“I rejoice with a full heart, not only, not so much perhaps, in
your glorious speech, as in what we so longed for and hoped,
that you are again on your feet, again in harness,--it is so
heart-stirring and cheering to hear your voice once more along
the lines, and just now, too, when you and a very few others
seem to embody all the real Antislavery there is in politics.
Those were ‘four’ nobly used hours. ’Twas a blast of the old
well-known bugle, and fell on welcoming ears, and thankful
ones.”
Edmund Quincy, the accomplished writer and determined Abolitionist,
wrote from Dedham:--
“The spirit moveth me to tell you how much I admired your
speech of last Monday, the rather that I see that the dishes
of skim-milk that you are trying to stir to an honorable
action are turning sour to your word. The fact is, the leading
Republicans not only don’t know enough to go in when it rains,
but they quarrel with the man that offers them an umbrella.…
I beg you to believe that the editors do not express the real
feeling of the Republicans about your speech, as far as I have
talked with them. The common people received it gladly; and its
great power, eloquence, and exhaustive and unanswerable quality
everybody acknowledges, even the enemy. You have done a good
service to the country, and a great one to your party, if they
have the sense to make use of it.”
Lewis Tappan, the ancient and leading Abolitionist, wrote from New
York:--
“The speech is timely and valuable. Everywhere I have heard it
highly commended. Still some Republicans dislike it, at this
crisis. But the party needs having their attention directed to
the moral aspects of the question. May the good Lord protect
and bless you, and enable you to feel a consciousness of his
presence and inspiration!”
J. Miller M’Kim, an active Abolitionist, who did much for the cause,
wrote from Philadelphia:--
“The speech is in great demand here. Twenty-five cents a copy
have been offered for the _Herald_ or _Bulletin_ containing
it. I am disgusted with the notices of it which have appeared
in some of the leading Republican prints. Maugre them all, I
say, and all right-minded men will say, it was _judicious_,
_well-timed_, and _german to the question before the country_.”
Rev. Parker Pillsbury, the Garrisonian Abolitionist, who thought the
Republican party too feeble, wrote from Cumington, Massachusetts:--
“Amid the profusion of epistolary plaudits you will doubtless
receive for your late powerful protest against Slavery, a voice
humble as mine can be to you only of slight account. And yet
I cannot forbear my congratulations at your so far recovered
vigor and health, and the cause of Freedom and Humanity, that
it still receives the powerful aid and advocacy of your voice
and influence. I only regret that a speech of such power as
your last must be laid on the altar of Republicanism, while to
the leaders of the party your utterances are distasteful, if
not absolutely terrific.”
Mrs. Maria Weston Chapman, the courageous Abolitionist, always faithful
and intelligent, wrote from Boston:--
“Will you accept my hearty thanks for your speech? Exciting, as
it must, a rage of hatred in some, proportionate to the love
and gratitude it secures from others, I am sure your life is in
danger; but with you, the greater the danger, the greater the
courage,--and courage is preservative. No need to bid you be of
good cheer: one in your place cannot help being so.”
Rev. George B. Cheever, whose soul was in the Antislavery cause, wrote
from New York:--
“I bless you from the bottom of my heart, and praise God for
his goodness in sparing you and returning you to your place in
the Senate for that great work. It is a mighty blow, struck
just at the right time, with a severity, pungency, and hearty
earnestness that it does one’s very soul good to witness. God
bless you, and keep you, my dear friend and brother!--for you
must allow me to use this language, since you have endeared
yourself to every lover of freedom and justice, of truth and
righteousness, and to every friend of the slave, more than
ever; and your noble course might justify even a personal
stranger in addressing you thus. You are very dear to us all.”
Rev. William H. Furness, the Unitarian preacher, whose gentle nature
was always aroused by Slavery, wrote from Philadelphia:--
“I have just read the telegram of your speech, and I must tell
you that I have no words to express my admiration, gratitude,
love. It is a grand justification of your non-resignation of
your seat. The grace of God is on you,--his special favor, in
that you have had the will and the opportunity for so faithful,
so noble an utterance. It is a planetary space beyond and above
the Republican party.”
In another letter he wrote further:
“I have no words to describe the blessed work you have done.
Never for one instant mind the ‘cold-shoulderism’ of the
_Tribune_, or the heartlessness around you; but rest assured
that you have sent the truth into the inmost being of the
Southern men who heard you. They may affect contempt by their
silence, or they may rail and foam like Chesnut, but they
know that you have spoken the bitter and biting truth without
bitterness and without fear, as became a Christian gentleman.
I declare to you that I consider that you are paid for the
inaction and suffering of the last four years, and so are we.
You cannot, no one can, begin to estimate the substantial work
that you have done, both in regard to the essential truth,
which you have demonstrated, and more to the perfect spirit and
manner of the work.”
Rev. O. B. Frothingham, the courageous clergyman and reformer, wrote
from New York:--
“Expressing my satisfaction and delight with your recent
speech in the Senate, I do not know which most to be thankful
for,--the complete restoration of your physical and mental
power indicated by it, or the unabated courage it manifests,
or the undazzled moral vision it displays in every sentence.
To read it is like inhaling a draught of air in midsummer from
the cliffs of Nahant or the hills of New Hampshire. It gives
a conscience to legislation, and sets us all back upon the
everlasting truth and rectitude.”
Rev. Nathaniel Hall, an excellent clergyman, beloved by all who knew
him, wrote from Dorchester, Massachusetts:--
“Nobly you have dared to speak the truth, where to speak the
truth, as you well knew, was to imperil life: I do not know
in our day a nobler instance of moral bravery. And the speech
itself, so clear, so strong, so impregnable in its arguments,
so unanswerable in its facts, so unexceptionable in its tone,
so free from personalities (save where for truth’s sake and the
cause they must have been), so comprehensive, so conclusive,
so great, so good, so Christian, so worthy,--yes, of a
Christian statesman,--so lifted in tone and character above the
utterances of that place,--my soul thanks you for it,--thanks
God with added fervor, that he spared your life, and brought
you back to your honored seat, and enabled you to such
fidelity. It richly pays for these years of waiting.… Whatever
a partisan press may say, whatever political opponents and
political _friends_ may say, whatever of coolness and mistrust
may be expressed, where you had a right to expect sympathy and
support, be assured that deep in the hearts of multitudes of
all parties you are honored, and will be by increasing numbers.
I know it from what I know of human nature in myself. I know
that my feelings _must_ be shared. I know that the secret
reverence not only of the true-hearted, but of all who have
not sunk below the mark where appreciation of true-heartedness
is impossible, must be given to him who has stood forth in the
intrepidity of a Christian manliness, to declare, in the face
and beneath the power of its violators, strong in power and
reckless in deed, the eternal law of rectitude and mercy.”
Rev. Convers Francis, the learned professor and stanch Abolitionist,
wrote from Harvard University:--
“Thanks, many and most hearty thanks, for that great, very
great speech, and for your kindness in sending it to me. What a
portraiture of the Barbarism of Slavery! And what a master hand
to draw it! Such a picture none but an artist of the highest
order could paint. I must tell you, Mr. Sumner, that nothing on
this great and fearful subject has ever so filled and satisfied
my whole soul. ‘Too severe,’ say some; ‘not good policy to
irritate the South.’ I tell them, Not an iota too strong.
I would not have a single sentence or word less pungent or
forcible, if I could; because every sentence and every word are
loaded deep with truth, such truth as I rejoice that somebody
is found in our Congress to give utterance to.… You have done
great and excellent things before, Mr. Sumner, but this, I must
say, seems to me the greatest and most excellent of all. The
abundance of facts from the most unquestionable sources, the
admirable arrangement, the keen and searching application of
the argument, the masterly logic, and the manly eloquence of
the speech will make it a document of truth and righteousness
for all coming time.”[141]
Rev. John T. Sargent, Abolitionist and faithful reformer, wrote from
Boston:--
“Every column of the paper, as I took it up, seemed to gleam
on me like the golden lamps of the Apocalypse. How irresistible
are your arguments! How pungent, and yet how Christian, your
rebuke of this sore iniquity of our time! How sharp and clear
goes the sword of your spirit through all the sophistry of your
opponents! My soul has been in a glow all through the reading,
and over the pathos of parts I have cried as if my heart would
break.”
Rev. Frederick Hinckley, Free-Soiler from the start, wrote from
Lowell:--
“I write this hasty note to tell you how much I thank you (and
I think the heart of New England thanks you, too) for your
recent speech on the ‘Barbarism of Slavery,’ in its moral tone
and outspoken truthfulness so far above all other Republican
speeches in Congress or Convention, carrying us back to the
remembrance of the old Free-Soil times, when the party had more
moral than political power, and, not expecting success, could
speak right out.”
Rev. Beriah Green, one of the most devoted among Abolitionists, wrote
from Whitesborough, New York:--
“Such massive, enduring truth! uttered so clearly, definitely,
fully! The argument so perspicuous, compact, conclusive! The
illustrations so apt, so fresh, so sparkling! The conclusions
so weighty, grand, impressive! Every paragraph pervaded,
radiant, with scholarly beauty. When did literature, our own or
other, ever more willingly, more generously, come, all vigorous
and graceful, to the aid of any of her sons?
“I bless God, and thank you, for the deep-toned, comprehensive
humanity which pervades, which consecrates and hallows your
paragraphs. I found myself, as I moved on step by step through
your trains of thought, quickened and encouraged, inspired and
refreshed. The impression which the speech as a whole made upon
my innermost spirit it is my privilege to cherish and retain.
I shall, I trust, be more fraternal in my regards for all my
fellows forever, for your brave, manly utterances. Blessings on
your head, heart, and estate!”
Rev. Thomas C. Upham, author, professor, and devoted friend of Peace,
wrote from Bowdoin College, in Maine:--
“Your history in Congress has been a providential one. I do
most fully believe that the hand of God has been in it from the
beginning. I thought that the blow which struck you down in the
Senate was destined, through the overrulings of Providence, to
break the chains of the slave, and I think so still. Allow me
to congratulate you, in connection with multitudes of others,
on your return to the country and the Senate, and on the
utterance of great and true and kind words which will have an
influence on the hearts of thinking men throughout the nation.”
Rev. Henry M. Dexter, religious editor, and zealous historian of the
Plymouth Pilgrims, wrote:--
“I cannot help feeling, my dear Sir, that you have made the
most effective argument which the country has yet listened to
on the general subject of the evils of that horrible system
under which our nation is reeling like a giant poisoned by
an adder. God bless you for your faithfulness, so calm, so
dignified, so just, so overwhelming in its logical results,
and grant that in ‘the good time coming’ your voice may often
be lifted in that Senate House to more appreciative and
coöperative auditors!”
Rev. Joseph P. Thompson, the eminent divine and eloquent preacher,
wrote from New York:--
“My first duty as a Christian is to thank God that he has
restored you to the Senate with physical and mental vigor equal
to the great debate in which you have just borne so noble a
part. My first duty as a patriot is to thank you for a speech
which meets fully, squarely, ably, eloquently, conclusively,
the one issue upon which our national welfare now depends. My
first duty as a friend is to express the high satisfaction
with which I have read the speech throughout, every line and
letter of it, and the peculiar pleasure with which I have
observed your self-control and avoidance of personalities
under provocation, and your fearless and searching exposure of
the barbarism and criminality of Slavery under the very eye
of its bullying champions and in the very place where you had
suffered its deadly malice. I am ashamed of the timid comments,
almost deprecating indeed, of the _Tribune_ and _Post_ upon
the only speech in the Senate which has reached the core of
the question. If the Republican party is to seek success by
blinking the real issue of the right or wrong of Slavery, I am
prepared to witness its defeat without regret.”
Rev. Thomas T. Stone, the persuasive preacher, and student of Plato,
wrote from Bolton, Massachusetts:--
“It is scarcely necessary that I should tell you how much I
thank you for your public deeds. I was one who wished your
seat in the Senate empty, till either you filled it, or the
inevitable doom removed you from the possibility of doing it.
May the words which have ennobled it go forth as thunders,
arousing souls now deadened by the barbarisms of our country
and our age!
“‘Quo bruta tellus et vaga flumina,
Quo Styx et invisi horrida Tænari
Sedes, Atlanteusque finis
Concutitur.’”[142]
Rev. Caleb Stetson, the Liberal clergyman, and early foe of Slavery,
wrote from Lexington, Massachusetts:--
“It is the best and completest word that has yet gone forth
on the subject. If another as good can be made, it must be by
yourself.”
Rev. Rufus P. Stebbins, the Unitarian divine, wrote from Woburn,
Massachusetts:--
“I have read your last speech in the Senate on ‘The Barbarism
of Slavery’ with admiration and gratitude. As a citizen,
a constituent, I thank you from my heart’s core. It was a
glorious triumph, such as no Roman consul or general ever won,
to stand in your place, after such a long absence, for such a
cause, and through four long hours proclaim such holy truth in
such distinct language as was never before heard on that floor.
It is glory enough for one life.”
Rev. William C. Whitcomb, an earnest clergyman and Abolitionist, wrote
from Lynnfield Centre, Massachusetts:--
“A thousand thanks to you for your speech in Congress this
week. ’Tis the most thorough, satisfactory, and powerful speech
I have ever read on the subject of Slavery, or any subject.
’Twill secure millions of readers, and I trust open the eyes of
the nation to the ‘Barbarism of Slavery.’ Ever think of me, and
the people to whom I preach, as among your warmest admirers,
lovers, and sympathizers.”
Rev. David Root, retired clergyman and Abolitionist, wrote from
Cheshire, Connecticut:--
“Though approaching seventy, such is my heartfelt interest
in the cause you advocate, that I could cry with joy over
the thought that there is at least one member in Congress
who is able, and who has the moral courage, to do justice to
that great enormity, that atrocious wickedness, that deep
and damning crime of Slaveholding. You seem to have embraced
in your speech the whole subject, in all its important
departments, and with a plainness, directness, pith, force,
and pungency worthy of the highest commendation. It should
be a permanent and standard document on that subject, and be
perpetuated through all coming time, that other generations may
look at it and learn to hate Slavery and love Liberty.… Mind
not what some timid croakers may say about being ill-timed or
calculated to injure our Republican campaign. It is not so. You
have given us just the document we needed, going down to the
foundation.”
Rev. Edgar Buckingham, an early schoolmate of Mr. Sumner, wrote from
his parish at Troy, New York:--
“I congratulate you upon the fidelity and the courage which you
have manifested; and though I do not rejoice in all severity, I
rejoice always in the severity of truth, and I trust that the
leaders of the Republican party will unanimously decide, that,
not their expediencies, but God’s opportunity, is always the
test of the time in which truth is to be spoken.”