Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1883-10-04
THE ABoLITIONIsTs' CENTENNIAL.
Celebration by the Antf-Siayery
Society of New York.

The fftieth anniversary OF the Begin
ming of organized spti-slayery work in
New York City, and of the formation of
the New York Anti Slavery Society, was
celebrated Tuesday afternoon and even
ing in the Broadway Tabernacle, II the
afternoon meeting Elizur Wright pre-
sided, and gave an soGoudt of his expe-
rienoes. George W. Clarke, 81 ''Aho-
litionist singer" of 80 years standing,
aud now ~ years oi age, sang "a Mans
a Man tor a. That" Addresses were
also made by Oliver johnson, ii. O. Will
cox, Mrs DR.. Lozief and others.
Clarence Winthrop Bowen read paper
devoted chiefly to the anti slavery ab0rs
of Arthur and Lewis Tappet. Arthur
and Lewis were brothers, born ia Noting
nam, Mass, in 1856 and l7sS r spec
lively. Their mother was niece "a Ben
jamin franklin. In 1915 Arthur vstah-
lished himself in business in New York
City and Lewis joined him in 1927
The brothers interested themselves
in many philsnthropic schemes
and especially IN societies formed for the
colonization OF negroes in Africa. Recom
ing convinced at length that these colon,
izatiou societies operated i'll the tltertst
of slaveholders, who desired to rid the
country of free negroes that the slaves
| might be more securely hel4 the
| Teppens withdrew from then Gnd
| Joined William Lloyd GarfiHcu
| aud others in declaring Tor
immediate abolition. In 1928 dsr,isop'a
abolitionism got him into Baltimore
prison, from which Arthur Tappsn ~.
leased him by paying his fine. The
| Tappers then contributed financial aid
to Gsrrison's paper, tie LiJerotor. THE
year previous Arthur Tappen had estsb-
| lished the New York journal Of Commerce
| The Happens also fostered the few oLher
papers which began about this tine to
speak in favor of emancipation.
Ga October I'd, 1888, Arthur and Lewis
Tappen and some SO others met in
Chatham Street Chapel, which WAS
besieged by bowling mob, and crgsp-
lied the New York City Antislavery
Society. Two months afterwards they
assisted, at Philadelphia, in the ora a'iiza-
ton of national society. In 1894 this
latter society offered to contribute $1,000
towards Distributing Bibles among
slave faul44ss, but the American
Bible Society declined to entertain
the proposition. On July 4th, 1884, q
meeting OF the society in New York was
broken up by a mob and the rioting then
started lasted several days. Lewis
Tappen's home was broken into and the
, furniture thrown into the street and
, burned. The store of Arthur Taper
& Co. was menaced, but the muzzlet
of 80 guns in the hands o
! the clerks overawed the rioters In 1873!
Southern slave holders offered 100000
for the bodies of,the Tappen brothers, tt
! be delivered in some slave state. They
were subjected to much persecution; in
, suranoe companies refused to insure thei
property; banks would not discount thei
paper, and threatening letters, pieces o
rope and even slaves ear reached then
by mail.
Thus things went on until the aboli
tionists grew numerous enough to be
come factor in politics. In lS40 tn
"Liberty" party was found, which wa
merged into the Stree Soil" party il
1S4S and finally absorbed by the Reput
+ lican party in 1856. The Happens live
to see the slaves made free and the prir
. oiples for which they had labored an
suffered triumphant. Arthur died i
= 1865 and Lewis in 1878.