Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1855-11-10
TIE BOSTON rroB OF 1885.

w .ll1Efli " Vl Wv bCchSl III hGNNIN IL Nutl W
cause II is the best-though our readers will find
it good epough) but because it is the shortest
the only one for which we have room. The whole
is to be Published in pamphlet form. 1t is a val
0eblc scrap of history.
SPEECH OF REV. t. W. HIGGINSON.
Mr. lIigginson, in response to a call rose and
said
Ma. CHAIRHAx-Thc golden moments Of this
afternoon are flown, and neither | nor any one
else ought to try TO protract them farther. The
light is fading from our eyes, but | trust the light
will not soon flde away from our hearts, that have
been blessed by so many noble memories, aud
made happy by brave and hopeful auticipations
from those who, Of all others, have the best rlght
to predict our future.
hi good for us 10 have been here. Sir. l have
felt il almost every moment Of the afternoon and
whcn ] have looked around this hall. and seen al
tcrnatcly the smiles upon the lips OF notlG women,
and the tears in the eyes OF brave men,-seen
them as well as | could for the closer tears that
dimmel my OWL have felt the sam hope
with the last speaker, that the younger among US,
especially those who cannot speak from personal
memory Of the inside or the outside Of this hall,
un the day we colebrate,-lhat these young per
sons, from this Anniversary, may at least rekindle
the enthusiasm Of their own scli-deyUtion.
lIr. Chairman. che sentence spoken by Mr.. Gar.
Iison sunk deep into my heart this afternoon =
'things are So changed around VS. he said. 1t is
not for me here and now to question one word Of
his but my heart asked MY intellect, Are things
so changed. after all? Is the Massachusetts, Of
1855 50 transformed from the Massachusetts, of
1855? Is State street SO utterly changed now from
what it was when it poured forth its lase-hoarted
myrilds then &? Is il true that all the hrrd work
IS done, no great duties left, and no great demands
made upon us-us, whose misfortune it is, not our
fault, that We could not bear the yoke Of twenty
years ago? lie did not mean i'll know lie did
not mean Il for it is not true, and therefore he did
not moan ii. Whatis that great change in which
we exult The Abolitionists Of Massachusetts,
have labored for twenty years. and what have they
conquered? Wbai hare they coaqueTedP The
right Of free speech. They have conquered the
right to meet in Stacy Hall, and call their souls
their own But what else?
A Voiee--'That is something
Mr.. misunderstanding Thank God, it
is much. But in comparison with the vaster
much we have yet to gain, the result Of all this
past contest is trillingl And | say to you. young.
or men and women who are here, that if you come
here to exuit, to tremblo with excitement, as !
hlyo seen you tsemble, at the thrilling story Of
the past, and not to consecrate yourselves TO con
tiGue Tic work IN future, You have hurt your own
souls by coming here, and You had better have
stayed Ia home. For the more we accuStCm our
selves to hear Of courage and scii'sacrhce' as
tliaaa merely historictl,-thing to be houofed
md alMircl. not imitnted,-tLe more we lower
the tone Of or own natures and weaken our
souls.
But the Massachusetts, Of ~1S55-whatis it? 1t
is still a part Of the Union Of 1865. And the
union Of l8jj-wLati is it? Still a Union between
Freedom and Slavery sill 3 tnlon OF the dead
and The living. Tie dead and Wondering re-
mains OF what once was beautiful, bound to the ly-
in form Of what ought to lie beautiful, but fast
ceasing to be so from the poiluting contact Of that
sl3 decay The Union Of 1855 is what the Union
Of 49,. was It Union governed by Slavery a
Union in which not merely'slavery is national and
freedom sectional, but slavery is national and
freedom nnracre Tor there is no foot, no square
inch, even, Of free soil in Massachusetts, The
flirest and dlintiest woman's finger in this hall is
not delicate enough to touch one little atom Of
Massachusetts, earth that is free at this moment
and we, born and bred in dreams Of freedom, az
cuslomei from gu. infancy to drink great drauGhts
Of sublime IDEAS ana hopes ana wishes, find our
selves, in maturity, with our ~blrthriEht gone, our
deans faded, our hopes betrayed, and life one
long conflict, if we are true to principle! If this
is the result Of those magnificent lab0rs ana sacri-
fees Of twenty years, how long, do you think, are
the lsbGrs and sacrifices Of the future to continue,
before the work is done? Ii all that has passed
has only come to this, what is the future to be ?
God knows; J do not know. We never know
what new openings Gcd may haya in store for put
ting an end to the long controversies Of men, and
letting the weary, saadcneG spirit Of humanity out
from its perplexity Jy some new door it did not
know until il opened. Upon Il single thread of
flax, perhaps, at this moment, the de5tinies Of
this continent may hang. We cannot ALLOW for
future revelations and possibilities. We have got
70 take the present as it is, and work in it; and
that present even in Massachusetts is dead against
tho life of freedom, the purposes of freedom, and
the hope OF freedom and il you see it differently,
ii is because you do not know Mass0chusetts-do
not see how far of we are from realizing that
great, determined uprising Of the people in behalf
of freedom, about which we dream. We talk ASH
we had it. even now but we have not got it. Every
man is willing to talk about freedom, many to vote
Tor it. Every man is ready to dcnounce votes civ
On for slavery in Congress, and goes ON denoun-
cling, until he, or his First cousin. gets Il seat in
Congress, and Their lie gives the same vote.or turns
round and a~pplauds it. | now take no satisfac
ton in heuriag men abuse politicians. | have
heard so much Of it, that am tired. ] am Ike
the Old lady who complained that she could DO
even take comfort in her newspaper. Why sale
she, i do not even enjoy my murders, now! So
do not even enjoy being in ut the death of q politi
clan butcherod, whether annihilated by the sledSe
hpmms Of TnEoDoaE PAREER or the silver lance
OF WENDELL PmLLIPs. know all that. ] know
what has become Of the lIllletts Of the past.
remember, that on a certain day, when our FRIEND
pARxEa was discharged by the United States
Court, Mr. H.lett stepped up 10 him and said
Well, Mr.. Parker, you have got outat last lu
It was through a very small. knot-hole.' ! did moi
hear Mr.. PAaKER's reply, l was not near enough
but | suppose he told Mr.. Hallett that he cught t.
DO a good judge Of that process. | know wha
has baeome OF the Ililiards, also. am sorry theil
names all begin ~ith H. who once Lad words t
utter even before committees Of the Legislature il
behalf Of freedom, and who now cringe Lcfore 'th,
hand that feeds them by their Own confession ,anC
e. to Wing Conventions in Worcester, to Prov
that there is too much Anti Slavery in Massachu
sctts already! ] know what has become Of thes,
little men but | do not care for them, My con
Germ is, what stronger and better men, men VIII
have consciences. are going 10 do. VIII they d.
any better? Ii Massachusetts is TO be saved, it il
not to be saved by politicians it is to be saved b,
you. who make politicians. Yes, this hall, small
.Ha if il IL cuf6pinntlv LARGO IN hold D1pn and uon1ag
enough to revglutidnize Massachusetts,. to revolu
~ijSnize the nation, if this handful could summon
hearts and energies to do the work their reason
4ell them oasht to he done.
Bot how is in How is it even with us, Anti
Slavery men and wOmen2 Are we ready 10 max,
slcriGees? Some Of us, perhaps, will say, in on
~telfcomplaeeney, 20, Us ! gave a dpllar to q flu
4%,itiyc sllve last week And precisely whatI con