New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-03-22
AGITATION INDISPENSABLE TO
REFORM
A LECTURE BY WENDELL PHILLIPS.


On the subject: Agitation Indispensable to Reform.
Mr.. Phillips was greeted with loud and long-con-
tnued applause on entering the room. He was intro
duced by Mr. Oliver johnson, editor Of The National
Anti-Slarery Standard. Mr. Phillips said:
LADIES AND GESTLEMrs-I have been requested
to speak 10 you the subject of agitation necessary
TO reform. II is proverb in Vienna that the Austrian
only begs God that he may be as well of tomorrow as
he was Yesterday. don't think Yankee u,ters
suck prayer. On the contrary he always strives
and asks TO be better Off tomorrow than he was
Yesterday; and although clsm that our institutions
are nearly perfeci-slthough our states men proclaim
that they came from hands almost divine yet still
throughout the masses, if not throughout all classes OF
the nation, there is wonderful reaching after
reform, improvement, From the very, first IN.
auguration of our history down to the present
moment, nothing was ever finished that
Yankee didn't Immediately begin TO improve
it think therefore, that would be useless for me to-
night in such community, surrounded by the at
mosphere of such spit to endeavor TO convince you
that reform, such, is desirable. don't think L
should find doubser. Some might doubt as to the
method but it 10 the doubers as TO the actual
necessity in come respects or other, would be 30 ex
teedngly small, that the discussion would be hardly
worth the time. If there be anybody therefore, who
really thinks that institutions are not capable OF
amendment will leave him with an old Road Com
missioner Of Massachusetts in 1916, who was en-
ployed by the Legislature to lay out road west from
Boston TO Albany, some 2OO miles, and he proceeded
as far as Newton about ten miles, and then returned to
report what he had done adding his opinion that he
didn't believe road would be needed any further.
Granted for the time being, that Improvement Is de-
sirabe object tie next qesti0n is by what method
shall be secured Before considering that, however,
we may as well recoec that the world is made up,
necessarily, of two classes of mndsthe spurs, and
tho curbs; the conservative and the ag2ressve the
bold and the cautious The conservative thinks that
you sweep down the cobwebs you viii bring the roof
down with them, like the whom Dougi.- iSc-oid
ut-seribes as regarding with much dsiavor the new
moon OFT Of respect TO that venerable restitution the
old one. lns" .nere Is tne progre Ssve class, that
seem TO think that mere runnr - bout Ia and
fro is inerease of knowledge and oss.oSsmant' Re-
tween these classes there If csastant nnsralino q,
to the method Of PURSUING an oAsect which thew NAV
equally regard az nseIai ma atinable The question
thing, If cose yenind it there does not press hearty
public opnior rs what is the best method BY
, which the Ieformer Snall begin to operate! Well ne
| has two from which to choose He has the method
which may be termed European, because y Is almost
universal in Europe, and the method partly English
and partly American, more especially American. The
first is that halfway, easy method which sails under
the shadow of old institutions, which, taking the
Church and the State for granted aims at little bends
down to authority defers to wealth. The other has
the technical name Of agitation that which ignores
what You call institutions and filings the questions CON-
ing up its path before the masses, trusts TO the COM
sense, Instincts and natural love OF right which
| seem TO be inherent in the million. In respect to
these two methods, am here TO express the belief and
whether best or not in Government like ours, the
inevitable method. Look, for a moment,
on the other side of the wsters-for always see
ourselves more perfectly when look into the glass
OF difference. The story that was teliog in Brook
lyn fortnight ago. will perhaps illustrate my mean
ing, told by Coeridge Of his college days, when he
had been studying up stairs one night TO very late
hour and entered the room below where number of
his classmates had been drinking and csrousng. When
he entered the room they all voted him drunk, because
he looked so odd Something looked odd. and some
body was drunk, but the question III such case
might be asked whether 1t was not all on the other
side Now let me 20 across the water IL 10 very
evident when the old country wanted 10 eliminate,
draw out from the machinery of their social life, some
great evil or SIM what method they have pursued, and
what method they must. That which creates law aud
public opinion is alone competent 10 change IL. What
creates il abroad Wealth, throne, Church. When
Luther for instance, wished TO change Catholic Ger
many Protestant, he did not appeal TO the people,
There were no people. He created people. He
appealed TO the German Princes against foreign
pOtentaie, an Italian priesthood, and having en-
listed their sympathy he fought out the battle
and was victorious. So the House of Commons
estng under il the masses representing there prnc
pies, was once able TO Danish royalty for the time
from England, So in l84S one fine morning msn saw
the strongest throne in Europe 20 dow before cpl
gram, drama, public procession, novel, song,
and dinner speech; and Louis Philippe was seen TO
walk out from his dwelling, with his umbrella under
arm and his wife under the other and the reign
of democracy had come. But we waited six months,
and capital and the jesuit rolled back into that very
palace throne, compared with which the throne Of
Louis Philippe was but shadow. Now, if we have
got any machinery anchored in the cOnventonalities
and habits Of century ago, we should be able TO take
the mistakes of the present by the throat, and
say, Wait until / take sober, sec.
ond thoughts if we have got any such institution Of
Conservatism running in old channels and under ac-
knowedged leaders, let us understand our position.
We are fond of the ,;ord " institutions" IL is an
American trick, this talk OF institutions" Slavery
was patrarcbal institution, then domestic lusttu.
ton. So we hardly get up church, fashion, bu.
we call it institution, and those who look at reality
the Gbralters Of Institutions, rather amazed when
they zee how freely we the word without refer
to the article which it represents. Yankee expec-
toIating yards around him, when spoken TO on the
subject by an Englshman will say: You Britishers
I" are remarkably preJudlced against our lnstitu-
tone." Applause. Have we any well defined,
well MAJ ked institutions l not going
to show that any reformer can be popular.
The state of the nation IL such that when some med
dlesOue individual nda out the existence OF national
SIN there are many s00 rroud TO confess it, too lazy TO
sttepp, 70 cure 4, and they content themselves to be
nightly offended with the fool that found it out Has
be the choice of appealing to anything that can be
cal ed AN institution, anchored in the erralrna sent-
ment of a hundred years ago II he has, II exists
either in wealth, the wealthy classes; or the press,
which III might call the educated casses or IN par
ties the watohwOrds of political warfare; or IN the
church In one OF the other Of these would be found
the only aid 70 the progress OF the millions OF the
prest mt moment. am Going TO examine the claim OF
each of these 10 be any thing like an independent
source of influence resistance TO the mistakes OF the
masses. We will take frat, Wealth. AS John Ran
doph said God married wealth and influence, and IL
does not lie in the power OF humanity to pronounce the
former e no consequence in the attainment Of tle
latter. / am not finding fault with the love OF tae
almighty dollar sad 10 be so common among God
has given us the command to conquer a conti-
nent to dot ii with cities marry it with roads
and Join the opposite rides OF tho continent