MRS. MARY A. LIVERMORE.

F

EW of the busy and active laborers in the broad field of woman's effort during the war, have been more. widely or favorably known than Mrs. Livermore. Her labors, with her pen, commenced with the commencement of the war; and in various spheres of effort, were faithfully and energetically given to the cause of the soldier and humanity, until a hard-won peace had once more "perched upon our banners," and the need of them, at least in that specific direction, no longer existed.

Mrs. Livermore is a native of Boston, where her childhood and girlhood were passed. At fourteen years of age she was a medal scholar of the "Hancock School," of that city, and three years later, she graduated from the "Charlestown (Mass)., Female Seminary," when she became connected with its Board of Instruction, as Teacher of Latin, French and Italian. With the exception of two years spent in the south of Virginia,-whence she returned an uncompromising anti-slavery woman—her home was in Boston until her marriage, to Rev. D. P. Livermore, after which she resided in its near vicinity, until twelve years ago, when with her husband and children she removed West. For the last ten years she has been a resident of Chicago. Her husband is now editor of the New Covenant, a paper published in Chicago, Illinois, in advocacy of Universalist sentiments, and, at the same time, of those measures of reform, which tend to elevate

and purify erring and sinful human nature. Of this paper Mrs. Livermore is associate editor.

Mrs. Livermore is a woman of remarkable talent, and in certain directions even of genius, as the history of her labors in connection with the war amply evinces. Her energy is great, and her executive ability far beyond the average. She is an able writer, striking and picturesque in description, and strong and touching in appeal. She has a fine command of language, and in her conversation or her addresses to assemblies of ladies, one may at once detect the tone and ease of manner of a woman trained to pencraft. She is the author of several books, mostly poems, essays or stories, and is recognized as a member of the literary guild. The columns of her husband's paper furnished her the opportunity she desired of addressing her patriotic appeals to the community, and her vigorous pen was ever at work both in its columns, and those of the other papers that were open to her. During the whole war, even in the busiest times, not a week was passed that she did not publish somewhere two or three columns at the least. Letters, incidents, appeals, editorial correspondence, -always something useful, interesting-head and hands were always busy, and the small implement, "mightier than the sword" was never allowed to rust unused in the ink-stand.

Before us, as we write, lies an article published in the New Covenant of May 18th, 1861, and as we see written scarcely a month after the downfall of Fort Sumter. It is entitled "Woman and the War," and shows how, even at that early day, the patriotism of American women was bearing fruit, and how keenly and sensitively the writer appreciated our peril.

"But no less have we been surprised and moved to admiration by the regeneration of the women of our land. A month ago, and we saw a large class, aspiring only to be 'leaders of fashion,' and belles of the ball-room, their deepest anxiety clustering about the fear that the gored skirts, and bell-shaped hoops of the spring mode might not be becoming, and their highest happiness being

found in shopping, polking, and the schottisch-pretty, petted, useless, expensive butterflies, whose future husbands and children were to be pitied and prayed for. But to-day, we find them lopping off superfluities, retrenching expenditures, deaf to the calls of pleasure, or the mandates of fashion, swept by the incoming patriotism of the time to the loftiest height of womanhood, willing to do, to bear, or to suffer for the beloved country. The riven fetters of caste and conventionality have dropped at their feet, and they sit together, patrician and plebeian, Catholic and Protestant, and make garments for the poorly-clad soldiery. An order came to Boston for five thousand shirts for the Massachusetts troops at the South. Every church in the city sent a delegation of needle-women to 'Union Hall,' a former aristocratic ball-room of Boston; the Catholic priest detailed five hundred sewing-girls to the pious work; suburban towns rang the bell to muster the seamstresses; the patrician Protestant of Beacon Street ran the sewing-machine, while the plebeian Irish Catholic of Broad Street basted-and the shirts were done at the rate of a thousand a day. On Thursday, Miss Dix sent an order for five hundred shirts for the hospital at Washington-on Friday they were ready. And this is but one instance, in one city, similar events transpiring in every other large city.

"But the patriotism of the Northern women has been developed in a nobler and more touching manner. We can easily understand how men, catching the contagion of war, fired with enthusiasm, led on by the inspiriting trains of martial music, and feeling their quarrel to be just, can march to the cannon's mouth, where the iron hail rains thickest, and the ranks are mowed down like grain in harvest. But for women to send forth their husbands, sons and brothers to the horrid chances of war, bidding them go with many a tearful 'good-by' and 'God bless you,' to see them, perhaps, no more-this calls for another sort of heroism. Only women can understand the fierce struggle, and ex

quisite suffering this sacrifice involves-and which has already been made by thousands."

The inception of that noble work, and noble monument of American patriotism, the United States Sanitary Commission, had its date in the early days of the war. We find in all the editorial writings of Mrs. Livermore, for the year 1861, constant warm allusions to this organization and its work, which show how strongly it commended itself to her judgment, how deeply she was interested in its workings, and how her heart was stirred by an almost uncontrollable impulse to become actively engaged with all her powers in the work.

In the New Covenant for December 18, 1861, we find over the signature of Mrs. Livermore, an earnest appeal to the women of the Northwest for aid, in furnishing Hospital supplies for the army. A "Sanitary Committee," had been formed in Chicago, to co-operate with the United States Sanitary Commission, which had opened an office, and was prepared to receive and forward supplies. These were designed to be sent, almost exclusively, to Western hospitals, and a Soldiers' Festival was at that time being held for the purpose of collecting aid, and raising funds for this Committee, to use in its charitable work.

This Committee did not long preserve a separate existence. About the beginning of the year 1862, the Northwestern branch of the United States Sanitary Commission was organized at Chicago, composed of some of the leading and most influential citizens of that city, and others in the Northwestern States. It at once became a power in the land, an instrument of almost incalculable good.

Soon afterward, Mrs. Livermore, and Mrs. A. H. Hoge, one of the most earnest, able and indefatigable of the women working in connection with the Sanitary Commission, and a resident of Chicago, were appointed agents of the Northwestern Commission, and immediately commenced their labors.

The writer is not aware that a complete and separate sketch of

either the joint or individual labors of these ladies exists. For the outline of those of Mrs. Livermore, dependence is mostly made upon her communications to the New Covenant, and other Journals-upon articles not written with the design of furnishing information of personal effort, so much, as to give such statements of the soldier's need, and of the various efforts in that direction, as together with appeals, and exhortations to renewed benevolence and sacrifice, might best keep the public mind constantly stimulated and excited to fresh endeavor.

Running through these papers, we find everywhere evidences of the intense loyalty of this gifted woman, and also of the deep and equally outspoken scorn with which she regarded every evidence of treasonable opinion, or of sympathy with secession, on the part of army leaders, or the civil authorities. The reader will remember the repulse experienced in the winter of 1861-2, by the Hutchinsons, those sweet singers, whose "voices have ever been heard chanting the songs of Freedom-always lifted in harmonious accord in support of every good and noble cause." Mrs. Livermore's spirit was stirred by the story of their wrongs, and thus in keenest sarcasm, she gave utterance to her scorn of this weak and foolish deed of military tyrants encamping a winter through, before empty forts and Quaker guns, while they ventured only to make war upon girls: "While the whole country has been waiting in breathless suspense for six months, each one of which has seemed an eternity to the loyal people of the North, for the 'grand forward movement' of the army, which is to cut the Gordian knot of the rebellion, and perform unspeakable prodigies, not lawful for man to utter, a backward movement has been executed on the banks of the Potomac, by the valiant commanders there stationed, for which none of us were prepared. No person, even though his imagination possessed a seven-leaguedboot-power of travel, could have anticipated the last great exploit of our generals, whose energies thus far, have been devoted to the achieving of a 'masterly inactivity.' The 'forward move