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Show 60 THE MONTHLY OFFERING. must that be, which a consideration of human suffering, and the means of relieving it, will hinder! 'The Spirit! ' not the Spirit of the Lord, for that is anti·s!avery, and can only stay where there is liberty. I do not construe the Bible as you do, my friend, I find." Here was another opposer of the anti-slavery cause brought out. Her next call was as unsuccessful, because the neighbor to whom she applied, did not wish to join in benevolent efforts with any but his own denomination. He liked, with Yankee foresight and discretion, to build up benevolent societies and the presbyteries with the same trowel, or as he inwardly said, " to kill two birds with one stone.'' This low state of mind was not able to perceive the beauty of the parable of the good Samaritan, with an allusion to which, his visitor favored him, or to exercise that Christian foresight which would have shown him, that if there was any need of societies, it must be because the presbyteries had not done their duty, and consequently, that both could not be temporally built up together. A fourth effort was repulsed by the confession of the friend with whom it was made, that she did not think affairs so connected with the politics of the country, the proper sphere of women. Mrs. James wondered in silence, as her friend had, only the week before presided at a Whig pic nic. ' The next call failed of success, because the lady had a J?arried cousin i~ Virginia, whose feelings would be hurt, tf, on her retu.rn 1~ the summer, she found her engaged in an. affa!r of thts kmd. The North had no right to interfere -It was a. state concern. Another attempt in the lawyer's family, was also fruit· less. After half an hour's conversation with the lady of the house, which apparently produced conviction, the gen· tleman overset the whole by coolly looking up from his co.nveyancing, and recommending them to form a Sewing C~re.le, and buy a slave with the avails; as then their con· sciences must be relieved by the fact that they had done all they could, A TALE OF t:NiltAVoR, 61 To1 m~ke a long st~ry short, the only effect of an after• noon s mtense exertwn, m walking and talking, was to rntse up a set of opposers to the anti·slavery cause. Mrs, James returned to her home sad, but not disheartened, for the effect upon her mind was a deeper ·and still deeper conviction of the goodness of the cause; her cause, as she now felt it must be for the rest of her life. The very cold• ness, and.?iscouragement, and contempt that had b"en pour• ed upon Jl, made her feel the necessity of vigorous exertiOn on her own part. The slaves had a friend in herself-the principles o{ freedom '~ere inextinguishably kindled in her own minJ, and she dtd not leave undone what one could do for their promulgation, because no others could be found to sustain them, "It is like the first preaching of the gospel;" thought she~" this application of it to a 4itherto unrebuked sin~ n si.n which 1 find is .growing up rank in the bosoms, that by thetr dtstance from Hs grand centre, might be supposed to have escaped its infiuence.'' And she prepared herself for the work with all the means she could command. She s~bscribed for and lent the Liberator-purchased and dis• tnbuted tracts-circulated petitions-solicited donationsin conversation was'' instant in season and out of season." To the observance of this last precept, she attributed much of the ultimate measure of success which crowned her efforts, She ceased to be called "the agreeable, delightful Mrs. James,'' but she prevailed, out of all that populous town, on a half-dozen obscure individuals to consider the cause of him who had none to help him, and they associated them• selves with her to promote it, She has not what she en• joyed three years since, the enviable distinction of being ''at the head of good society" in her neighhorhood,-but the .Senators and Representatives of--- county voted agat.nst slavery last year in their respective places, and the mtmsters there, who refuse to speak for the cause, begin to be accounted recreant to that Savior who came to proclaim liberty to the captive, A hot encounter is going on among |