female.' 'Sure I am that woman
is not to be, as she has been, a mere "second-hand agent" in the
regeneration of a fallen world, but the acknowledged equal and
co-worker with man in this glorious work.... Just in proportion as her
moral and intellectual capacities become enlarged, she will rise
higher and higher in the scroll of creation, until she reaches that
elevation prepared for her by her Maker, and upon whose summit she was
originally stationed, only 'a little lower than the angels.'"

In the darkest hours of that fearful conflict with slavery in which
she was engaged, when its advocates were everywhere met with
violence, and threatened with death, she wrote to William Lloyd
Garrison as follows:

I can hardly express to thee the deep and solemn interest with
which I have viewed the violent proceedings of the last few
weeks. Although I expected opposition, yet I was not prepared for
it so soon; it took me by surprise, and I greatly feared the
Abolitionists would be driven back in the first onset and thrown
into confusion. I was afraid of even opening one of thy papers
lest I should see some indications of a compromise, some
surrender, some palliation. But I read thy appeal to the citizens
of Boston, and found my fears were utterly groundless, and that
thou stoodest firm in the midst of the storm, determined to
suffer and to die rather than yield one inch!

Religious persecution always begins with mobs; it is always
unprecedented in any age or country in which it commences, and
therefore there are no laws by which reformers can be punished;
consequently, a lawless band of unprincipled men determine to
take the matter into their hands, and act out in mobs what they
know are the principles of a large majority of those who are too
high in Church and State to condescend to mingle with them,
though they secretly approve and rejoice over their violent
measures. The first martyr who ever died was stoned by a lawless
mob; and, if we look at the rise of various sects--Methodists,
Friends, etc.--we shall find that mobs began the persecution
against them; and it was not until after the people had thus
spoken out their wishes that laws were framed to fine, imprison,
or destroy them. Let us, then, be prepared for the enactment of
laws, even in our free States, against Abolitionists. And how
a