Slavery an Obstacle to the Success of Missionaries. 179 NEGRO SLAVERY AN OBSTACLE TO THE SUCCESS OF MISSIONARIES, AMONG THE INDIANS. THE venerable author of "The Star in the West," Elias Boudinot, says, "The writer of these sheets, many years ago, was one of the corresponding members of a society in Scotland for promoting the gospel among the Indians. To further the great work, they educated two young men of very serious and religious dispositions, and who were desirous of undertaking the mission for this purpose. When they were ordained and ready to depart, we wrote a letter in the Indian style, to the Delaware nation, then residing on the northwest of the Ohio, informing that we had, by the goodness of the Great Spirit, been favoured with a knowledge of his will, as to the worship he required of his creatures, and the means he would bless to promote the happiness of men, both in this life and that which is to come. That thus enjoying so much happiness ourselves, we could not but think of our red brethren in the wilderness, and wish to communicate the glad tidings to them, that they might be partakers with us. We had therefore sent them two ministers of the gospel who would teach them these great things, and earnestly recommended them to their careful attention. With proper passports the missionaries set off, and arrived in safety at one of their principal towns. The Chiefs of the nation were called together, who answered them, that they would take it into consideration, and in the mean time that they might instruct their women, but they should not speak to the men. They spent fourteen days in council, and then dismissed them very courteously with an answer to us. "This answer made great acknowledgements for the favour we had done them. They rejoiced exceedingly at our happiness in thus being favoured by the Great Spirit, and felt very grateful that we had condescended to remember our red brethren in the wilderness. But they could not help recollecting that we had a people among us, who, because they differed in colour, we had made slaves of, and made them suffer great hardships and lead miserable lives. Now, they could not see any reason, if a people being black entitled us thus to deal with them, why a red colour should not equally justify the same treatment. They therefore were determined to wait to see whether all the black peòple amongst us were made thus happy and joyful, before they could put confidence in our promises; for they thought a people who had suffered so much and so long by our means should be entitled to our first attention ; that therefore they had sent back the two missionaries, with many thanks, promising that when they saw the black people amongst us restored to freedom and happiness, they would glad ly receive our missionaries." This valuable extract was copied into the "Portraiture of Domestic Slavery," with the following remark of Mr. Boudinot "This is what in any other case would be called close reasoning, and is too mortifying a fact to make further observations upon.' 99 p. 13, 14. The "reasoniug" may indeed be called "close," and the "fact" on which it is grounded is truly "mortifying;" but perhaps we should not dismiss the subject without "further observations." While I admire the philanthropy and benevolence which are displayed for sending the gospel into the various parts of the world, I cannot but regard the slaves in this country as a class of beings who have as strong claims on the compassion of Christians as either "our red brethren in the wilderness," or the people of the East Indies. And is it not remarkable that a circumstance which was so obvious to the red chiefs, whom we call savages, should have been so generally over. looked by their white brethren ? "They thought a people who had suffered so much and so long by our means, should be entitled to our first attention." Well they might think so; yet a million of these poor slaves have been too generally passed over in the plans of benevolence which have been adopted in our country. It is, however, a pleasing consideration, that the condition of the slaves in this land of freedom, is becoming more and more the subject of attention. Several efforts have been made to awaken public sympathy for these sufferers. The Portraiture of Domestie Slavery" contains a variety of facts, well adapted to the object for which lic. they are brought before the pubA valuable pamphlet has also been recently published in this vicinity, entitled "Horrors of Slavery." It is chiefly composed of well chosen extracts from Parliamentary speeches, and the writings of men who have distinguished themselves in the cause of humanity and benevolence. The compiler of the pamphlet has long had his mind impressed with the importance of the subject, and it is hoped that his attempt to excite the attention, and sympathy of his fellow-citizens will not fail to produce good effects. No one, it is believed, can read this tract, with an impartial mind, without being convinced that the white people of this country are chargeable with the most glaring inconsistency, and that something ought to be done to effect the emancipation of the slaves. Had slavery been unknown in this country to the present time, a proposition for introducing it would be regarded with horror by every benevolent man in the nation. Yet such is the influence of habit and custom, that a great portion of our fellow-citizens can sleep very quietly while a seventh part of the people of the United States are deprived of the natural rights of men, and held as the mere property of others-as liable to be bought and sold as the beasts of the field! Yet we call our country "the land of liberty;" we fancy that we are an enlightened people, and even assume the name of CHRISTIANS ! Have we then any reason to wonder that even savages can discern our inconsistency, and of our intentions in sending misthat they scruple the kindness sionaries among them. OF FALSE HONOUR. No one can have observed the astonishing influence which the principle of regard to reputation exercises over the conduct and opinions, especially of the young, without acknowledging that nothing is of more importance than to regulate aright the sentiment of honour. It is a principle which in some men at all times, and in all men at some times, supplies the place of every other motive; the place of selfishness, of affection, and even of religion. There are some whose glory is always in their shame, and others who are too often ashamed of their true glory. It is unnecessary to define with care the meaning of honour and shame. Every one is sensible that they refer to the opinion of the world; an opinion which it requires no great sagacity to collect. Nothing is more common than to find men, who have taken no pains to ascertain the laws of moral obligation, talk of the commands of honour; and many who discover an alarming insensibility to the displeasure of their God, are ridiculously alive to the perception of disgrace from their equals. Of the numerous kinds of false honour of which we are absurdly enamoured, the first we shall mention is that which is bestowed merely upon appearances. Thousands are willing to receive admiration for qual ities to which they are sensible that they have no pretensions, running the hazard of being detected by the world for the sake of enjoying a little while its mistaken good opinion. How many will not part with the pride of passing for rich men while they are secretly trembling at the desperateness of their fortunes ; for men of learning, while they are imposing upon the ignorant with showy and superficial acquirements; for men of deep sagacity, by carefully maintaining an affected gravity and oracular reserve; for men of consequence, by an assuming stateliness, and pretensions to the confidence of those high in office; for men of wit, by retailing the jokes and humour of the last company to which they were admitted; for happy men, by affected indifference or constrained pleasantry; for religious men, by solemn countenances, and the regular observance of the ordinances and seasons of public worship. To pass through life with a reputation which you are all the while conscious of not deserving, is a folly little short of that of the actor who should feel proud of the praise due only to the writer of the fine sentiments he utters, or the character he personates. Nothing affords a nicer distinction between the man of true and false honour, than that the former aims to be what the latter 1 wishes to appear. To the man of real merit, undeserved commendation is an admonition; to the hypocrite or fool, it is satire. A second species of false honour is that which is current only in particular circles, connexions, or professions. The inexperienced, as they are entering the world, gather all their notions of reputation from the reception which they have enjoyed in particular societies where they are so fortunate as to be pleasing; and, content with this, they rarely attain to general conceptions of what is truly reputable, or learn to estimate aright what is the real value of human consideration. In the dissipated circles of the young and thoughtless, the idea of honour coincides with that of bold and hardy opinions, wild generosity, unrestrained expense, and a ridiculous pretension to vices of which they are not guilty. In other companies where the imagination has been diseased by some romantic passion or injudicious course of reading, the notion of honour consists in some chivalrous sentiments of delicacy, and a singular tenderness or loftiness of friendship. Among those who are engaged in the military profession, honour is placed in a strict jealousy of reputation, an absurd sensibility to affront, a minute regard to rank, and the preservation of subordination which is not to be transgressed. Among some, honour is dispensed only as a tribute to hereditary consequence or great wealth; with others it is a custom to commend no one who is not in some way connected with their interests and party, and has a fellow-feeling in all their prejudices, and a readiness to promote all their aims. These narrow and confined notions of honour easily engross the imaginations and pervert the judgment of those who are catering into life; and thus to attain the consideration of particular associates, they are induced to sacrifice qualities of more intrinsic worth which they never can recover. This greediness for partial reputation, like the imprudence of an intemperate man who in summer barters his clothes for an intoxicating draught, and in winter, himself uncovered and unprotected, leaves at last the poor candidate for the world's fame to medioerity, or obscurity, or contempt. A third species of false honour is that which is paid to qualities which have no value in themselves, or which if they have, confer no merit on those who possess them. And yet so infatuated are we in our pursuit of consideration, that these perhaps, are the very qualities of which we are most proud, the very qualities to which the world pays the most idolatrous respect. Of this kind is the homage offered to beauty's a homage at once intoxicating the idol and distracting the worshippers. Such is the respect which we enjoy from the reputation of our ancestors. Hence all the absurdity of family pride, and the extravagant desire of great and consequential connexions. Of this kind, too, is the blind reverence given to the pomp and vanities of life, to exterior decoration, splendid establishments, and all the arrogance which too often attends wealth inherited or elevations suddenly attained. Strange as it may appear, the respect and consequence which we most covet, and which the world most readily pays is not that which is given to our own exertions, but that which is attached to what we call the gifts of nature or fortune. Again. That may be called false honour, or an honour of which it is ridiculous to be proud, which is only the customary respect to the station we hold or the place we fill the consequence of the common order and civility of society. It is the character of the weakest minds to be tenacious of that deference which, in those who offer it, implies no esteem and discovers no affection, and which is paid equally to those who have preceded and to those who succeed us. Such is the precedence which is granted to age, and the courtesy which the established laws of social intercourse demand for the staanger or for those who sustain a public character. Of this kind is the fawning sycophaney of those who are the retainers of men in office, and such too is the customary civility which is not refused to certain professions and occupations in life. To a man of liberal and extensive views it is truly painful to find that he is ever sharing a homage which is unanimated with any portion of real regard; and he feels an indescribable desire to avoid the parade of politeness without feeling, and complaisance without respect. Another species of false hon our is that which is the mere admiration of ignorance, the vulgar echo of some foolish flatterers, or the complimentary address of interested dependants. There is a kind of popularity which makes a wise man suspect himself, and reduces him greatly in his own estimation. He is tempted to inquire like the Athenian, when the crowd applauded, "What great absurdity have I committed ?" By this kind of honour is meant not merely the applause of the ignorant, but the good opinion of the corrupt. Such approbation is alarming-such praise is reproach! He To a man who is the slave of that honour which cometh from men only, every thing is alarming. Floating upon such an unstable element as popular favour, every change of the wind fills him with anxiety. watches every successive breeze of popularity lest it should be weaker than the last, and trembles at every new cloud which shews itself in the horizon of his prospects. Such a man must accommodate himself, his words and his actions, continually to the fashions and prejudices of the age, and to be the creature of the multitude lose all dignity of sentiment and independence of conduct. The last species of false honour which we shall mention is that which is raised on the ruins of others' reputation. This is a kind of fame which is sought by the ambitious, the envious, the avaricious, and the profligate; and it too often is viewed with complacency by those who ought to despise it. Nothing shows more fairly the unsub |