" Her hair, which in youth was of a rich auburn, turned grey at
the early age of thirty, and at length its silvery hue was superseded
by a snowy white, which gave additional impressiveness to a
countenance upon which happiness, purity and peace sat continually
enthroned. Her dress, the perfection of neatness, was modelled
after the most approved style of the Society of Friends, not as now,
modified and robbed of its interest by all-powerful fashion, but as it
existed in its original simplicity fifty years ago. Though not gifted
with any remarkable powers of mind, she possessed a sound and vigorous
understanding, which however, was rather quick than penetrating. This
she improved by a considerable amount of good reading. Her choice
of books was in harmony with the set purpose of her life, and seldom
surpassed the bounds of religious literature: for while she had no
sympathy with those little minds that, on the pretence of greater
religiousness despise human knowledge, she steadily kept in view the
rule she adopted in early life, "never to trifle with any book with
which she had no immediate concern," and consequently preferred those
which, while they informed the judgment, were also calculated to
impress the heart. Within this limit her reading was widely varied. To
the better class of biography, she added poetry, history, philosophy,
and divinity. Her favourite poet was Young, from whom she often quoted
at length; her favourite divine, Wesley; and her favourite book the
Bible.
Pages:
296
297
298
299
300
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
315
316
317
318
319
320