Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1847-12-10
II T. r q IL r.

Gentlemen Of The Society:
We have gathered ourselves from our homes.
tonight to celebrate the 2Sth Anniversary of
the oldest State Colonization Society in our
country. That Vermont was the first to realize
the wretchedness and disabilities of the colored
race, and to concert measures for their relief, is
creditable alike to her Christian benevolence
and love of Liberty.
Other states formed State Colonization So
cieties soon after, which fouri>hed for a while
and then, under the adverse influences and eX-
elements that have swept over the country, van
ished away These have mostly been revived
organized anew, and are now exhibiting a vig-
orous life. But our Society has had no such
interval of humiliation: it has had IA continu-
Gus existence. Whether few or many, whether
with applause or reproaches, we have come up
hither year by year, to sit down together in our
annual festival. Amidst the storms of fierce
fanaticism, and the various shitings of popular
opinion, we have held our course steadily on
ward and with the Trojan hero, that noble
model of Colonizationist. and with an expe.
rience too not wholly unlike his, we can truly
say
Per varos casus tendmus in Latium"
Still, this Society is in its infancy. One gem
GRAFTON has not passed away since it was organ
lied There mngle with us tonight several of
its founders, who. twenty-e Tht wears AGO. as
scmbled in the Old State House, to consider
what they ought to do for eevating the negro
race. Well may You, the original members and
founders OF the Society, as you review these
years, exclaim: What has God wrought -
Turn back your thoughts What was then the
condition of the country, and of the colored
race here and What the condition of Africa !
Here were two millions of colored men, mostly
in bondage The whole country were slumber-
inn tl1n |,,y tl., nnlt
slavery. Some individual minds were awake,
and here and there small community raised its
voice in behalf of oppressed humanity The
Society of Friends, the General Assembly OF
the Presbyterian Church, and few other Eccle.
siastcal Bodies, had spoken, but there were
none 10 hear. A few Legislatures had looked
at the existing wrongs and the impending evils.
but no ecclesiastical or legislative bodies had
combined their wisdom and energies in any per-
manent and effective plans of relief
What vision from Africa met your eve, as
you sat in that first meeting enquring after the
means Of her redemption Africa was land
of thick darkness-unvsited by the benevolent
and unknown to all but pirates. Its tribes were
so savage, that no merchant vessel could land
among them. None but pirates and slave ira.
ders would venture there. Fifty thousand slaves
were then shipped annually from the western
coast; and the tribes along that co., 81 were sunk
to the lowest depths of degradation. and had
added TO the terocites of savageism, all the vi
ces which savages were capable of learning
from pirates and slave traders Such was the
condition of things at home and abroad while
you were celebrating in that first meeting o
this Society.
Suppose it had then been whispered to YOU
by some prophetic voice: You shall live to Gel
citrate the 2Sth Anniversary of the Society yot
are now forming. You shall see the whole
country aroused to some just sense of the 81,
and irrong of slavery; and the wise and good
throughout the land, actively concerning meas
ures for its removal. You shall see the ques
ton of slavery the great question OF the nation
never 10 be put to rest until it is settled on tn
side of Justice and right. You shall see mas
tiers lberating their slaves by hundreds, and con
scientiously laboring to prepare them for free
dom You shall see the capacity of the negr
developed, and the prejudces against him fadin
away You shall see the slave trade abosbe
from 800 miles of the western coast of Afric,
and free and happy republic established O
, that coast, embracing eleven flourishng village
abnndan'ly supplied with churches and school