[Manchester—Saturday, 16 August 1873]
Saturday morning—received a visit from Dr. Furness and Mrs Furness with Mrs Towne & Helen. Dr Furness sat at the table and copied his John Brown hymn. A simple noble poem.
Mrs Furness and I talked together and speaking of occasions for excitement she said that dear George Curtis stayed with him [Dr. Furness] during the war and gave one of his most stirring addresses. There was great danger from the mob. 500 police were outside and many inside. However there was no serious disturbance. Two or three fashionable young men hoping to excite the audience made a noise but these 7 footers of police seized them at once and locked them up underneath the platform. When they returned home and were once more in the quiet recesses of Dr Furness’s library, George Curtis said, excuse me I believe I will take some of these out of my pocket—when he took out several pocket-handkerchiefs with which in his neatness and in spite of the excitement he had provided himself, in case eggs should be thrown!!
But the finest thing said Dr. Furness turning from his papers I ever knew was [to] hear Sam Ward speak before an immense concourse of anti-slavery people. He was as black as he could be—and when his opponents brought up the argument against his cause that he was not exactly a negro—He said, if I cannot go to heaven as black as black can be then may I go down to hell!! Douglas too he described as being quick and forcible beyond most distinguished speakers. His parrying of Captain Rynders arguments was magnificent. If he was black then other slaves were like him—if he was not black he was brother (half-brother suggested Rynders) with those others and as capable as they of deciding upon the question.
It is beautiful to see the dear old man’s fire as he talks of these things—so much of his life has passed in fields of strife—yet I never saw a sweeter soul or lovelier character.
Tomorrow he preaches for us. The seas roll between these two loving souls and their beloved daughter. They can hardly think of it without tears.
