New-York tribune., 1889-10-20
ABOLITIONISM.
ITS FOUNDER AND BIS TINES.

LLOYD Garrison. written by his sons htiy COM
plete work which, while it possesses 'he oeepesO
interest as "A chronicle Of remnrkaoN anu neio'o
career has if possible still wider importance as
history OF the greatest struggle this oI any
Nation has passed through-and a history o'her'hs
from all Others in the fact that u is written roh
higher point of view than party or sectonaI 1eelhs
can attain From the relative height OF moral sehSi
biltv gained by the American people through the
sufcrings of that period Of trial 1t is now possible
10 look back and down upon the past, ana 10
recognize with phloSophic candor, II not without
some touch of honest humiliation, the potency of
that poison of selfish greed which the condonanon
of slavery had disseminated through the country,
and which had so lowered the ethical standards
Of the Nation that generation of stimulating
controversy and the nhexible presentation OF high
ideals was needed TO lift the general thought
from the low level TO which it had fallen, and to
restore the National honor.
In these candid volumes the whole process OF
dificult education to the light is most clearly seq
forth and with an effect which must be propor-
tonate to the character and impresSlveness OF the
historic truth thus nobly exhibited The general
view of the Garrison period is singuary dr"mauc'
On the one SIDE we see the sngle-minded, in
domitable, persistent philanthropst, utterins'
through his Iiberator," the watchword OF Adolf
ton" No Union with Shareholders and pereh-
nally restating in the plainest most virile ana
emphatic language, the concrete truth ol the stu-
alton On the other side we see the divided
Nation: the South, compelled by the constructing
force of its tyrannous institution" to reach out
necessarily for more slave territory, to seek ana
maintain political ascendency, to resist the prog
ress of freedom in whatever form: the Norths
drugged by the letter of the Constitution and the
appeal of self-nterest to supine acquiescence IN
Southern insolence and aggression, latently hall
ashama I'd of It's submission, and the more disposed
10 be angry with all who told il the truth about
its position: the Church both North and South
false to its high trust, upholding the arms OF
Slavery, turning its back upon the slave and pam
dering to worldly considerations with depressing
unanimity the Northern politicians twisting and
turning in their desperate efforts to keep astrlde
the current Of popular favor, grossly and abectly
subservient 10 the Shareholders crouching to the
crack Of the Southern whip, taking their constitu-
tional readings from John G. Calhoun and Henry
Clay.
Everywhere agitation, CONFUSION, chaos or
opinions outcroppngs of barbarism, of bitter and
base pre- udice, of ruffianism and mob deSpotism,-
oil the direct and indirect effects of that " COW
esant with death and agreement with hell' which
William Lloyd Garrison never for one moment
ceased TO denounce until the covenant had been
broken and the agreement destroyed All this
time moreover, while Northern politicians were
seeking plausible excuses for further surrenders,
and Southern Shareholders were becoming more
recklesSly aggressive the greater their apparent
gains the National conscience being slowly
but surely reused from it's drugged sleep by the
ceaseless iteration Of Garrsons far-resounding
protests, by his steady uplifting Of the standard
of true Christianity. The old charge Of inhdelity
so glibly preferred against this man was familiar
phenomenon 10 those acquainted with human
history. In the long annals of Christianity there
never has been q refOrmer who was not thus
branded there never period of ecclesiastical
degradation and corruption the protestants against
which were not promptly stigmatzed as hcreticS
and infdels The truth is that William Lloyd
Garrison was a primitive Christan-a Gospel
Christan-a sincere, loyal and consistent follower
of Christ His religion WIS unlike that of his
detractors from its superior purity. The Christly
virtues were those which his life exhibits most
strikingly namely, renunciatiOn, selfsacrilice, al
truiSm, patient endurance, non-Ies stance and ad-
herence to the highest ethical standards unto
martyrdom
That he should have been misunderstood by
his generation was natural, perhaps inevitable,
for such character is seldom encountered. He
had marvellous gift of exposition both orally
ard with the pen. His utterancps pierced like
two-edged sword. The tremendous earnestness
with which he regarded slavery impaired fire
and energy TO all he said and wrote about 1t
which exasperated the Shareholders and shocked
the scared Northern consciences that had SO long
been consentjng 70 the National disgrace. No
man consequently was so bitterly hated, no man
was so intemperately vilifed. Hundreds Of thou
sands of good innocent people looked upon him
as a monster, fend incarnate, kind Of " man
without a country" who devoted himself TO rail-
ING against the Union, backening its fair fame
uttering basphemes, and melting negro nsurrec-
tions What Napoleon was TO the English mass's
at the beginning OF the century, Garrison was TO
q large portion of the Northern people for twenty
wears. Nevertheless THE Liberator7 and it's
editor were doing their work through all this
hatred and vituperation. The slogan " No Union
with Shareholders echoed through the country.
Garrison's terrible cut-and-thrust Oratoy made
its mark whenever he spoke. The infatuahon OF
the South seconded the efforts OF the Abolnonlsts
at every turn. That section was destined to prove
10 the conviction of the entire North that Gar
rson was right when he declared hat there could
be no union with Shareholders, when he affirmed
that the country must be all slave or all free
when he ridiculed and denounced he efforts of the
politicians TO accommodate matters with cumbrous
and clumsy provisos and compromises, each of
which was seen to be futile almost as soon as the
ink had dried upon il
Wimot ProviSo, Missouri Compromise, and
their like, were swept away before the Kansas
Nebraska BILL which mpudently announced to the
100 long befooled and hoodwinked North that
the Southern statesmen had no more intention of
keeping faith with non-saveholders than did
the Mediaeval Church with hereticS TIE Fugi
tive Slave law impressed this truth still more
deeply II was not enough that slavery should
be extended indefinitely in defiance and open
violation OF solemn pledges and engagements
The Northern people must also accept the position
OF auxiliary slavc-catchers to the South The
Southern writs must run everywhere at the North