Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1856-02-23
For the Dugle.
FROM MICHIGAN.
LETTER FROM MIR. puILLEo.
GnANp RArlns. Feb. Q. 1s5G.

LHyttj WIS Itlt Ut Lansing SOllO lllItb Wctks HHU
to DO forwarded to us at Lyons, and has come vi
missing ever since. Whether it will come to han,
in undue time. or whether it has gone the way O
oil the earth, we are not able to tell. We are be
ginning to hope somewhat against hope, concern
ing it, which you are doubtless aware is not th,
most enviable state Of mind.
However, in regard TO the communication 70
the paper, | see nothing better within my reach
than to 80 to work aud reproduce it. And as
shall be Obliged to go over a very extensive field
l shall not attempt to make very thorough work.
When l wrote you last, / believe we we're jus
on the point Of leaving Hickory Grove, for part
unknown. Since then, VIC have trayersod q con
siderable portion of this part of Creation, ant
held meetings without numbor-som of which
indeed, much the larger number, have made u
feel that it was good for us to be there, and somC
of them have manifested but little genuine Interest
in the cause and now and then one has clearly
revealed the cloven foot, or the heads and horns Of
come political or religious Satan. AT Parma, O
short distance from Hickory Grove, we were com.
PEELED to hold our meetings in the ballroom Of the
only Hotel in the place, and to seek entertainment
under the same roof. Through the kindness, how.
ever, of Mr.. Arby Smith, D. j. Stephens and wife,
we had several good meetings, in spite Of the pop.
ular, political and religious influences against us
In Ann Arbor and vicinity, through the %untirinq
efforts Of Robert and Richard Glasier, Jr, il
making appointments and conveying us from place
to place, we were enabled to hold meetings during
two weeks or more, most Of which manifested q
good degree Of interest, and a willingness 20 make
some little pecuniary sacrifice in order to carry on
the work. Our meetings in the City, as compared
with those in the adjoining school districts, only
added to the evidence already abundant, that the
farther the advocates of essential reform, are re-
moved from the popular religious aud political in
huence, the nearer they can come to the hearts and
consciences of the people. We held three meetings
in the Courthouse which were more or less in
t%errupted by a number of young gentlemen, under
stood to be students in the University. ] have not
time however, at present, to characterize their con-
duct rs it deserves ard will only take time to say
that, with u single exception we have not met with
so much of the rowdy spirit, in Michigan. There
are, however, in the City and vicinity, some excel,
lent spirits, and earnest advocates of the cause,
among whom are the Glasiers, the families of w.
Weeks, j. VJland, Thomas Scott and SOM others
whose names do not occur to me now. To save
ex pense and help us forward on our mission, our
friend Richard B. GlNsier brought us on to Farm
ington, a distance of from 20 to 80 miles. In the
vicinity of Pennington and Livonia we had some
good meetings and found plenty Of good homes
among the we'll tried friends of humanity, in those
localities. Uncle Ethan Laphan, a man verging
close upon four score years, is still as deeply in
terested and even dctire in the cause, as almost
any of our friends in the prime of life. Indeed, in
point Of inteTeStin the cause, lie has few, if any
superiors. Nor is Aunt Betsy. his excellent wife,
any less interested in the good work. Asa Lapham,
though wasting under the rcsistless power of dis
ease, and apparently on the verge of the grave,
together with his wife and various relatives, is
throwing his influence on the side Of the OPP
pressed against the oppresaor. We hope to be
able to return and DO a more thorough work in
those sections, before the lecturing season closes.
From Pennington we proceeded to the neighbor-
hood of our friend Samuel D.. Moore, through
whose kindness we attended several meetings.
Our meetings in that section were held in the
school houses, the Quaker, as we'll as other meet
ing houses, being closed against us. About the
last of December, we were joined by Jacob Walton
and A. NJ. Powell, for a Western tour of meetings,
commencing at Ypsilanti. The Convention met
in the latter place, as appointed, and has been re-
ported, through the Bagle. 70 that report | will
simply add that, in point of numbers, it was a
small affair. The truth is that, in this, as in other
popular villages and cities, especially on the pub
lie thoroughfares, the religion has eaten all the
humanity out of the people, under its influences.
l call God to witness That | know OF nothing so
b~light;ng and dcSolating in its influence upon the
otherwise better classes Of the people, as the pre-
vailing religion Of the land. Like the same thing
in the time of Jesus, it labors 20 compass sea and
land to make a proselyte, and when he is made he
is two fold more the child of hell than before.
Our next meeting was at Milford. In this place
the Baptist Church was opened for Mrs. Philloo
and myself. Messrs. Powell and Walton having
gone on to Brighton. A large and apparently in
t~elligent audience, including the Baptist Minister
honored us with their presence and good attention.
The next evening The church was closed. The
only excuse offered was that a good deal of filth
would be carried into the the house. That it was
light and truth, instead of dirt, they feared, was
proved by their letting the church for a Concert
only a few evenings after. A guilty conscience
always makes men cowardly and sometimes makes
them mean as well as cowardly. The Minister,
on his own testimony, in the meeting, was
quite Anti Slavery was aw fully shocked to see a
roman in the pulpit. He had seen a good deal of
the world, but that was going beyond the pictures.
Ana that, together with the fact that some of the
members were sworn defenders of theft and rob-
berry, concubnsge and adultery, accounts for the
closing of the church. We were told by some
friends that the Reverend Gentleman had said the
day after our FIRST meeting, that there was no nsed
of An.i.Slavery lectures from abroad. He was
anti-slavery, and could preach it il the people want
ed it. And yet we are called slanderers when we
call such men h~ireings. Our second meeting was
held in the school-room of a liberal Free Soil friend
of the name of Crawfo' d, who kindly gave us that
20 fall back upon. This was also a good meeting.