Brown conducted an antislavery lecture tour in 1844 across Ohio, a free state bitterly divided over slavery. At one meeting hosted at a Methodist church, an institution normally closed to antislavery gatherings, its deacon accepted Brown’s offer to open the proceedings with a benediction. He went on to do more: he defended Senator Henry Clay, the state’s adopted favorite son in his frequent runs for the presidency, against antislavery critics. In one of his earliest known writings, Brown retorted in the National Anti-Slavery Standard with this mock prayer.
A few evenings since, at one of my meetings, after the audience had assembled, a deacon of the Methodist Church arose, and asked if I wanted the meeting opened with prayer. I answered, that if there were any one in the house that felt himself called upon to pray, that an opportunity was then offered. The deacon then said, “Let us pray;” and he prayed as follows: “Lord! thou knowest that we depend upon thy aid. Without thy aid we can do nothing. Lord! we look to thee to aid us in selecting good rulers. Lord! let us have men that will rule over us with fear; let us have good rulers. Whatever thy servant, that is going to address us, may say, let it be said in love; let it be truth; give us the truth, let it cut where it will. But Lord! let nothing be said that will give dissatisfaction. Lord! let nothing be said that will hurt any one’s feelings. Lord! may he say nothing about political parties. Lord! thou knowest that some of the Abolition lecturers do say hard things about our Southern brethren. Lord! thou knowest that some of them have attempted to villify Mr. Clay, and slander him by saying that he is a duellist, and calling him hard names. Lord! let nothing of the kind be said this evening. Lord! thou knowest that Mr. Clay is a good man, and if we do not elect him, we will get a worse one. Thou knowest that the Abolitionists are trying to keep out Mr. Clay, but let them not do it. Now, Lord! take charge of thy servant that is going to speak, and let him present nothing but the truth, and let him say nothing about politics, and the glory shall be thine forever, Amen.”
I could scarcely keep from laughing out several times during the time that the deacon was praying. When he had concluded, I took the stand and commenced. My text was, the Farmer of Ashland. As you know, I am not a politician, but I was compelled that evening to go into political matters, or at least the merits and demerits of the two great political parties, and I occasionally looked at the deacon. I was told after the meeting that I had handled the hero of Ashland too roughly. At the close of the meeting, I called on the deacon to pray; but said he, “No, I thank you; I would rather you would get some one else.” I do not make it a practice to call upon any one to pray in meeting, but I could not help calling upon the deacon.
Yours, in the cause of the slave,
WM. W. BROWN.