The 'Come-Outers' were the Garrisonian abolitionists, of whom Lucy was one. Several of the professors and a number of the students had come over to Oberlin from Lane Seminary, because its president, Doctor Lyman Beecher, forbade the discussion of slavery there. Oberlin was strongly antislavery, but its abolitionism was strictly orthodox and constitutional. Both wished for practice in public speaking. They asked Professor Thome, the had of that department, to let them debate.
Tradition says that the debate was exceptionally brilliant.
More persons than usual came in to listen, attracted by curiosity. But the Ladies' Board immediately got busy, St. Paul was invoked, and the college authoritiues forbade any repitition of the experiment. A few of the young women, led by Lucy, organized the first debating society ever formed among college girls. At first they held their meetings secretly in the woods, with sentinels on the watch to give warming of intruders. When the weather grew colder, Lucy asked an old colored woman who owned a small house, the mother of one of her colored pupils, to let them have the use of her parlor.