We wish we had space for some extracts from Sarah Martin's "Prison Sermons," as well as from some larger extracts from her most interesting "Prison Books." We must be content to refer those who wish to acquaint themselves with those compositions-(and particularly with the very striking Sermon, which was written by herself, and thus docketed, "To be read at the gaol on the Sunday after my death, if a kind friend will perform that office," and which was accordingly so read by the Rev. J. E. Cox)-to her "Life," as published by the Religious Tract Society.

Sarah Martin continued her two services at the gaol on Sundays, till the year 1831. About that time her strength began to fail, and then "it pleased God that a good minister, who then came to reside in the parish, undertook the afternoon-service; thus affording her a timely relief." And thus in her "happy and quiet course, comparatively unknown and unnoticed," though supported by the governor of the gaol and his wife, this noble-hearted woman persisted for about three years.

The next effort of this practical prison-reformer was to introduce into the gaol, employment, first for the female, and afterwards for the male prisoners. In 1823, one gentleman presented her with ten shillings, and another, in the same week, with a pound, for prison-charity. It then occurred to her that it would be well to expend it in materials for baby-clothes; and having borrowed patterns, cut out the articles, fixed prices of payment for making them, and ascertained the cost of a set, so that they might be disposed of at a certain price, the plan was carried into effect. The prisoners also made shirts, coats, &c., and on the plan being known, charitable persons supported it, and thus, to adopt the words of Sarah Martin, "did good in two ways; for, in giving to the poor, they also gave employment to the prisoners.” By means of this plan," she continues, "many young women, who were not able to sew, learned the art; and in satisfactory instances, had a little money to take at the end of the term of their imprisonment, which (money) in many instances proved of great use. The fund of £1. 10s. for this purpose, as a foundation and perpetual stock, (for, whilst desiring its preservation, I did not require its increase) soon rose to £7. 7s.; and, since its establishment, above 408 pounds-worth of various articles have been sold for charity."

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The male prisoners at this period were not numerous; and, under the management of this remarkable woman, some of them were employed in making straw hats, and, at a later period, bone spoons, and seals; others made men's and boy's caps, the materials old cloth or moreen,

or whatever the friends of their benefactress could give her for such purposes. In some instances young men, and more frequently boys, learned to sew gray cotton shirts, and even patchwork, "with the view of shutting out idleness, and making themselves useful." On one occasion, their judicious friend showed to the prisoners an etching of "The Chess Player," by Retzch, which etching, two men-one a shoemaker, and the other a bricklayer-greatly desired to copy; she allowed them to do so, and, being supplied with pencil, pen, paper, &c., they succeeded remarkably well. "The Chess Player," to use the words of Sarah Martin, "presented a pointed and striking lesson, which could be well applied to any kind of gaming, and was on this account suitable to my pupils, who had generally descended from the love of marbles and pitch-halfpenny, in children, to cards, dice, &c., in men; and the business of copying it had the advantage of requiring all thought and attention at this time. The attention of other prisoners was attracted to it, and for a year or two afterwards many continued to make copies of it."

Some time afterwards, this active prison-reformer proceeded to the formation of a fund for the supplying of prisoners with work after their discharge. A gift of £2, from a lady belonging to the British Ladies' Society, led to the formation of this fund; subsequently, a benevolent gentleman gave an annual subscription of £1 to the same object, and his example was followed by the visiting justices, and by several other

persons.

A fund, called "the Sinking Fund," in aid of the employment of female discharged prisoners, was also greatly aided by the British Ladies' Society.

And thus did SARAH MARTIN, in the course of a few years, during which her mind had gradually expanded to the requirements of the subject before her, "provided for all the most important objects of prison-discipline-moral and intellectual tuition, occupation during imprisonment, and employment after discharge. Whilst great and good men, at a distance, unknown to her, were inquiring and disputing as to the way and the order in which these very results were to be attained, here was a poor woman, herself actually and personally accomplishing them all!"* It matters not, as it has been justly observed, whether all her measures were the very wisest that could have been imagined— prison-discipline was then in its infancy, and she had to contend with difficulties which now no longer exist. Everything which she did was Edinburgh Review, April, 1847.

conceived in the best spirit, and, considering the time and the means at her command, her measures could scarcely have been improved.

It is needless to say of such a woman as SARAH MARTIN, that her benevolent exertions, supported, as they were, by genuine Christian principles, were not exclusively directed towards the benefit of the inmates of the Yarmouth gaol. She set apart the Monday of every week" for claims distinct from the prison." It was a source of great pleasure to her, for several years, to reserve an hour or two of every Monday to hear a number of girls and boys repeat from the Holy Scriptures verses which they had committed to memory, of course under her direction, during the past week. "The largest number," she writes, "that ever attended for this purpose, was seventy; but at a later period, when Sunday-schools were formed in the parish church, and in other places of worship, the number became smaller; and on giving them up, I recommended them to a better advantage."

Throughout the whole course of her prison labours, Sarah Martin continued her visits to the aged inmates of the workhouse, and her health now began to suffer from her close attendance in the small rooms of that building. Another field of labour was, however, at this time opened to her, with reference to which she thus writes" Whilst compelled, with sincere regret, to leave that department (the visiting of the aged persons in the workhouse), another interesting one was opened to me in the instruction of the workhouse children, to which Monday afternoons were then happily devoted; and in this work I was ever kindly supported by every successive governor."

"The children were first taught in a sleeping garret; but at length, by the kindness of the governor and overseers, a school-room was built in the workhouse yard. . . The workhouse school children were formed into classes. All committed portions of the Holy Scriptures to memory, as well as Watts's Divine Songs, from a short sentence to a number of verses, according to their ability. The weekly day of repetition was happy to them, as well as to myself." Doubtless it was! and the happy consequences, as it respects some at least of those children, will be as durable as eternity.

For the sake of those who may be desirous of following the example of this noble woman, in some of her labours of Christian love, we must quote the following passage:—

"An important advantage was entered upon, by the blessing of the Almighty, about the last six or seven years of my visits. I prepared from the Holy Scriptures ten sets of questions, answered by texts, on

the most prominent Scripture truths, in which all the children ever took an interest which astonished me. They were copied on sheets of pasteboard, in large writing, and hung along the walls of the school-room. I commenced teaching them myself, but on discovering that two girls, about nine or ten years old, had taught what they had learned of me to two of their bed-fellows, I proposed to transfer this work to such among them as desired to undertake it, and the plan answered well. Every girl selected her own class, and the boy, his, without any interference on my part. Some, in the absence of either time or talent to instruct others, taught themselves; whilst a few, uniting to learn together, were called a company. From that time, every child who entered the school knew the lessons without being taught by me. It was a cheering sight to see the happy countenances of each of these children, teaching their little pupils, for me to hear them on Monday. A few only had been taught to write by the schoolmaster, but all could read my writing on the cards.

"On the first Monday of every quarter, all the young teachers and their pupils had a little treat; they sat on benches round the room, with benches before them for tables. Each boy and girl brought a cup or mug, while I served them with coffee and something to eat. They had tickets of reward for diligence, which were reserved for Bibles, Testaments, and other books. This delightful privilege was mine until 1838, when a new workhouse was built, and a schoolmaster and schoolmistress appointed; and then, being no longer wanted there, I entered on teaching at the gaol every day, at which place a measure of employment for female prisoners had been first provided in 1823."

In addition to all this, this indefatigable woman devoted two evenings in each week to the instruction of a numerous class in the school for factory girls, at that time held in the large chancel of the old church of St. Nicholas. There, as elsewhere, she was the very life of the proceedings. Other teachers used to send their classes to stand by and listen, while she, in her original and striking manner, gave instruction to the forty or fifty young persons who were so happy as to be under her especial teaching. Every eye was fixed upon her, while in her simple, but most lively and effective way, she explained the matter in hand, whatever it might be, by an apposite anecdote, a fact of natural history, a piece of poetry, or more particularly by some illustration drawn from Scripture. The Bible, as it has been justly said of her, was the great fountain of her knowledge and her power. For a long period she read

the Bible through four times in each year, and had formed, for her own use, a most accurate concordance to its contents, Her familiarity with the striking imagery of Scripture imparted something of a poetical cast to her own thoughts, and was discoverable in a certain lofty simplicity of style, which was calculated to rivet the attention of those whom she taught. One main cause, however, of her influence over the minds of her pupils, unquestionably lay in her sympathizing nature. She was the friend as well as the teacher; and being felt to be so by her pupils, she was enabled to perform towards them innumerable offices of kindness, quite beyond the sphere of the mere schoolmistress, and was regarded by them as their best guide and counsellor.

If, during this course of active benevolence, there were any evenings not appropriated to the business of tuition, or to workhouse visiting, or otherwise specially set apart to some labour of Christian charity, such evenings were devoted to the visiting of the sick in the town of Yarmouth, or occasionally to a domestic and social visit to some friendly family, by whom her character was duly appreciated. On these latter occasions, which were most welcome to the young persons of the families whom she visited, her activity and cheerfulness communicated themselves to all around her. There could be no dulness where SARAH MARTIN was present. It was her constant practice, on every visit of this nature, to carry her needle-work along with her-such needle-work being always of a useful character-and if young persons were present, she never failed to enlist them all in her service. For the employment of the daughters, there was work to be prepared for the prisoners, or patterns to cut; and if young persons of the other sex were present, there were copies to be made, or rules to be written out, &c. In short, where she was, there was a busy evening. Among other accomplishments, she was pre-eminently skilful in turning to account, for the occupation or advantage of her numerous clients, such remnants or scraps of linen, cotton, flannel, or even paper, as are by many persons thrown aside as useless; and her friends generally were requested to preserve such articles for her use. The working-up of such odds and ends to some useful purpose often furnished occupation for the evening visits to which we have alluded; and if at such times some one present would read aloud, the enjoyment of the social party was complete.

Such were some of the benevolent labours, and such was the mode of life pursued by a lonely woman, possessing neither wealth nor station; a woman dependent for her daily bread on the labour of her