46

198 LIFE AND TIMES OF FREDERICK DOUGLASS

Since it was you who brought it upon us, take it now and do what you will
with it, for we are too weary to bear it."

The Doctor proceeded with his speech—abounding in logic, learning,
and eloquence, and apparently bearing down all opposition; but at the
moment—the fatal moment—when he was just bringing all his arguments to
a point, and that point being that "neither Jesus Christ nor his holy apostles
regarded slaveholding as a sin," George Thompson, in a clear, sonorous, but
rebuking voice, broke the deep stillness of the audience, exclaiming "'HEAR!
HEAR! HEAR!" The effect of this simple and common exclamation was almost
incredible. It was as if a granite wall had been suddenly flung up against the
advancing current of a mighty river. For a moment speaker and audience
were brought to a dead silence. Both the Doctor and his hearers seemed
appalled by the audacity, as well as the fitness of the rebuke. At length a
shout went up to the cry of "Put him out!" Happily no one attempted to
execute this cowardly order, and the discourse went on; but not as before.
The exclamation of Thompson must have re-echoed a thousand times in his
memory, for the Doctor, during the remainder of his speech. was utterly
unable to recover from the blow. The deed was done, however; the pillars of
the church—the proud Free Church of Scotland—were committed, and the
humility of repentance was absent. The Free Church held on to the blood-
stained money, and continued to justify itself in its position.

One good result followed the conduct of the Free Church: it furnished an
occasion for making the people thoroughly acquainted with the character of
slavery and for arraying against it the moral and religious sentiment of that
country; therefore, while we did not procure the sending back of the money,
we were amply justified by the good which really did result from our labors.

I must add one word in regard to the Evangelical Alliance. This was an
attempt to form a union of all Evangelical Christians throughout the world.
and which held its first session in London, in the year 1846, at the time of
the World's Temperance Convention there. Some sixty or seventy ministers
from America attended this convention, the object of some of them being to
weave a world-wide garment with which to clothe evangelical slaveholders;
and in this they partially succeeded. But the question of slavery was too large
a question to be finally disposed of by the Evangelical Alliance, and from its
judgment we appealed to the judgment of the people of Great Britain, with
the happiest effect—this effort of our countrymen to shield the character of
slaveholders serving to open a way to the British ear for anti-slavery
discussion.

I may mention here an incident somewhat amusing and instructive, as it