Francis Jackson Garrison, William Lloyd Garrison, 1805-1879; the story of his life told by his children: volume 2, Chapter 2: Germs of contention among brethren.

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W. L. Garrison to William Goodell, at Providence.

Brooklyn, February 26, 1836.
² My Dearly beloved coadjutor: Your very kind, instructive and acceptable letter of yesterday has been received, for which I return you many thanks.
I perceive that bro. George has misapprehended me, ³ respecting my contemplated review of Dr. Channing's book. Whether I shall give my criticisms to the public through the medium of the Liberator exclusively, or whether they will appear in another form, I have not yet determined, for they remain to be written. At the longest, I shall make only a small pamphlet—not ‘a book.’ Nor is it my design to taunt the Dr. on the ground of ‘plagiarism,’ because many of his thoughts are like our thoughts, and much of his language is like our language. It would partake too much of the ridiculous, and savor too strongly of vanity or churlishness, for any abolition writer to plume himself upon having anticipated other writers in vindicating certain fundamental doctrines, appertaining to governments and the rights of man. Be assured, such a course is foreign both to my disposition and purpose.
It is true, I mean to draw some parallel resemblances between Dr. Channing and certain ‘ultra’ abolition writers, i. e., from their disquisitions—and for several reasons. First—To show

1 Compare this judgment, for severity, with John Quincy Adams's (from quite another point of view), in the following extract from his Diary under date of Jan. 8, 1836: ‘Read part of a pamphlet on slavery by the Rev. Dr. Channing, of Boston. He treats the subject so smoothly that some of the Southern slaveholders have quoted it with approbation as favoring their side of the question; but it is in fact an inflammatory, if not an incendiary publication. There is a chapter containing an exposition of the nature and character of slavery; then, one upon rights; and then, one of explanations. These have a very jesuitical complexion. The wrong or crime of slavery is set forth in all its most odious colors; and then the explanations disclaim all imputation of criminality upon the slaveholders. There are some remarks, certainly just, upon the relaxation of the moral principle in its application to individual obligation, necessarily resulting from ancient and established institutions. But this is an exceedingly nice and difficult line to draw, and belongs at least as much to the science of casuistry as to that of ethics.’

2 Ms.

3 G. W. Benson.

The Century Company. , 1885-1889.

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Francis Jackson Garrison, William Lloyd Garrison, 1805-1879; the story of his life told by his children: volume 2

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