Journeying and Journalings Among the Green Mountains

Dear Douglass:—I have just returned from my first campaign, for the extension of the circulation of your journal.

I left Burlington for Shelbourn, on Monday, the 23d inst; was too late for the cars, so walked a distance of six miles. The meeting was appointed in the District School-house, at seven o'clock, P.M. But in consequence of the state of the roads, being unfavorable for sleighing or wheeling, the turn-out was small. The Rev. H. B. Knight rendered efficient aid by making an earnest and eloquent appeal in behalf of the slave. I followed, with some remarks upon the responsibilty and duty of the people of the North, in relation to slavery. I was hospitably entertained by Rev. Mr. Knight (Wesleyan Methodist) and his amiable lady.

On Tuesday morning, 24th, I left Shelburn, for Charlotte, Baptist Corners. Here, I had a pretty full meeting, upon a few hours' notice. I felt more in the spirit, and talked at some length upon the same topics—the Fugitive Slave Law, and the church relation. The meeting was in the Baptist House. I was here entertained by Deacon Baldwin, a talented and whole-souled abolitionist, like Sherman, Lee, Dr. Worcester, Whittier, and many others, who have been, or are an ornament to their race. He is a son of Crispin, and his learned opponents get pretty well rapped over the knuckles when they come in contact with him.

Wednesday morning, the 25th, I proceeded to Ferrisburgh. Here we had a glorious meeting. It was opened with prayer, by the Rev. Lyman Prindle, (Wesleyan Methodist,) followed by anti-slavery song, beautifully sung by Messrs Billings, and Sholes, assisted by two beautiful young ladies; and all anti-slavery women are pretty; the beneficence of the heart, imparts loveliness to every feature. Nothing is so uncomely as a pro-slavery woman; the scornful looking eyes, the upturned nose, the curled lip, transforms from a little less than angels, to little less than human.—Feeling quite at home, amidst such associations, felt quite happy in my effort. The feeling appeared general. Messrs. N. Guinden and Sholes made short but pithy speeches on the right side of the question, and the meeting attested their interest by giving material aid to the cause, and supplying themselves with six copies of Frederick Douglass' Paper. This was my first meeting in Addison County. I regret that no one in Chittenden County has subscribed; yet this is their loss. I don't see how any friend of the colored man, "bond and free," can afford to do without this journal. It presents their sentiments, wishes and claims, in a manner that no others, except those who feel the iron of oppression in their own souls, can. No one can battle the foul scheme of Colonization unless armed with arrows from the quiver of the colored man. I believe that when they think over the matter, they will conclude, that to support their own local organ, and avail themselves of the columns of this paper, are duties incumbent upon all friends of universal freedom, irrespective of complexion.

At Ferrisburgh, I was entertained by Mr. Prindle, and his accomplished lady. He is one of those ministers who think the pulpit not too sacred to plead the cause of the slave from. There seems to be a rich vein of anti-slavery here.

J. C. H.Holly, Joseph Cephas

Joseph Cephas Holly (1825–55), the elder brother of emigrationist James Theodore Holly, was a pragmatic black abolitionist who identified himself as a Garrisonian yet supported political abolitionists, including Douglass. Born to free black parents in Washington, D.C., Holly moved to Brooklyn, New York, in 1844 and became a shoemaker. Among the early subscribers to the North Star, Holly wrote five articles on American slavery for the paper between February and June 1848. He addressed antislavery appeals to northern blacks and whites and to southern nonslaveholders, linking the rights of poor whites with those of blacks. In 1850 Holly moved to Burlington, Vermont, and established a bootmaking business with the financial backing of Lewis Tappan. He embarked upon tours of Vermont, serving as an agent for Douglass’s newspaper and speaking on a number of issues related to the needs and rights of African Americans. Although Holly and his brother James held divergent views on colonization and emigration, they lectured together, debating the issues publicly. Shortly after Joseph moved to Rochester in 1853, he was a delegate to the black national convention that assembled there, and he published a volume of poetry, Freedom’s Offering (1853). NS, 4, 18 February, 10 March, 7 April, 9 June 1848, 6 July 1849, 1 February 1850; FDP, 22 January, 5 February, 23 March, 1, 15 April 1852, 17 June, 22 July, 28 October 1853, 12 January 1855; David M. Dean, Defender of the Race: James Theodore Holly, Black Nationalist Bishop (Boston, 1979), 3–20; Geraldine O. Matthews, Black American Writers, 1773–1949: A Bibliography and Union List (Boston, 1975), 148; Miller, Search for a Black Nationality, 108–10; Ripley, Black Abolitionist Papers, 4:25–26n

Burlington, Feb. 27th, 1852.