riod when her history became so blended with that of her Christian husband. Should any one suspect, from some passages in the paper, that she was apt to be carried out of the sound judgment of a sober faith by an excited imagination, it is proper to reply that unreal fancies were very far from being characteristic of her mind, which, with all its energy and spirituality, was unusually chastened and scriptural, founding all its convictions on the testimony of God in Scripture, confirmed by the witness of the Holy Ghost with her spirit. It is not difficult for an observer of the phases which the mind sometimes assumes from sympathy with the body, to see that her thoughts were affected by the brain, heated by fever, and swimming midst the undulations of the disease which had shaken her strength; but the fidelity she observed in writing her recollections savor little of an unwarranted enthusiasm, but rather gives us a beautiful exhibition of a living faith shining through and turning to a heavenly glory the infirmities of the flesh.

CHAPTER VIII.

PLANS OF USEFULNESS.

-Mrs. Graham's Correspondence.-Origin of the Monthly Missionary Prayer-meeting. The Mission to the Indians. -Relief of Poor Widows with Small Children.-New York Orphan Asylum.

It is now proper that we should go back a little in date, to resume the thread of our own continuous narrative.

Mrs. Graham, notwithstanding the incipient and onerous duties of her school, maintained a constant correspondence with pious friends, her former Edinburgh associates in religion and charity, especially with her dear and most intimate, and, as appears from her letters, her strongest-minded friend, Mrs. Baillie Walker. The interchange of pious sentiments between these devoted and intellectual women was highly valued by them both, and, on Mrs. Graham's part, was accepted as the means of increasing her activity and usefulness. In fact, Mrs. Graham endeavored to transfer to New York the same spirit and method of religious activity which she had cultivated in her native land and with her pious Edinburgh friend, and hence the origination of not a few charities, eleemosynary and religious, whose happy influences are felt to this day. It was about this time that, by the reviving blessing of the Holy Ghost, a missionary spirit began to prevail in the evangelical

churches of Great Britain, which, of course, excited the ardent sympathy of Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Graham. Mrs. Walker lost no time in sending to New York sermons, reports, and other tracts on these animating subjects, which Mrs. Graham eagerly received, and, not willing to confine the pleasure to herself, was accustomed to call together her most intimate Christian friends for the purpose of reading to them, and uniting with them in conversation and prayer in reference to the conversion of the world. These private meetings grew in interest and in numbers. Dr. Rodgers, of the Presbyterian Church, Dr. Mason, of the Scotch Associate Church, Dr. Livingston, of the Dutch Church, and some of the Baptist ministers, whose names have not reached us, were drawn into their sphere, and it resulted in the establishment (February, 1798) of a monthly missionary prayer-meeting, held on the evening of the first Wednesday of each month, in one another's houses of worship, by a union of the three denominations just named.

Was not this the first monthly concert of prayer for blessing on the missionary enterprise of modern times? The first meeting of this kind was held, if I mistake not, in the Scotch Associate Presbyterian Church in Cedar Street, then Dr. John M. Mason's; the second in the Wall Street Presbyterian Church, then Dr. Rodgers's; another in the Middle Dutch Church, Nassau Street.* I can not trace them farther.

* See Letters of Mrs. Isabella Graham, No. xiii., to Mrs. W. Bail

As a natural result of these prayers, a society was founded in New York for sending missionaries among the Indians, and also among the poor scattered settlers on the frontiers. The first annual sermon of this society was preached by the Rev. Dr. Livingston. It is carefully to be noted that a copy of this missionary sermon by Dr. Livingston was one of the publications on the subject which were read by the young pioneers of missions, who prayed under the shelter of the hay-stack at Williamstown. It is pleasing and most instructive thus to trace the links in God's providence toward the accomplishment of His, own designs by His blessing on the prayers and zeal of His people.

Mrs. Graham's religion was patterned too closely after the example of her Divine Lord to allow neglect of bodily wants while seeking the salvation of the soul; and so we find that, in the midst of her missionary zeal, which led to the formation of the earliest missionary society, she projected, and carried into successful operation (November, 1797), the "Society for the Relief of Poor Widows with Small Children"-a society which is still flourishing in active usefulness, having been continued, with unremitting energy, by successive almoners of most Christian charity, who have remembered the apostolical injunction, to visit the widows and fatherless in their affliction. I copy from the Memoirs of Mrs. Graham an account of the institution of this society, as it includes the first ef lie Walker; also, Mrs. Graham's Life (Tract Society's edition), p. 129, 130, 131.

fort of Mrs. Bethune in the exercise of active benevolence.

"Mr. Bethune, in the year 1796, was one of the distributing managers of the St. Andrew's Society of New York. The relief of this national society being confined to Scotch people, Mrs. Bethune's feelings were much interested for such applicants as could not be helped by her husband's almonership, and she, at the first, collected small sums for their relief; but, anxious to put the charity on a firmer basis, she consulted with some other ladies, called a meeting at Mrs. Graham's house, organized a society under the above title, elected a Board of Managers, and Mrs. Graham First Directress, Mrs. Sarah Hoffman Second Directress, and Mrs. Bethune Third Directress. Many, very many widowed have been made to sing for joy through the timely comfort afforded by the society so established during every year since. Mrs. Graham continued in the chief direction of the Widows' Society for a number of years, and was constantly assisted in the work by her daughter, Mrs. Bethune, until the year 1806.

"It had long before that time been discovered by the ladies of the Widows' Society that some systematic provision should be made for the orphan children of the deceased widows, as it was not within the scope of their society to assist them after the mothers had been taken away. This led, ultimately, to the foundation of the New York ORPHAN ASYLUM, under the care of a society of ladies bearing that name, an account of which will be given hereafter."