Fugitive slaves -- United States; Hopper, Isaac T. (Isaac Tatem), 1771-1852
"His kindness of heart, and his active zeal in behalf of the fallen and
erring, whom he has so often befriended, have given to this Society a
lofty character for goodness, which, being a reflection of his own, will
endure with the remembrance of him.
"His forbearance and patience, combined with his great energy of mind,
have given to its action an impetus and a direction, which, it is to be
earnestly hoped, will continue long after it shall have ceased to enjoy
his participation in its active business.
"His gentleness and propriety of deportment toward us, his associates,
have given him a hold upon our affections, which adds poignancy to our
grief at parting with him.
"And while we mourn his loss to us, our recollection of the cause of it
awakens within us the belief that the good he has done will smooth his
departure from among us, and gives strength to the cheering hope that
the recollection of a life well spent may add even to the happiness
that is in store for him hereafter."
He sent the following reply, which I believe was the last letter he ever
wrote:
"Dear Friends:--I received through your committee, accompanied by
Dr. Russ, your resolutions of the 13th of February, 1852,
commendatory of my course while agent for Discharged Convicts. My
bodily indisposition has prevented an earlier acknowledgment.
"The kind, friendly, and affectionate manner in which you have been
pleased to express yourselves on this occasion, excited emotions
which I found it difficult to repress. The approbation of those
with whom I have long labored in a deeply interesting and arduous
concern, I value next to the testimony of a good conscience.
Multiplied years and debility of body admonish me to retire from
active life as much as may be, but my interest in the work has not
abated. Much has been done, and much remains to be done.
"In taking a retrospect of my intercourse with you, I am rejoiced to
see that the great principles of humanity and Christian benevolence
have risen above and overspread sectarian prejudice, that bane of
Christianity, and while each has been allowed to enjoy his own
religious opinions without interference from his fellows, we have
labored harmoniously together for the promotion of the great object
of our Association.
"May He who clothes the lilies, feeds the ravens, and provides for
the sparrows, and without whose Providential regard, all our
endeavors must be vain, bless your labors, and stimulate and
encourage you to persevere, so that having, through His aid,
fulfilled all your relative and social duties, you may in the end
receive the welcome, 'Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the
kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I
was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me
drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed
me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came
unto me.'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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