became a preacher among the Friends "for a piece of bread." If fanatics
sometimes "prophesied" out of the fullness of excited brains, or fervid
souls, no place-hunter adopted the pulpit as a profession. Only,
sometimes, it needs the presence of an overwhelming trial to bring out
the latent strength in a person's nature; and this trial was furnished
to Elizabeth Fry in the shape of her father's death. The thanksgiving
uttered by her at his death was also publicly repeated at the funeral,
probably with additional words, and from that time she was known as a
"minister."

In taking this new departure she must not be confounded with some female
orators of the present age, who often succeed in turning preaching into
a hideous caricature. She was evidently ripening for her remarkable
work, and while doing so was occasionally irresistibly impelled to give
utterance to "thoughts that breathe and words that burn." Still, after
reaching the quiet of Plashet, and reviewing calmly her new form of
service, she thus wrote, what seemed to be both a sincere and
common-sense judgment upon herself:--

I was enabled coming along to crave help; in the first place, to be
made willing either to do or to suffer whatever was the Divine will
concerning me. I also desired that I might not be so occupied with
the present state of my mind as to its religious duties, as in any
degree to omit close attention to all daily duties, my beloved
husband, children, servants, poor, etc. But, if I should be
permitted the humiliating path that has appeared to be opening
before me, to look well at home, and not discredit the cause I
desire to advocate.

Wise counsels these, to herself! No woman whose judgment is
well-balanced, and whose womanly-nature is finely strung, but will
regard the path to the rostrum with shrinking and dismay. Either the
desire to save and help her fellow-creatures, "plucking them out of the
fire," if need be, is so strong upon her as to overmaster all fear of
man; or else the necessities and claims of near and dear ones lay
compulsion upon her to win support for them. Therefore, while every
woman can be a law unto herself, no woman can be a law unto her sisters
in this matter. As proof of her singleness of heart, another passage may
be quoted from Mrs. Fry's journal. It runs thus, and will be by no
means out of place here, seeing that it bears particularly upon the new
form of ministry th