Letters of Lydia Maria Child, with a biographical introduction by John G. Whittier and an appendix by Wendell Phillips.

LETTERS. 47
eries, oppressions, crimes, of our human brethren,
and awakens longings for their redemption. In thus
calling us, he imposes on us a burden such as the ancient prophets groaned under. We must drink of
the cup and be baptized into the baptism of our Master. We must expect persecution in some form or
other: but this is a light matter compared with the
painful necessity of fixing our eyes and souls on evil,
and with the frequent apparent failure of our labor.
Here, here is the trial. Could we lift up our fellowcreatures at once to the happiness and excellence
which we aspire after, what a joy would reform be!
But, alas, if we do remove a few pressing evils, how
many remain! What a cloud still hangs over the
earth! Sometimes evil seems to grow up under the
efforts to repress it. Were it not for our faith, who
could persevere? But with this faith what a secret
sustaining joy flows into and mingles with sincere
labors for humanity! The little we accomplish becomes to us a pledge of something infinitely greater.
We know that the brighter futurity which our hearts
yearn for is not a dream, that good is to triumph over
evil, and to triumph through the sacrifices of the good.
You see I would wed you and myself to reform,
and yet we must do something more than reformers.
We must give our nature a fair chance. We must
not wither it by too narrow modes of action. Let
your genius have free play. We are better reformers, because calmer and wiser, because we have more
weapons to work with, if we give a wide range to
thought, imagination, taste, and the affections. We
must be cheerful, too, in our war with evil; for
gloom is apt to become sullenness, ill-humor, and bitterness.