Mrs. Whittelsey's Magazine for Mothers and Daughters, Volume 3Various
Religion
Mrs. Whittelsey's Magazine for Mothers and Daughters, Volume 3
Various
Christian life -- Periodicals
But let us look more closely at the events of this history of a life,
and note their effect in passing upon the character of its subject.
MARY, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Hawes, of Hartford, Conn., was
born in 1821. Following her course through her youth, we are no where
surprised at the development of any remarkable power of mind. She was
prayerful and conscientious, diligent in acquiring knowledge,
enthusiastic in her love of nature, evincing in every thing a refined
and feminine taste, and a quick perception of the beautiful in art, in
literature, and in morals. But the charm of her character lay in the
warmth of her heart. Love was the element in which she lived. She loved
God--she loved her parents--she loved her companions--she loved
everybody. It was the exuberant, gushing love of childhood, exalted by
the influences of true piety. She seems never to have known what it was
to be repelled by a sense of weakness or unworthiness in another, or to
have had any of those dislikes and distastes and unchristian aversions
which keep so many of us apart. She had no need to "unlearn contempt."
This was partly the result of natural temperament, but not all. Such
love is a Christian grace. He that "hath" it, has it because he
"dwelleth in God and God in him." It is the charity which Paul
inculcated; that which "thinketh no evil," which "hopeth" and "believeth
all things." It has its root in humility; it grows only by the uprooting
of self. He who would cultivate it, must follow the injunction to let
nothing be done through strife or vainglory, but in lowliness of heart
esteem others better than himself. As Jesus took a little child and set
him in the midst to teach his disciples, so would we place this young
Christian woman in the assemblies of some who are "called of men Rabbi,
Rabbi," that they may learn from her "which be the first principles" of
the Christian life.
But let no one suppose that there was any weakness or want of just
discrimination in the subject of this memoir. It is true that the
gentler elements predominated in her character, and her father knew what
she needed, when he gave her the playful advice to "_have more of
Cato_." Without Christian principle she might have been a victim of
morbid sensitiveness, or even at the mercy of fluctuating impulses; but
religion supplied the tonic she needed, and by the grace of God aiding
her own efforts, we see her possessed of firmness of purpose and moral
courage enough to rebuke many of us who are made of sterner stuff.
For want of room we pass over many beautiful extracts from the memoir
made to exhibit the traits of her character, and to illustrate what is
said by the reviewer.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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