The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-06-15
@OLD SOUTH"
BOston'S Latest Patriotic Centennial
Sensation.
SAVE THE LANDMARK !
Spirited Meeting Yssterday-Specches Of
Wendell Phillips and Others.

Bottoms great sensation just consists OF patri
otto epidemic preserve intact forever and that
old historic South Church cdihce the corner Of
Milk and Washington streets. The march Of CONNER
cia progress seemed 10 say that IL shomld down.
and q few days since tho ancient revolutionary
structure knocked of at auction for
figure not much exceeding $1,000,
the stipulation being that tue building should be taken
down at The buyer commenced the work OF
demolition the day after the purchase whercupon tho
reverential antiques Of the club" inspired to
final effort the purchase and preservation Of
tho old landmark, and public meeting to aid in the
carrying out OF tho project held in the church to-
day An enierprising business man has promised TO
furnish the last 100000 OF the $400, 900
required to secure the building and its site, and
through his efforts the sacred ece has for the past
two three days been prousely decorated with flags
bunting and notices, all or which served TO draw
thousands OF curious visitors to tho vicinity and In
spire spontaneous and universal feeling in favor OF
the proposition to secure the preservation and
perpctuaton Of the historic structure Indeed II may
be said that the matter has for day attracted
moro attention than the Cincinnati Convention
therefore It not strange that there should DO
generous turnout of citizens at the public meeting
which held to-day. Probably never, during all its
varied history, there congrcgated greater audi
swarmed at her entrances were numbered by thou
sands Before the hour announced for the
opening Of the meeting had arrived
the galleries closely packed with
ladies and gentlemen and every inch Of standing
on the main floor was occupied At tho Washington
street entrance the throng divided into streams
sharing the entry way between thcm tho going in
and tho coming out The inside the building.
loaded with tho cxhaod breath Of so
many persons became insunerably hot and
almost unbearable, and those who could do so
mado frequent journeys to tho street for rcfcshment
body OF police kept good order the hall
and doorways and regulated the return Of tho good
tured crowd at times inclined to be bo,sterous.
Precisely at twelve o'clock Alderman John
T. Clark, tho President OF the meeting, as
cended the temporary platform erected under the
sounding board, followed by Wendell Phillips, Rev.
W. II. H. Murray, Hon. Edward +. Tobey, Charles
W. Slack Curtis Guild and George W. Simmons Tho
meeting was opened by Charles w. Slack, who
nounced the following the organization OF tho
meeting President, Hon. John 7. Clark, Chairman
Of the Board Of Aldermen; Secretaries Williams A.
Hovcy, Franklin Williams and J. @ A. johnson. Mr..
Slack proceeded to address the meeting
OPENING REMARKS or CHARLES W. SLACK.
LADIES GENTLkMEN--I have been requested by
the Committee OF Arrangements 70 make formal an.
nouncement OF the organization OF this meeting Be-
tore doing SO, however, have been requested also 10
make suggestion in regard to the occasion which
we have assembled and what may be expected
result Of it. As you well aware, this historic
tho Old South Society of Boston. has been
offered in its material Of stone and brick
the history Of our country and particularly whom at
this time, in this sanctuary we remember what our
fathers did in this sacred and honored edico hero Is
OF Boston, child Massachusetts, native Of
New England that has not throb OF his heart hope
that the old edihce may be retained. applause
We have come to-day friends, TO see whether we can
touch the public tnrob Of the community, so that
there shall be responsive to 1t golden offer
Tor the benefit Of tho community Tor oil time
to come; that II shall be- like the monuments of
around al in this hall and ! recall, my friends s
that into this window, over this former pulpit,
Dr. Joseph Warren climbed on the anniversary OF the
Boston massacre, when tho doorways and the aisles
were nlied with armed soldiery, threatening him
made that matchcss Grafton the necessity Of in
Dependence which comes down 10 us to-day as lumi-
nous as on me gay ne uttered y In ina. gallery
reported in regard 10 the upon tea announced
that at tho end OF Griffin wharf the ship with the
contraband lea board and then tho whoop went up
and tho band oil men ran down yonder street TO the
wharf, where they threw the into the dock. Shall
floor on which you stand, covered by Two feet and
half Of earth and gravel, was the ring OF The riding
Boston around these galleries; In this the soldcry
OF George III. tried the metel Of their horses and
turned this sanctuary OF the Lord into place Of rem
The American Band played 'The Star Spangcd Ban
ner"
Hon. John T Clark assumed the chair and after
short speech introduced Wendell Phillips.
REMARKS or wESDErL FHIrIIPs
LADEs AND GESTLKnES:-Why are We here to-day?
Why should this relic OF hundred years old stir your
pulses to-day SO kccny? We sometimes find a
muny an individual with their hearts some
relic great sccnc and look from emotion
seems 10 exaggerated feeling, fond conccIt
unionndcd attachment, too emphatic value some
ancient thing or spot that memory cndears 10 them;
n
right beyond all question, and with possibility OF
cxaegcrang Us Importance 10 ask tho world itself TO
pause when this nation completes the first hundred
years OF its life, because these 40 000 600 OF people
have at last achieved what race nation, age
hitherto has been successful in attempting We have
actually founded Republic the unlimited suffrage
OF the millions We have actually worked out tho
pf obcm that mnn. God created him, may be trusted
with self-government
Once a hundred years ago. our fathers announced
this sublime and, as It seemed then, the audacious
declaration that God intended all be free and
equal all men without restriction without qualinca-
tion without limit hundred years have rolled away
almost since That great announcement, and to-day.
with territory that makes ocean kiss ocean, With
40, 900 600 Of people, with two wars behind her, with
tho sublime achievcm OF having srappcd the great
fatn that threatened Its central life and put every
ter under its foot the great Republic launches into
the second century Of iss existence. txppause.)
The history Of the world has such chapter
in its breadth its DEPTH its Significance or its bearing
out OF the dust OF history Is there any grand
and majestic place the face OF the earth than the
cradle oil such changer Athens has her Metropolis
but the Greek point 10 such immediate results
London has her Palace anu Tower and her 81. Ste
phen's Chapel but the human her such
memories France has spots marked by The subl,mest
devotion, but the pilgrimage and the Mecca
Of the who believes and hopes for tho human
not TO PARIS Is TO the scabosrd cities Of the great
Republic. (Appause And when the flag was
sailed, when the merchant walked up from his gain
an the scholar from his sudics and tho regiments
marched one by ono through tho streets, which
the pavcmenis thai. thrilled under their foostcpss
What the walls that they sautcd as the rcgi-
mental flags noaicd by TO Gettysburg and Antctam ?
Those! tApp,auscl The boys carried down 70 the
battle nclas the memory OF state street and Fancul
Hall AMI the Old south church. tAppIauso.)
We had an emphatic prominence in those early days
II was not FAULT II accident, perhaps, but
H. great accident In favor that the British
Parliament chose Boston as the nrst and prominent
object Of us wrath. II on tho OF
Boston that Lord North visited his revenge.
IL was our port that was 10 BIO stopped and lis
merce annihatcd. II Sam Adams and John
Hancock that enjoy tho everlasting reward Of being
tho only names excepted from tho royal procla-
nation OF rcbukc (Applausc.l Aher referring 10
Bunker Hill. the ola North Church and the rcvou.
tionary monument Mr.. Phillips said that II was tho
work oil and the mechanics OF Boston that made