St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-04-24
OLIVER JOHNSON.


bers of the old New England Anti
slavery Society" organized in a de-
spised negro church, or school house,
honor of being the first society ever
formed in this country based on the
doctrine of immediate emancipation.
OF these twelve illustrious apostles of
freedom-after Garrison who was
the acknowledged leader-none was
more earnest, more d1SlntereSted or
more completely cOnSecrated to the
cause than Oliver Johnson. Indeed,
it is questionable if Johnson did not
make more sacrifices for his convic-
tions in this regard than Garrison
himself
Mr.. Johnson was born in Peach
am, Vermont, of good old Puritan
stock, in 1909 He was educated at
the Peacham academy founded in
1895, the first institution of the kind
organized in Vermont, and quite cele
brated in that part of New England
three-quarters of a century ago.
Isaac +. Redfeld, the distinguished
Judge and law-writer, Wilbur Fisk,
the great Methodist orator and theO-
Logan, and Thaddeus Stevens, hav-
ing received their early educa ton
there Peacham is one of the hill
towns" of New England-not as
pOpulous as it was seventy-five years
ago.
In the early days it was almost a
disgrace, certainly a cause of remark,
for a citizen of the town not to be a
regular attendant at the orthodox
Congrcgat ional church of which Ziba
Johnson, the ia Their OF young Oliver,
was a deacon. SO the whole popu-
lation gathered at the meeting
house" Sunday morning, bringing
their dinners, listening to a sermon
in the afternoon and occasionally,
by way of recreation and fun, listen
ing to third sermon i'll the evening.
Under the influence of these ''manl-
fold and ''powcrfuP' ''means of
grace" and in strict Calvinistic prin-
ciples, Johnson received his religious
education. Notwithstanding this
prOsaic drill he became very piOus,
very popular, and very promising
young man. In the meantime he
had learned the printers trade; and
at the age of twenty-five he publish
ed in Boston, with partner, the
Christian Soldier, a paper devoted to
opposing the hcresies of Hosea BallOu
and the Universalists, then just be-
ginning to become Il nuisance in New
England in the eyes of orthodox
Christians. Johnson being a vigor-
Gus and careful writer, sure of his
facts and taking no position which
from the orthodox standpoint he
could not maintain, it goes without
saving that the Christian Soldier
made its Young editor very popular
with the Evangelical clergy of New
England. In 1882, the next year af-
ter the first issue of this paper, Will
liam LLOYD Garrison moved the Lib
orator, which had been started three
years before, into the same building
and into a room adjoining the one
occupied by the Christian Soldier,
and for some time both papers were
printed upon the same press. So the
Young VermOnter at the age of
twenty-three was thrown into the
society and under the facinat ting in
fluence of the great abolitionist He
was familiar with the anti-slavery
MI
published in various newspapers and
which had already made him an
abOlitionist; and we may believe
that he was eager to enlist in a war
fare to the death against American
slavery, which he believed, to be, on
the whole, the most Infamous insti-
tuition the world has ever seen. We
can hardly realize, especially the
younger people, how fashionable and
popular the institution of American
slavery was fifty years ago. The
Christian church upheld it. The
Bible was everywhere quoted in its
favor. President Lord of Dartmouth
college proclaimed it from the pulpit
to be a divine institution. Professor
Stewart of Andover, the scholar of
New England who used to furnish
the Latin quotations for the address,
es of Webster, openly defended it,
and, it is reported, said that he
would assist in returning his own
mother into slavery if she had escap-
ed in violation of law and without
thecOnsent of her owner But Oliver
Johnson did not have the good for
tune or the misfortune to possess a
dull or lazy conscience, and he was
the man to march bravely wherever
his conscience led the way. And so
at twenty-three this piOus, this prom
ising, and popular youth cast in his
lot, heart and soul, with the despised
abolitionists He joined hands with
Garrison in the publication of the
Liberator, taking the full editorial
management on the absence of Gar
risOn in Europe, and on other Occa-
sions. From this time forth until
the final abolition of slavery by con-
stitutional amendment, he led very
active and laborious literary life, at
tending public meetings and lectur-
ing winter evenings, editing news
papers and writing for the newspaper
press in various parts of the country,
associated with Garrison on the Lib
orator, with Greeley on the Tribune,
with Beecher on the Christian Union,
treated as q wise counselor, equal
and friend, by these great men, with
all his thoughts and labOrs devoted
absolutely to one thing, the total
and immediate abolition of human
slavery No desire for popular APP
plause, no question of eXpediency, no
legal bubbles, no Bible quotations,
or political compromise could swerve
him one hairs breadth from his pur-
pose. Martin Luther at the Diet of
Worms, with all the power, wealth
and aristOcracy of Germany against
him, did not accept a more heroic or
determined position.
When twenty-three years of age,