_Copy of a Letter addressed to the Members of the Mothers’ Society_, _during a few weeks’ absence from home_.
“4, NELSON CRESCENT, RAMSGATE, _April_ 16, 1854.
“It gives me much pleasure to have this opportunity of continuing my intercourse with you. I should have written to you earlier, if I had not been so very much occupied in various ways.
“There are few days in which I do not think of you, and on this day especially (Wednesday, the usual day of our meeting) I never forget to spend part of the evening in earnest prayer to God, that He would bless you, and make you great blessings to all with whom you are connected. I feel that your influence is so great, either for good or evil, that, in blessing and teaching you, God will be bestowing a rich blessing upon very many others.
“We have so often spoken together, on the importance of our influence over our children, that I do not just now intend dwelling upon that. There is another view of this subject which has often been present to my mind of late, and I should like to try to interest you in it; I mean, the influence for good which God designs our children should have over us.
“During the time I resided in Bath, I met with a circumstance which much impressed my mind with this view of the subject; and I was glad, on looking into my desk, the other day, to find I had kept an account of it, as I am thus able to give it to you more correctly.
“I think I have told you, I used to manage a Female Friendly Society in Bath, that is, a society where a number of poor women pay in so much a week, to have out a certain sum when they are ill. The rule was, that when they required this money they sent me a certificate, signed by a doctor, stating that they were ill; and as long as the illness continued, they sent to me every week for the money, each time producing lie certificate. We used to meet once a fortnight, to pay in money, settle accounts, &c. At one of these meetings, I said to a young woman—
“‘I see, Esther, you have had money from this society four weeks.’ She said—
“I looked carefully over my accounts, and found that money had really been paid to her name for four weeks. After much inquiry and investigation, we found that Esther’s mother, a wicked and abandoned woman, had, by some means, obtained the certificate, presented it; and had appropriated the money to her own purposes. As soon as this was quite ascertained, I declared my intention of calling upon the woman, and talking to her about it. All of them who knew her tried to dissuade me from this, assuring me that she was such a dreadful character that I should hardly be safe from personal violence. However, as such a thing could not be allowed to pass unnoticed, I felt it was right to go; and after earnest prayer to God for a wise and understanding heart, I set out.