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Show oo PHILLIPS FOE OF SLAVERY Recent Centenary of His Birth Recalls Stirring Career of Patrician Abolitionist. Recentlv occurred the centenary of the birth of Wendell Phillips. It is a da' upon which patriotic Americans may well forget the hundredth return of the birthdays of Dickens and Thackery, and stand with hats off to him who, for almost half of that century, cen-tury, was easily the first and greatest great-est apostle of human llbertj and free speech, who, in peril of his Hfo and with a price upon his head, often stood before hostile mobs, voiced lofty thoughts, iinlnclblc logic and soul-searching soul-searching words In the cause of civic righteousness, and with tho charm of his eloquence compelled even the attention of his bitterest enemies The question of slavery has been settled, and "abolitionist" is no longer long-er an opprobrious epithet, but let not the men and women who today are carrying on the battle of progress forget for-get that Wendell Phillips in his day was the apostle of all that, as well as of the abolition of slavery. With all the JnvecUvo And glow of his won-dorful won-dorful oratory ho was an early "square dealer." He raised his voice for the enfranchisement enfran-chisement of women, for the cause of temperance, he spoke for organized labor and he denounced municipal mlsgovernment and the corruption or parties. He was the people's advocate advo-cate and was fond of quoting those words which Disraeli put into the mouth of one of his characters In "Vivian Grey." "Tho people," Grey said, "aro not often wrong," but as has been said bu George William Curtis, "while ho cherished this profound pro-found faith in the people, and because be-cause he cherished it, he never flattered flat-tered the mob nor hung upon its neck, nor pandered to Its passion, nor suffered suf-fered Its foaming hate or its exultant enthusiasm to touch the calm poise of his regnant soil," Whether the crowd hissed or applauded, ho stood their friend and teacher. His confidence in their ultimate position nover wavered. wav-ered. Yet this tribute of the people was born to the purple born on Beacon hill, Boston, the "West End" of the Now England London, the "Saint Germain" Ger-main" of the Yankee PariB, a Now England aristocrat. He trod the orthodox path of al) well born and rich joung Bostonlans of his day, which led through the public Latin school, Harvard collego and Harvard law school, in tho latter of which he sat at the feet on that learned jurist, Joseph Stor, like another an-other Paul at the feet of a modern Gamaliel, In college ho was the proud leador of the aristocracy, his genius as an orator made him the easy master mas-ter of the college platform, and his social qualities pushed him into leadership lead-ership In the numerous collego societies soci-eties of Harvard Ho was a member of tho Phi Betla Kappa, by -virtue or his scholarship. He -was presldont of the Porcelllan and of the Gentlemen's club circles which admitted only the jeunesso doree, and a member of the Hasty Pudding club. On the afternoon of October 21, 1S35, Wendell Phillips sat reading by an open window of his office on Court street. Looking out he saw a mob on Washington street half a block awny, and heard the tramp of hurrying feot find the angry, menacing and profane elioutlngs of tho people. Presently he saw somo thirty women driven from the anti-slavery office at the head of Washington street, and then he saw the mob drag down the streot, with a rope around his waist, a man, bareheaded, bare-headed, his clothing torn and bedraggled, bedrag-gled, but with head erect, faco calm and oyes flashing as of a martyr going to tho stake, while the mob shouted: "Kill him! Lynch blmi Hang the abolltlonlstl" To Phillips' Inquiry as to who the man was, the answer given was, "That is Garrison, tho damn abolitionist" Phillips was shocked and proteated. He saw In this mob, bent on hanging hang-ing William Lloyd Garrison, because h.e dared in Boston to lift up his voice against human slavery, not the thugs nnd toughs of Boston, but his friends and neighbors from Beacon hill, a mob In broadcloth. Garrison was not hung, but that mob set a master mind and spirit to thinking. Some on.o has said that as a rule when a man does nnythlng unusual in the world, he docs IL undor tho inspiration of some woman. Not long after the Garirson episode, Phillips and CharlQB Sumner were invited to join a coaching party to Greenflold , to meet a very charming, talented and brilliant young woman, Ann Terry Greene. The morning dawned cold 'and stormy and Sumner refu&ed to' Co on the ground that no youns wona- ' an was worth going into a Btorm to inept. Phillips went and became the cavallor of Mibs Groono. Sho talked abolition to him. Phillips was already, al-ready, helf persuaded, and in after years confessed that alio made an out and out abolitionist of him. ' Juno 11, 1S37, Phillips attended an antl-slaveiy convention at Lynn, Mass., and made his first aoblltion Bpeech. Beacon hill rent its clothes and put ashes on its head. The circle cir-cle in which he moved cut him dead. Old acquaintances grew strarigely noar-sighted when they met him on the street Doors which before had opened to give him eager welcome were shut In his face. Tho class from which his professional advancement was to come withdrew Us business from him, and he saw all his bright prospects crumble to the ground. He found himself an outcast in his native city deserted and avoided as though stricken with leprosy He was an abolitionist, October 12, 1S37, he mar-iied mar-iied Ann Terry Greene, and thereafter, thereaft-er, as he himself tells us, she went before him into every couse which he espoused. o December 8, 1837, aristocratic Boston Bos-ton received another shock. In Fan-euu Fan-euu hall the attorney general or Aiussacuusetls had ventuiod to justify jus-tify the murder of Lovejoy. Phillips, who had not Intended to speak, got tho platform and challenged attention. atten-tion. The turbulence hushed Itself into silence as he began his speech and that marvelous voice, sweet as a song and clear as a flute, filled the hall. Never did the walls of the old "Cradle of Liberty" echo to finer strains of eloquence Those who opposed op-posed the resolution denouncing the murder of Lovejoy were put to Ignominious Ig-nominious rout. But this speech stamped with the zeal of unchango-abloness unchango-abloness tho decree of social outlawry out-lawry which tho blue bloods of Boston Bos-ton had pronounced against Phllllp3. Soon after came his denunciation of the old pro-slavery constitution as a "covenant with death and an agreement agree-ment with hell." He went further He seceded from the Union and refused re-fused all voluntary action under it He closed his law office and foreswore fore-swore the ballot box. Thus he stood until the outbreak of the rebellion a man without a country. The church ho denounced as vigorously as he did th constitution. Treason to a proslavery constitution constitu-tion and infidelity to a pro-slavery religion he considered as the hlghes't patriotism and the truest Christianity. Christian-ity. oo |
