(We extract the following from Professor Wright’s pamphlet, entitled “The Sin of Slavery, and its Remedy.)

The American revolution was incomplete. It left one sixth part of the population the victims of a servitude immeasurably more debasing, than that from which it delivered the rest. While this nation held up its declaration of independence—its noble bill of human rights, before an admiring world, in one hand; it mortified the friends of humanity, by oppressing the poor and defenceless with the other. The progress of time has not lessened the evil. There are now held in involuntary and perpetual slavery, in the southern half of this republic, more than 2,000,000 of men, women, and children, guarded with a vigilance, which strives, and with success appalling as it is complete, to shut out every ray of knowledge, human and divine, and reduce them as nearly as possible to a level with the brutes. These miserable slaves are not only compelled to labor without choice and without hire, but they are subjected to the cruelty and lust of their masters to an unbounded extent. In the northern states there is very generally a sympathy with the slave-holders, and a prejudice against the slaves, which shows itself in palliating the crime of slave-holding, and in most unrighteously disregarding the rights, and vilifying the characters of the free colored men.

At the same time, slavery, as a system, is (in a certain sense) condemned. It is confessed to be a great evil, “a moral evil,” and, when the point is urged, a sin. The slaves, it is admitted, have rights—every principle of honesty, justice, and humanity, “in the abstract,” calls aloud that they should be made free. The word of God is in their favour. Indeed, there is no ground claimed by the abettors of slavery, on which they pretend to justify it for a moment, but a supposed—a begged— expediency, baseless as the driven clouds. I say baseless, for while not a single fact has ever been produced, going to show the danger of putting the slaves, all at once, under the protection of law, and employing them as free laborers, there have been produced, on the other side, varied and fair experiments showing, that it is altogether safe and profitable.

In this state of things where had the American church stood? Has she too sympathized with the hearts of the Pharaohs? Or has she in the spirit of the martyrs of former times, borne an unflinching testimony against this sin? Alas! The painful truth stares us in the face. She has come down from the high and firm foundation of scripture truth, and is professedly at work upon a floating expediency, doing against slavery what can be done upon the checked current of popular prejudice.—Speaking through the organ of the Colonization Society, she has admitted all that the most determined slave-holder could ask, and she is doing just that, and no more, which so far as he understands the subject, he hails with pleasure as a safeguard to is property in human bodies and souls. This is the testimony of slave-holders themselves—most competent witnesses.

Is further evidence needed? When the American Colonization Society, as a remedy for slavery, has been called in question, as well it might be for its tardiness, if for no other reason, there has been manifested a determination to hush inquiry. There has been a most pusillanimous shivering and shrinking from the probe. Nay, the few men who, in the uncompromising spirit of Christian benevolence, have urged this inquiry, have been slandered as disturbers of the public peace,—have been assailed with abusive epithets, not be slave-holders only, but by their brethren in the bosom of the church.

A most singular spectacle is presented in this enlightened and Christian age; a handful of philanthropists, dare denounce a system of legalized oppression, and to charge guilt upon all who uphold it; upon this, not only do the principals in crime, as might be expected, ascribe the whole to sheer malice, but the leaders of the Christian church, as ought not to be expected, endorse, and give currency to the charge, and throw the whole weight of their cold and crushing influence to smother in its cradle this attempt at a gospel reformation.

What does all this mean? Are Christians in these northern states interested in upholding slavery? Are they unwilling to be convinced that their colored brethren are better than the slanders of their oppressors would make them? Are they sure, beyond a doubt, that the colonization scheme will relieve our country of the mighty evil which is crushing it? that it is the Christian way to relieve it? Are they on good evidence convinced that it is not expedient to say to the wicked, “O wicked man, thou shalt surely die?” Must they have PEACE at any rate—peace, though the groans of millions should ascend and mingle with the muttering thunders of coming wrath? Will they have it, that if a word is said against a mere experiment to test the practicability of rescuing the victim by flattering the oppressor, the whole cause of Christian benevolence is attacked? If not, why not welcome inquiry? A thorough investigation—a looking on both sides, would surely do no harm. Those defenders of truth who have shunned such inquiry, have always proved themselves short-sighted. The cause of God courts scrutiny—its advocates are thrown into no unseemly agitation when they are most rigorously sifted.

The subject cries aloud for more earnest consideration than it has yet received. More than two millions of outraged, downtrodden men cry out, shall we die in this sore bondage that white Christians may have the pleasure of attempting to shun God’s wrath without repenting of sin?—Half a million of free colored men cry out—America is our country—the land for which our fathers bled as well as yours. Why will you seek to banish us? The wrongs of the poor Indian cry aloud, There is no safety in league with transgressors! The present political aspect of the South cries out, that tyrants do not regard law! Six hundred millions of idolaters cry out to the American church, “Why pluckest thou the mote out of thy brother’s eye, and behold a beam is in thine own!”