, held in Dundee, on Thursday, the sixteenth day
of April, 1840.
OUR BELOVED BRETHREN,—In fulfilment of a
resolution passed at the annual meeting of the
Congregational Union of Scotland, held in Dun-dee
on the 16th day of April, 1840, we again ad-dress
you. We feel the utmost freedom in re-newing
our communications with you on the
painful subject of slaverj', because we are more
than ever satisfied of the truth and urgency of
the reasons against the system of slavery, which
have been embodied in the addresses emanating
from the botly for several years successively; be-cause
in pressing our views upon your careful and
devout consideration, we are using a right which
our common profession of Christianity gives; and
especially because the representations of former
years have been received and acknowledged by
some Christian communities amonpt you in a
manner so kind and fraternal that it would be as
ungenerous as unwise in us, not to renew these
tokens of our fervent interest in your spiritual
welfare and religious reputation.
It gives us the highest pleasure to know that
so many of you are convinced, as well as our-selves,
of the sin of slaveholding and slavedealing
and that you are moved, in consequence, to
use the most strenuous and persevering exertions
to cleanse the land from its abominations. Breth-ren,
our hearts are entirely with you, our prayer
is that the number of such may be "greatly mul-tiplied,"
that your counsels may be wise, your
zeal untiring, your eflforts united and effective,
your success speedy and abundant. It is a much
more grateful task to concur and congratula'te.
•• It shall be the duty of each member of this Society teAo
mayexereiae the eleetiva franchise, to support at the ballou
box those men, and those only, for officers of the public
trust, who are pledged to carry out the principles of this
Society."
This seems to us to be discourafring inconsistent, rather
than " requiring eonaiatent, political action for a member
may ne^ect to vote, and still act consistently with his
agreement in signing said constitution. This is no new
doctrine in Anti Slavery Societies in this State. It has
been repeatedly set forth by the Connecticut Anti Slavery
Society from the time of its orgmniiation in February, 1838,
and by many of its auxiliaries to the present time. In the
mode of exposing it, by giving it a place in their constitu-tion,
this Society is, so far as our knowledge extends, the
firrt.—CA. Oak,
ther be called to stimulate our American brethren
when they were already active—to touch respon-sive
chords in the bosorn of those who were
" willing of themselves"—to strengthen the firm
purposes of sincere and vigorous godliness, than
to complain of sinful apathy, or to arouse from
inactivity, which implicates them in the crime
which they do not denounce. Ii is with disap-pointment,
and distress, and shame, to which you
can scarcely give credence, that we look at so
large a body of professing Christians in your
country at this moment consigning their fellow-men,
some of whom are professors of the same
faith with themselves, to the wrongs and indigni-ties
of hopeless bondage ; whilst many more, not
slaveholders or slavedealers, are the stienuous de-fenders
of the existing system ; and many more,
protecting and fostering it by their connivance and
countenance. The slave .system, as it exists in
your country, is awfullj' comprehensive of evil;
the crimes which feed and sustain it are nameless
for their enormity ; the vices which it nourishes
in its various departments, are wide-spreading and
execrable ; the wrongs which it inflicts on the
body, mind, and spirit of the bondman (and of
him who holds him in bondage) are incalculable;
and our amazement exceeds utterance, that any
professing the name of Christ should not see and
own the system to be throughout, intensely crim-inal—
should not, at every hazard and sacrifice,
escape from the contact and contamination of
such a p'lysical and moral pestilence,—should
not, as by the instinctive and irresistible impulses
of his nature, devote himself to denounce and de-stroy
it. We cannot but think, that if our breth-ren
would calmly examine the system, by the
light of Holy Scripture, (not to speak of natural
reason and equity) and deliver tliemselves from
the delusive subtleties of abstract speculation,
they must surely conclude, that they could not, ia
consistency with their Christian profession, with-out
a dishonorable stain on their character, with-out
a withering blight upon vital religion, and a
most manifest bounty upon worldliness and infi-dehty,
actively support, or in any way counten-ance,
such a system. With what truth can they
hold forth the gospel of Jesus Christ, as a system
of which the features, and withal the fruhs, are
righteousness, mercy, love, and purity, if it can
cover under its name, or shelter, by its doctrines,
a system, of which oppression, and cruelty, and
crime, are " the spirit and power ?"
To hold their fellow men in bondage, as abso-lute
saleable property, is a sin in any ; and can
the professed followers of Christ, who bow to his
sceptre, venerate his laws, and have learned at
his feet the spirit of meekness and benevolence
which he had breathed and inculc.ited, put their
hand to this work of wickedness ? Experience
and observation teach us the great power of pre-judice
in biasing the judgment; and for this,
brethren, we would allow ampl^' in your favor ;
but, can you hide from yourselves, that in coun-tenancing
and supporting slavery, you are living
in sin ? Are 3'ou not assured, if you reflect, that
while this sin is cherished, your souls must be
blasted and withered ; thut insincerity must be
established, as if by a law, in the hearts of the
worshippers of that God who will have men to
lift up holy hands" unto him ; and that the
godliness which will survive such habitual
quenching of the Spirit, must be transformed into
the "spirit of bondage"—the very drudgery and
dregs of spiritual life ?
You allow it, brethren, to be a truth in morals,
that our consciences may be charged with the
guilt of practices in which we do not actively or
directly share, if these practices are sheltered by
our countenance, and protected by our silence re-specting
their enormity, or our inactivity towards
their restraint and abolition. On this principle, if
you leave any legitimate means unemployed, or
any practicable or probable methods unattempt-ed,
for removing this disgraceful and cruel sys- .
tem from your borders, you become its patrons
and protectors. It is possible that we, at this
distance, may not be foully acquainted with all
the difficulties of your position as a nation, espe-cially
of the several States in relation to the Un-ion
; and it is possible we may have underrated
these difficulties.* We are not conscious of
wronging you even in thought. But, taking
these obstacles at their hjghest estimate, unless
they forbid any movement whatever on your part
in this great enterprise of mercy, you are bound,
as men and as Christians, to make what exer-tions
you can. If you have not full liberty of
action, it is yours to use the liberty you have.
You have not every advantage desirable or pos-sible
for contending with this gigantic evil; but
great advantages may be procured and created.
Inactivity cannot be guiltless until you have
done " whatsoever your hand findeth to do.**
Brethren ! " necessity is upon you," ai;d, harsh
as the judgment ma}' seem, we cannot see our
escape from the obligation, but by dishonoring
or abjuring your most holy faith.
A most urgent reason for immediate and un-compromising
hostility to the system of slavery,
arises from the fact, that thousands who are
members of your churches are the active agents
of its unmitigated horrors. A most injurious and
* In his speech, at Edinburgh, Mr. Birney said, in allu-sion
to this Remonstrance,—" The address is • capital pro.
duction, with the exception of one single point. It rays
that there may be difficulties in the way of emancipation,
with which they (the addressers) were not acquainted.
The fact is, there are' no difficulties whatever. [Hear.]
The only difficulty is the want of will.'* [Laughter.]