14. Secretary's 1843 annual report, Concord Ladies' Antislavery Society, including an account of the Society's founding (transcribed from the Liberator, June 23, 1843).
Annual Report of the Concord Female A.S. Society
The annual meeting of the Concord (Mass.) Female Anti-Slavery Society was holden June 7, at the house of Mrs. Timothy Prescott, where the following officers were chosen for the coming year:—
President—Mrs D. Gerrish.
Vice-President—Miss Helen -------- [sic].
Treasurer—Mrs. Tewksbury.
Secretary—Mrs. M. Brooks.
The Secretary's and Treasurer's Reports were then read and accepted, and the Secretary's report, with a list of the officers chosen, was ordered to be sent to the Liberator, for publication.
REPORT.
In the year 1837, a few friends of the slave, two or three in number, held a meeting to see if a Society could not be formed in Concord for his benefit. They held a few meetings previous to organizing, during which time, their numbers augmented to 70 persons, when a Society was formed at the house of Mrs. Samuel Barrett, sometime in the month of November; an event noticed but little by the inhabitants of the town, or noticed but to be ridiculed; nevertheless, an event which is destined to have an immense bearing on the temporal and eternal interests of its founders, and to do not a little towards swelling that great tide of humanity, which is finally to turn our world of sin and misery into a world of purity, holiness and happiness. It is always refreshing to look back upon that time, when we stood hand in hand upon the broad platform of humanity, united against a common foe. Our sectarian predilections were waived, and prevented not the harmony of our operations, or disturbed that friendship and love we bore each other Soon, that destroyer of all that is lovely and of good report, in the shape of sectarianism, came, and the armies of freedom were scattered. But it is greatly creditable to the ladies of this Society, that, while other societies, in most of our towns, have been entirely broken up, we have breasted the storm, and the waves of new organization (which were stirred up by a corrupt and ungodly church, which could not bear the disclosures truth was making ) have beat against us in vain. It is creditable to those women who stood by the old pioneer Society, that so many of them have had the clear-sightedness, the integrity, the courage, to stand on the old platform, when the armies all around them were so panic-stricken, and the deserters so numerous, that, unless our trust had been in the living God, and our consciousness that our feet were planted on that rock of truth, against which the gates of hell shall not prevail, we must have fallen with the thousands around us
We have cause, to-day, to congratulate our friends that this new organization no longer stands across our path and now again the field is our own. Thinned down indeed we are—comparatively few in numbers, but invincible in our present position; and now the question comes, what are we ready to do and to sacrifice the coming year? Never was there a time when the American ear was so ready to hear our report
The politician is looking anxiously around, unable to solve the problem of his country's troubles, wondering that neither democracy nor whiggism has power to remove the evils under which we are perishing. We need an anti-slavery preacher to show that slavery is the grand cause of our poverty and degradation, and that it must cause our speedy ruin, unless soon removed. God in his providence has placed this cause in the hands of women What are we not willing to lay on this altar? Money must be had; many towns in our vicinity have never been visited by the anti-slavery agent; and hundreds of towns in the free States need very much to have the glad tidings of anti-slavery The case is urgent: in God's name, the demand is made upon you. The last year we did well Twelve lectures have we furnished to this town the last year; fifty dollars we paid to the National Society; and sixty dollars worth of articles we sent to the Fair Some money is still left in the treasury. And now all we want is money to carry forward our operations to a successful termination. The executive committees both of the National and State Societies are men and women, whose character for integrity and ability are well known. Whatever we pay will be expended in the best possible manner. Many men of ability are willing to act as agents, provided they can have the means of support. Are we ready for sacrifice? If so, now is the time Every thing is on our side—the Lord Jehovah, the perishing slave—and the people are all standing ready to be converted. Again comes the question, are we ready for the sacrifice? Let our response be noble.
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