Autographs for Freedom, by Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Thirty-five Other Eminent Writers — John Shaqi
Autographs for Freedom, by Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Thirty-five Other Eminent Writers
History
Autographs for Freedom, by Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Thirty-five Other Eminent Writers
Antislavery movements -- United States; Slavery -- United States
Those were stirring times in Glasgow, and it did one’s heart good to see
John Murray in their midst. The arrangements for nearly all those
movements originated with, and were carried out by him; he never made a
speech of one minute long, yet he most effectively arranged all the
speaking, drew up all resolutions and reports and addresses; and most of
the movements in England, the pressure upon the ministry, and the
advocacy in Parliament were the result of his wide and laborious
correspondence. He used more than one ream of paper for manuscripts upon
the great cause which he seemed born to carry out successfully. In
addition to his other correspondence, nearly every issue of two of the
Glasgow tri-weekly papers contained able articles from his pen in reply
to the elaborate defence of slavery carried on in the _Glasgow Courier_
by Mr. M‘Queen. And yet this man, doing this mighty work, was so
entirely unobtrusive, so quiet in his labours, that few beyond the
committee knew him other than the silent secretary of the Glasgow
Emancipation Society. And I shall not soon forget the perfect
consternation with which he heard a vote of thanks tendered him by
resolution at an annual meeting of the society.
In 1835 or 1836, Mr. Murray was promoted to the office of collector at
Bowling Bay, for the company he had so long and faithfully served. And
many an anti-slavery wayfarer can testify to the warm welcome and genial
hospitality of the snug little stone building so beautifully packed on
the Clyde entrance of the Forth and Clyde canal. A charming family,
consisting of a devoted wife, two most promising boys, and a retiring,
sweet tempered girl, made happy the declining years of this great friend
of the slave, and earnest pioneer in many reforms. Freedom for Ireland,
the Peace Question, Radical Reform, a Free Church, and Total Abstinence,
were questions to all of which Mr. Murray devoted his pen and his purse.
His soul received and advocated whatever looked towards human progress.
In person, Mr. Murray was tall and gaunt, and would strongly remind one
of Henry Clay. About a mile from Bowling Bay, within the enclosure that
surrounds the Relief Church, in a sweet quiet spot, the green turf now
covers what remains of the once active frame of John Murray; and as,
with moistened cheek, I fling this pebble upon his cairn, I cannot help
thinking how much more has been done for the cause of human progress by
this faithful servant to his own convictions of the truth, than by the
nation-wept sage of Ashland.
[Signature: James M’Cune Smith]
NEW YORK, SEPT. 25, 1852.
POWER OF AMERICAN EXAMPLE.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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