Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1884-02-22
BEECHER on PHILLIPS.
Extracts from the Plymouth PASTORS sermon suud.
morning, Feb. 1O.l

Extracts from the Plymouth PASTORS sermon Sunday
morning, Feb 1Ol
Fifty years ago, during my college life
was chosen TO debate the question of Afri-
can colonization, which, just then, was new
and fresh. Garrison was Just then kindling
a brand Of fire that never went out until sla-
very was abolished. Wendell Phillips, a
young lawyer, had just entered upon his ca
reer. Fortunately, 1 was assigned to the neg
Atiye side of the question. and in preparing
to speak upon that occasion | prepared my
whole life. | contended against colonization
as a condition of emancipation; that enforced
colonization was little better than slavery. l
advocated immediate emancipation on the
broad ground of human rights. / knew but
very little then, but knew that all men were
designed by the Almighty to be free, aud
took that to be the text of every mans life
that humanity given by God and redeemed
from animalism by Jesus Christ.
Nearly two generations have passed since
that time, and the young men of the present
know but little of those days, and only a few
gray haired men are left who were the actors
in those scenes. 1t is said that the history
with which men are least acquainted is tina.
of the age Immediately preceding their own.
Let u, therefore, throw some little light on
the history of the time immediately proceed
ing our own. At the beginning of the his
tory OF this people slavery was an accident
1t was acknowledged, at the time before the
worlds eyes had been really opened, to come
in under the form of benevolenoe, and it had
not attained very great estate in many years.
And yet in the days of its infancy it was con
fronted with the fundamental ideas on which
our laws are basod The Northern states got
rid of slavery because the climate and other
things were not favorable to its existence.
They were helped to do it, but the spirit of
liberty had taken great hold in New England,
| in New York, and in Pennsylvania, and the
| people would not tolerate slavery.
In the South slavery became a very impor-
| tant industrial element. Rice, sugar and
cotton were the trinity that dominated the in
dustry Of the South, and slave labor was most
favorable to those simple industries. Slavery
became, therefore, pecuniary interest in
| the South, as it never was in the North, and
after a time it became a political interest,
| Political reasons rooted in pecuniary reasons
| gave great strength to slavery and its propa-
gandism at the South. The North emanci-
| pated, the South fortified. 1t has been said
a thousand times and each time falsely-it
| was said by one of the most eloquent sons of
the South, in Cooper Union, where l presid-
ed a short time ago-that the North sold out
and, having realized on its slaves, il invested
in liberty. 1t is absolutely lie, which has
| no llbLOIlC iOuuuhtlou 10 IT, III MhhahCuu-
sets, where slavery existed but slightly, it
died by a very simple legal decision. A high
court decided that every man was free and
that slavery was inconsistent with the oonsti-
tuition. After that there was no enactment,
and in that state slavery was dead In New
York bill was passed for the manumission
of slaves, and on the attainment of a certain
age they were TO become free. After trial
of some ten years il was considered to be a
great deal better to get rid Of the evil at once.
When l came to Brooklyn popular opinion
was much against abolition. / was exhorted
not to meddle with so unpopular subject,
but the first sermon preached here was O
declaration of my principles on temperance,
peace and war, and on slavery. just before
the renting of the pews came out like thun-
der in defence of liberty, and, notwithstand
ing the feeling against abolition, the church
grew steadily. Yet, if in those days a color.
ed person had come in here he would have
been an object of observance and tho cause
of a good deal of grumbling, but not revolt,
thank God But there never has been day
since 1 became the pastor of Plymouth church
that respectable man or woman could mol
have come in and taken a seat in this church
l once invited Frederick Douglass to come
and hear me preach. He said, ~ would like
TO, but il will be offensive to your congrega
ton" "Mr. Douglass, replied, ''come, aue
if any man objects to your presence, comt
right up to this platform and sit by me. Nc
man shall object TO that"
II was during this time of feeling agains
the negro that a young Boston aristocrat ap
peared. He was an aristoorat by birth ant
by nature noble man, but thorough aris