o doing good. Her name became a synonym for
spontaneous benevolence in her native town. By the bed-sides of the sick
and dying, in the home of poverty, and the haunts of disease, where sin,
and sorrow and suffering, that trinity of human woe are ever to be
found, she became a welcome and revered visitant. All sought her in
trouble, and she withheld not counsel nor aid in any hour of need, nor
from any who claimed them.

This was the prestige with which she was surrounded at the opening of
the war, and her warm heart, as well as her patriotic instincts were at
once ready for any work of kindness or aid it should develop. The
following extract from the Berkshire County Eagle, of May, 1862, tells
better than we can of the estimation in which she was held in her native
town.

"Mrs. Fenn, as most of our Pittsfield readers know, has been for many
years the kind and familiar friend of the sick and suffering. Familiar
with its shades, her step in the sick chamber has been as welcome and as
beneficial as that of the physician. When the ladies were appealed to
for aid for our soldiers suffering from wounds or disease, she entered
into the work with her whole soul and devoted all her time and the skill
learned in years of attendance on the sick to the new necessities.
Possessing the entire confidence of our citizens, and appealing to them
personally and assiduously, she was met by generous and well selected
contributions which we have, from time to time, chronicled. In her
duties at the work room, in preparing the material contributed, she has
had constant and reliable assistance, but very much less than was
needed, a defect which we hope will be remedied. Surely many of our
ladies have leisure to relieve her of a portion of her work, and we
trust that some of our patriotic boys will give their aid, for we learn
that even such duties as the sweeping of the rooms devolve upon her.

"Knowing that Mrs. Fenn's entire time had been occupied for months in
this great and good cause, and that all her time was not adequate to the
manifold duties imposed upon her, we were somewhat surprised to see a
letter addressed to her in print a few weeks since, complimenting her
upon her efforts for the soldiers and asking her to give her aid in
collecting hospital stores for the clinic at the Medical College. Surely
thought we, there ought to be more than one Dorcas in Pittsfield.
Indeed, it occurred to us that there were ladies here who, however