W. L. Garrison to his wife.
New York, May 14, 1863.1 Our anti-slavery company was never so small before, with reference to Anniversary week. It consisted of Edmund Quincy,2 John T. Sargent, and myself—Phillips having preceded us in the night train, in order to be fresh for his Cooper Institute speech Monday evening. At Worcester, Mr. May and his3 mother joined us, and these were all the recognized4 abolitionists in that long and crowded train. What then?and our distinctive movement is nearly swallowed up in the great revolution in Northern sentiment which has been going on against slavery and slavedom since the bombardment of Sumter. Usually, the number of clergymen has been large and conspicuous, going on to attend their several anniversary meetings; but, this time, I did not see a single one in all the crowd! . . .It must be now that the kingdom's coming,
And the year of jubiloPhillips's meeting at the Institute, Monday evening, was a5 splendid one, and he acquitted himself in a way to gather fresh laurels for his brow. His speech was reported in full in the6 Tribune of Tuesday morning. At the conclusion of it, I was loudly called for, but held back. Then calls were made for Horace Greeley, who came forward and made a few remarks in his queer-toned voice and a very awkward manner. The cries were renewed for me, and I said a few words, the applause being general and very marked. When I first entered the hall, and was conducted to a seat on the platform by the side of Mayor Opdyke, the audience broke out in repeated bursts of7 applause. What a change in popular sentiment and feeling from the old mobocratic, pro-slavery times! And, remember, this was a meeting called by the Sixteenth Republican Ward Association! . . .
Our opening session at Dr. Cheever's Church was attended8 by a thronged house, and in all respects a great success. As the Tribune of yesterday contained a very full report of the proceedings, you can judge of the spirit of the occasion by a perusal of it. Our evening meeting at the Cooper Institute was also an excellent one—Theodore Tilton making the opening speech (a very good one), and Phillips following in one of his finest efforts—Henry B. Stanton concluding the meeting
