The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-14
Julia Ward Howe
Her "reminiscences
From 1919 to 1890.

Inasmuch as Kansas came by her
apostolic initiative in reform through
New England parentage, anyone who
brings tidings of New England at the
moment the latter produced Kansas, in
terests the people of the Sunfiower state
as Julia Ward Howe in her recently pub
nshed "reminiscences must do. Selecting
at random from her book We come upon
this regarding Wendell Phillips:
"Of Mr. Phillips 1 must say that I at
first regarded him through the same veil
Of prejudice which had caused me SO
greatly to misconceive the character of
Mr.. Garrison. l was little softened by
hearing that at one of the bazaars he had
purchased a copy Of my first volume Of
poems, with the remark She doesn't like
me, but / like her poetry This naturally
lei me to suppose that he must have
some reieeming traits of character. 1
had not then heard him speak, a2d did
not wish to hear him; but met MIN and
after a pleasant episode of conversation
found myself constrained to take him
out of my chamber of dislikes. Mr.
Phillips was entitled, by birth and edu-
cation. 10 an unqUestioned position in
Boston society. His family name was of
the best He was a graduate both of
Harvard college and its law school No
unSsntlem2nly act had ever furnished his
fame. His offense was that at a critical
mJMenc. he had espoused an unpopular
cau5e-ona which was destined, in less
Tan score Of years, so to divide the
feeling of cur community as to threaten
tAe Very continuance of our national life
On, to have been in Faneuil Hall on that
memorable DAY when the pentecostal
h1me first visited him; when he leaped to
the platform. all unframed for such an
encounter. and his eloquent soul uttered
Itself in protest against a law and sordid
acqu!esccnce in the claims OF oppression
and tyranny. In that hour he was sealed
an apostle of the higher law. TO whose
advocacy he sacrificed his professional
and social interests. The Iow-browed.
chain-bound slave now had the best ora
Tor in America to plead his cause. 1t
was <he beginning of the end Mr..
PhiHps, without doubt, sometimes used
incorporate language. I myself have at
times dissented quite sharply from some
OF his statements. He was for years an
unwelcome prophet of evil to come. So
ciety at large took little heed Of his
warning, but when the evil days did
come, he became a counselor good at
need
The New England coteme in Boston.
of whom Mr.. Phillips was one, started
the abolition movement and remained
faithful TO it through all it's period of
unpopular initiation The political foment
of Kansas in the present decade. largely
the manifestation of an individual mental
revolt al a supposed menace Of wealth.
is nothing more than an out-cropping of
the New England strain in Kansas. Poll
tieians, selfshly designing. turned that
revolt To their own advantage by the
formation OF the Populist party, and
crippled the movement by insincere
leadership and broke its back with a
load of impotent and impractical issues.
The average Kansan is not amenable TO
prolonged leadership, he is not won by
the hurrahs of a majority or is he
ashamed TO mourn with the minority. The
state produces. as New England pro-
duced before her, a surprising number OF
men who are willing TO die in the skirm-
ish that the battle Itself may be Joined
more speedily.
And speaking Of a Kansan Of that order
Mrs. Howe says of John Brown, who was
DR.. Howe's friend and whom Mrs. Howe
had seen; 4 cannot tell how long after
e this it was that 1 took up the Transcrip,
one evening and read of an attack made
by a small body OF men on the arsenal
at Harper's Ferry. Or. Howe presently
came in and 1 told him what l had lust
l had already arrived at the same con-
clusion. The rest of the story is a mat
ter of history; the failure OF the slaves TO
support the movement initiated for their
emancipation the brief contest the in
evitable defeat and surrender; the death
OF the rash. brave man upon the scanold.
All this is known and need not be re-
peated here. In speaking of it. my nus
band assured me that John Browns plan
had not been so impossible of realization |
as il appeared 10 have been after its fall
ure. Brown had been led to hope that, |
upon certain signal. the slaves from |
many plantations would come to him in |
such numbers that he and they would |
become masters of the situation with lit |
tie or no bloodshed Neither he nor
those concerned with him had it az all in |
mind 70 stir up the slaves to acts OF
cruelty and revenge.
The plan was simply TO combine them |
in large numbers. and in position so |
strong that the question of their freedom /
would be decided then and there. posi- I
bly, even without battle. I confess that !
the whole scheme appeared 10 me wild !
aad -cAime-ieal. OF its details I knew |
nothing and have never learned more. |
None Of US could exactly approve an act