New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-09-06
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
THE SISTERS GRI,fKE.

sAkAn AND a ~ RIRSEY 16mo, PIP. 5lo. Leg anu
sneps.N 80 rocora. pleasantly and modestly
written. of two thoroughly sincere ana hoUy III. az
W, 49,. To soothe the unhappy; to succor 'he
isi 80 aenv themselves to give to others less
..o. to defend the weak and enghten the
.~.oront-tbese were the Christ-lke prlnoiPi'S -
.st;.h these good women were guided iheiIs VIZ
"uo. oonventionally Christian lives, but they
~. nrro honest and unselfsh in the manner
''oht hv .he Founder of Christianity.
Tho two sisters were the first women aaVo0a'e'
=, America Of the doctrines OF aooitlon
..range TO say, they were the daugh'erS u
wealthy slavc-hOldng family in sOath C"iol'"',
The Grimkes were refined and eduoaVeu '"'e -,
higb position and honorable ancestry-a Taoo ooi
,ot;e 70 the last degree and full CT preuoice anu
s,.,ont;onality. Out of the group oil 'uuso
S,~;.,I,s fourteen children came these TWO s'inSo
-. hating slavery, agonizing over its er"oi''s
N,oat in their infancy. In n society ahllliteu'
o,,o,,sive 6eighting in luxury ana o's.'"S''u' u
o,or,tbino that savored of pecuarity, 'heso Jo""s
49, d.ooo,od dreams and cultivated convictions
,,,occnistie to the whole frame oil that SOCIETY,"
~ I'll could be- The younger sisters sense Oh VI0
wills Of slavery found expression even "hen NJ
ahld She accidentally witnessed the terr'oio "n''-
,,;Do Of n slaye-wOman, and rushing lro'i' 'uo
- +au,nest of sobs was half an hour aiter u's-
sea-capIain TO " take her away % ''"l0
sucb things were not done
,rha intel oetual restessness OF the SISTERS ieu
,ho,u in youth to much self-torment IN the matter
Of religion. They tried divers sects ana ehded at
la IN a devoted acceptance OF the broader
CHRISTIANITY which consists in following with All
ossihe exactness the practical teachings OF Chrls|
Mt II was through much tribnlation that theV ar
WED at Chs point. The pretty young Ahselih"
Isetorwarl Mrs Theodore Weld In her sirnggie ior
consistency, tore mp her novels ana stun'u
cushions with her costly lace h9uhces-hoU "aii"s
- Give away or sell such soul-destrOying gauds :
~ sha allied her diary with roasOnings on the
o,a,oav existing between the natural ana sp'rltuh
nrI1s and discussions Of the old theological ques-
49, q Are seasons Of darkness always occasioned
NV sin 81 Sarah's impulse to serve her hind was at
Cat saws her biographer. strangled at It's birtD oy
the iron bands of a rei gon that taught inc crnci-
svon Of every natural feeling the most accepta-
Lite Offering TO stern and relentless God' She was
now twenty-eght years of age ana with ihe eNcep-
ton of the period devoted TO her father she had as
cot tbought and worked only for herself 90 NOT
49,, that she neglected home duties. her private
charities aud visits to the afflicted but all these
oc3ces were performed from one especial motive ana
Win tbe same end in vIew-tO avert from herself
an wrath of her Maker This one thought filled all
- ,,inJ All else was as nothing Family and
friends home and humanity, were OF importance
only ne they furthered this object. 1t Is IN TINS
shirt that she mentioned her fathers illness ana
death and the heroic selfsacricing DEATH by ship
wreck of her brother Benjamin. TO which she could
resign herself from conviction that the stroAe
was sent as a chastisement to her. and was merci-
ful dispensatlon 10 draw his young wife nearer 10
God. We read not word of solicitude Tor mother
or brothers or sisters not single prayer for their
Oh tool Inns W.
ing over her own shortcomings to concern herseI
sbout their doom.
What the family c)nsideredl the religious
,agaries of the sisters, together with their openly
sxpresed disapproval OF slavery. gradually led TO
fbe establishment of their Independent life as
teachers AMI abolition speakers at the North Or
all their brothers and sisters only one Judge
Thomas Grimke. had any intelligent appreciation
of then unusual mental powers. lie wash very
mild way-a man Of advanced ideas. lie was a
nromnent member Of the Peace Society; ami once
replied thus to a question as to his possible action
If he were Mayor of Charleston and pirate should
attack the city: II would call together the Sun
day-school children and lead them in procession to
meet the pirates who woald be at once sUbdued by
the sight"
The story of the public life of the Grimke sisters
is the story of the early ant-savery struggle They
had to fight not only the bitter preudices of tie be-
levers in slavery and of the cOlnnizationists. but
also the spirit of tho time which angrily CON
demned the Appearance of women upon the plat
form g'hey were nobbed, laughed at. sneered at,
accommodated and VIXEN Angelina wished TO
visit her mother in Charleston the Mayor of the
city called upon Mrs. Grimke and informed her
that ner daughter would not be permitted to leave
the vessel bringing her into port. nor would she be
allowed TO communicate By letter or otherwise with
any one in the city. All this but added
powder to the unsefsh flame that burned IN the
soal OF the woman Of whose el0quence Wendell
Phillips has said that She swept the chords of the
human heart with power that has never been sur
passed and rarely equalled." How great was the
effect of the honest and earnest labOrs Of the two
sist rs it would be hard to say; but they
sumedly bore themselves as CALAMITY in the anti
slavery light as did any Of their brothers-n-arms.
Il is pleasant to Rnow that they lived to see the
success of the ideas for which they struggled.
Mrs Birney in her "reminiscences OF Miss Grimke,
presents a homey yet touching little pct ire
thoroughly characteristic Of the spirit which :
animated both sisters:
Sarah's economy, especially in trines was re-
markable almost as much so as the untinng, almost
painful industry of herself and Mrs. Weld.
penny was never knowingly wasted a minute never
willingly lost. Among other thrifty devices, she
generally wrote to her friends on tie backs OF CIR
cuars, on blank pages OF notes she received, on
almost any clean scrap, in fact. Angelina often
demonstrated with her. but 70 no avail
I" lt gives me few more pennies for my love
purse, and my friends won't mina," she would say.
This love purse was well named Into it were
east all her small economies; car-fare when she
walked instead Of riding; few pennies saved by
taking a simpler lunch than she had planned, when
in New-York on business the ten cents difference
all these savings dropped into the love purse
TO be drawn out again to bay new book for some
friend too poor TO get it herself 10 subscribe to
paper for another; to purchase little gift for
sick child, or young girl trying 10 keep up neat
appearance 1t was pair of cuffs 10 one mittens
or slippers of her own Knitting TO another, collar
or ribbon TO third. All through the letters