Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-01-01


MEssRs. EprroRs;-Certain false reports having
been circulated with regard to Rev. N. Day, and GER
tain sermons which he delivered in this place last
spring, in order to correct the wrong Impressions
growing out of these false reports, We would respect
fully request the publication Of the following statement
Of facts.
In the winter Of 1913, Mr.. Day held a.protracted
meeting III the Congregational church of this place, at
which time his labors were blessed by the conversion
Of some one hundred and fifty souls. As the church
was soon to be destitute Of a minister, great e%xertions
were then made to obtain Mr.. Day, and he was pressed
with urgent solicitations to become their pastor. All
we're his friends thcn--Gll loved him; and to many Il
renewed heart was he rendered doubly dear, as the in
strument, in the hand of God, of his souls salvation.
Last spring he was invited here to lecture on the sub
ject Of slavery. One Of the members of the same
church requested that he might be invited to preach in
the house where he had before labored with such dis
t~inguished success. Although no formal notice had
been given TO this effect, yet, as soon as the report was
circulated that Mr.. Day had been invited to preach in
the Congregational church on the subject Of slavery,
great excitement prevailed throughout the community,
and more especially among a large majority of the
members of that church. Means were Immediately
rosorted to to prevent such an unheard Of event from
taking place; the windows in the house were secure
ly fastened, the doors carefully locked, and the keys
deposited in safe keeping. He whom, two short years
ago, they had thought almost an angcl Of light, and
whom they had well nigh worshipped, was now denied
tbo pripiloro Of cDnnlinr IN %n rl,nn ,vLoro bo boA ~
many times lifted up the voice of earnest entreaty, to
warn The sinner from his dark way and show him the
path Of life and this, too, by those over whom he had
prayed and lab0rad, and wept, and who were yet dear
to him, and from whom he might have hoped kinder
welcome. But they knew too well thst the miserable
s~ophstry with which they were wont to prop up slave
ry would i'll stand the test of that ordeal of truth, to
which lie would subject it, and that it would wither be-
fore the irresistible power of his arguments, like mown
grass beneath a s~corching sun; and therefore, in this
desperate extremity, they must needs adopt the ruling
motto Of the age, "3yoa can't pull do0t his arguments,
pull dotcn the man." However, from some unforeseen
circumstances, Mr.. Day was unable to meet the ap-
%pointment as was expected, and all p~rosavery fears
were, for the time, qaieted, and the excitement, in a
measure, died away. Soon after this he wrote to Rev.
Mr.. Driver, of the Baptist church of this place, inform
ing hin that he should be at his house on Saturday and
spend the following Sabbath with him. Early in the
morning of that Sabbath, one of the Congregational
brethren called at Mr.. Drivers and asked Mr.. Day if
he would preach any part of the day in the Congrega-
tional house. said Mr.. Day, "it seems that you have
shut your doors against me-" This led the way for
further conversation, in the course of which Mr.. Day
said that he had no choice as to which house he should
preach in, but he wished to have it understood that, in
either place, he must have the liberty Of choosing he
own text and illustrating it in his own psnR
4hosa ~--a;'; ~