PART II.

THE LIFE OF SARAH B. JUDSON.

SECOND WIFE OF

REV. ADONIRAM JUDSON, D.D.

(_Extract of a Letter from Mr. Judson._)

"I exceedingly regret that there is no portrait of the second as of the
first Mrs. Judson. Her soft blue eyes, her mild aspect, her lovely face
and elegant form, have never been delineated on canvass. They must soon
pass away from the memory even of her children, but they will remain
forever enshrined in her husband's heart."

CHAPTER I.

BIRTH AND EDUCATION.--POETICAL TALENT.

In an article in the _North American Review_ of 1835, we find the
following admirable sentiments: "It is impossible to peruse the written
life of any man or woman who has manifested great intellectual or moral
power, whether in a holy cause or an unholy one, without a strong
admiration and a deep sympathy, and a powerful impulse toward imitation.
The soul is awakened, the active powers are roused, the contemplation of
high achievement kindles emulation; and well would it be were the
character of those leading minds, which thus draw after them the mass of
mankind, always virtuous and noble. But in the vast majority of
instances, the leaders of mankind, are individuals whose principles and
motives the Christian must condemn, as hostile to the spirit of the
gospel. More precious therefore, is the example of that pious few who
have devoted themselves with pure hearts fervently, to the glory of God,
and the good of man, and whose energy of purpose, and firmness of
principle, and magnanimity in despising difficulty and danger, and
suffering and death, in the accomplishment of a noble end, rouse into
active admiration all who contemplate their glorious career."

Such a 'glorious career' was that of the honored missionary whose life
has been sketched in the former part of this volume; and such too was
hers who forms the subject of the present memoir. Sarah B. Hall was the
eldest of thirteen children. Her parents were Ralph and Abiah Hall, who
removed during her infancy from Alstead, New Hampshire, the place of her
birth, to Salem, in the State of Massachusetts. Her parents not being
wealthy, she was early trained to those habits of industry,
thoughtfulness and self-denial which distinguished her through life.
Children so situated are sometimes pitied by those who consider
childhood as the proper season for careless mirth and reckless glee; but
they often form characters of solid excellence rarely possesse