Alumni Reminiscences 1878 of Anti-Slavery Rebellion

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anti-slavery in the little Methodist church at the foot of the hill on the right hand as you go "down town." The Faculty of the Seminary & in fact, nearly all the orthodox clergymen of N. Eng. & the whole country, looked with disfavor upon the anti-slavery movement, & denounced Geo. Thompson as an emissary of the British Government, to disturb the peace of our country & as an infidel & an atheist.

Almost every pulpit in the whole country fulminated against Geo Thompson. W^m^ Lloyd Garrison. Henry C. Wright. Parker Pillsbury. Wendel Phillips et genus omne.

While Geo. Thompson was in Andover, many of the students of the Seminary & of the Academy attended his lectures--in spite of the maledictions of Prof. Stewart et al. of Andover. Dr Beecher of [Lowe?] Seminary

& nearly all the D.D.s throughout the land. It is quite remarkable that the younger & the less instructed--the the students of the Academy--were more disobedient to the "powers that be" than their superiors & seniors--the students of the Seminary. I cannot tell you what proportion of the students of both institutions were detered from attending these lectures, but I know there were many who took the side of loyalty to their teachers. I wish I could give you some idea of the astonishing eloquence of this Demosthenes, Geo Thompson. I have known him to holSd the crowded audience two hours & a half in breathless silence.

When he portrayed the condition of the American Slave & described the unbridled tyrany of the master who sold into hopeless bondage his own flesh & blood [crossed out: & with a]

and that with a power of eloquence that admits of no comparison, we all felt that God & humanity called on us "to draw the Sword against Philip."

Many of the young men who heard G. T. could after be heard giving poor imitation of the style of the orator, and years after we had left Andover, when we chanced to meet. The eloquence of G. T. was a common subject of remark & of imitation.

I believe it was a common feeling among these young men who were studying for the ministry, that possibly slavery might be abolished before they could finish their studies, & have a hand in the great work of anti-slavery & abolition.

I believe the Faculty of the Seminary decided against the Antislavery movement

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DAVID THAYER, M. D., 94 Boylston Street,

Boston, 187

and they carried their opposition so far as to forbid the formation of anti-slavery societies in the institution--In the Seminary we attempted to organize an Antislavery society. Poor Mr. Johnson-- who was a lame man (lame men & sick men are apt to be cowards) was a tool in the hands of the Faculty of the Seminary. He forbade our organization. We, some of us, joined the Anti-slavery Society in the village. This to was forbidden. We then discussed the subject in our little society. (Philomathem I think it was called) This to was interdicted. We called a meeting in the hall of the Academy, to consider what was best to do. We were driven out. & then we adjourned to the forest

at a place called "Indian Ridge" or "Indian Walk" or some such name. It was not far from the "Hill," & somewhere in the direction of the bathing place in the Shawsheen River.

We assembled there, in full force. I believe Bartholomew Wood of [crossed out] Newton ^Centre^ Mass. presided [x in margin] at that meeting. In the midst of our discussion a tremendous thunder storm came upon us. The shelter of the pine grove in which we were assembled saved us somewhat from the severity of the storm.

Committees were appointed & the work laid out. At a subsequent meeting reports were made & a Remonstrance was presented & generally signed by about fifty students.