Post, Mary Robbins. Letter to Isaac Post.

Title

Post, Mary Robbins. Letter to Isaac Post.

Creator

Post, Mary Robbins

Contributor

Post, Isaac, 1798-1872

Description

Handwritten letter from Mary Robbins Post to Isaac Post, n.d.

Is Part Of

Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Rights

The organization that has made the Item available believes that the Item is in the Public Domain under the laws of the United States, but a determination was not made as to its copyright status under the copyright laws of other countries. The Item may not be in the Public Domain under the laws of other countries. Please refer to the organization that has made the Item available for more information. http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/NoC-US/1.0/

Identifier

236

Location

Rare Books, Special Collections, and Preservation, River Campus Libraries, University of Rochester

Transcription

(Page 1)
                                                                    7^th
            Dearly Beloved
                                           Repeatedly have I thought of taking up my
pen but as often have deferred it for a more convenient season, in this
way time has passed on until the present still there are claims upon
me which almost tempt me to forego the pleasure I feel in addressing
absent loved one's to perform the duties of my own little sphere
It is a most lovely day and all things are rejoicing in it and I too have
felt it influence upon my spirits and calmning [sic] and elevating above
the many discords which surround me and which have hindered I
now resolve to go cheerfully and hopefully forward doing what I can to
oppose error and encourage others to come to a higher standard of
right [illegible] I have been saddened by the consciousness that a
great obstacle is in the way of progress so long as the would be
expounders of holy things teach unsound doctrines as immediate
revelation doctrine too it opposition to the plainest precepts of
christianity for example I will give a sketch of a sermon delivered
last first day and the worst of all is the fact very many can
swallow all down without even a thought of the inconsistency [sic]
or wickedness of such doctrine I wish I had the sermon but as I have
not I will proceed she commenced by telling us she had been made
to rejoice in beleiving [sic] that we could all meet together in this way
and worship the Father of spirits however much we might differ in
relation to other views and as Jesus told the woman of Samaria that
worship was not confined to any place so I believe it can be perform^ed^
not only in the manner in which we are assembled to worship in the
silence but in other forms also the mind can worship amidst boreal
and instrumental sound both harmonious and discordant and I beleive [sic]
minds have worshiped the father in the thunder's of heaven in the
vibration of the earthquake and in the overflowing of the volcano
and on the battle field and ^I dare^ not say but it may be performed with
the finger on the trigger or with the lighted match ready to apply to
the cannon the Lord only is judge     and I believe he may permit
a nation to chastise a weaker one which may be broken up into
factions or parties shedding each others blood and bringing up

(Page 2)

their children in the same practices and I dare not say but he may
even command a nation to go against them to stop the effusion
of blood Let none of you say I am advocating war for I can not but
of peace which I would advocate from the rising of the sun to the
going down of the same and from the rivers to the very ends of the
earth if the ability was afforded and the command given to do so
after saying considerable not as objectionable she said she could
not feel easy without again alluding to the subject she did not
know why it was so for the first subject which impressed her mind
was worship as I said before I dare not call in question what is perm
-itted to take place I believe he may raise up a nation to chast
ise another and even command them to do so to stop the effusion
of blood as in the case of the Cannanites [sic] I believe it was a mercy
for them to be cut off they were sacrificing their children to Idols
by hundreds and thousands and educating their children
in the same practice and I believe that Moses Joshua Samuel
and the Jews were divinely authorized to destroy those
Idolatrous nations &c &c she did not beleive [sic] peace would
be promoted by calling ^condemning^ or the calling hard names nor the
oppressor made to relent by such means after the above she
said much which was in direct opposition to these views
alass [sic] alass [sic] it is sorrowful to contemplate the change from
what she once was, when she was an advocate of peace abolition
and temperance _       Joseph sent Wellington with a
long note stating dissatisfaction and objections to such
doctrine which was at varience [sic] with all the practice and
preepts [sic] of Jesus who emphatically forbid a resort to all such
means to reform mankind and the utter impossibility then
was in being prepared to worshp [sic] acceptably while engaged in
the diabolical work of butchering his fellow creatures touched
on the bad effect of such sentiments on a community and told
her he sent (with the note) a paper with a piece marked which
he thought placed the soldier in his true light &c &c
The piece marked was Henry C Wright Dick Crowningsheeld and
Zachary Taylor------have not heard from her yet and I do not

(Page 3)

expect we shall have the good luck to do so for she is very
cautious and keeps as distant as possible it is only in the gallery
that we hear such views from her _
Suppose you have heard the school house has been burnt well a
meeting was called of the inhabitants ^of the neighborhood^ to consult relative to
getting up another Joseph and a few others prefered [sic] having it a destrict [sic]
school to divide the Westbury and North Side and make three of the two
but that was no go - after much planning William T Cock offers to
build the house and for others who have subscribed money to furnish
maps globes &c &c the orthodox friends are to join in the concern I
have but little faith in ^the^ plan each in their sectarian zeal engages
in it they have engaged Emma and Esther Post for teachers we do
not feel very much pleased with the arrangement do not know what
we shall do         8^th I left this yesterday to attend to family duties and
before I could resume it we were sent for to Timothy's he had had another attack
of paralasis [sic] and he wished to see us we went and found him in a very
tranquil easy state of mind one side nearly helpless both leg's considerably
affected tho one he could move his intellectual faculties uninjured he
was as much interested as ever in the great reforms of the day spoke
freely on slavery and war of their horrible attrocities [sic] said he had just the
day before been reading the memore [sic] of Clarkson dwelt on his persevering
labors in the cause and encouragement there was for others to suffer and
sacrifice their powers in this great work of humanity said I want friends
to know that I feel in reviewing my life and ^in^ expectation of soon passing
away the greatest consolation and peace for having home my testimony
before the people against war slavery and intemperance encouraged us
to faithfulness gave much good advice and we felt it was a privilege
to be with him spoke too of the prevalence of sectarian religion among
all sects and the great inquiry it was the more they had the worse they were
off not so with pure christianity read the sermon of the mount and live in
accordance therewith &c ---This afternoon Rebecca Baldwin is to be interred
she has suffered much physically for the last year or two has had
to be opperated [sic] on as often as every two weeks and sometimes oftener
a similar case is not known often taking from 8 to 15 quarts at a
time   I must lay this asside [sic] until our return

(Page 4)

9^thPhebe Johnson and E P Willets came home with us yesterday so I could not fill
this and send it on its way Phebe is expecting to leave for Pennsylvania soon
Joseph and Anne Shotwell have bought a place at Jericho near Matthews owned
formerly by Dr Rodgers     Joshua Titus is putting up an addition to the west end
of his house to accommodate two families Oliver is to have the east part
Elizabeth Mott was at the funeral I inquired if she had any message to you
she desired her love and wished you would write oftener to her I told her
perhaps she did not do her part of it she said her letters were not worth
sending, why dont you write to her? I think Sarah might often       The sketch
of your family arrangements and depen^d^encys [sic] was very interesting I can fancy
you at those stated times gathered together receiving and confirming high
social and intellectual enjoyment you have many advantages and priveleges [sic]
which some of have not so I conclude it is your indispensable duty to dissipate
and enlighten your less fortunate relatives who are generally very ignorant
on the great subjects which claim your attention and which makes
it a blessing to live to live for others and nobler purposes than merely to
toil and eat and die, but now seriously we are expecting you this spring
and summer to make us a first rate visit, tho there are many changes
in our circle of dear one's and time and the leveler of all mutable
things is continually at work therefore put not off what I think you
ought certainly to do and that soon      Have you seen the Blackstone
Chronicle we think it will be a most interesting paper we rejoice ^that^ Oliver
will have some chance of taking better care of his health than he has had
while in the service of the Tribune in his own words he "was killing himself
by being up nearly all night half the time and the great responsibility
of his position in Greelys absence     I fancy he will be missed he gave much
antislavery information which would not otherwise have found its way in
the Tribune we feel quite lonely without him his frequent visits were like
an oasis in a desert to us - still I would not keep him from leav^ing^
for our gratification    I have been pleased with the notices of the Chronicles
in various papers especially from Garrison and Greely _ Joseph
wants you to have the direction of the North Star changed from
Westbury to North Hempstead as there is no Westbury P O it does
not get along as punctually as we would like and Joseph thinks
that may probably be the cause as all our papers come direct
when directed poperly [sic] we lost the practical Christian nearly one year
by mispelling [sic] Heampstead do you see the Christian we prize it
highly   How do you get on with your reading room I think

Tags

Abolitionism; Education; Family; Medicine; Quakers

Collection

D.93 Isaac and Amy Post Family Papers

Citation

Post, Mary Robbins, “Post, Mary Robbins. Letter to Isaac Post.,” RBSCP Exhibits, accessed November 23, 2024, https://rbscpexhibits.lib.rochester.edu/items/show/2537.

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