and get first-class passage on the railroad." At this place a colored
man was in prison under sentence of death for "participating in a riot;"
and the next day (after the date of her letter) was fixed for his
execution. With some others, Mrs. Harper called at General Sickles' Head
Quarters, hoping to elicit his sympathies whereby the poor fellow's life
might be saved; but he was not in. Hence they were not able to do
anything.

"Next week," continued Mrs. Harper, "I am to speak in a place where one
of our teachers was struck and a colored man shot, who, I believe, gave
offence by some words spoken at a public meeting. I do not feel any
particular fear."

Her Philadelphia correspondent had jestingly suggested to her in one of
his letters, that she should be careful not to allow herself to be
"bought by the rebels." To which she replied:

"Now, in reference to being bought by rebels and becoming a
Johnsonite I hold that between the white people and the colored
there is a community of interests, and the sooner they find it
out, the better it will be for both parties; but that community
of interests does not consist in increasing the privileges of
one class and curtailing the rights of the other, but in getting
every citizen interested in the welfare, progress and durability
of the state. I do not in lecturing confine myself to the
political side of the question. While I am in favor of Universal
suffrage, yet I know that the colored man needs something more
than a vote in his hand: he needs to know the value of a home
life; to rightly appreciate and value the marriage relation; to
know how and to be incited to leave behind him the old shards
and shells of slavery and to rise in the scale of character,
wealth and influence. Like the Nautilus outgrowing his home to
build for himself more 'stately temples' of social condition. A
man landless, ignorant and poor may use the vote against his
interests; but with intelligence and land he holds in his hand
the basis of power and elements of strength."

While contemplating the great demand for laborers, in a letter from
Athens, February 1st, 1870, after referring to some who had been
"discouraged from the field," she wisely added that it was "no time to
be discouraged."

* * * "If those who can benefit our people will hang around
places where they are not needed, they may expect to be