Publication: The 19th Amendment Victory: A Newspaper History, 1762-1922 from THE LIBERATOR
Date: August 25, 1848
Accesible ArchivesTitle: FIRST OF AUGUST IN LYNN.
Location: Boston
The day preceding the First of August, like that preceding our late excursion to Abington on the 4th of July, was rainy and gave but little promise of the delightful weather with which we were to be favored for our gathering and pic nic amidst leafy woods and beneath the broad expanse of heaven.
The friends from Boston took the cars for Lynn at quarter past 9 A.M—in number 200 strong; and on reaching Rail Grove they found a goodly host brought together from Lynn and the neighboring towns—especially from places on the route of the Eastern railroad. After a few moments spent in friendly greetings and also in arranging banners and other matters, the meeting was called to order by S May Jr., Chairman of the committee of arrangements, —and James N. Buffam of Lynn was appointed President, problem. A committee to nominate officers for the day was then chosen, consisting of Oliver Johnson of Blackstone, Samuel May, Jr. of Boston, and Lewis Ford of Abington,—who soon reported the following list, which was unanimously adopted:—James N. Buffum of Lynn, President; Francis Jackson of Boston, Edmund Quincy of Dedham, Oliver Johnson of Blackstone, Charles F. Hovey of Gloucester, Vice-Presidents; Lucy Stone of West Brookfield, Robert F. Wallcat of Boston, Secretaries.
Thomas T. Stone of Salem then made an impressive prayer, and an Emancipation hymn from a sheet prepared for the occasion and distributed among the assembly, was sung with enthusiasm to the good old tune of Peterboro' under the direction of our friend Elias Richards of Weymouth. This and other appropriate pieces sung during the day to familiar airs in which a large portion of the people could join, added a pleasing effect to the other performances —the open air and the surrounding forest softening and mellowing whatever of discordant notes might else have struck upon the ear.
Edmund Quincy was the first to address the meeting. It is proper to state here, that the few brief hints which we are able to give of the remarks of Mr. Quincy and others make no pretensions to do them justice; indeed so far from it, that several times we have almost made up our minds to suppress them altogether, and content ourselves with a bare enumeration of the speakers of the day lest we should be charged with murdering our friends, through with very kind intentions.
Mr Quincy rapidly and graphically sketched the
history of the Antilles and of slavery as connected
with them. He said and he showed that the discovery
of America has been no blessing to the world
thus far. From the first moment that the white man
planted his foot in this Western hemisphere, wrong
and outrage have marked his career. The of
unnumbered millions of crushed and bleeding aboriginal
Americans and Africans have not ceased from
hour to hour to rise into the ears of a God of justice.
The African slave trade and its horrors were
then briefly passed under review. Up to Clarkson's
time thick darkness shrouded man's moral perceptive
faculties. With Clarkson arose the first dawn of
hope for humanity. Amidst tremendous opposition,
he and his composts struggled on and on till victory
crowned their labors, and the slave trade was
S May, Jr. here made a good humored suggestion, which, he said, to prevent any appearance of censure, he ought to have made in the beginning, that the speeches should be short. Mr. Q pleasantly said in reply, that if his speech was too long, he was not to blame: for the President, when he announced him, whispered to him long he had better speak, and he had come half a minute short of using all his time.
Wm. W. Brown next addressed the meeting
shame to this country, boasting of freedom, said
Mr. B, that
Here a hymn was sung; after which Miss Lucy Stone spoke briefly—the open air tasking her voice rather too much for her to speak long. We rejoice not, said she, so much for the mere act of emancipation, —glorious as that was,—as for the side-spread regenerated public sentiment that must have preceded and caused it. The Emancipation in the is artful islands of the; West Indies is a prelude to our own. The humanized, Christianized sentiment, which produced that, is abroad among us. It is spreading, it is working in the hearts of the people; it will achieve the blessed result; How sublime was the event we now commemorate! Nothing since Christianity equals it. The boom of its swelling peals of rejoicing is wafted to the ears of our own Southern slave. His heart exults—he takes courage. A voice comes sweetly to his soul—'Life up your head, for your redemption draweth nigh.'
After the appointment of a Committee of Finance, consisting of Samuel May, Jr., Lewis Ford, Wm. W. Brown, and John Wooldredge of Marblehead, an adjournment for recess took place, and the friends scattered themselves in groups through the paths of the surrounding woods, to partake of their pic-nic refreshments;—and to one who had an eye for the picturesque, scarcely any sight more beautiful can be imagined than was presented through the opening vistas of that wild Wood-scene.
After an hour spent in social festivity, the meeting was again opened by singing a hymn,—when the the President announced Mr. Joseph S Robinson, an intelligent colored man from the Bermudas, where he had lived from has birth. Having qualified himself to be a teacher of youth, he had been employed for several years in that capacity, and with much success, as is shown by the most satisfactory test mortal given him by prominent and cultivated individuals, clergymen and civilians. Children, white and colored, indiscrimately composed his school. Slaveholders, cowardly in heart, and hating those whom they have brutally injured, lave it down as a proposition which they will not hear questioned, that the races can never live together on terms of equality. But the facts of Emancipation in the West Indies already stamp that assertion as untrue. To an unprejudiced mind, no facts are needed to prove it unphilosophical.
Mr. Robinson's health failing him, he has come to see if by a change of climate and of occupation, he may renew it. In his remarks, he gave us an account of emancipation and its results, as he himself witnessed them in the Bermudas. The facts are similar to those which have before been given in relation to the larger British Colonies in the West Indies. Freedom was received devoutly, as a gift from God rather than from men. Joy and peace filled all hearts. All improved moral condition has been steadily developing itself—the result of the higher self-respect inspired by their new position. Schools have been established, churches built, marriages consummated, habits of industry formed. In the whole period of fourteen years since Emancipation took place, not three hundred dollars has been paid for the support of Colored paupers in the Bermudas. Other striking facts were detailed, which have escaped us,—though repeated cries of hear, hear, when they were uttered, evinced the interest they excited Mr. Robinson was followed by Wm. G. Allen of Troy, N.Y, late editor of the National Watchman, in that place, who made a brief but animated speech, showing that the American nation stands before the world in a shameful position. It has planted its iron heel on a whole race of God's children. It makes its highest mission In be crushing out of existence the mind. Conscience, soul of a great race, and then impiously maintaining that mind, conscience, soul, never belonged to that race. When we look a, Douglass and others, who, under a mountain, load of difficulties, have struggled and risen to their present eminence, we cannot but feel how many noble intellects and exalted sports of which the world has had no cognizance, have been murdered by this great bit rapacious Republic. Mr. Allen closed by quoting some spirited hues from one of the hymns which had been previously sung with so much effect.
The President next, announced Wendell Phillips, who made a brilliant, soul-stirring speech. in which, though his rebukes were most withering, and to some of his audience, far from welcome, he yet held the assembly in respectful and fixed attention to its close.
Mr. P. and. We are met to commemorate, not a mere fact in British history, but in the world's history The Emancipation in the West-Indies stands out, and to coming ages will more and more stand out in importance, as among the few great leading events, by the side of which the common deals of history, the rise and full of dynasties, sink into complete insignificance Who wrought the Emancipate on in the West Indies The British Government claims and receives the credit of it, but to those who carefully study how that event was brought shunt, it will be but too apparent that the Government deserves no such credit The Government opposed it as long as it was safe to opposed it, and finally yielded only to the moral force generated by the faithful utterance of Elisabeth Hayrick's great truth among the masses of Great Britain. The 'power behind the throne, greater than the throne' was this moral sentiment prevailing the middle classes, and presenting actives to all branches of the Government, which it is never prudent for the government to disregard. We learn another thing from observing how this matter was brought about Emancipation faded as long as politicians were trusted. It was only when the women and true hearted men came up in the strength of religious principle, that success crowned the enterprise. Now what we thus learn as to the true character of the power and the persons by which and by whom Emancipation in the British West Indies was accomplished, is certainly fruitful of instruction to us. Many among cur selves, among Abolitionists, particularly just now, are looking to political expedients A mania for politics seems native to us. Even many heartily engaged in a moral enterprise, readily grasp at any new political machinery that will only undertake to accomplish the smallest fraction of the object aimed at in that enterprise. They see not that in a moral enterprise political machinery is naught. Numbers furnish it not strength but weakness. Politicians are not to be trusted in a moral movement. They have not moral strength enough to accomplish anything. They are ever ready to sacrifice the right to any preset expedient. Slavery in this country stands firmly based on the love of property and the love of power. No politician, —no Van Bares, no John P. Hals may he relied on by whole hearts and Anti-Slavery men to overthrow it. They will find themselves Miserably deceived when the puny efforts of those whom they trust shall come to grapple with the gigantic power of Slavery. No. We shall see that Slavery, like a hurricane, will sweep over all their political arrangements. When did ever a political party upset an institution, popular, wide-spread, in a caught with all other institutions.—as Slavery is among us? The young Whigs, the Barnburners—are but half men— half conscience men—half principled—and so must fail. We may well hail their movement, especially as they appear to be honest and earnest in their half righteous principle—we may and must look on it with interest, hoping that failure, which surely will come, may teach them that they must take a higher, wider, more out and out opposition to Slavery, or all their labor will be in vain.
Robert Morris Esq., of Boston, regretted that he must differ from some positions of his friend, Mr. Phillips. For himself he could not but look more hopefully than Mr. P. did upon the movement of the young Whigs. That movement had had thus far his hearty concurrence. To his mind the non-extension of Slavery was a good principle to begin with. Mr. Morris said he believed in the use and necessity even of political efforts and political machinery to accomplish objects needed for the public welfare; and if we are to have political machinery and political movements, we must be content to have them as good as we can get them, if we cannot get them as good as of desire. He looked with interest to the Buffalo Convention, and hoped they would nominate men whom he could support. Should they, however, nominate Mr. Van Buren, be should bolt. He could not vote for him. Mr. Morris then closed with some remarks upon the pitiful condition of the colored people, particularly in reference to common school privileges, and urged the necessity of vigilance and activity in order to secure their rights in this regird.
Rev. Thomas T. Stone of Salem, was struck with
the remark of Mr. Phillips, that British Emancipation
made no progress while trusting to political agitators.
We ourselves very much need elevation of
moral him. Mr. S. said he usually preached from a
text, and he would take for a text now—'wholly
given to idolatry.' It described this nation graphically
to his mind. The nation has many slots
Some worshipped in one sections chiefly or exclusively,
while in other sections other idols are set up.
The idol which now occupied his view, as particularly
adored at the North, was the UNION. Union is
good, but not the greatest good,—therefore not to be
worshipped,'—made supreme—above liberty—above
right. The South does not worship the UNION but
SLAVERY.I's motto is—Slavery first', Union next,
and Union to secure Slavery. Why do we not say,
Freedom first. Union next, and Union to secure
Freedom. Why not say, Freedom first and last—
or
Rev. Charles C. Shack ford of Lynn, being called
on by the President, came forward to the platform,
good humouredly saying that be had tried to dodge
and keep out of the range of the President's eye.
But it wan in vain,—and he would surrender himself.
Said Mr C.—The world has had many saints in its
time. St. Thomas Aqumas, St. Stytes, &c. The
world calls now for a new act of canonization. The
new Saint should be St. Humanity. This is one of
St Humanity's days The work achieved on this
day, was a great work for humanity. It did more
then the Declaration of Independence to establish to
the world that man is man, independent of the accidents
of color, rank, or condition. The accident of
color seemed to Mr S. more odious and contemptible
as a ground of social distinction, than almost any
other. He regretted even to hear it alluded to.
Christianity revolts at such a distinction. It insults
the highest nature of man, to make each a distinction
The gentle, affectionate, trusting nature of the
black man has very much of Christ in it; and, O,
horrible;—the white man's avarice, because of this
meek sprit of the negro, his seized the opportunity
of trampling up in him, and converting his blood and
news to a new means of wealth. Ah, let it be considered
that, into that kingdom about the white man,
with with his Anglo-Saxon spirit of self-esteem,
prates so to —the meek, unresisting negro shall
been admitted, and himself cast out. Mr S. had never
been identified, be said, with Abolitionists. But he
would take this occasion to say, that they have the
true principle.
The time had now nearly arrived for dissolving the meeting, in order to be in season for the ears The following resolution, proposed by Wendell Phillips, and seconded by S. May Jr., was unanimously adopted, with a request that the officers of the meeting would forward a copy of it to the family of the late Major Culturist:
Resolved, That on this day, especially, we desire gratefully to remember the untiring and sell-sacrificing labors of the late Major John B. Culturist of Ireland, in the cause of the apprentices and emancipated slaves of the West Indies, his deep interest in the Anti-Slavery enterprise of these United Slates, and his earnest co-operation with the friends of our cause on the other side of the ocean; and in his death we deplore the loss, while we cherish the memory, of the impartial magistrate, the fearless friend and protector of the emancipated negro, and the friend of humanity of every country, color, and clime.
A closing hymn was then sung, and the meeting was dissolved.
JAMES N BUFFUM, Pres t.
LUCY STONE
ROBBERT F. WALLCUT,
The Eastern Argus likens Northern doughfaces 'o Mr TOOTS, when that sagacious individual says to Capt. Tuttle, 'If I could be dyed black, and made Miss Dombey's slave, I should consider it a compliment.
The New York Morning Star records the death of Mr. Simpson, late manager of the Park theatre.
