In the previous post, we reviewed a speech by Henry Ward Beecher. The speech was presented in 1859, titled “The Nation’s Duty to Slavery”. The resource text for this speech is from “Classic Speeches” (Copyright 1965, Philosophical Library Inc.) We reviewed the speech and made a few conclusions to help answer the question- “Is membership in Word of Faith Fellowship (WOFF) a type of slavery?”. After 16 years of being under the indirect and direct influence of Jane Whaley, leader of WOFF, my search for answers continues. In this post, we will review a speech from the same resource text, by a man who escaped slavery and sought to educate others as to its evils.
“Fredrick Douglass was born a slave in Tuckahoe, Maryland in 1817, presumably in February, and died, a figure of national importance, at Anacostia, D.C., on February 20, 1895… He was self-educated…. His intelligence, his greatness of spirit, and his determination to become free—a determination conceived when he was nine years old—made him a difficult slave and he was sent for a time to a notorious slave-breaker. .. but he would not be broken.” (page 181) Later, Douglass would escape slavery in a sailor’s suit. He began to tell his story and even lectured abroad in England and Ireland. “From 1871 to 1891, Douglass held various appointive offices, among them the post of counsel-general to Haiti.” (page 181)
The rise of Douglass from slave to being a counsel to Abraham Lincoln is quite a story. “Some consider him second only to Abraham Lincoln among the men of his times. … Douglass seems to have been the chief strategist of the Abolitionists—at least in all things relating to the activities of the slaves themselves.” (page 181) This speech is “the first of a series of lectures on slavery which he delivered in Corinth Hall, Rochester, N.Y., beginning December 1, 1850.” (page 182)
Douglass begins his speech by sharing his thoughts of those speakers more skilled than he had spoken on the subject of slavery, but they had taken the wrong side. He cites the sources in the community that talk of slavery with a cold indifference. He credits this coldness as being similar to “men hardened by the most atrocious and villainous crimes.” (page 182) He commits to his listeners to give “this subject a calm, candid and faithful discussion. I shall not aim to shock nor to startle my hearers; but to convince their judgment and to secure their sympathies for the enslaved.” (page 182) There is also a promise to deal with the spirit of caste which prevailed in that community as well as his thoughts on the Fugitive Slave Act. (see here for a brief explanation- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugitive_Slave_Act_of_1850 )
In the next part of the speech Douglass outlined how pervasive slavery was in America and how powerful the affect had become on all parts of American life. He warned that abolition of slavery would “require time, energy, zeal, perseverance and patience; that it will require fidelity, a martyr-like spirit of self-sacrifice and a firm reliance on Him who has declared Himself to be the God of the oppressed.” (page 185) Did this statement give some idea of the struggle ahead?
Douglass went on to tell some of his twenty years in slavery. He grew up “…as a SLAVE, eating the bread and drinking the cup of slavery…In consideration of these facts, I feel I have the right to speak, and to speak strongly. Yet, my friends, I feel bound to speak truly.” (page 185) On this point, I can agree with Douglass. It is from my 16 years of influence under the teachings of Jane Whaley- six years living inside the WOFF group; that I make my claim for the right to speak of its ills. At times, I do speak strongly, but, I endeavor to speak truly of what I have seen and heard.
Next, Douglass speaks of the relationship between the master and the slave. He outlines the absolute control the master has over the slave, treating the slave as property. During those years, the slave was listed on ledgers along with the horses, sheep and cattle. The slave could own nothing, never benefit from his own labors or eat the finer foods. “To ensure good behavior, the slaveholder relies on the whip; induce proper humility, he relies on the whip; to rebuke what he is pleased to term insolence, he relies on the whip; to supply the place of wages as an incentive to toil, he relies on the whip; to bind down the spirit of the slave, to imbrute and destroy his manhood, he relies on the whip, the chain, the gag, the thumb-screw, the pillory, the bowie-knife, the pistol and the blood-hound.” (page 186)
During the years at WOFF, I have seen many things serve as “the whip”. For the children, there were times when the paddle or the threat of the paddle was used as the whip. I have heard of young people asking for the paddle and then reporting it in services, almost as a badge of honor. Many times over the years, I witnessed one certain child scream in horror as his parents promised him a paddle if he did not confess, or repent or whatever he was needed to do; the sounds of a paddle smacking a backside where not uncommon, in years past at WOFF. I was told that recently, Jane admitted in a service, she was wrong with all the spanking that went on in years past. I have no way to confirm it. But, since she now is closely involved with rearing her grandson, it seemed likely to me she would have a change of heart in this area.
For adult WOFF members, the whip could be time in discipleship, the threat of being put out of the church, the threat of losing your family, blasting prayer, losing your job, the threat of being moved out of your place of residence. All of these verbal “whips” came with much FEAR. Any number of threats and punishments were used to mold and shape behavior in WOFF members. Since the WOFF member usually obtained housing, job, relationship and spiritual guidance (and the promise of making it to heaven) from one source, that gave the person controlling those things any number of “whips” to choose from in order to change an unwanted behavior. Who was the person? Who do you think?
Let us not forget the use of Scripture as a whip in order to shape and mold behavior. Why do I say that? It is because of the use of Scripture as thought-stoppers, in the life of faithful WOFF members. I witnessed in many cases, the text would not even have to be quoted, just the Scripture reference. The hearer would understand the meaning behind the reference and make the decision to obey or change or whatever was being demanded at the time. The meaning behind the reference was obey or else. You knew what happened if you directly disobeyed the underlying, understood code. You could be “out of here…!”
We will stop here as there is much more to cover in this speech. The next post will continue this series on “The Nature of Slavery”. So far, we have just acknowledged the similarities in slave-masters using a whip to control those in a slave system. Douglass will go on to tell of an even more tragic side of slavery than the physical punishment. And with that will be the most horrid and telling similarity between the slavery of the 1800’s and WOFF-life today. Please, read the next post.
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(Please, take time to read the Terms of Use for this personal blog. As mentioned, the information about WOFF is from my memories and recollections as perfect as that may be or not be. ) Scripture references are Amplified Version unless otherwise noted. (Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation ) This is post number 207.