ll not some women be willing to die to sustain
and succor them?" No wonder that such sincerity won all hearts and
carried all before it! Alas! the brave spirit was stronger than the
frail casket that encased it, and that yielded inevitably to the heavy
demands that were made upon it.

A rare and consistent life was hers, a worthy and heroic death. Let us
stop a moment to admire the truth and beauty of the one, and to do
reverence to the deep devotion of the other. The following sketch is
gathered from the pages of a "Memorial" published by her friends
shortly after her death, which occurred at Niagara Falls, July 27th,
1864.

"Margaret Elizabeth Breckinridge was born in Philadelphia, March 24th,
1832. Her paternal grandfather was John Breckinridge, of Kentucky, once
Attorney-General of the United States. Her father, the Rev. John
Breckinridge, D. D., was his second son, a man of talent and influence,
from whom Margaret inherited good gifts of mind and heart, and an
honored name. Her mother, who was the daughter of Rev. Samuel Miller, of
Princeton, N. J., died when Margaret was only six years old, at which
time she and her sister Mary went to live with their grandparents at
Princeton. Their father dying three years afterwards, the home of the
grandparents became their permanent abode. They had one brother, now
Judge Breckinridge of St. Louis. Margaret's school-days were pleasantly
passed, for she had a genuine love of study, an active intellect, and a
very retentive memory. When her school education was over, she still
continued her studies, and never gave up her prescribed course until the
great work came upon her which absorbed all her time and powers. In the
year 1852 her sister married Mr. Peter A. Porter of Niagara Falls, a
gentleman of culture and accomplishments, a noble man, a true patriot.
At his house the resort of literary and scientific men, the shelter of
the poor and friendless, the centre of sweet social life and domestic
peace, Margaret found for a time a happy home.

"Between her and her sister, Mrs. Porter, there was genuine sisterly
love, a fine intellectual sympathy, and a deep and tender affection. The
first great trial of Miss Breckinridge's life was the death of this
beloved sister which occurred in 1854, only two years after her
marriage. She died of cholera, after an illness of only a few hours.
Margaret had left her but a few days before, in perfect health. The
shock was so terrible that for