Windham County Democrat. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1836-1853, 1853-07-06
Extracts from Lucy Stones Speech at the Bos.
ton Anti-slavery Anniversary

bOu Aubl-SldVoIy anniversary.
Ma CHAIRMAN If l were to obey my own feel
nes, this evening, l surely should not speak word
would far rather when on this PLATFORM listen thar
speak But yet, if by any word shall say, the day
of deliverance for the slave shall come by one mo
ment sooner, l am willing to offer that word-glad iC
offer it, too.
listened to-day, as l always listen, with great in
terest 10 the discussion in regard the character
the Constitution of the United States, and the sup
post given 10 the system of Slavery in that direction
| have listened to the charges that made agans
the Church-of her recreancy TO truth and duty
know they are all true but yet, whenever listen ic
discussion on these topics, there always &c
me the thought that if the government and the Con
stitution remain just they are-if the Church re-
mains with the same creed that it has to-day Slavery
would be In the land, not for these reasons-not be-
cause we have such government, not because the
churches have such creeds--but it would be in the
country because we are not ourselves free people.
I mean that we who are here in Boston. here in New
England, and everywhere north of Mason and Dixon s
line, ourselves much enslaved that, be the civ
il institutions Of the country what they may, the fault
lies more in ourselves than in them. The slave may
clank his chains all the length and breadth of the
land he who tell the slaves sad story BEST may
stand tell it in every street, in every dwelling and
by every highway and though it may 90 into the ear
ALL he who tells the slaves story tells it in the ears
of those who are themselves in bonds and though
the eye of the listener may look down below him TO
the slave still lower than himself-bound, bruised and
beaten-he yet cannot go TO help him. because he is
not himself in freedom. Men and women creep cow
ardly Gods foostool, and by their very cow
ardice they allow the system of slavery to riot
the lard.
say there are few--O, very few who dare do
what is unpopular, matter how holy it is. To IL
lustrate what mean | weht short time ago, to
lecture in in this State, where the kind of an
ti-savery represented this platform is so odous
that though there are meeting houses, and halls, and
school-houses in the place-all unoccupied the
week day, and some of them unoccupied on the Sab
bath, toono hall, meeting house, school-house
could be obtained for meeting. So exceeding o.
dous is this kind of Anti-Savery there, that those
who are its friends could all be counted on the fingers
Of single hand. But found little hillock,
beautifully overgrown with trees, whose thick cover
ing gave us shade from the above, and there
we went and held meeting. In that town we
found there were many who would have been glad to
attend meeting, if they had dared to do One
woman-and think she fair representative of
her sex-sad, If | were only mouse in the wall,
would 60 to their meeting. She was not afraid of
His eve who never slumbers, but she could not bear
that her neighbors should know that she went to
meeting that was held in so low esteem. She would
have been glad have heard u.s. but she was afraid
of the laugh of those who did not think it proper to
60 there. believe she represents vast majority of
the women of the land. We are not 50 mindful of
the opinion of Him whose eye, if waking or Sleep
ing is always upon us--we are not so mindful of
what He thinks, of the cognizance he takes of our
actions, of that of frail feow-mortal
whose breath is in his nostrils We are always ia
king counsel OF this woman always inqui-
ring, as of the last importance, what will this or
that one say And when we know that their opinion
is against sense Of right bury the truth in
souls and cover il up and keep there never allow
ing it to get before the eyes of others at least,
until it has been far recognized by them that we
can do il without loss of reputation.
do not want you to understand me as expressing
the belief that men have any more bravery than wo-
men. ] have seen as much cowardice among men as
among the other sex. ] went not long ago, to speak
in place where there great deal of Orthodoxy,
and where, too there religion preached, which,
as one of the parishoners told me, was only 'the
dried husks of Orthodoxy we have dealt out to
us, from Sunday to Sunday said he, only the dried
husls of Orthodoxy. When we went there to hold
Anti-Slavery meeting, was stupid enough to sup
pose that he would attend. But no he went where
the other swine did eat, and partook of the husks
because
hoping for place and preerment, which he feared
he should fail to obtain were it known that he had
the least shadow of shade of inclination towards
believe he represents the majority of men.
Again ] WENT short time ago, TO attend a
meeting in Massachusetts town, in behalf of a
equally unpopular with this. certain man
there, on being invited TO attend the meeting, re-
piled -" No will not go to hear crazy woman
and she must be crazy or she would not be abiding
to such subjects" w ell few days after, went
to city in New York State to speak on the same
subject, and there, strange to say, this very man
before my face, he having paid quarter of dollar
to hear the speaker at whom he had flung I'M
manly sneer when at home After the lecture
which seemed to have been acceptable to the audi
ence-while the friends crowding around the
lecturer express their sympathy and pleasure, thai
toady up TO the platform, also, to give me
his hand. daughter and cheers)
The cowardice that such little incidents shadow
are to my mind indicative of what lies at the root
Tell such man that there are " Uncle Toms scat
tered all over the South-and-tel him of the weigh
of woe that sweeps in resstless tide over the souls
of these three millions of slaves and you might al
we'll whisper the tale in the dull, cold ear o
death " his own hands bound; he has M
courage and no freedom and before he CONT
and take hold of 60 Uncle Toms hand, and rais'
him up, and give Classy the word of cheer she needs
he must make for himself Declaration of Inde
pendence; and when he has achieved that and be
come man among men-when he himself has n,
shacke on his spirit, and dares TO love what is true
and can listen TO the word OF truih-then, bending
over from his place of power, he can take Uncl
Tom by the hand, and recognise him only 81
little lower than the angels"
After all, il seems to me that the FIRST thing tina
ia adad for is IF