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Show 6 Preface by the Author. , When I first arrived in Philadelphia, Bishop Paine advised me to publish a sketch of my life, but I told him I ,vns altogether incompetent to such an undartaking. Though I have improved n1y mind somewhat since that tiine, I still rmnain of the san1e opinion; but I trust 1ny motives ·will excuse what mirrht otherwise seem presumptuous. I have not b written my experiences in order to attract attention to myself; on the contrary, it 'vould have been more pleasant to me to have been silent about my o'vn history. Neither do I care to excite sympathy for 1ny own sufferings. But I do earnestly desire to arouse the women of the North to a realizing sense of the condition of t'vo 1nillions of 'vomen at the South, still in bondage, suffering 'vbat I suffered, and most of them far 'vorsc. I want to add tny testimony to that of abler pens to convince the people of the Free States 'vhat Slavery really is. Only by experience can any one realize how deep, and dark, and foul is that pit of abominations. May the blessing of God rest on this imperfect effort in behalf of my pcn~ecuted people ! LINDA BRENT. INTRODUCTION BY THE EDITOR. TnE author of the following nutobiogrnphy is personally lu1o,vn to me, and her conYcr ation and Inanners inspire Inc ·with confidence. During the Ia t seventeen years, she has lived the greater part of the titnc 'vith a distinguished finnily in N c'v York, and has so deported herself as to be highly estcmnccl by them. This fact is sufficient, 'vithont further credentials of her chnractcr. I believe those ·who kno'v her will not be di. po eel to doubt her Ycracity, thongh s01ne incidents in her story arc more rolnantic than fiction. J\.t, her request, I h:tYC r cYisc<l her m nnn:-~cript; hnt such changeR as I have n1adc have been mni1dy for purpose of conclens:1tion and orderly :uT:tngcn1cnt. I h:we uot adtlccl any thing to the in c i<l ent~, or eh:mgcd the in1port of h er Yery pertinent n \1narks. \Vith trifling exception , both the i<lcas an<l the bngnngc are her own. I prnncd cxcresecnc<-\. a little, but othcnvisc I had no rcn~on f()r chnngi ng her lively nnd dnnnntic wny of t elling her own story. The nan1es of both persons and places nrc known to me; bnt for good reasons I snpprc;'s them. It will natnrally excite s nrpri ~e thnt a wmnnn rcn rc<.l iu ~la\ cry shoultl be able to write Hv well. BnL eir( 7) ,. |