W. L. Garrison to his Wife.New York, Oct. 21, 1861.1 Yesterday, Mrs. Savin, Oliver, Wendell, and myself, went to2 Brooklyn in the morning, to hear Ward Beecher preach. It was the first time I had been in his spacious chapel. We were provided with the best seats, near to the pulpit, and directly in front of the speaker. Old Dr. Beecher sat directly in front of3 me, and at the close of the services I gave him my hand, which he grasped cordially, and when I gave him my name, he seemed desirous to have me go to his house in the evening; but I was engaged elsewhere. Besides, age and time have done their work upon him: he is in a state of second childhood, with broken memory, and his speech badly affected, so that continuous conversation is beyond his ability. The house, which is admirably constructed for an auditorium, holds about as many as the Tremont Temple, and was crowded4 in every part, aisles and all. So it is always. The immense assembly united with the choir in singing, which gave much life to that part of the service. The sermon was upon the nature and functions of conscience, and was a wide-awake and racy discourse. In the audience was Mr. Forbes of Milton Hill, with5 his daughter. Also, Mrs. Shaw of Staten Island, who, at the close of the proceedings, pressed eagerly forward to take me by the hand, and to express the hope that I would visit Staten Island before my return home. . . . Wendell and I then spent a few moments with Ward Beecher,6 who seemed well pleased to see us, and who playfully said he thought he could do such a heretic as I some good, if he could only see me often enough! . . . Last evening, we took tea and spent a very agreeable hour with the two female poets, Alice and Phoebe Cary, whose house is much visited. Horace Greeley was one of the company. We had some little discussion together on the peace question. He thinks there is no other way of dealing with tyranny than by knocking the tyrants in the head. After tea, I went with Oliver and Wendell, and Phoebe Cary,7 to Dr. Cheever's church, to hear one of the series of anti-slavery
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speech—full of good feeling, full of high hopes, full of trust in God.’
Dr. George B. Cheever and Horace Greeley also participated in the occasion.
W. L. Garrison to his Wife.
1 Ms.
2 Oliver Johnson, W. P. Garrison.
5 John M. Forbes, Sarah B. Shaw.
6 W. P. G.
7 O. Johnson, W. P. G.
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