Francis Jackson Garrison, William Lloyd Garrison, 1805-1879; the story of his life told by his children: volume 3

[201] extracted during the meeting. I took dinner at Gen. Paine's with a company of friends, and at the close of the afternoon meeting I went home to spend the night with J. Gillet, a true friend of our cause, and was very hospitably treated.

On Sunday morning, Mr. Gillet carried me to Munson ¹ (fourteen miles), with his wife and another lady, in his carryall. The ride was a charming one, during which I discussed all sorts of theological questions with Mrs. Gillet, a lady of considerable quickness of intellect. On arriving at Munson, we saw the great Oberlin tent in a distant field; but no village was to be seen, and only here and there a solitary log cabin. ‘Strange,’ said I to myself, ‘that our friends should pitch their tent in such a place. From whence are we to get our audience?’ But, on going to the spot, I found a large company already assembled, and in a short time the vast tent was densely filled, even to overflowing; so that the multitude was greater than we had even at New Lyme! It was a grand and imposing spectacle. Poor Frederick was still unwell, and could only² say a few words in the forenoon; and in the afternoon he absented himself altogether from the meeting, and put a wet bandage round his throat. This threw the labor mainly upon me, though our sterling friends S. S. Foster and J. W. Walker made long and able speeches, which aided me considerably. The enthusiasm was general and very great. We continued our meeting through the next day, with a large and most³ intelligent audience, and made a powerful impression. Douglass was much improved, and spoke with inimitable humor, showing up the religion of the South in particular, and of the country in general. At the close, Dr. Richmond (one of our most intelligent and active come-outers, last from the Liberty Party) offered a series of resolutions, strongly commendatory to Douglass and myself, which were unanimously adopted by a tremendous ‘Ay!’—after which six cheers were given in the heartiest manner. Altogether, it was the most interesting meeting I have ever attended in this country. . . .

Monday afternoon, we all started for Twinsburg, [Samuel]⁴ Brooke and I coming by the way of Chagrin Falls village, . . . and Douglass, Foster, etc., going by the way of Bainbridge. In the morning we rode over to Twinsburg, where we⁵ found collected in a beautiful grove about a thousand persons, whom Douglass and I addressed at great length, both forenoon and afternoon. Douglass almost surpassed himself. It was a most gratifying occasion to all, and a good work was done. We