Miss Ellis's Mission Part 9

MY DEAR FRIEND,--Your letter was duly received, and I wanted to answer it immediately, but have been too weak to write _comforting_ letters.

Am so sorry to hear you are still sick, and wish I could help you.

Am still more sorry to hear you are "dreading" the summer; but I do not wonder at it, for on a farm the labor required by the women in the house must be incessant.... I cannot take the burden off your shoulders; but perhaps a word of sympathy from another, and something from her experience, may enable you to face the difficulties.... My experience has been that when antic.i.p.ating a hard time, if I only accept it, and make up my mind that it _has_ to be my part, half the burden is taken off, if I determine to go through with it all, giving myself up to that work and thinking of nothing beyond in the mean time. Take all the rest I can get, instead of trying to do something else too. Rest will do you more good than company or books, when you are so used up with real hard work. Women all try to attend to too much outside of their households, for the sake of company and variety; do you not think so? Now, just take things as quietly as you can this summer, and feel that in your home duties you have more than you can do, and look forward to the time when summer will be over and you will have less care.

After her death, the lady wrote:--

"I sent my letter to her home by a messenger who reported that he understood at the door, as he handed it to the person who answered the bell, that Miss Ellis was dead. I hoped that he was mistaken, but your letter confirmed it. I knew she was very feeble. She wrote me some two weeks before Christmas, saying she was very weak; but I did not think for one moment that she was in danger, or I would have hurried to see her. I shall miss her greatly, and her dear letters to me, which I prized so highly; and you, who saw more of her than I could possibly, will feel her loss greatly. I believe there are few persons capable of entering so entirely into sympathy with others who needed it as she was, and of giving such consolation; at least, it has not been my good fortune to meet many such. I will be glad to receive the memorial of which you speak. I shall be very glad if your minister would write me on the subject of joining the church, as I was depending on Miss Ellis to guide me in the matter, which she was ready to do one year or more ago."

In 1884 Miss Ellis received the following letter from a young man, Mr.

A. J. Beach, who had been one of her discouragements, because, after some correspondence, she had ceased to hear from him. Mr. Beach was usher in the State Penitentiary at Joliet, Ill.

"More than a year ago I wrote to thank you for papers which you had kindly sent me. In answer, you sent me a very kind letter, and named several books which I might read with profit. I procured a number of Rev. James Freeman Clarke's works, which I read carefully, and from which I gathered much of great value. I also subscribed to two of the papers you named, to which I have become so much attached that I could not possibly do without them.... Your letter led me to a course of reading and investigation that has proved a sun-burst to me. I have been in darkness. I am out of it now. I am connected with the State Prison (as usher), not the pleasantest position in the world; but I have tried to show many of the poor convicts the better way of life, and to cheer them by kind words and a showing of real interest in their unfortunate condition, and I believe I have succeeded in making lighter many a poor friendless fellow's load...."

The following extracts are from others of his letters:--

"I have read the sermons, and have handed them to a very intelligent prisoner, who has become greatly interested in Unitarian teachings, and requested him to pa.s.s the doc.u.ments to others, after reading them. He will do so, and will see that they are kept moving. I am glad you are taking so much interest in our prison. There is much need of genuine kindness here, and it cannot be better shown than in a true and apparent desire to raise the unfortunates to a higher plane of thought and action. These men and women are in a sense left to themselves. They are not permitted to talk to each other. They pa.s.s long hours in their cells either reading or thinking. Is it not the very time to get them started thinking in the right direction? You say, We shall write to the Secretary of the Women's Auxiliary Conference in Boston, ... and interest them in the Joliet prison. This is good news. The Post Office Mission is truly a grand mission, and is doing more good than you may think of."

The next letter says:--

"The papers and tracts you have been kind enough to send me have been given to prisoners, and they have been pa.s.sed from hand to hand until literally worn out. There are a great many very intelligent men among the fifteen hundred and fifty convicts now in our prison, and they (or many of them, at least) are very glad to get such papers and tracts as you have sent me; and I am only too glad to place such reading matter in their hands. You asked if old 'Registers' and 'Unities' would do any good. They would be thankfully received by many of the unfortunate men, and would be carefully read by them. Reading is one of the very few privileges granted convicts.... I to-day received from Mrs. Thacher, of Boston, a bill of lading for two barrels of papers and magazines s.h.i.+pped for distribution among prisoners; also a kind and very interesting letter from Mrs. Thacher,--for all of which I am indebted to you. I am glad, indeed, Unitarian people understand that convicts want and appreciate something more in reading matter than chilling tracts. We are constantly receiving for distribution the strongest kind of Orthodoxy, but the prisoners do not seem to take kindly to it.... An old colored man, who was sent here eleven years ago under life sentence, said to me yesterday, 'I tell yo', sah, it seems mighty ha'd to sarve in h.e.l.l all yo' life in dis place, an' den have to take it for sartin' su'ah in de nex' worl'.'

He seemed to think that a sentence to the penitentiary was merely carrying out a part of the divine plan; in other words, he was foreordained to eternal suffering, and has got eleven years on his way.... We found the books and papers to be all that could be desired, and have taken great pleasure in distributing them....

Could you have heard the genuine thankfulness expressed by the unfortunate prisoners as I pa.s.sed along the galleries distributing the reading matter, you surely would have felt amply repaid for interesting yourself in them.... Many said, 'G.o.d bless the ladies who thought of us!' with an earnestness and sincerity which indicated clearly to me that they felt and appreciated the kindness and the motives of the donors. My experience among convicts has convinced me that kindness shown toward them is never wasted. There are in this prison several noted criminals,--men who have the reputation of being brutal desperadoes,--with whom I have frequently talked, and have invariably found to be easily touched by a kind word and act."

Last June Mr. Beach dropped dead in a Chicago depot while on his way home. It seems proper to copy here portions of a letter written to his family by the chaplain of the prison.

JUNE 30, 1885.

... As we roomed together, I was with him more than any one else; and when not otherwise engaged, we read and talked together.... We were very frank with each other, and last Sabbath eve we had a long talk on religion. The reaction from a Calvinistic faith had evidently left him somewhat adrift. We talked of the cramping of creeds on the one hand, and the tendency on the other hand of (so-called) Liberal views to produce loose morals, etc. He dwelt on the fact that the perceptions of the mind were so much in advance of the inclinations of the heart, that men knew better than they did; adding, "Oh, I have often come so near to the wonderful process by which bad men are made good!" I reminded him that Paul said, "It is nigh thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart,"--dwelling at length on the whole argument in Romans x. 6 to 13 inclusive. I remarked that my habit of urging these views earnestly for forty-four years might have become obtrusive; but he answered: "No; if these things are worth anything, they are worth everything. If duty here affects destiny there, these are matters of primary and not secondary consideration." Little did I think then that in twelve brief hours he would know their reality better than I possibly could. In saying good-by [the chaplain adds], he said he would write soon, was glad he had ever known me, but feared he _would not see me again_; then walked off feebly but cheerfully with ----, who carried his satchel, and to whom he was much attached--though a colored convict, yet much of a man. At 7:30 A.

M. he went with Mr. L----, our purchasing agent, with whom he talked freely _en route_ to Chicago, who carried his satchel, helped him up the stairs in the depot, and at whose feet he suddenly dropped dead. A physician was called at once, but paralysis of the heart had stopped the wheel of life.... The boys here loved him _much_. B----, a special friend, gave him a pretty onyx cross for his little niece. I think he put it in his pocket.

Some Boston ladies sent him several boxes of pamphlets and books for the library, advising him to keep certain volumes himself, and I hoped he had written his name in them or set them aside; yet C---- (colored) and T. J. D----, who aided him in the library (and mourn him as a brother) think he read the volumes they recommended, but made no further claim on them. Some prison employees, like some physicians, find their sympathies decrease by constant use. _He_ was not so; for there was not a drop of tyranny or despotism in his blood, and any one who used power simply to oppress another was beneath his contempt. He could consistently say to the Recording Angel, "Mark me as one who loves my fellow-men." Oh! had I known all he probably meant when he said so tenderly at parting, "I fear we will not meet again," I would have followed out the impulse of my heart, clasped him in my arms, and then have said (as I did), "Yes, we will meet in heaven!"

The following extracts are from Miss Ellis's letters to Beach:--

DECEMBER 23, 1884.

Your letter was received last Sat.u.r.day afternoon, and was quite encouraging to us, for we may do some good work in the prison with one who feels interested with us. Your letter was particularly welcome, as the same morning came a letter from Mrs. J. I. W.

Thacher, Secretary of the Women's Auxiliary Conference of Boston, who responded promptly and satisfactorily to my letter, though she was sick in bed. After the hurry of Christmas is over, they will send you two barrels of literature,--"Registers," "Harpers,"

"Centuries," "Atlantics," and some few other materials. I feel as if this will be "good news" to you. Yes; it is a good time to turn the minds of the men, women, and boys in the right direction. "A little kindness" and good advice may help some of the poor creatures to a better life. Think Orthodoxy takes a wrong starting-point in teaching one that he is "totally depraved," and that he must wait for a sudden conversion in order to become good.

I feel as if Unitarianism is the better way, upholding that we are "not totally depraved, but incompletely developed," and that our salvation depends greatly upon individual responsibility. That we have it within ourselves to become what G.o.d intended we should be, and what was possible with Jesus is with us,--that we may become "sons of G.o.d" as he was. We are not to "s.h.i.+ft the responsibility off on to some one else," as M. J. Savage says. These poor creatures must be taught that the sin is greatly on their own shoulders, and they are capable of overcoming if they only will.

Mr. Savage's closing sentence is fine,--"Not to do wrong, one must develop in himself the ability of magnificent self-control!" That is the starting-point of many of life's failures,--lack of self-control. Teach these poor creatures that lesson, and some trade by which they can support themselves when they leave the prison. You wrote us word you subscribed to two of our papers. I take it for granted they are the "Register" and "Unity." If so, will call your attention to a review of a book on "Prison Reform,"

in "Unity," Dec. 16, 1884. I sent you yesterday a tract, "Unitarian Belief in Bible Language," marking several pa.s.sages which I thought might rouse some of the poor men and women and _boys_ (it is the _young_ we must work on, and see to it that we are making better men and women for the future) to a truer view of what sin is; also, "Wrestling and Blessing," by Rev. William C. Gannett. His first section, on "Inherited Burden," is capital, showing that in spite of it we may come off "conquerors." The whole of the tract is good.... Hoping we may continue to aid you in the prison work, and with the good wishes of the season from the Women's Auxiliary Conference to you and all prison-workers and inmates,

Cordially yours, S. ELLIS.

FEBRUARY 5, 1885.

If we can only make men feel their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, which they have of G.o.d, and that they are not their own, and that in sinning they disgrace this holy temple, it seems to me that there would be less crime in the world. It is the divine in their own souls they defile. There has been a tract of Unitarian hymns published. I will send you a copy next week, hoping that some of our beautiful hymns may cheer the poor benighted prisoners.... I have had people say to me, "The Unitarian faith does very well to live by daily; but when you are in trouble, or your friends die, if you do not believe in the Trinity, what have you to comfort you?"

My reply is, "We have G.o.d, from whom Jesus received _his_ strength.

We have the faith _of_ Jesus, and not so much faith _in_ Jesus. We can trust _G.o.d_ to help us in our hour of need; and if we have sinned we know _He_ is ready and willing to pardon us. We know that to live truly in this life will secure us happiness in the world to come; and that while we are here there is time to repent and do good, and we would not wish to feel that it was necessary for a perfect being to die to spare us from our sins. We had rather suffer on, if we have done the wrong, than see some one else suffer for us."

On receiving the news of Mr. Beach's sudden death in July, 1885, Miss Ellis wrote to his sister:

"... I was much shocked and very sorry to hear the news your letter, which was received this morning, contained, but was much obliged to you for speaking so plainly of your dear brother, for I was much interested in him. Not only I, but _all_ of our little Women's Auxiliary Conference, and also the ladies of the Auxiliary Conference in Boston. He was a n.o.ble fellow, and doing much good there in the Joliet prison. I hope to transfer my esteem and respect for him to his family in remembrance of him. How little it ever occurred to me, when I wrote the letter to him on the 20th, that the dear fellow was safe in his heavenly home. I am sure he deserved a high place with the dear ones above, in whatever faith he died. He used to write us such good, interesting letters, both here and to Boston. We were always glad to get them.... I never have known to what church he and his family belong, but have imagined the Presbyterian.... What church do you attend, and how old was Andrew? I am old enough to be his mother, I suspect, and looked upon him and some few other of my correspondents as 'my boys,' as one of my converts styles himself. My hope was that Andrew would study for the ministry some day.... I know what sorrow is, but must say yours is one of the most trying ordeals to pa.s.s through,--an only son, and such a n.o.ble one, to die among strangers. My heart aches sorely for you, and I do not wonder it seems like a 'dream' to you. We do not know and cannot tell why our dear ones are taken. We can only trust in G.o.d's love to lighten the burden for us after a time, and accept our present trial. The spirit of the dear ones will help us to be kinder and more loving to those who are left with us; and gradually a change comes over us, and as days roll on we find our lives are very different from what they were before,--purer and holier, and we have been drawn nearer heaven and been with our dear one all the time. I will copy a beautiful poem of Whittier's, 'The Angel of Patience,' at the close of this letter. 'Our earthly loss is our heavenly gain.' ...

Bear as bravely as you can, and the good Father will send peace to your souls as the years roll on. 'We must through much tribulation enter the kingdom of heaven.' We shall be glad to send papers to _you_ now. I think in the 'Register' you will find many things to comfort you often; and from time to time I will select something especial for you. Let me know, please, by postal, if you prefer not to have them. Shall be very glad to hear from you any time."

This letter led to a correspondence continued until Miss Ellis's death, and to the sending of much literature to the family. Further extracts from this correspondence follow:--

AUGUST 16, 1885.

... I do not wonder you miss the dear brother, and feel grieved that you may not see him again. I do not believe the good Father in heaven is angry if we murmur some. He cannot be so harsh as to have us cultivate family affections and friends.h.i.+ps on earth and not have any loving feelings left. No! It is right to mourn, but yet "not without hope." One of the most beautiful sermons I ever heard, and the most comforting, was one from our pastor, Rev. C. W. Wendte, on "The Dark Hours of Life, and what they bring us."

Here she copies the closing pa.s.sages of the sermon, and also four pages of poems,--"The Heart Prayer," by J. N. Spriggs; "I am so Weak," Jennie E. McCaine, both from "Unity Songs Resung;" "My Dead," by Rev. F. L.

Hosmer; and selections from "Scriptures Old and New." So little did she spare the feeble remains of her strength in these last months. Sept. 27, 1885, she wrote:--

"... Not that I have so much to do, but this changeable weather has unfitted me for work, and I have a good deal of extra work lately, that has exercised my brain considerably and required _long_ letters. I was put on a committee of three at the St. Louis Conference last May, for drawing up systematic Post Office Mission methods. Rev. Arthur Judy, of Davenport, Iowa, is the chairman. He has planned a circular letter and a book of records. It has taken much of my time to read the long letters and give my opinion of them.... We have to work very differently in this region....

However, in time we shall have more than one enlightened family in a place. The way to overcome is to lend our papers, tracts, books, etc., that the people may see we are Christians after all. We do not want to convert them so much, but to make more sincere Christians of them, and happier people in this world; and by degrees they throw aside their old dogmas without knowing it. We do have so many comforting books; so many good Sunday-school lessons adapted to grown people even; devotional books, too, with selections which fit each day; and also so many books containing a true account of Unitarianism and of the Bible, that I feel every one ought to read them, and own many; but of course they cannot....

I want to lend you a little daily book I have,--'Day unto Day.' It is in rather a dilapidated state, because I have sent it by mail to a number of persons. I have two copies, but both birthday presents, and I do not like to part with either. The pencil-marks in it are mine, as they have impressed me day by day. You may retain it three or four months if you wish."

The sister wrote in reply:--

OCTOBER 27,1886.

I wish to thank you especially for the loan of your book, "Day unto Day." It was very kind in you, and I have found it to be a perfect mine of beautiful gems of truth and wisdom, and "day unto day" it can furnish comforting thought for all occasions.

I was very much interested in your statement of your work as a member of the committee you mentioned. Certainly, such an amount of such elevating literature distributed so extensively must result in much good. The literature that I receive from you we endeavor to make the very best use of,--by first "thoroly" reading in our own family, and then lending to those among our neighbors and friends who will be most likely to give their attention to it. On one or two occasions we have invited in, on Sunday afternoons, some of our neighbors, and made them occasions for reading to them an especially good sermon or article, hoping to awaken sufficient interest to perhaps have frequent readings and talks. In our village there are two churches only,--the Disciples and Presbyterian.

The date of Miss Ellis's last letter to this correspondent shows it to have been written less than a month before her death:--

November 30, 1885.

Your letter was very welcome, and I intended replying sooner; but for the last three weeks have been very miserable, though up, out, and at work all the time, accomplis.h.i.+ng little, however. We were so glad to hear you were occasionally having Sunday readings and doing the good you can. To-day I have mailed to you "Songs of Faith, Hope, and Charity," and the last Church Door Pulpit "Channing," selected by Mr. Gannett, whose father, Ezra S. Gannett, was Dr. Channing's colleague for many years. It is an admirable compilation, and I wish it were in small book form, for it would make a very beautiful little Christmas gift. Even in this form I shall use it for such a purpose. There are three books I would call your and your friends'

attention to as little gifts of value at this season; namely, "Daily Strength for Daily Needs;" "The Thought of G.o.d in Hymns and Poems,"

by Rev. F. L. Hosmer and Rev. William C. Gannett, just published; then there is a pleasant story-book for boys or girls published last year, "The Browns." ... All this may be quite contrary to your feelings this year, and I presume you cannot enter into Thanksgiving and Christmas with the real spirit of former days. But not as you see the "golden lining" to all things can you give way to gloom.

There is always _something_ to be grateful for. How much worse _might_ have happened to us. Then, too, we can feel thankful that we had our treasures so long, and that they were such a pleasure to us.

Thanksgiving naturally makes us ask, "What have I to be thankful for?" and makes us somewhat sad; but at Christmas we lay aside all thought of self, and think of Him who was all unselfishness; and in this thought we try to forget our sorrows in order to send gladness thrilling through some other human soul, and thus forget our loss for that day at least, though tears may come involuntarily. Hope the Thanksgiving was as pleasant as it could be; that there was a reunion of those of you who are still living, and that the spirit of the dear one only drew you all together in stronger bonds of love.

We--father, mother, and myself--were invited to dine with my brother----, there to meet my dear sister's husband and five motherless children. It is the one pleasure to us to pa.s.s these anniversaries together, and to feel all our dear ones are with us in spirit, bidding us to be of "good cheer," for they are not dead, but with their love for us would guide us on to better things than _they_ ever knew or could accomplish. All is well with them now, and they look down smilingly upon our feeblest efforts to do the right and be cheery.

The sister wrote, Feb. 7, 1886:--

"... We were very much shocked when we heard of the death of Miss Ellis. We had known that she was an invalid, yet, judging from her letters, we had no idea of the great weakness she must have endured physically in writing to her correspondents up to so recent a date.

Her letters to us in our great bereavement were so full of tender sympathy with us, and were so comforting, we feel that we have sustained a great loss, even though we had never seen her.... It will be a pleasure to us to forward to you any letters of Miss Ellis either to my brother or myself that will aid you in the publication of a book ... that will extend and perpetuate the influence of so useful and good a life."

Mrs. J. I. W. Thacher wrote:--

FEBRUARY 17, 1886.

You will be glad to know that we have had very grateful letters from the several stations in Kentucky to which we have sent barrels of magazines and papers. To Eddyville and Greenwood we have sent twice; and Dr. R----(at the latter place) still says, "Send more whenever it is convenient;" so that we feel that the very miscellaneous collections have been really appreciated and enjoyed. In each barrel we sent large numbers of "Registers" and some good tracts, and then filled in with miscellaneous magazines,--chiefly the ill.u.s.trated ones. This is hardly Post Office Mission work, but I don't doubt it accomplishes much good, and I am always grateful to you and Miss Ellis for suggesting it to us.... Do you continue to be in communication with the Joliet Penitentiary, and is any one keeping on with Mr. Beach's work for the prisoners? It is a constant help and inspiration,--the thought of Miss Ellis's devotion to her work and her faithfulness to the end!