CHAPTER X.

Although the Quakers were the first, as a religious society, to recognize the iniquity of slavery, and to wash their hands of it, so far as to free all the slaves they owned; few of them saw the further duty of discouraging it by ceasing all commercial intercourse with slave-holders.  They nearly all continued to trade with the South, and to use the products of slave-labor.  After the appearance in this country of Elizabeth Heyrick’s pamphlet, in which she so strongly urged upon abolitionists the duty of abstinence from all slave products, the number was increased of those who declined any and every participation in the guilt of the slave-holder, and exerted themselves to convert others to the same views; but the majority of selfish and inconsiderate people is always large, and it refused to see the good results which could be reasonably expected from such a system of self-denial.  As the older members, also, of Friends’ Society were opposed to all exciting discussions, and to popular movements generally, while the younger ones could not smother a natural interest in the great reforms of the day; it followed that, although all were opposed to slavery in the abstract, there was no fixed principle of action among them.  In their ranks were all sorts:  gradualists and immediatists, advocates of unconditional emancipation, and colonizationists, thus making it impossible to discuss the main question without excitement.  Therefore all discussion was discouraged and even forbidden.

The Society never counted among its members many colored persons.  There were, however, a few in Philadelphia, all educated, and belonging to the best of their class.  Among them was a most excellent woman, Sarah Douglass, to whom Sarah and Angelina Grimke became much attached, and with whom Sarah kept up a correspondence for nearly thirty years.

The first letter of this correspondence which we have, was written in March, 1885, and shows that Sarah had known very little about her colored brethren in Philadelphia, and it also shows her inclination towards colonization.  She mentions having been cheered by an account of several literary and benevolent societies among the colored residents, expresses warm sympathy with them, and gives them some good, practical advice about helping themselves.  She then says:—­

“I went about three weeks ago to an anti-slavery meeting, and heard with much interest an address from Robert Gordon.  It was feeling, temperate, and judicious; but one word struck my ear unpleasantly.  He said, ’And yet it is audaciously asked:  What has the North to do with slavery?’ The word ‘audaciously,’ while I am ready to admit its justice, seemed to me inconsistent with the spirit of the Gospel; although we may abhor the system of slavery, I want us to remember that the guilt of the oppressor demands Christian pity and Christian prayer.