South Boston, Feb. 3d, 1846.
Dr. Bowditch,
My Dear Sir:—
My duties at home will prevent my joining you at eleven o'clock. I should
regret this very much if I thought that my presence could be of any service,
because it seems to me that now is the time when the tide of affairs may be “taken
at the flood,” and great results produced.
A league of those who in the South and West as well as in
the North firmly believe servile labour to be as impolitic as it is wicked, may
in a few years change the whole aspect of things in this country. I should not
despair even of seeing the day when, high and noble interests being at stake,
the truly great and noble spirits of the land would start forward to take the
lead; men who will not now enter into the political strife when such paltry
watchwords are inscribed upon the party banners. Under such men I should
delight humbly to serve; and to forward such measures as they would propose, I
should willingly “spend and be spent.”
I will, in my narrow sphere, advocate any measure except
such as tend directly to cut us off from the parent stock, for it seems to me
that would diminish our usefulness and the slave's hope. If the slaveholder
listens to us, his brethren and friends, with so much impatience, how would he
hear us if we were aliens and enemies?
I carefully cultivate my few social relations with
slaveholders, because I find I can do so, and yet say to them undisguisedly that
slavery is the great mistake, as well as the great sin of the
age. Now, do what they may, they cannot prevent such words from a friend making
some impression upon their hearts, which are as hard as millstones to
denunciations from an enemy.
It is not enmity and force, but love and reason, that are to
be used in the coming strife.
Very truly yours,
S. G. Howe.
SOURCE: Laura E. Richards, Editor, Letters and Journals of Samuel Gridley Howe, Volume 2, p. 238-9
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