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

[95] some urging for an expression of his views on “the property question” Lib. 13.47.: ‘We can only say that we have, at present, “no thunder” to expend upon its discussion, pro or con, for reasons that are satisfactory to our own mind. We hope to be always ready to give our cooperation to every Christian and feasible attempt “to regenerate and redeem our species,” come what may.’ In December, Charles Burleigh saw him at the Fourierite Convention of Friends¹ of Social Reform held in Boston, where he spoke, ‘and spoke well, but not in accordance with the views of the Community leaders.’ Capital punishment, too, was a frequent topic of the Liberator's editorial page, owing to a rather flagrant clerical demonstration in support of it—² so that the Massachusetts Legislature was satirically petitioned to make the hangman's office a ministerial perquisite. Finally, amid all these phases of opinion, a revolution was taking place which is thus described in a letter of Edmund Quincy's to R. D. Webb:

‘I am told that Garrison's opinions, as well as Rogers's, have³ been greatly modified of late with regard to the Bible. He is ZZZ27 pretty well satisfied that God has not grown wiser by⁴ experience, and that he did not command people to cut their brothers' throats a thousand years before he commanded them to love one another. As a man I rejoice at his progress, but I don't know whether I do as an abolitionist. It was so convenient to be able to reply to those who were calling him infidel, that he believed as much as anybody, and swallowed the whole Bible in a lump, from Genesis to Revelation, both included. They say that in Connecticut they always keep one member of every pious family unconverted to do their wicked work for them. I suppose my policy is something of the same sort.’