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Birming 7 iam 9 Sir , May 5 , 1819-SHOULD you think that the subject of the following recent correspondence , comes within the scope of your Miscellany , the letters are not merely at your service , but you will oblige me by their insertion ; and thereby I hope excite the attention of some other of your friends , and produce other contributions . That it
* From Gids der Braven U Agenda des Bonnes Gens , " 1794 , apparently the work of some French emigrant in Holland . — Suis done , foible nusonneur , suis dans tes hommag * es publics envers la Divinite bienfaisante , les saintcs loix < le ta patrie , P intelligence humaine ne pouvant coniioitie rien de jpositif a cet farard / 7
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involves an important and extensive moral question , will be admitted by those who may still conform to the almost universally established usage ; while those who consider the social relations of life and of civilized society
as fatally wounded in their vital energies by the hitherto overwhelming prejudice , will welcome any attempt to remove it . That the system hereby recommended will gain ground , as the principles on which it is founded may be better examined and
understood , can hardly admit of doubt ; and in the course of moral improvement , it may be no unreasonable anticipation , that it will in its turn be the fashionable topic of public zeal . I
shall not now attempt any vindication of it , nor do I pledge myself either to future silence or reply ; but I do hope it may be noticed by some of your worthy contributors , and I shall be better satisfied to leave it in their
hands ; attention to the subject and not to myself is the motive . One reflection alone I beg leave to intrude . What influence may the voluntary and capricious destruction of animal life be fairly supposed to have on the national character , as respects the assent to , or the vindication of human
carnage ? The gift of life comes equally from the same common Parent ; and the assumed authority to destroy it ought to have unanswerable testimony in its support , or it should be abandoned . Inflict death on a worm , a beetle , or
an oyster , as a natural right , to gratify the vanity of superior power or the mere indulgence of the palate , and the vitiated mind is prepared in no slight degree to consider the slaughter of
our fellow-men as allowable , or even as the highest pinnacle of glory . We hold the shedding of blood much too cheaply : how shall the demoralizing consequences be best counteracted ? JAMES L . UCKCOCK . " To Mr . IV . , Manclicster * " Sir , ic Without any other apology than the sanction of the name of Mr . Hone , I introduce myself to your notice , or ) the supposition that the subject on which I luivc to request your reply , is attended with some interest to your feelings . Sonic time tigo I learnt in an imperfect vvay that a religious society was established mi y <>
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times to be met with among the philosophers of modern times * The following passage * is in the same spirit . 44 Follow then , feeble reasoner , follow
in thy public worship of the beneficent Deity , the sacred laws of thy country * the human intellect nut being : able to attain any positive knowledge upon this subject /'
These instances go no further than conformity ; the result of scepticism and a proud scorn of such as , being persuaded of the truth and importance of their own opini us , choose openly
to dissent from established systems . But the same contempt for the understandings and opinions of mankind , leading to the arrogant conclusion that truth is for themselves alone , and
that for the rest ignorance and falsehood are best suited , ' when united with and made subservient to views of interest and ambition , has led many , there is good reason to believe , not only to countenance systems of reli gion which they despised , but to
persecute as bitterly as the fanatic and the bigot Despising not religion only , but their fellow-men , and holding sincerity in utter contempt , they were little likely to sympathize with such as exposed themselves to
suffering on account of that which was the object of their scorn , or to tolerate those whom they arrogantly treated as unfit to make use of their reasoning faculties . R . T .
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312 New Sect of Abstainers from miimat Food .
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Citation
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Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), May 2, 1819, page 312, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1772/page/32/
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