The Underground Railroad
passed to another sphere. Peace to his ashes! I honor his name
as a hero, and friend of man. I loved him for the noble
characteristics of his nature, and above all for his noble
daring in defense of the right. As a friend I admired him, and
owe his memory this tribute to departed worth.
At this point a conscientious regard for truth dictates that I
should state that my disposition to make a sacrifice for the
removal of Dorsey and some other leading spirits was aided by my
own desire for _self-preservation._
I knew that it had been asserted, far down in the slave region,
that Smith & Whipper, the negro lumber merchants, were engaged
in secreting fugitive slaves. And on two occasions attempts had
been made to set fire to their yard for the purpose of punishing
them for such illegal acts. And I felt that if a collision took
place, we should not only be made to suffer the penalty, but the
most valuable property in the village be destroyed, besides a
prodigal waste of human life be the consequence. In such an
event I felt that I should not only lose all I had ever earned,
but peril the hopes and property of others, so that I would have
freely given one thousand dollars to have been insured against
the consequences of such a riot. I then borrowed fourteen
hundred dollars on my own individual account, and assisted many
others to go to a land where the virgin soil was not polluted by
the foot-prints of a slave.
The colored population of the Borough of Columbia, in 1850, was
nine hundred and forty-three, about one-fifth the whole
population, and in five years they were reduced to four hundred
and eighty-seven by emigration to Canada.
In the summer of 1853, I visited Canada for the purpose of
ascertaining the actual condition of many of those I had
assisted in reaching a land of freedom; and I was much gratified
to find them contented, prosperous, and happy. I was induced by
the prospects of the new emigrants to purchase lands on the
Sydenham River, with the intention of making it my future home.
In the spring of 1861, when I was preparing to leave, the war
broke out, and with its progress I began to realize the prospect
of a new civilization, and, therefore, concluded to remain and
share the fortunes of my hitherto ill-fated country.
I will say in conclusion that it would have been fortunate for
us if Columbia, being a port of entry for flying fugitives, had
been also the seat of great capitalists and freedom-loving
inhabitants; but such was not the case. There was but little
Anti-slavery sentiment among the whites, yet there were many
strong and valiant friends among them who contributed freely;
the colored population were too poor to render much aid, except
in feeding and secreting strangers. I was doing a prosperous
business at that time and felt it my duty to contribute
liberally out of my earnings. Much as I loved Anti-slavery
meetings I did not feel that I could afford to attend them, as
my immediate duty was to the flying fugitive.
Now, my friend, I have extended this letter far beyond the
limits intended, not with the expectation that it will be
published, but for your own private use to select any matter
that you might desire to use in your history. I have to regret
that I am compelled to refer so often to my own exertions.
I know that I speak within bounds when I say that directly and
indirectly from 1847 to 1860, I have contributed from my
earnings one thousand dollars annually, and for the five years
during the war a like amount to put down the rebellion.
Now the slaves are emancipated, and we are all enfranchised,
after struggling for existence, freedom and manhood--I feel
thankful for having had the glorious privilege of laboring with
others for the redemption of my race from oppression and
thraldom; and I would prefer to-day to be penniless in the
streets, rather than to have withheld a single hour's labor or a
dollar from the sacred cause of liberty, justice, and humanity.
I remain yours in the sacred cause of liberty and equality,
WM. WHIPPER.
ISAAC T. HOPPER.
The distinctive characteristics of this individual were so admirably
portrayed in the newspapers and other periodicals published at the time
of his death, that we shall make free use of them without hesitation. He
was distinguished from his early life by his devotion to the relief of
the oppressed colored race. He was an active member of the old
Pennsylvania Abolition Society, and labored zealously with Dr. Benjamin
Rush, Dr. Rogers, Dr. Wistar, and other distinguished philanthropists of
the time. No man at that day, not even eminent judges and advocates, was
better acquainted with the intricacies of law questions connected with
slavery. His accurate legal knowledge, his natural acuteness, his ready
tact in avoiding dangerous corners and slipping through unseen
loop-holes, often gave him the victory in cases that seemed hopeless to
other minds. In many of these cases, physical courage was needed as much
as moral firmness; and he possessed these qualities in a very unusual
degree.
Being for many years an inspector of the public prisons, his practical
sagacity and benevolence were used with marked results. His enlarged
sympathies had always embraced the criminal and the imprisoned, as well
as the oppressed; and the last years of his life were especially devoted
to the improvement of prisons and prisoners. In this department of
benevolence he manifested the same zealous kindness and untiring
diligence that had so long been exerted for the colored people, for
whose welfare he labored to the end of his days.
He possessed a wonderful wisdom in furnishing relief to all who were in
difficulty and embarrassment. This caused a very extensive demand upon
his time and talents, which were rarely withheld when honestly sought,
and seldom applied in vain.
Mrs. Kirkland prepared, under the title of "The Helping Hand," a small
volume, for the benefit of "The Home" for discharged female convicts,
containing a brief description of the institution, and a detail of facts
illustrating the happy results of its operation. Its closing chapter is
appropriately devoted to the following well-deserved tribute to the
veteran philanthropist, to whose zeal and discretion that and so many
other similar institutions owe their existence, or to a large degree
their prosperity.
"Not to inform the public what it knows very well already, nor
to forestall the volume now preparing by Mrs. Child, a kindred
spirit, but to gratify my own feelings, and to give grace and
sanctity to this little book, I wish to say a few words of Mr.
Hopper, the devoted friend of the prisoner as of the slave; one
whose long life, and whose last thoughts, were given to the care
and succor of human weakness, error, and suffering. To make even
the most unpretending book for the benefit of 'The Home,'
without bringing forward the name of Isaac T. Hopper, and
recognizing the part he took in its affairs, from the earliest
moment of its existence until the close of his life, would be an
unpardonable omission. A few words must be said where a volume
would scarcely suffice.
"'The rich and the poor meet together, and the Lord is the
Father of them all,' might stand for the motto of Mr. Hopper's
life. That the most remote of these two classes stood on the
same level of benevolent interest in his mind, his whole career
made obvious; he was the last man to represent as naturally
opposite those whom God has always, even to the end of the
world, made mutually dependent. He told the simple truth to each
with equal frankness; helped both with equal readiness. The
palace owed him no more than the hovel suggested thoughts of
superiority. Nothing human, however grand, or however degraded,
was a stranger to him. In the light that came to him from
heaven, all stood alike children of the Great Father; earthly
distinction disappearing the moment the sinking soul or the
suffering body was in question. No amount of depravity could
extinguish his hope of reform; no recurrence of ingratitude
could paralyze his efforts. Early and late, supported or
unsupported, praised or ridiculed, he went forward in the great
work of relief, looking neither to the right hand, nor to the
left; and when the object was accomplished, he shrank back into
modest obscurity, only to wait till a new necessity called for
his reappearance. Who can number the poor, aching, conscious,
despairing hearts that have felt new life come to them from his
kind words, his benignant smile, his helping hand. If the record
of his long life could be fully written, which it can never be,
since every day and all day, in company, in the family circle,
with children, with prisoners, with the insane, 'virtue went out
of him' that no human observation could measure or describe,
what touching interest would be added to the history of our poor
and vicious population for more than half a century past; what
new honor and blessing would surround the venerated name of our
departed friend and leader!
"But he desired nothing of this. Without claiming for him a
position above humanity, which alone would account for a
willingness to be wholly unrecognized as a friend of the
afflicted, it is not too much to say that no man was ever less
desirous of public praise or outward honor. He was even
unwilling that any care should be taken to preserve the
remembrance of his features, sweet and beautiful as they were,
though he was brought reluctantly to yield to the anxious wish
of his children and friends that the countenance on which every
eye loved to dwell, should not be wholly lost when the grave
should close above it. He loved to talk of interesting cases of
reform and recovery, both because those things occupied his
mind, and because every one loved to hear him; but the hearer
who made these disclosures the occasion for unmeaning
compliment, as if he fancied a craving vanity to have prompted
them, soon found himself rebuked by the straightforward and
plain-spoken patriarch. Precious indeed were those seasons of
outpouring, when one interesting recital suggested another, till
the listener seemed to see the whole mystery of prison-life and
obscure wretchedness laid open before him with the distinctness
of a picture. For, strange as it may seem, our friend had under
his plain garb--unchanged in form since the days of Franklin, to
go no further back--a fine dramatic talent, and could not relate
the humblest incident without giving it a picturesque or
dramatic turn, speaking now for one character, now for another,
with a variety and discrimination very remarkable. This made his
company greatly sought, and as his strongly social nature
readily responded, his acquaintance was very large. To every one
that knew him personally, I can appeal for the truth and
moderation of these views of his character and manners.
"A few biographical items will close what I venture to offer
here.
"Isaac T. Hopper was born December 3, 1771, in the township of
Deptford, Gloucester county, New Jersey, but spent a large
portion of his life in Philadelphia, where he served his
apprenticeship to the humble calling of a tailor. But neither