Committee Report on the Subject of Student Societies and the Involvement with the Issue of Slavery
Dublin Core
Title
Subject
Description
Creator
Source
Publisher
Date
Contributor
Sara Smith, Transcriber
Rights
Relation
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Language
Type
Identifier
Coverage
1830's
Cincinnati, Ohio
Text Item Type Metadata
Text
(Lane_058-063)
Line 1 by the Executive Committee
Line 2 The Committee appointed ^ on behalf of the Trustees
Line 3 of the Lane Seminary to consider the matter
Line 4 recently brought before them, relative to the proceed-
Line 5 ings among the students on the subject of slavery
Line 6 Report That they have considered the subject
Line 7 the referred to them, & collected such information
Line 8 as their opportunities have afforded.
Line 9 The subject of slavery is one of the deepest in-
Line 10 terest to all good interest citizens of these United
Line 11 States; yet, one which must always be approached
Line 12 with diffidence & discretion, for it has in some
Line 13 measure thwarted the wisdom of the ablest &
Line 14 best men of the country. Yet the Committee
Line 15 however much as individuals they may disapprove
Line 16 the conduct of some indiscreet zealots of the day;
Line 17 as the sentiments sometimes avowed, tending
Line 18 too plainly to civil commotion & anarchy;
Line 19 do not regard it as their official duty to in
Line 20 terfer interfere at all in the existing contro-
Line 21 versies. Their concern is with the government of
Line 22 the Institution, & they would take ^ recommend no other measures
Line 23 than the interests & the usefulness of the Insti-
Line 24 tution require.
Line 25 No seminary of learning, especially no theology-
Line 26 ical one, should stand before the public as a
Line 27 [partisan], on any question, upon which able men
Line 28 & pious Christians differ. Such a course will
Line 29 not only lessen its influence, & bring discredit upon
Line 30 the cause of education & religion; but, [what]
Line 31 is still [more], ^will tend to preoccupy the minds
Line 32 of the young with bitter party prejudices; to
Line 33 unsettle the judgment; & unfit the mind for
Line 34 genial & useful intercourse with mankind.
Line 35 Such an institution, instead of sending
Line 36 forth to the world men deeply imbued with
Line 37 a spirit of benevolence, kindness & forbearance
(Lane _059)
Line 1 towards all men, friends or foes, will generally
Line 2 pour into the controversies of community a
Line 3 heated torrent of unextinguishable rancor. Party
Line 4 spirit generated thus early in life, & thus intimately
Line 5 blended with the acquisition of knowledge, be-
Line 6 comes a constitutional [unclear] of the mind, ex-
Line 7 tremely difficult of [unclear] & destructive to [all] its
Line 8 future usefulness. [Such] ^This is the tendency of all
Line 9 [action] ^ such discussions & debates or such such questions
Line 10 among ^ the students, ^ on the kind of questions referred to.
Line 11 as array them into parties, or attach them to
Line 12 parties existing in community. For these, as well
Line 13 as other reasons, which might be [unclear], the Committee
Line 14 are of opinion, that every thing tending to keep
Line 15 alive a spirit of controversy on the subject in
Line 16 question, ought to be excluded from the Semin-
Line 17 nary.
Line 18 The Committee are further of opinion, that
Line 19 no associations or societies among the students
Line 20 ought to be allowed in the Seminary, except
Line 21 such as have for the immediate object im-
Line 22 provement in the prescribed course of studies.
Line 23 The plan of instruction is intended to be so
Line 24 arranged, as to occupy as much of the time
Line 25 of the students, as a due regard to their
Line 26 health & other proper considerations, will
Line 27 admit: that plan has been adjusted accor-
Line 28 ding to the best judgment of those, to whom
Line 29 the government of the institution has been en-
Line 30 trusted: It is therefor totally inadmissible
Line 31 that other plans & other objects should be in-
Line 32 troduced, without their approbation. Associations
Line 33 & discussions foreign to the course of instruction
Line 34 distract the attention, & retard improvement.
Line 35 If the topics are matter of public interest & pop-
(Lane_060)
Line 1 ular excitement, the mischief is [unclear]
Line 2 All men & especially the young, partake of the
Line 3 enthusiasm of agitated winds around them;
Line 4 & [these], when judgments are not well settled,
Line 5 too often become intoxicated with the powerful
Line 6 stimulus. [This] wind so delights in such this kind of excite-
Line 7 ment, that it can hardly be forsake it, for
Line 8 the sober business of included study: the relish
Line 9 for it becomes too much like that for cold water,
Line 10 compared with the burning cup of the drunk-
Line 11 ard. Hence it is, that the education must be
Line 12 completed, before the young are fitted to engage
Line 13 in the collisions of active life. To produce an
Line 14 education with success requires the whole undi-
Line 15 vided energies of the mind. If in some instances
Line 16 an individual may succeed, [while] other [leading]
Line 17 objects occupy his [unclear] ^ attention; hundreds in attempting
Line 18 to follow such an example, will be ruined.
Line 19
Line 20 The Committee further that report, that the Anti-Sla-
Line 21 very society, of the Seminary was organized without the approba-
Line 22 tion of the Trustees, or the Faculty, that & the discuss-
Line 23 ions, connected with it which have arisen in consequence of it, were
Line 24 without the [assent], & against the advice of the
Line 25 Faculty. It appears that their proceedings, as pub-
Line 26 lished & reported, were occasionally spoken of
Line 27 among the trustees with disapprobation; but at the
Line 28 same time it was believed, that the advice &
Line 29 persuasions of the Faculty, would have suffi- such
Line 30 cient influence with the students, as finally to
Line 31 lead to an abandonment of the project, or
Line 32 at best to prevent any material injurious results.
Line 33 (But the present information of the Committee is
Line 34 such do the induce them to abandon all hopes
Line 35 of their kind) In this way the subject has been [offered]
(Lane_061)
Line 1 to rest without official an [unclear], but also [unclear]
Line 2 any [unclear] sanction ^ of the [unclear] That can interfere with its [?].
Line 3 From facts laid before the committee, which it is deemed
Line 4 unneccessary to state, they are of opinion, that this
Line 5 project will not be voluntarily abandoned; & that
Line 6 the government of the Institution cannot, with due
Line 7 regard to its interests & usefulness, longer delay to
Line 8 adopt decisive measures on the subject. They
Line 9 are of opinion that this society is peculiarly ^ liable [unclear]
Line 10 ions to ^ some of the objections stated above & ought to be abol-
Line 11 ished. They are also of opinion, that the colo-
Line 12 nization society in the seminary, altho organized
Line 13 as they understand merely with a view to [coun-
Line 14 teract] the peculiar influences ^ sentiments of their opponents, is
Line 15 liable to similar objections, & ought also to be
Line 16 abolished. As an outline of the regulations
Line 17 requisite to [remedy] the existing [evils], & prevent the
Line 18 recurrence of similar ones in future, the com-
Line 19 mittee ^ recommend the adoption of the following Resolution:
Line 20 Resolved, that rules should be adopted, prohibit-
Line 21 ing the organization in the seminary of any associa-
Line 22 tion or Society of the Students, without the approba-
Line 23 tion of the Faculty; & Executive Committee, of
Line 24 the trustees, sanctioning their constitution;
Line 25 prohibiting the calling or holding of meetings
Line 26 among the students without the approbation of
Line 27 the Faculty; - prohibiting students from delivering
Line 28 public addresses or lectures at the seminary or
Line 29 elsewhere, without the [leave] of the faculty; -
Line 30 prohibiting public statements or communications
Line 31 to the students when assembled at their [meals]
Line 32 or on other ordinary occasions, without the
Line 33 [leave] of the Faculty; - requiring the Anti-Slav-
Line 34 very society & the Colonization Society of the
Line 35 seminary to be abolished & prohibiting any
(Lane _062)
Line 1 student from acting as members thereof; [prohib-
Line 2 iting] any student from being absent from the Sem-
Line 3 inary at any time in term time, without the leave
Line 4 of the Faculty, or of such person as they shall desig-
Line 5 nate for that purpose; - & providing for discouraging
Line 6 & discountenancing, by all suitable means, such dis-
Line 7 cussions & conduct among the students, as are calcu-
Line 8 lated to divert distract their attention, from their studies,
Line 9 excite party animosities, stir up [unclear] passions
Line 10 among themselves or in community, or involve them-
Line 11 selves with the political concerns of the Country;
Line 12 also providing, or in other cases, for the dismissal of any student
Line 13 neglecting to comply with these regulations.
Line 14 As a majority of the Faculty are now absent, & it is
Line 15 extremely desirable to have their counsel & concurrence
Line 16 in framing any permanent rules for the government of the
Line 17 Institution, & as the adoption of the foregoing resolu-
Line 18 tion will sufficiently indicate to the students the
Line 19 course, which the Trustees are determined to pursue,
Line 20 the Committee recommend, that the formal enact-
Line 21 ment of these rules, be postponed, until the Faculty
Line 22 shall be reassembled: and in the mean time, in
Line 23 order that the students may not [return] at this
Line 24 [next] session in ignorance of the contemplated ar
Line 25 rangements regulations, & that the public [impressions]
Line 26 may be [notified] on the subject, they recommend
Line 27 that these proceedings be published.
Line 28 N. Wright (Vertical) Committee
Line 29 Daniel Corwin
Line 30 J. C. Tunis
(Lane_063)
(Vertical Orientation)
Line 1 Report on the Subject
Line 2 of Slavery - -
Line 3 Ex Comm 20 August