ght good lessons, which were the seeds of
useful fruit in after years. At twenty years of age, she married
Joseph Fry, Esq., of Upton, Essex. He was then engaged in business in
London. She had eight children, and must have had her hands almost
full of domestic cares and duties. But she had eyes for the troubles
and needs of the inhabitants who lived and loved, sinned and suffered
outside of the sheltered resting-places in her own home, and she became
aware of the pitiable condition of the female prisoners in Newgate, and
resolved to visit them. It was considered to be a very dangerous
experiment; but her woman's heart was strong, for she had faith in God,
and in the power of human love; and otherwise unprotected, she went
alone into that part of the prison, where a hundred and fifty of the
worst of her own sex were confined. The women were surprised into
attention and respect by her dignity and gentleness of manner. She
read to them some portion of "the old old story," and spoke to them
with such earnest love, that their hearts were melted within them.
Many of them heard, for the first time, of the divine compassion of Him
who came to seek and to save that which was lost; and as they listened,
tears stole into eyes that were strangely unused to shed them; and from
some of the poor wanderers a cry went up to the merciful Father, and
was the first prayer in the sinful, sorrowful life. In 1816, she
became a systematic visitor of the prison. About that time, the
"Society for the Improvement of Prison Discipline" was instituted, and
she worked in connection with it. She established a school inside of
the prison walls--found work for the idle hands of the women, and
succeeded in forming a Committee of Ladies who were willing to help in
the reformation of the female prisoners. It soon became evident that
the labour was not in vain. A marked difference in the habits of the
women was apparent. Instead of the riot and filth which were the
accompaniments of idleness, order, neatness, and decency, were
maintained. Nor did she rest when Newgate had shown some improvement.
Her thoughts were turned to the condition of the poor wretches who had
been sentenced to transportation. The foreign prisons were in even a
worse condition than our own, and she took several Continental journeys
in order to gain knowledge, and enlist the sympathy and help of
Christian people of all nations for the prisoners.

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