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1874.]
Rebecca Amory Lowell.
57
Your own consciousness of being involved in this plan will be
come more vivid and more blissful, and your duties in it more im
perative and more delightful. “ I will hide you in a cleft of the
rock,” said Jehovah to his servant, “ and cover your face as I
pass.” That is, you shall not see my face, but you shall see my
train after I have passed along. You shall see me in all past
history if you will read it, though you shall not see me before you
so as to overwhelm and repress your own free and spontaneous
agency. Glorious faith I that the whole past of the world, includ
ing our own little world of to-day, from the heights of the future
shall be revealed as the bright train where the Infinite Father has
passed along.
/ r ’ , ; ■»
REBECCA AMORY LOWELL.
We can imagine that to many of that wide circle who have
associated some of the best memories of their lives with this
venerated woman, just now taken from our midst, the first thought
as they read her name upon our pages will be that we are doing
• her a wrong by so public a mention ; for, perhaps, the most con
spicuous trait in her character was that peculiar delicacy and
modesty which made her shrink from publicity and almost refuse
the grateful deference which her rare gifts and graces irresistibly
commanded in the intercourse with society. But, on the other
hand, they will remember that her constant desire always was
how she might best serve others, and there is a power of service
in the record of such a life which she would hardly decline to
render. We feel that few things are more helpful, and more
appropriate to the purpose of this Review, than the memorials
' of those who have so adorned and illustrated our Christian faith.
Miss Lowell was born in Boston, Nov. 13, 1794. Her father
was John Lowell, son of Judge John Lowell, appointed by
Washington Judge of the United States District Court. Her
mother was Rebecca Amory.
8
* ■
/
�58
Rebecca Amory Lowell.
[Mar.
At the age of nine years she accompanied her parents to Europe,
and, during their three-years residence abroad, was placed by
them in a school in Paris, where she surprised her schoolmates by
her intelligence and the rapidity of her acquisitions. She, of
course, acquired the French language and always spoke it with
facility. Even at that early age she read Racine and Fenelon
with delight. When a mere child she evinced a strong love of
letters,\ and soon developed an enthusiasm for the beautiful and
noble in literature, united to a delicate critical taste. But, along
with this fondness for study and this intellectual development, was
a no less remarkable development of character. Her sweet,
gentle disposition made her universally beloved.
She completed her school education in Boston, and at the age
of eighteen she undertook the education of her younger sister,
then four years old, and of a little cousin. To their education
she devoted the best portion of her time for twelve or thirteen
years. After that she taught several of her nephews and nieces,
as opportunity occurred, and a few other pupils. Her method of
teaching was most systematic and painstaking. She attended to
every branch of scholarship, writing for her pupils volumes of
abridged histories, philosophies, &c., in French and in English,
adding, by way of wholesome variety and stimulus, the reading
aloud of poetry and romance and the best selections of light
literature. There was a charm in her voice and in her enthusiasm
which could not fail to inspire the young minds with a desire
< for culture and knowledge.
At a later period she was in the habit of receiving classes of
young ladies at her home for the study of history and literature,
and it was her delight besides to lend to young people from her
rich store of books on every subject, and foster in them the love
of useful learning.
Her care for the religious culture of her pupils was as constant
as for their intellectual culture, and-her influence in this direction
was very great. In 1832 she began to teach in the Sundayschool, first at King’s Chapel and then at Dr. Putnam’s, in Rox
bury, and continued this service without interruption till she had
completed her seventieth year. She kept her classes five or six,
and sometimes eight years, till the minds of her pupils became
�1874.]
Rebecca Amory Lowell.
59
mature, adopting, as in her secular instructions, thorough and
systematic methods, bringing in illustrations from every depart
ment of literature and life, and seeking to train them to habits of
accurate and conscientious thought on moral and religious questions
and to stimulate their higher spiritual sentiments and desires.
Very often young men continued in her class till they left for
college or for business life, and some men now in the ministry can
refer to her as one of those to whom they owe the most.
Since the death of her parents, in 1842, Miss Lowell has lived
with her sister in Roxbury, and it is in connection with this portion
of her life that she is chiefly known by the large portion of those
who will read this notice. It was an attractive New England
home, furnished without ostentation, but on a generous scale, and
with tokens everywhere of culture and refinement, and the visitor
was sure, not only of hospitable welcome, but of instructive and
profitable occupation. She was ready to be interested in every
subject. On all the topics of the day, political or social or literary,
she had clear and decided opinions, and was ready to support them
by argument or by illustration. Her memory was very remarkable,
and her references to history and literature were accurate and full •
of value.
In questions of politics and moral reform she was very liberal.
She was an early opponent of the system of slavery when such a
course was unpopular with many with whom she was associated;
but along with the intensity of her feelings and convictions there
was such sweetness of temper and such tender sensibility that in
her discussions she never wounded another’s feelings, and she won
by the contagion of her sympathy as much as by the force of her
argument.
Her active benevolence was manifested by her generous par
ticipation in all the charitable and philanthropic and religious move
ments of the day. During these many years there have been
few benevolent undertakings in this community to which she has
not contributed, of counsel or money or of actual service, and
she was ready to give her aid to causes or to individuals of what
ever name or nation, with a sympathy as wide as humanity. One
who knew it well fitly describes hers as “ a life shared in just pro
portion between good deeds and gopd books, between the activity
�60
Rebecca Amory Lowell.
[Mar.
of kindness and the repose of culture,” “ such a life as does not
go out in darkness, but leaves a long trail of blessed influences
behind.” If we could summon the many men and women, now
adorning society, who could testify that they have been indebted
to her or to that home for much of what is most valuable in the'r
character, we should realize how great and abiding, the influence
has been.
It remains only to speak of her religious character. She was a
devoted Unitarian. Her interest in this form of faith began in
the days of Dr. Freeman, for whom she had a great veneration.
Afterwards she enjoyed, greatly Dr. Channing, and shared in his
opinions, and she was always earnestly watchful of everything that
pertained to the interests of this denomination. She was liberal
and open to every ne phase of thought, and her convictions
were all grounded in reason; but nothing could disturb
the clearness and serenity of her faith. God was indeed her
Father, and Jesus was her Master and her guide and her most
loved Friend. She had a humble, childlike piety, and she culti
vated it by daily devout reading and meditation, and it pervaded
* her whole being. In her activities and in her studies and in her
conversation she seemed to carry with her the air of this communion
with the unseen. It shone in her countenance and it gave her a
peculiar sweetness and charm. She retained to the very day of
her death perfect vigor of mind and freshness of feeling, with her
last words testifying to the glad assurance of her Christian faith.
‘ We have tried only to give in simplest outlines a sketch of her
character, striving not to offend that sense of delicacy which would
forbid words of eulogy, and all the while, as we have remembered
how all this rare excellence kept itself from observation, we have
rejoiced to think that there is much of this highest type of Chris
tian living, nestled, fair and perfect, beneath the showy life of our
time — as the lily of the valley, of which she was always peculiarly •
fond, hides its fragrance and beauty under its broad, green leaves.
�
Dublin Core
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Title
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Victorian Blogging
Description
An account of the resource
A collection of digitised nineteenth-century pamphlets from Conway Hall Library & Archives. This includes the Conway Tracts, Moncure Conway's personal pamphlet library; the Morris Tracts, donated to the library by Miss Morris in 1904; the National Secular Society's pamphlet library and others. The Conway Tracts were bound with additional ephemera, such as lecture programmes and handwritten notes.<br /><br />Please note that these digitised pamphlets have been edited to maximise the accuracy of the OCR, ensuring they are text searchable. If you would like to view un-edited, full-colour versions of any of our pamphlets, please email librarian@conwayhall.org.uk.<br /><br /><span><img src="http://www.heritagefund.org.uk/sites/default/files/media/attachments/TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" width="238" height="91" alt="TNLHLF_Colour_Logo_English_RGB_0_0.jpg" /></span>
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Conway Hall Library & Archives
Date
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2018
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Conway Hall Ethical Society
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Pamphlet
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
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Rebecca Amory Lowell
Description
An account of the resource
Place of publication: [Boston]
Collation: 57-60 p. ; 25 cm.
Notes: From the library of Dr Moncure Conway. From the Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine. Vol. 1 (March 1874). For complete issue see: https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=wu.8906965 (accessed 11/2017).
Publisher
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[Unitarian Review and Religious Magazine]
Date
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[1874]
Identifier
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G5436
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[Unknown]
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Biography
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<img src="http://i.creativecommons.org/p/mark/1.0/88x31.png" alt="Public Domain Mark" /><br /><span>This work (Rebecca Amory Lowell), identified by </span><span><a href="https://conwayhallcollections.omeka.net/items/show/www.conwayhall.org.uk">Humanist Library and Archives</a></span><span>, is free of known copyright restrictions.</span>
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application/pdf
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Text
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English
Conway Tracts
Rebecca Amory Lowell