June 5, 1857
A long article begins with the story of a written notice posted on the door of the church, inviting people to attend ‘A Christian Anti-Slavery meeting’ there. The author is signed only as “C.K.W.” It refers to the history of the church, claiming that the history indicates that the Park Street Church and Anti-Slavery have been more “antagonistical than kindred to each other”. It includes references to an 1830 incident when a colored man was denied a pew for seating with the white members of the congregation. It recounts a prejudice supported by the Prudential Committee of the Church, with full support of the pastor, Rev. Edward Beecher. The article also includes some more hopeful signs of change in the church, but the writer is clearly skeptical, wondering, in part, how a “Christian” Anti-Slavery meeting differs from any other Anti-Slavery meeting.
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