Archibald H. Grimke, William Lloyd Garrison the Abolitionist

[273] inquire? Did he design to carry them along with the Abolition movement? Suspicious minds fancied they saw “in Mr. Garrison, a decided wish, nay, a firm resolve, in laboring to overthrow slavery, to overthrow the Christian Sabbath and the Christian ministry. His doctrine is that every day is a Sabbath, and every man his own minister. There are no Christian ordinances, there is no visible church.” His no-government and non-resistant ideas excited yet further the apprehensions of some of his associates for the safety of that portion of the present order to which they clung. As developed by Garrison they seemed to deny the right of the people “to frame a government of laws to protect themselves against those who would injure them, and that man can apply physical force to man rightfully under no circumstances, and not even the parent can apply the rod to the child, and not be, in the sight of God, a trespasser and a tyrant.”

Garrison embraced besides Perfectionism, a sort of political, moral, and religious Come-outerism, and faith in “universal emancipation from sin.” His description of himself abont this time as “an Ishmaelitish editor” is not bad, nor his quotation of “Woe is me my mother! for I was born a man of strife” as applicable to the growing belligerency of his relations with the anti-slavery brethren in consequence of the new ideas and isms, which were taking possession of his mind and occupying the columns of the Liberator.

Among the strife-producers during this period of the anti-slavery agitation,the woman's question played a principal part. Upon this as upon the Sabbath