The weekly Anglo-African. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1859-1861, 1859-09-17
Reported Expressly Cor this Paper. by J. M Pomeroy
ENTHUSIASTIC MEETING OF THE
Remarks of Rev. J. Sella Martin
Speech Of Rev. Henry Highland Gar
net Triumphant Resolutions IN tavor
of Mr.. Garnet.
Concluded from last week.

Of Mr.. Garnet.
Concluded from last week.
tell you, my friends, that we have been
too long depending upon other people.
Years have passed away and we have been
looking to the Abolitionists to raise us.
Abolitionists have done their part and done
it well. / believe that God has certain
work for them to do, and that is to prepare
the public mind for the full and free discus
sion of the subject, and the emancipation of
the enslaved, and the Acknowledgement of
the nominally free colored people of this
country; the rest of the work we have to
do ourselves. White-men cannot do it for
u.s. l am not here to find fault with the
friends who have labored long and endured
much for us; but in many respects l fear
they have not done all they might do. I
fear, when they have laid down certain first
principles, they have stopped there and
to-day, you know as well as do, that if
our children are brought forward to en-
ter upon trades, or learn useful employ
ments, if we go to Abolitionists, they do
not seem much more ready to offer assist
ance than other men. In fact, without
finding fault, 1 think find, most general
ly, that the men who take our sons and
daughters into their stores and workshops,
are not Abolitionists Abolitionists say
it is not part of their work to do this The
subject is one on which we have to think.
Our children are being educated. So far
as Boston is concerned they are as well in
formed as white children. They are in the
same schools and in the same classes.
What prospect is before them when they
go out into the world You teach your
daughters the refinements of elevated life
| What next? When those girls are sent to
look out for themselves, what is the hope
and prospect before them2 l am one of
those men who say, here as elsewhere, that
one employment before God and all honest,
right-thinking men, is just as honorable as
another 1t is as honorable for me to take
my saw and buck, or sweep the streets, if
do it as man and Christian, as to fill
! a senatorial chair. But you cannot get our
children to think SO; and if these are the
occupations that your children are to be
engaged in, if you wish to save them from
destruction, my word for it, you had better
not teach them quite so much, lest when
they come up and take their positions in
life, they become discouraged, as too many
of our young people have been, and are
lying all along the pathway of life, bruised,
and mangled, and dying. Our fault is that
we have not thought on the subject We
have not had the courage to think We
talk of staying here and fighting it out"
Our friend, Ezra R. johnson, talked about
fighting it out And yet he went off to
California and honorably made his fortune,
and then went to New Bedford and sits
there a high-minded gentleman and fights
it out" Laughter and applause.) If
stand-still is your motto, see to it that you
live up to it.. Do not say one thing and
do another.
Then, again, there is another objection.
Some say will not bulge from this dear,
sweet land WhyY Because white-men
say l shall go. wouldn't go if Africa
was strewn with gold and the shores were
covered with silver. Why2 Because
white-men say I must go. I will tell you
what think about it. Iwould go any
where on this broad, green earth, if could
better my condition, and do good to society
and preach the Gospel would go with
out caring whether white-man said go or
stay. 1 believe that some people wouldn't
go to Heaven if a white-man should say
they must go. They remind me of
crooked old deacon in New York, who al
ways opposed everything that he did not
himself originate The spirit of God was
about being poured out on the Church and
the community, and it was resolved to have
protracted meeting. He arose, after sew
eral lad spoken, and said ,as usual, "Breth-
rem, cannot give my assent to that; l
think it is not exactly the time; don't
think we'd better go at it now" Another
good deacon got down on his knees and
prayed to God after this manner: ooh,
Lord here is this dear brother who has
been bothering and Fostering us for many
years; we've tried to cure him, to convert
him. We have failed; and now, Lord, if
thou canst, convert him and sanctify his
soul, and take him up into the kingdom Of
glory, and let him no more come out forev-
err" Iaughter,) The old deacon jumped
up and said " Is0oast go' Great merri-
ment.) Now, if were on my way to
Heaven, and some white-man said to me,
" Go up to Heaven" ! would say, / will
go, but don't think your telling me to go
would accelerate my journey forward Let
us be wise; let us rid ourselves of our folly
and prejudice, and look at the subject as
candid, independent, intelligentmen. loud
applause.)
Let me state few facts for your consid-
Grafton. On the coast Of Africa there are