The Liberator (newspaper)/September 18, 1857/Letter from Aaron M. Powell

Letter from Aaron M. Powell.

Elmira Water Cure, N. Y.
September 10, 1857.

Dear Mr. Garrison:

Again we are in the field of active labor, as soldiers enlisted in the warfare for freedom. Our meetings, thus far, though not largely attended, have been composed of a most intelligent and interesting class of persons, and we hope and believe that much good will come of them, in the respective localities in which they have been held. This, as you know, is a portion of New York upon which very little of our kind of labor has been bestowed. The old ‘mad-dog’ cry of ‘Infidelity’ has been thoroughly sounded in relation to us, especially at Owego, at which place we closed a series of four meetings last evening. For something more than a year past, the Rev. Dr. Cox has been preaching in Owego, and of course the people who have been blessed (I should say cursed) with his ministrations would see little else than dangerous infidelity in any thing that faithfully exposed a pro-slavery, time-serving religion. The Rev. Time-server’s influence, so far as it has extended, has been most pernicious; but we found a few earnest, truth-loving spirits at Owego, some of whom subscribed for the Standard, and I trust that our work will not be without good and lasting results.

To-morrow, we commence a series of meetings in Corning, to continue two days, after which we return to this place (Elmira) for a two days’ Convention. Surely, there was never greater need of our labors than in the present ‘crisis.’ May the ‘crisis’ continue, until the ‘oppressed shall go free.’

As ever, truly your friend,
Aaron M. Powell.