nity; that all those laws which are now in force, admitting the right of slavery, are therefore, before God, utterly null and void, being an audacious usurpation of the divine prerogative, a daring infringement on the law of nature, a base overthrow of the very foundations of the social compact, a complete extinction of all the relations, endearments, and obligations of mankind, and a presumptuous transgression of all the holy commandments; and that therefore they ought instantly to be abrogated. We further

believe and affirm, that all persons of color who possess the qualifications which are demanded of others, ought to be admitted forthwith to the enjoyment of the same privileges, and the exercise of the same prerogatives as others; and that the paths of preferment, of wealth, and of intelligence, should be opened as widely to them as to persons of a white complexion."

In regard to the measures by which the Society would seek the accomplishment of its purpose, the declaration asserts,

"Our principles forbid the doing of evil that good may come, and lead us to reject, and to entreat the oppressed to reject, the use of all carnal weapons for deliverance from bondage; 1elying solely upon those which are spiritual, and mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds."

From this time onward the cause grew, and agitation became more and more intense. Agents of the societies were everywhere, and thousands of tracts were sent out to hasten on the good work. Occasionally ministers of the gospel ventured to inveigh against slavery, and whole congregations changed attitudes. The signs of the times all pointed to a victory in the

end. People in the Southern States, however, were furious; and their opinion of the new movement was voiced in the following paragraph from "The Richmond Whig:"

"Let the hell-hounds of the North beware! Let them not feel too much security in their homes, or imagine that they who throw firebrands, although from, as they think, so safe a distance, will be permitted to escape with impunity."

"Let your emissaries," said the Rev. Thomas S. Witherspoon of Alabama, in a letter to the editor of "The Emancipator," "dare to cross the Potomac, and I cannot promise you that your fate will be less than Haman's. Then, beware how you goad an insulted but magnanimous people to deeds of desperation!"

The reign of terror was dawning. In the summer of 1835 great quantities of printed matter, emanating from the anti-slavery societies, were sent through the mails to citizens at the South. Naturally a tremendous excitement followed. In Charleston, S.C., the postoffice was broken into by an infuriated populace; and all the anti-slavery publications were taken out, and publicly burned. The example set in Charleston was followed in other cities; and, as a rule, all such action was commended in the North.

In Boston, the abolitionists asked for Faneuil Hall wherein to explain their objects and to defend themselves. The request was rudely denied. But, on the

15th of August, the doors were opened to their enemies. The mayor took the chair; and, by intemperate speeches, Harrison Gray Otis, Richard Fletcher, and Peleg Sprague intensified the public feeling against the abolitionists. In the most abject manner, Boston crouched before the will of slavery.

Shortly afterward Mr. Garrison was hung in effigy, and his life was constantly endangered. In the midst of all these proceedings, which threatened the overthrow of the freedom of speech and of the press, the pulpit of New England was either dumb, or offered an apology to the rule of the slave-power. But, even thus, under Providence the cause of the bondmen was marching on.

CHAPTER IV.

THE GARRISON MOB, AND ITS RESULTS.

Where was Wendell Phillips?—The Female Anti-Slavery Society hold a Meeting, October, 1835. - Inflammatory Handbills. "The Commercial Gazette" excites the Mobocracy. The Ladies assemble at the Hall. - The Opening Exercises. - The Mob gain Possession of the Hall. - Mayor Lyman counsels Adjournment. - Mr. Garrison seized by the Rioters. - Dragged through Boston's Streets. - At City Hall. - Conveyed to Jail. - The Outcome. - Phillips views the Spectacle. — Learns a Lesson. - Foresees his Future. His Speech on the Twentieth Anniversary of the Mob.

"Such was the temper of those times. The ignorant were not aware, and the wise were too corrupt to confess, that the most precious of human rights, free thought, was at stake. These women knew it, felt the momentous character of the issue, and consented to stand in the gap. Those were trial-hours. I never think of them without my shame for my native city being swallowed up in gratitude to those who stood so bravely for the right."

"It is a singular result of our institutions, that we have never had in Boston any but well-dressed mobs."-PHILLips.

HERE was the young Boston aristocrat, the pet

WHE

of Boston society, the rising and promising lawyer, Wendell Phillips, all this time? How did he view the storm that was pending? What were his emotions, and where were his sympathies? We shall see.

While the events recorded in the previous chapter were fast crowding upon one another, several ladies in

Boston and its vicinity—all ladies of culture, refinement, and social position themselves formed an antislavery society, and entered upon the good work with a courage and zeal truly remarkable. One of the moving spirits of this bond of union was Mrs. Maria Weston Chapman, now of Weymouth, Mass., whose "Memoirs of Harriet Martineau" has found many admirers.

It was announced that the Boston Female Antislavery Society would hold a meeting on the 21st of October, 1835, in the Anti-slavery (Stacy) Hall, No. 46 Washington Street. On the morning of that day inflammatory handbills were circulated throughout the city, and threats were freely uttered by the enemies of the cause. The ladies, indeed, became so alarmed at the prospects, that they petitioned the city authorities for protection. No notice was taken of the petition.

To add to the fury of the evil-disposed, a false report was spread abroad, to the effect that George Thompson, one of the most gifted and eloquent men of his age, who had come from England to America, at the request of Mr. Garrison, would be present at the meeting, and would probably deliver an address. The following placard was posted in all parts of the city:

"THOMPSON THE ABOLITIONIST.

"That infamous foreign scoundrel, Thompson, will hold forth this afternoon at 46 Washington Street. The present is a fair opportunity for the friends of the Union to snake Thompson out!