The saying, "I care not who makes the laws of a nation, if I may have the making of its poetry," has been often repeated. Let those who love to promote peace, avail themselves, to the full extent of the truth which it expresses-and soon the bloody laws of honour and of war, will yield to the influence of grateful, soothing, and harmonizing song.

INTELLIGENCE.

PEACE SOCIETIES.

AMERICAN PEACE SOCIETY.-Misses Sarah M., and Angelina Grimké, have presented to this Society, three hundred copies of Grimké's Dymond on War, which have been received by the Treasurer.

The Treasurer also has the pleasure to acknowledge the receipt of donations and life memberships, from gentlemen in Philadelphia and New-York, to the amount of four hundred dollars, to be expended in distributing the publications of the society under the direction of the Executive Commit

tee.

It appears from communications and reports of the different agents, as well as from other sources, that the object of the society is exciting more interest and receiving more attention than at any former period.

LONDON PEACE SOCIETY.-The Society for the Promotion of Permanent and Universal Peace, held its twentieth annual meeting at Exeter Hall, London, on the 25th of May last. George Bennett, Esq., presided. After alluding to the design of the Society, the worthy Chairman read an extract of a letter, from J. H. Wiffen, Esq., commending the object which the society had in view-and also read some stanzas from a poem, entitled " Farewell to War," by James Montgomery, Esq., of Sheffield. The Rev. J. W. Wayne, Seeretary of the Society, read the Report. It stated that a large number of the publications of the Society had been put into circulation-that the agency. fund, designed for the support of lectures had been increased—that a new series of the "Herald of Peace" would be commenced in July, and be issued in monthly numbers, instead of quarterly-and that lectures on the subject of peace had been delivered in various parts of the country. It then advert. ed to the death of the late Secretary, Mr. John Bevans, to whose exertions it paid a high tribute.

Several Gentlemen addressed the meeting. We have room for only the following extracts from their speeches :

The Rev. J. HARGREAVES, Honorary Secretary to the Society, in the course of his remarks, said, That he had yet to learn what were the charms or gains of war. He thought Britain, France, and America, could speak feelingly of its losses. War reminded him of two boys, who once found a box, and quar. relled respecting it, till they came to blows, and after they were exhausted and could fight no longer, they agreed to divide the contents; they opened the box, and lo! it was empty. He had heard of a lawyer, who was applied to enter an action against a person in his neighbourhood. The lawyer was reluctant to proceed, but nothing would dissuade his client from it; the legal gentleman then said he would do the best he could, but observed:- You have now a coat with two sleeves; if you win the cause, you will have only one sleeve, and if you loose it, none at all." So it was with regard to war.

GEO. BENNETT, Esq., the chairman, remarked, that in his voyage round the world, as one of the deputation from the London Missionary Society, the deputation had taken no weapons of any kind. He remembered the case of a vessel which was wrecked off the Malay coast. Sixteen seamen with two mates, took to the long boat, which soon struck on a rock, and they were all lost. The captain, doctor, and four passengers, embarked in the jolly boat, and after two days sailing, reached the coast with nothing but their clothes;

the Malays who made a point of killing all who were found upon their shores, surrounded the party, but seeing they had no weapons of any kind, took compassion on them, supplied their wants for some months and allowed them to depart in a vessel which afterwards touched there.

PEACE SOCIETY IN AMHERST COLLEGE.-A Peace Society has been recently organized at this institution. A meeting of the students and officers of the college was held on the evening of the 15th ult., for the consideration of the subject, President Humphrey acting as presiding officer. After some appropriate remarks from the president, a constitution was read and unanimously adopted. The object of the society as expressed by the constitution is to be, the "Promotion of Peace on earth, and good will to men." This constitution having been circulated for signatures, it appeared, at a subsequent meeting, that one hundred and forty individuals had signed their names, thus constituting themselves members of the Society. Professor Hitchcock was elected president, Dr. Humphrey having declined on account of the pres. sure of other duties.-New-England Spectator.

RESOLUTIONS OF ECCLESIASTICAL ASSOCIATIONS.

GENERAL CONFERENCE OF MAINE.-Augusta, June 21st.

PEACE.-Mr. Ladd presented this subject to the Conference, in an address, in the course of which, he alluded to the Indian war on our southern border, and showed that it was unnecessary-that the provocation to hostilities was on our part; and spoke with more confidence on this subject, in consequence of his personal acquaintance with the Seminole Indians. He had lived among them five years, and related anecdotes illustrating their inoffensive character, as well as their honesty. The following resolutions were adopt. ed:

Whereas the conversion of the world can never take place while wars continue; and whereas the world is to be converted in answer to prayer, therefore,

Resolved, That it is the imperious duty of Christians to pray that wars may cease, and peace, with all its hallowed influences, overspread the world.

Resolved, That it is the duty of the ministers of the Prince of Peace to preach in favour of the cause of Peace, as a prominent part of the gospel. Resolved, That the cause of peace is entitled to our contributions, as well as our prayers.

The resolutions were sustained by Rev. Messrs. D. and C. Thurston, Prof. Pond, S. L. Pomeroy, and C. Hurd.

GENERAL ASSOCIATION OF CONNECTICUT.-Norfolk, Conn., June 24th, 1836.

Statements were made by the Rev. George C. Beckwith, agent of the American Peace Society, in relation to the efforts now in progress for the advancement of the cause of Peace, and the prospects of success. Several hundred ministers in New-England were under engagements to preach on the subject once a year-and if Christian ministers and the Christian church would do their duty, war might be made to cease from the earth.

When Mr. B. had concluded his remarks, Messrs. Hall, Carrington, and Kirk, were appointed a committee to prepare a minute in relation to the subject.

MR. HALL, in behalf of the Committee, reported a series of resolutions, which, having been amended so as to read as follows, were adopted :

Resolved, That the gospel of Jesus Christ in its universal diffusion, will se

cure the termination of war, by the destruction of those vile passions from whence come wars and fightings.

2. That we consider the exhibition of the causes and evils of war, and of its inconsistency with the spirit of Christianity, as an important duty of Chris. tianity and philanthropy.

3. That in accordance with the request of the American Peace Society, we recommend to our churches the observance of an annual concert of prayer, sometime in the month of December, for the universal cessation of warsand that collections should then be made to aid the society in diffusing its principles.

GENERAL ASSOCIATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.-Rev. Mr. Beckwith present. ed the claims of the American Peace Society. He had three requests to make.

1. That every minister should pledge himself to preach on the subject, and receive gratuitously a copy of the Advocate of Peace.

2. That they should bring the subject before their respective associations. 3. That they should pass resolutions expressive of their views on the sub. ject. The following resolutions were passed :

1. Resolved, That we regard the prevalence of Peace, as essential to the progress of the gospel in its purity, and as necessary to prepare the way for the conversion of the world.

Resolved, That we commend the cause of Peace to the prayers and pat ronage of the Christian community.

METHODIST CONFERENCE.-Springfield, Mass., July 12th. The Conference passed the following Resolutions:

1. Resolved, That the gospel of Jesus Christ allows Christians to cherish no feelings towards their personal enemies, or the enemies of their country, but feelings of love, pity and forgiveness.

2. Resolved, That the Christian's treatment of his personal or his coun try's enemies, should never be inconsistent with the law of love as exhibited in the instructions and actions of Jesus Christ and his Apostles, but should ever be the legitimate fruit of a desire to return love for hatred, blessing for cursing, good for evil.

3. Resolved, That the spirit of war, and every thing designed or tending to cherish and perpetuate a belligerent spirit among the children of God, directly tends to prevent their growth in grace, to mar their spiritual enjoy. ments, to make those who should love one another, and all men as brethren, unforgiving, revengeful, contentious; and also to hinder the conversion and salvation of men.

4. Resolved, That the practice of adjusting disputes between individuals or nations, by an appeal to arms, tends to foster among men a spirit of hatred and revenge, by giving them opportunities to gratify their passions; and that it is the solemn duty of all Christians, as they would spread the spirit of love and forgiveness, and save the souls of men, to abstain from this practice and discountenance it, by all proper means.

5. Resolved, That all wars directly tend to corrupt the morals of men, to spread intemperance, licentiousness, profanity, Sabbath breaking and every vice; and necessarily lead to the destruction of the bodies and souls of men, therefore all wars and all incentives to war, are inconsistent with the spirit and precepts of the gospel, and should be discountenanced by the precepts and example of Christians.

6. Resolved, That it is the solemn duty of ministers to use all proper means to promote the spirit and principles of peace in the church, and throughout the world, and to use their endeavours to prevent all personal and national animosities, and appeals to arms to adjust their difficulties.

7. Resolved, That we look to the gospel, as it is exhibited in the opinions,

customs and practices of Christians, as the only means under God, to usher in that day predicted by the holy prophets and apostles, when swords shall be beaten into ploughshares, spears into pruning hooks, and nations learn war

no more.

8. Resolved, That we regard the formation of a Peace Society, having for its object the abolition of all wars, and the pacification of the world, as a most cheering omen of good to our own country, and to all mankind; and as deserving the prayers, the countenance and support of all who love the souls of men, and would hasten the time when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord, and when the prince of Peace shall reign forever and ever.

OPINION OF JEREMY BENTHAM." Nothing can be worse, than the general feeling on the subject of war. The Church, the State, the ruling few, the subject many, all seem to have combined, in order to patronize vice and crime in their very widest sphere of evil. Dress a man in particular garments, call him by a particular name, and he shall have authority on divers occasions, to commit every species of offence, to pillage, to murder, to destroy human felicity, and, for so doing he shall be rewarded.

"Of all that is pernicious in admiration, the admiration of heroes is the most pernicious; and how-delusion should have made us admire what virtue should teach us to hate and loathe, is among the saddest evidences of human weakness and folly. The crimes of heroes seem lost in the vastness of the field they occupy. A lively idea of the mischief they do, of the misery they create, seldom penetrates the mind through the delusions with which thoughtlessness and falsehood have surrounded their names and deeds. Is it that the magnitude of the evil is too gigantic for entrance? We read of twenty thousand men killed in a battle, with no other feeling than that it was a glorious victory. Twenty thousand, or ten thousand, what reck we of their sufferings? The hosts who perished are evidences of the completeness of the triumph; and the completeness of the triumph is the measure of merit, and the glory of the conqueror. Our school.masters, and the immoral books they so often put into our hands, have inspired us with an affection for heroes; and the hero is more heroic in proportion to the numbers of the slainadd a cypher, not one iota is added to our disapprobation. Four or two figures give us no more sentiment of pain than one figure, while they add marvellously to the grandeur and splendour of the victor. Let us draw forth one individual from those thousands, or tens of thousands,-his leg has been shivered by one ball, his jaw broken by another-he is bathed in his own blood, and that of his fellows--yet he lives, tortured by thirst, fainting, fainishing. He is but one of the twenty thousand-one of the actors and suffer. ers in the scene of the hero's glory-and of the twenty thousand there is scarcely one whose suffering or death will not be the centre of a circle of misery. Look again, admirers of that hero! Is not this wretchedness? Because it is repeated ten, ten hundred, ten thousand times, is not this wretchedness?

"The period will assuredly arrive when better instructed generations will require all the evidence of history to credit, that, in times deeming themselves enlightened, human beings should have been honoured with public approval, in the very proportion of the misery they caused, and the mischiefs they perpetrated. They will call upon all the testimony which incredulity can require, to persuade them that in past ages, men there were-men, too, deemed worthy of popular recompense-who, for some small pecuniary retribution, hired themselves out to do any deeds of pillage, devastation and murder, which might be demanded of them. And, still more will it shock their sensibilities to learn, that such men, such men-destroyers, were marked out as the emi. nent and illustrious-as the worthy of laurels and monuments-of eloquence and poetry. In that better and happier epoch, the wise and the good will be busied in hurling into oblivion, or dragging forth for exposure to universal