The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1880-11-27
Lucretia Motifs Life Work.

There hre several points in the character
and career Of Lucrotia Mott that are worthy
of special remembrance. In al human history
we can scarcely think of another woman who
accomplished so much; whose work WAS SC
bravely and earnestly done; who stood
throughout her life upon an intellectual plane
with the best and brightest men Of her
country and age, feared by some, beloved by
moreand respected by all, and who yet was
always and everywhere pure, true, gentle
woman Nothing SO much impressed those
who met Lucretia Mott for the first time,
after her name had been long familiar Us
that of an agitator and radical, as the sur
prising gehtleness of her nature. The idea
which we commonly attach to "strong-
minded woman" is not an agreeable one,
and il must BIO acknowledged that the strong
minded woman, so.called, as wa commonly
meet her, Is not an agreeable person. But if
ever there was strength of mind-strength
of conviction and of purpose devoted to
large ends-we saw it in Lucretia
Mott, and saw it joined with n womanly
Tenderness, simplicity and modesty that
made her domestic life rs beautiful as her
public career was distinguished AMI honor
able. One such example as this of the dig
nifty of womans work in the world is
worth volumes OF argument and columns of
TRADE. II is true that Lucretia Mott bad to
struggle many years against bitter opposi
al, ,pt oafotpef AhIppTtu
those who did not know or could not feel
the beauty of her life but she won right
TO be heard; she won the respect Of those
who heard her, and finally she helped to win
the cause in which she had enlisted, and all
without one moments sacrifice of the purity
and dignity, the grace and refinement whose
possession is worth more TO waman, whose
retention by women is worth more to the
world than all the fame that can be won
upon the rostrum.
1t is the universal testimony that the home
life of Lucretia Mott was model of all that
makes up domestic happiness, and in her d.
rect personal relations with those about her
she was the very embodiment Of womanly
delicacy. Guided always by that inner light
that to her, at least was very real, her life
was in the highest sense life of duty.
There was as little of self in it as in that Of
the humblest woman who spends her days in
household drudgery and never is heard of by
the world. The sorrow and suffering and
oppression that she saw appealed to her as
to the rest of u.s. and she responded 10 the
cry of help, believing that the strength 10
help would be given her. 1t was not for
ambition nor TO make noise in the world
that she became a preacher and an advocate
II was in obedience to an impulse that she
felt to DO divine, snd that certainly had y
divine blessing, and as she Conscentiously
strove 10 fulfil hef4 duty as wife, mother and
friend, with the same strong conscience she
wrought in the larger field that opened to
her as citizen of the world and friend of
humanity. 1t was from its essentially fem.
Inc unselfshness that the work of Lucrotia
Mott derived Its greatest power Among
all the anti'slavery agltators, able aud earn
est rs so many of them were, there were none
whose influence was greater than that Of this
gentle little woman, who joined the forcibe
directness Of woman's righteous instincts
and the loving devotion Of woman's faith
to- strength Of purpose and an earnest
truthfulness that even strong men sometimes
fail to reach.
There is lesson, first of all, for those rest
less souls who seek TO enlarge what they call
woman's sphere by robbing her of those very
attributes that make her power for good in
the world, and think to enlarge her iElu-
ence by the overthrow of the kingdom in
which she reigns supreme. And with this
there is the broader lesson for women and
men alike, that the great work ofcivization
and humanity never has been and never will
be done by the selfish, the ambitious,
the vulgar-minded and impure of spirit, but
is given into the hands Of those who, with
meek hear and due reverence, and with the
love of right and justice grounded in their
very nature, earnestly and truthfully seek TO
fulfill their duty at every step In life, and 90
forward bravely and faithfully to every new
duty or priyilege.or opportunity that opens
up before them. To those, be they men or
women, who enter upon life in such spirit,
no sphere of usefulness is closed, no serious
labor will fail to bring forth fruit. Their
field is the world, that lies fallow for their
planting and harvesting, and as long as there
are wrongs to be righied and sins to be
fought against they will find work to do that
will bring honor and blessings upon the doer
And the highest blessing of all awaits those
whose work is done in the spirit OF Lucretis
Mott. "Blessed," said the great Tea her
and surely we may repest the words as We
look back upon the life of this, His servant -.
blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall
see God,n