Like Oil on Agitated Waters

... When Sojourner had been at Northampton a few months, she attended [a] camp meeting, at which she performed a very important part. A party of wild young men, with no motive but that of entertaining themselves by annoying and injuring the feelings of others, had assembled at the meeting, hooting and yelling, and in various ways interrupting the services and causing much disturbance. Those who had the charge of the meeting, having tried their persuasive powers in vain, grew impatient and tried threatening.

The young men, considering themselves insulted, collected their friends, to the number of a hundred or more, dispersed themselves through the grounds, making the most frightful noises, and threatening to fire the tents. It was said the authorities of the meeting sat in grave consultation, decided to have the ring-leaders arrested, and sent for the constable, to the great displeasure of some of the company, who were opposed to such an appeal to force and arms....Sojourner, seeing great consternation depicted in every countenance, caught the contagion and...found herself quaking with fear.

Under the impulse of this sudden emotion, she fled to the most retired corner of a tent and secreted herself behind a trunk, saying to herself,"I am the only colored person here and on me, probably, their wicked mischief will fall first, and perhaps fatally." But feeling how great was her insecurity even there, as the very tent began to shake from its foundations, she began to soliloquize as follows:

"Shall I run away and hide from the Devil? Me, a servant of the living God? Have I not faith enough to go out and quell that mob, when I know it is written—'One shall chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight'? I know there are not a thousand here; and I know I am a servant of the living God. I'll go to the rescue, and the Lord shall go with and protect me.

"Oh," said she, "I felt as if I had three hearts! and that they were so large, my. body could hardly hold them!"

She now came forth from her hiding place and invited several to go with her and see what they could do to still the raging of the moral elements. They declined and considered her wild to think of it.

The meeting was in the open fields—the full moon shed its saddened light over all—and the woman who was that evening to address them was trembling on the preachers' stand. The noise and confusion were now terrific. Sojourner left the tent alone and unaided and, walking some thirty rods to the top of a small rise of ground, commenced to sing in her most fervent manner, with all the strength of her most powerful voice, the hymn on the resurrection of Christ:
It was early in the morning—it was early in the morning, Just at the break of day— When he rose—when he rose—when he rose, And went to heaven on a cloud.

As she commenced to sing, the young men made a rush toward her, and she was immediately encircled by a dense body of the rioters, many of them armed with sticks or clubs as their weapons of defense, if not of attack. As the circle narrowed around her, she ceased singing and, after a short pause, inquired, in a gentle but firm tone, "Why do you come about me with clubs and sticks? I am not doing harm to any one."

"We ar'n't a going to hurt you, old woman; we came to hear you sing," cried many voices, simultaneously.
"Sing to us, old woman," cries one, "Talk to us, old woman," says another."Pray, old woman," says a third. "Tell us your experience," says a fourth.

"You stand and smoke so near me, I cannot sing or talk," she answered.
"Stand back," said several authoritative voices, with not the most gentle or courteous accompaniments, raising their rude weapons in the air. The crowd suddenly gave back, the circle became larger, as many voices again called for singing, talking, or praying, backed by assurances that no one should be allowed to hurt her-the speakers declaring with an oath, that they would "knock down" any person who should offer her the least indignity.

She looked about her and with her usual discrimination said inwardly, "Here must be many young men in all this assemblage, bearing within them hearts susceptible of good impressions. I will speak to them." She did speak; they silently heard and civilly asked her many questions. It seemed to her to be given her at the time to answer them with truth and wisdom beyond herself. Her speech had operated on the roused passions of the mob like oil on agitated waters; they were, as a whole, entirely subdued and only clamored when she ceased to speak or sing.

Those who stood in the background after the circle was enlarged cried out, "Sing aloud, old woman, we can't hear." Those who held the sceptre of power among them requested that she should make a pulpit of a neighboring wagon.
She said, "If I do, they'll overthrow it."

"No, they sha'n't-he who dares hurt you, we'll knock him down instantly," cried the chiefs.
"No we won't, no we won't, nobody shall hurt you," answered the many voices of the mob. They kindly assisted her to mount the wagon, from which she spoke and sung to them about an hour. Of all she said to them on the occasion, she remembers only the following:

"Well, there are two congregations on this ground. It is written that there shall be a separation, and the sheep shall be separated from the goats. The other preachers have the sheep, I have the goats. And I have a few sheep among my goats, but they are very ragged." This exordium produced great laughter.

When she became wearied with talking, she began to cast about her to contrive some way to induce them to disperse. While she paused, they loudly clamored for "more, more-sing, sing more." She motioned them to be quiet and called out to them, "Children, I have talked and sung to you, as you asked me; and now I have a request to make of you: Will you grant it?"

"Yes, yes, yes," resounded from every quarter.

"Well, it is this," she answered. "If I will sing one more hymn for you, will you then go away, and leave us this night in peace?"

"Yes, yes," came faintly, feebly from a few.

"I repeat it," says Sojoumer, "and I want an answerfrom you all, as of one accord. If I will sing you one more, you will go away, and leave us this night in peace?"

"Yes, yes, yes," shouted many voices, with hearty emphasis.

"I repeat my request once more," said she, "and I want you all to answer." And she reiterated the words again.

This time a long, loud "Yes-yes-yes," came up, as from the multitudinous mouth of the entire mob.

"Amen! It is sealed," repeated Sojoumer, in the deepest and most solemn tones of her powerful and sonorous voice. Its effect ran through the multitude, like an electric shock; and the most of them considered themselves bound by their promise, as they might have failed to do under less imposing circumstances. Some of them began instantly to leave; others said, "Are we not to have one more hymn?"

"Yes," answered their entertainer, and she commenced to sing: bless the Lord I've got my seal-to-day and to-day- To slay Goliath in the field-to-day and to-day; The good old way is a righteous way, I mean to take the kingdom in the good old way. ...

Excerpted from Narrative of Sojoumer Truth and Book of Life, by Olive Gilbert (Arno Press and the New York Times, 1968).This material is in the public domain.