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An Appeal for Abolition of Slavery On Nantucket by Elihu Coleman BY THE LATE CLARENCE KING (Continued from Historic Nantucket — January 1975)
FORTUNATELY for him, Shubael Coffin arose and said: "I thank Friend Coleman for bringing this important matter before us. He spoke to my condition. I own a slave whom I inherited. I have long felt uncomfortable about this but Bristol is a young boy without any special training. If he were freed now I doubt if he could support himself. I have already executed a paper providing that he shall be free when he reaches the age of 30." There was a hubbub, several people wanting to speak at once. The clerk calmed the tumult: "Friends," he said, "let us have a period of silence during which we take this important matter to God in prayer and seek His guidance." The ensuing silence seemed to Elihu to last for an eternity; it may have been ten minutes during which the members relaxed and approached the problem less heatedly. When at last the clerk raised his head, Sylvanus Hussey got up: "As Friend Coleman says Mark is an unusual person for a slave. I inherited him only recently when my father's estate was settled. I did nothing to acquire this ownership and have felt somewhat uncomfortable about it but I reflected that slavery was sanctioned by the Bible." Another Friend said: "What may have been right for an Israelite to do in days of the Old Testament, may not be right for a Quaker to do today." From different quarters of the room, several voices mur mured, "I agree" or "I unite." Another member rose and said: "I have always understood that black people were the descendants of Cain and that God or dained that they should live in bondage to expiate Cain's sin." No one answered this, but Elihu felt that none took the statement seriously. He could have pointed out that there were millions of black people in Africa whom God permitted to live free lives but he thought it wiser to keep still. When all who wished had spoken, there was silence broken only by the scratch ing of the clerk's pen as he wrote a proposed minute. He then read that it was the sense of the meeting that it is: . not agree able to Truth for Friends to purchase slaves & keep them Term for life."
