The South, by the help, and perhaps by the instigation, of Northern co-operators, attempted nothing less than to boycott every commercial or manufacturing company that was opposed to them upon the great political questions of the day. A great “Union Saving Committee” was formed in New York, and met in Castle Garden and made out a black-list of the merchants that were anti-slavery, from whom the South were to withdraw their patronage. Mr. Beecher not only preached against the outrage, but visited from store to store to uphold the courage of the merchants. He says: “Mr. Bowen was, of course, included in that blacklist, and threatened with the loss of all his Southern custom. He came to me and asked me if I would not write a card for him, and I undertook to do it; but, my head not running very clear, the only thing I got at, after making three or four attempts, was, ‘My goods are for sale, but not my principles,’ but I could not lick it into shape, and I gave the paper to him and said, ‘You must fix it yourself.’ He took it to Hiram Barney, and he drew up the card in the shape in which it appeared, including that sentence, which was the snap of the whole thing.” “My goods are for sale, but not my principles” became a war-cry for the independent business men of the day, and had immense influence upon commercial action. He fought the petty ostracism of the North, and apparently with success: “I never preached on that subject. I never said to the people in this congregation, from the beginning to this day, ‘You ought to let colored folks sit in your pew.’ I preached the dignity of man as a child of God, and lifted up the sanctity of human life and nature before the people. They made the application, and they made it wisely and well. “When I came here there was no place for colored men and women in the theatre except the negro pen; no place in the opera; no place in the church except the negro pew; no place in any lecture-hall; no place in the first-class car on the railways. The white omnibus of Fulton Ferry would not allow colored persons to ride in it. They were never allowed to sit even in the gentlemen’s cabin on the boats. “I invited Fred Douglass, one day in those times, to come to church here. ‘I should be glad to, sir,’ said he; ‘but it would be so offensive to your congregation.’ ‘Mr. Douglass, will you come? And if any man objects to it, come up and sit on my platform by me. You will always be welcome there.”