gust　for　everything　military；　and　he　consistently　refused　to　perform　the　required　military　drill　until　he　had　passed　the　age　for　service。　Not　quite　in　harmony　with　these　facts　is　the　statement　that　he　was　a　great　admirer　of　Oliver　Cromwell；　and　Rhodes　says　of　him　that　he　admired　Nat　Turner；　the　leader　of　the　servile　insurrection　in　Virginia；　as　much　as　he　did　George　Washington。　There　seems　to　be　no　reason　to　doubt　the　testimony　of　the　members　of　his　family　that　John　Brown　always　cherished　a　lively　interest　in　the　African　race　and　a　deep　sympathy　with　them。　As　a　youth　he　had　chosen　for　a　companion　a　slave　boy　of　his　own　age；　to　whom　he　became　greatly　attached。　This　slave；　badly　clad　and　poorly　fed；　beaten　with　iron　shovel　or　anything　that　came　first　to　hand；　young　Brown　grew　to　regard　as　his　equal　if　not　his　superior。　And　it　was　the　contrast　between　their　respective　conditions　that　first　led　Brown　to　〃swear　eternal　war　with　slavery。〃　In　later　years　John　Brown；　Junior；　tells　us　that；　on　seeing　a　negro　for　the　first　time；　he　felt　so　great　a　sympathy　for　him　that　he　wanted　to　take　the　negro　home　with　him。　This　sympathy；　he　assures　us；　was　a　result　of　his　father's　teaching。　Upon　the　testimony　of　two　of　John　Brown's　sons　rests　the　oft…repeated　story　that　he　declared　eternal　war　against　slavery　and　also　induced　the　members　of　his　family　to　unite　with　him　in　formal　consecration　to　his　mission。　The　time　given　for　this　incident　is　previous　to　the　year　1840；　the　idea　that　he　was　a　divinely　chosen　agent　for　the　deliverance　of　the　slaves　was　of　later　development。　As　early　as　1834　Brown　had　shown　some　active　interest　in　the　education　of　negro　children；　first　in　Pennsylvania　and　later　in　Ohio。　In　1848　the　Brown　family　became　associated　with　an　enterprise　of　Gerrit　Smith　in　northern　New　York；　where　a　hundred　thousand　acres　of　land　were　offered　to　negro　families　for　settlement。　During　the　excitement　over　the　Fugitive　Slave　Act　of　1850　Brown　organized　among　the　colored　people　of　Springfield；　Massachusetts；　〃The　United　States　League　of　Gileadites。〃　As　an　organization　this　undertaking　proved　a　failure；　but　Brown's　formal　written　instructions　to　the　〃Gileadites〃　are　interesting　on　account　of　their　relation　to　what　subsequently　happened。　In　this　document；　by　referring　to　the　multitudes　who　had　suffered　in　their　behalf；　he　encouraged　the　negroes　to　stand　for　their　liberties。　He　instructed　them　to　be　armed　and　ready　to　rush　to　the　rescue　of　any　of　their　number　who　might　be　attacked：　〃Should　one　of　your　number　be　arrested；　you　must　collect　together　as　quickly　as　possible；　so　as　to　outnumber　your　adversaries　who　are　taking　an　active　part　against　you。　Let　no　able…bodied　man　appear　on　the　ground　unequipped；　or　with　his　weapons　exposed　to　view：　let　that　be　understood　beforehand。　Your　plans　must　be　known　only　to　yourself；　and　with　the　understanding　that　all　traitors　must　die；　wherever　caught　and　proven　to　be　guilty。　〃Whosoever　is　fearful　or　afraid；　let　him　return　and　depart　early　from　Mount　Gilead〃　（Judges；　vii。　3；　Deut。　xx。　8）。　Give　all　cowards　an　opportunity　to　show　it　on　condition　of　holding　their　peace。　Do　NOT　DELAY　ONE　MOMENT　AFTER　YOU　ARE　READY：　YOU　WILL　LOSE　ALL　YOUR　RESOLUTION　IF　YOU　DO。　LET　THE　FIRST　BLOW　BE　THE　SIGNAL　FOR　ALL　TO　ENGAGE：　AND　WHEN　ENGAGED　DO　NOT　DO　YOUR　WORK　BY　HALVES；　BUT　MAKE　CLEAN　WORK　WITH　YOUR　ENEMIES；AND　BE　SURE　YOU　MEDDLE　NOT　WITH　ANY　OTHERS。　By　going　about　your　business　quietly；　you　will　get　the　job　disposed　of　before　the　number　that　an　uproar　would　bring　together　can　collect；　and　you　will　have　the　advantage　of　those　who　come　out　against　you；　for　they　will　be　wholly　unprepared　with　either　equipments　or　matured　plans；　all　with　them　will　be　confusion　and　terror。　Your　enemies　will　be　slow　to　attack　you　after　you　have　done　up　the　work　nicely；　and　if　they　should；　they　will　have　to　encounter　your　white　friends　as　well　as　you；　for　you　may　safely　calculate　on　a　division　of　the　whites；　and　may　by　that　means　get　to　an　honorable　parley。〃　He　gives　here　a　distinct　suggestion　of　the　plans　and　methods　which　he　later　developed　and　extended。　When　Kansas　was　opened　for　settlement；　John　Brown　was　fifty…four　years　old。　Early　in　the　spring　of　1855；　five　of　his　sons　took　up　claims　near　Osawatomie。　They　went；　as　did　others；　as　peaceable　settlers　without　arms。　After　the　election　of　March　30；　1855；　at　which　armed　Missourians　overawed　the　Kansas　settlers　and　thus　secured　a　unanimous　pro…slavery　Legislature；　the　freestate　men；　under　the　leadership　of　Robinson；　began　to　import　Sharp's　rifles　and　other　weapons　for　defense。　Brown's　sons　thereupon　wrote　to　their　father；　describing　their　helpless　condition　and　urging　him　to　come　to　their　relief。　In　October；　1855；　John　Brown　himself　arrived　with　an　adequate　supply　of　rifles　and　some　broadswords　and　revolvers。　The　process　of　organization　and　drill　thereupon　began；　and　when　the　Wakarusa　War　occurred　early　in　December；　1855；　John　Brown　was　on　hand　with　a　small　company　from　Osawatomie　to　assist　in　the　defense　of　Lawrence。　The　statement　that　he　disapproved　of　the　agreement　with　Governor　Shannon　which　prevented　bloodshed　is　not　in　accord　with　a　letter　which　John　Brown　wrote　to　his　wife　immediately　after　the　event。　The　Governor　granted　practically　all　that　the　freestate　men　desired　and　recognized　their　trainbands　as　a　part　of　the　police　force　of　the　Territory。　Brown　by　this　stipulation　became　Captain　John　Brown；　commander　of　a　company　of　the　territorial　militia。　Soon　after　the　Battle　of　Wakarusa；　Captain　Brown　passed　the　command　of　the　company　of　militia　to　his　son　John；　while　he　became　the　leader　of　a　small　band　composed　chiefly　of　members　of　his　own　family。　Writing　to　his　wife　on　April　7；　1856；　he　said：　〃We　hear　that　preparations　are　making　in　the　United　States　Court　for　numerous　arrests　of　free…state　men。　For　one　I　have　not　desired　（all　things　considered）　to　have　the　slave　power　cease　from　its　acts　of　aggression。　'Their　foot　shall　slide　in　due　time。'〃　This　letter　of　Brown's　indicates　that　the　writer　was　pleased　at　the　prospect　of　approaching　trouble。　When；　six　weeks　later；　notice　came　of　the　attack　upon　Lawrence；　John　Brown；　Junior；　went　with　the　company　of　Osawatomie　Rifles　to　the　relief　of　the　town；　while　the　elder　Brown　with　a　little　company　of　six　moved　in　the　same　direction。　In　a　letter　to　his　wife；　dated　June　26；　1856；　more　than　a　month　after　the　massacre　in　Pottawatomie　Valley；　Brown　said：　〃On　our　way　to　Lawrence　we　learned　that　it　had　been　already　destroyed；　and　we　encamped　with　John's　company　overnight　。。。。　On　the　second　day　and　evening　after　we　left　John's　men；　we　encountered　quite　a　number　of　pro…slavery　men　and　took　quite　a　number　of　prisoners。　Our　prisoners　we　let　go；　but　kept　some　four　or　five　horses。　We　were　immediately　after　this　accused　of　murdering　five　men　at　Pottawatomie　and　great　efforts　have　been　made　by　the　Missourians　and　their　ruffian　allies　to　capture　us。　John's　company　soon　afterwards　disbanded；　and　also　the　Osawatomie　men。　Since　then；　we　have；　like　David　of　old；　had　our　dwelling　with　the　serpents　of　the　rocks　and　the　wild　beasts　of　the　wilderness。〃　There　will　probably　never　be　agreement　as　to　Brown's　motives　in　slaying　his　five　neighbors　on　May　24；　1856。　Opinions　likewise　differ　as　to　the　effect　which　this　incident　had　on　the　history　of　Kansas。　Abolitionists　of　every　class　had　said　much　about　war　and　about　servile　insurrection；　but　the　conservative　people　of　the　West　and　South　had　mentioned　the　subject　only　by　way　of　warning　and　that　they　might　point　out　ways　of　prevention。　Garrison　and　his　followers　had　used　language　which　gave　rise　to　the　impression　that　they　favored　violent　revolution　and　were　not　averse　to　fomenting　servile　insurrection。　They　had　no　faith　in　the　efforts　of　Northern　emigrants　to　save　Kansas　from　the　clutches　of　the　slaveholding　South；　and　they　denounced　in　severe　terms　the　Robinson　leadership　there；　believing　it　sure　to　result　in　failure。　To　this　class　of　abolitionists　John　Brown　distinctly　belonged。　He　believed　that　so　high　was　the　tension　on　the　slavery　question　throughout　the　country　that　revolution；　if　inaugurated　at　any　point；　would　sweep　the　land　and　liberate　the　slaves。　Brown　was　also　possessed　of　the　belief　that　he　was　himself　the　divinely　chosen　agent　to　let　loose　the　forces　of　freedom；　and　that　this　was　the　chief　motive　which　prompted　the　deed　at　Pottawatomie　is　as　probable　as　any　other。　Viewed　in　this　light；　the　Pottawatomie　massacre　was　measurably　successful。　Opposing　forces　became　more　clearly　defined　and　were　pitted　against　each　other　in　hostile　array。　There　were　reprisals　and　counter…reprisals。　Kansas　was　plunged　into　a　state　of　civil　war；　but　it　is　quite　probable　that　this　condition　would　have　followed　the　looting　of　Lawrence　even　if　John　Brown　had　been　absent　from　the　Territory。　Coincident　with　the　warfare　by　organized　companies；　small　irregular　bands　infested　the　country。　Kansas　became　a　paradise　for　adventurers；　soldiers　of　fortune；　horse　thieves；　cattle　thieves；　and　marauders　of　various　sorts。　Spoiling　the　enemy　in　the　interest　of　a　righteous　cause　easily　degenerated　into　common　robbery　and　murder。　It　was　chiefly　in　this　sort　of　conflict　that　two　hundred　persons　were　slain　and　that　two　million　dollars'　worth　of　property　was　destroyed。　During　this　period　o