The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1893-12-18
At BeIl Street Chapel.

Nearly every seat In the Bell street chapel
was occupied yesterday afternoon by
those who were anxious to hear William
Lloyd Garrison speak on the subject Of
" The Duty of This Country to Other
Nations" After the usual intro
ductory exercises the pastor Of
the chapel, Mrs. Spencer, pre-
scnted Mr.. Garrison, and he spoke for
nearly an hour, holding the closest atten-
tion OF his hearers. While all who were
present could not agree with some of his
statements, they appreciated the logic Of
the arguments, all of which were pre-
sented with clearness and q simplicity
that made them appeal to every one.
The speaker said that there was once a
time when America could boast that she
could offer an asylum for the oppressed
and downtrodden of European despotisms,
but nov everything had been changed
and the country insisted upon its right to
keep out alien emigration, and the
lawmakers had even gone so
far that they could re-
fuse to recognize the treaty that
was made with China at the time when
the yellow men were invited to make their
home on the Pacific coast, not more than
twenty-five years ago. Among the
excuses that had been given there were
but two that were plausible. One was
thst the avenues OF labor were being over
crowded by cheap laborers; the
other was that this county was becom-
ing the dumping ground for the paupers
and law breakers of other nations. Mr..
Garrison proceeded to show that the OBJ
jections and excuses were merely subter-
fuges and that, to speak plainly, they
had placed the nation in anything but an
enviable position. This was nation OF
foreigners. When we arrived we pro-
oeeded to drive out the true natives, and
now we were determined to exclude those
who desire, just as our forefathers desired,
to seek for liberty and peace on these
shores.
Mr.. Garrison then considered the re-
spective value to the nation OF each peo-
pie as emigrnnts. He explained the great
work that had been done by the Ger
mans, the Irish, the French, the Italians
and other races, showing that all OF the
strangers contributed, in the long run,
to the country's greatness. "a spirit
that would drive any honest man of any
race from the shores OF America would
repel raft that bore dying man over
the merciless waves in mid-ocean," he
said.
The speaker then made an eloquent ap-
peal for the Chinese. He presented argu-
mcnts 10 prove that they were the most
desirable people for cultivation as Ameri-
can citizens in the world, and
he roundly rated those whom he
stigmatixcd as dishonest defamers
OF an honest, unassuming, peace
ful and hard working people. lie also
changed the municipal governments OF
this country with being responsible for
the existence OF the various pest holes
and expressed the opinion that they
were retained TO furnish a source OF reve-
nue. for the police and an excuse for anti
Chinese crusades.
Mr.. Garrison showed thorough inti-
macy with his subject, and, without re-
gard TO many statements that some OF
those who werc present might question, he
stated many facts that threw an entirely
new light upon the race problem that Is
playing such an important part in this
land today.
A. the first Baptist cbu eli.
Afthe Firt Baptist church last even
inR Rev. S. 8. Cummings Of the New Eng
land Home for Little Wanderers of Bos-
tom. spoke. The speaker was introduced
bs the pastor Of the church, Rev. Henry