EXPANSION OF THE PRISON ENTERPRISE.--HONORS.
It is an old adage that "nothing succeeds like success." Mrs. Fry and
her prison labors had become famous; not only famous, but the subjects
of talk, both in society and out of it. Kings, queens, statesmen,
philanthropists, ladies of fashion, devotees of charity, authors and
divines were all looking with more or less interest at the experiments
made by the apostles of this new crusade against vice, misery, and
crime. Many of them courted acquaintance with the Quakeress who
hesitated not to plunge into gloomy prison-cells, nor to penetrate
pest-houses decimated with jail fever, in pursuance of her mission. And
while they courted her acquaintance, they fervently wished her "God
speed." Two or three communications, still in existence, prove that
Hannah More and Maria Edgeworth were of the number of good wishers.
In a short note written from Barley Wood, in 1826, Hannah More thus
expressed her appreciation of Mrs. Fry's character:--
Any request of yours, if within my very limited power, cannot fail
to be immediately complied with. In your kind note, I wish you had
mentioned something of your own health and that of your family. I
look back with no small pleasure to the too short visits with which
you once indulged me; a repetition of it would be no little
gratification to me. Whether Divine Providence may grant it or not,
I trust through Him who loved us, and gave Himself for us, that we
may hereafter meet in that blessed country where there is neither
sin, sorrow, nor separation.
Many years previous to this, Hannah More had presented Mrs. Fry with a
copy of her _Practical Piety_, writing this inscription on the
fly-leaf:--
TO MRS. FRY. Presented by Hannah More, as a token of veneration of
her heroic zeal, Christian charity, and persevering kindness to the
most forlorn of human beings. They were naked, and she clothed
them, in prison, and she visited them; ignorant, and she taught
them, for _His_ sake, in _His_ name, and by _His_ word, who went
about doing good.
No words can add to the beauty of this inscription.
During one of Maria Edgeworth's London visits, the name and fame of Mrs.
Fry, and Newgate as civilized by her, formed such an attraction that the
lively Irish authoress must needs go to see for herself. In her
picturesque style she thus affords us an account of her visit:--
Yesterday we went, the moment we had swallowed our breakfast, by
appointment to Newgate. The private door opened at sight of our
tickets, and the great doors, and the little doors, and the thick
doors, and doors of all sorts, were unbolted and unlocked, and on
we went, through dreary but clean passages, till we came to a room
where rows of empty benches fronted us, and a table, on which lay a
large Bible. Several ladies and gentlemen entered, and took their
seats on benches, at either side of the table, in silence.
Enter Mrs. Fry, in a drab-colored silk cloak, and plain, borderless
Quaker cap; a most benevolent countenance; Guido Madonna face,
calm, benign. "I must make an inquiry; is Maria Edgeworth here? And
where?" I went forward; she bade us come and sit beside her. Her
first smile, as she looked upon me, I can never forget. The
prisoners came in, and in an orderly manner ranged themselves on
the benches. All quite clean faces, hair, caps and hands. On a very
low bench in front, little children were seated, and watched by
their mothers. Almost all these women, about thirty, were under
sentence of transportation; some few only were for imprisonment.
One who did not appear was under sentence of death; frequently
women, when sentenced to death, become ill, and unable to attend
Mrs. Fry; the others come regularly and voluntarily.
She opened the Bible, and read in the most sweetly solemn, sedate
voice I ever heard, slowly and distinctly, without anything in the
manner that could distract attention from the matter. Sometimes she
paused to explain; which she did with great judgment, addressing
the convicts--"_We_ have felt! _We_ are convinced!" They were very
attentive, unexpectedly interested, I thought, in all she said, and
touched by her manner. There was nothing put on in their
countenances; not any appearance of hypocrisy. I studied their
countenances carefully, but I could not see any which, without
knowing to whom they belonged, I should have decided was bad; yet
Mrs. Fry assured me that all those women had been of the worst
sort. She confirmed what we have read and heard--that it was by
their love of their children that she first obtained influence over
these abandoned women. When she first took notice of one or two of
their fine children, the mothers said that if she could but save
their children from the misery they had gone through in vice, they
would do anything she bid them. And when they saw the change made
in their children by her schooling, they begged to attend
themselves. I could not have conceived that the love of their
children could have remained so strong in hearts in which every
other feeling of virtue had so long been dead. The Vicar of
Wakefield's sermon in prison is, it seems, founded on a deep and
true knowledge of human nature; the spark of good is often
smothered, never wholly extinguished. Mrs. Fry often says an
extempore prayer; but this day she was quite silent; while she
covered her face with her hands for some minutes, the women were
perfectly silent, with their eyes fixed upon her; and when she
said, "You may go," they went away _slowly_. The children sat quite
still the whole time; when one leaned, her mother behind her sat
her upright. Mrs. Fry told us that the dividing the women into
classes, and putting them under monitors, had been of the greatest
advantage. There is some little pecuniary advantage attached to the
office of monitor which makes them emulous to obtain it. We went
through the female wards with Mrs. Fry, and saw the women at
various works, knitting, rug-making, etc. They have done a great
deal of needle-work very neatly, and some very ingenious. When I
expressed my foolish wonder at this to Mrs. Fry's sister, she
replied, "We have to do, recollect, Ma'am, not with fools, but with
rogues."... Far from being disappointed with the sight of what
Mrs. Fry has done, I was delighted.
This _naïve_, informal chronicle of a visit to Newgate incidentally lets
out the fact that the gloomy prison was fast becoming attractive to
visitors--indeed, quite a show-place. That Mrs. Fry's labors were
receiving official honor and recognition also, there is plenty of
evidence to prove. In Prussia, her principles and exhortations had made
such headway that the Government was adapting old prisons and building
new, in order to carry out the modern doctrines of classification and
employment. In Denmark, the King had given his sanction to the measures
proposed by the Royal Danish Chancery for adding new buildings to the
prison. As soon as these buildings were completed the females would be
separated from the males, female warders were to be appointed,
employment found for all prisoners, and books of information and
devotion were to be supplied to each cell; while a chaplain (an unknown
official, hitherto) was to be appointed. In Germany, four new
penitentiaries were to be constructed; viz., at Berlin, Münster in
Westphalia, Ratibor in Silesia, and Königsberg. Two of these
penitentiaries were to be exactly like the Model Prison at Pentonville;
separate confinement was to be practically carried out, and the
prisoners were to be taught trades under the superintendence of picked
teachers. From Düsseldorf came information that all the female prisoners
were improving under the new _régime_; that an asylum for discharged
prisoners was effecting a wonderful transformation in the characters and
lives of those who sought refuge there; and that the inmates only left
its shelter to secure situations in service. In addition to these
cheering items she had the satisfaction of holding communications with
many princely, noble and royal personages on the Continent, respecting
the progress of her favorite work, and the new regulations and buildings
then adopted.
To return to her home-work and its ramifications will only be to prove
how far the great principles which she had taught were bearing fruit.
The Government Inspectors were working hard upon the lines laid down by
Mrs. Fry; and if at times they found anything which clashed with their
own pre-conceived ideas of what a prison should be, they were always
ready to make allowance for the difficulties of pioneer work, such as
this lady and her coadjutors had to do at Newgate. At Paramatta, New
South Wales, where, according to a letter from the Rev. Samuel Marsden
in an earlier part of this work, the condition of female convicts had
been scandalous to the Government which shipped them out there, and
deplorable in the extreme for the poor creatures themselves, a large
factory had been erected, designed for the reception of the convicts
upon their landing. It served its purpose well, being commodious enough
to receive not only the new importations, but the refractory women also,
who were returned from their situations. It was well managed; the
inmates being divided into three classes, and treated with more or less
kindness accordingly. True, at one time, even after the erection of this
factory, from the management being entrusted to inefficient hands, a
scene of disorder and misrule had prevailed; but that had been promptly
and firmly repressed. Hard labor and strict discipline had succeeded in
reducing the temporary confusion to something like order, and made
residence there the dread of returning evil-doers, whilst it afforded a
refuge for new-comers. Sir Richard Bourke, and Sir Ralph and Lady
Darling, used every endeavor to make the place a success; while, at
home, Lord Glenelg and Sir George Grey gave the matter, on behalf of
the Government, every needful and possible aid. A good superintendent
and matron were appointed from England, and supplied with every
requisite for the instruction and occupation of the convicts at the
factory.
This cordial co-operation of the Colonial Office in her schemes of
improvement for the female convicts at Paramatta, encouraged her to
attempt the same good work for the convicts at Hobart Town, Tasmania. It
happened that by 1843 the transportation of females to New South Wales
had ceased, the younger establishment at Hobart Town receiving all the
female convicts; but, like the hydra of classic lore, the evil sprang up
there as fresh and as vigorous as if it had not been conquered at
Paramatta. Lady Franklin and other ladies communicated with Mrs. Fry,
showing her the great need that still existed for her benevolent
exertions in that quarter. From these communications it seemed that the
assignment of women into domestic slavery still continued, in all its
dire forms. When a convict ship arrived from England, employers of all
grades became candidates for the services of the convicts. With the
exception of publicans, and ticket-of-leave men, who were not allowed to
employ convicts, anybody and everybody might engage the poor banished
prisoners without any guarantee whatsoever as to the future conduct of
the employer toward the servant, or specification as to the kind of work
to be performed. Those convicts who have behaved themselves best on the
voyage out were assigned to the best classes of society, while the
others fell to the refuse of the employers' class. As it was a fact that
a large proportion of the tradesmen applying for servants were convicts
who had fully served their time, it may be imagined how lacking in
civilization and integrity such employers often were. But if the
condition of the convicts was hopeless after their assignment to places
of service, it was, if possible, more hopeless still in the home, or
"factory," in which they were first received. Some of the letters before
referred to cast a flood of terrible light upon the condition of the
poor wretches who had quitted their country "for that country's good,"
even when under supposed discipline and restraint. A passage from one of
these letters reads like an ugly story of "the good old times!"
The Cascade Factory is a receiving-house for the women on their
first arrival (if not assigned from the ship), or on their
transition from one place to another, and also a house of
correction for faults committed in domestic service; but with no
pretension to be a place of reformatory discipline, and seldom
failing to turn out the women worse than they entered it.
Religious instruction there was none, except that occasionally on
the Sabbath the superintendent of the prison read prayers, and
sometimes divine service was performed by a chaplain, who also had
an extensive parish to attend to.
The officers of the establishment consisted, at that time, of only
five persons--a porter, the superintendent, and matron, and two
assistants. The number of persons in the factory, when first
visited by Miss Hayter, was five hundred and fifty. It followed, of
course, that nothing like prison discipline could be enforced, or
even attempted. In short, so congenial to its inmates was this
place of custody (it would be unfair to call it a place of
punishment) that they returned to it again and again when they
wished to change their place of servitude; and they were known to
commit offences on purpose to be sent into it, preparatory to their
reassignment elsewhere.
Yet, after visiting the factory, and hearing everybody speak of its
unhappy inmates, I could not but feel that they were far more to be
pitied than blamed. No one has ever attempted any measure to
ameliorate their degraded condition. I felt that had they had the
opportunity of religious instruction, some at least might be
rescued. I wish I could express to you all I feel and think upon
the subject, and how completely I am overwhelmed with the awful sin
of allowing so many wretched beings to perish for lack of
instruction. Even in the hospital of the factory the unhappy
creatures are as much neglected, in spiritual things, as if they
were in a heathen land. There are no Bibles, and no Christians to
tell them of a Saviour's dying love.
Mrs. Fry laid these communications before the Colonial Secretary without
delay, praying him to alter this terrible state of things. She was at
once listened to. The building was altered, by orders from England; the
convicts were divided into classes; employment and discipline were
provided; daily instruction, both secular and religious, was imparted;
so that, by degrees, the establishment became what it should have been
from the first--a house of detention, discipline, and refuge. In
addition, a large vessel called the _Anson_ was fitted up as a temporary
prison, sent out to Hobart Town, and moored in the river. This vessel
received the new shipments of transports from England, and afforded, by
its staff of officers, opportunity for a six months' training of the
convicts, who then were not permitted to enter the service of the
colonists until after this period had expired. By these different means
Mrs. Fry had the satisfaction of knowing that the convicts had yet
another opportunity of amendment granted them after leaving the prisons
of their native land. It has already been observed that in most of the
prisons of the United Kingdom female warders were employed, while
matrons were appointed on the out-going convict ships. Contrary to the
lot of many reformers, Mrs. Fry was spared to see most of the reforms
which she had recommended, become law.
After Mrs. Fry's death an interesting report was issued by the
Inspector-General of Prisons in Ireland, relating to the Grange Gorman
Lane Female Prison, Dublin. Mrs. Fry had taken special interest in this
prison, it having been the first erected _exclusively for women_ in the
United Kingdom, and intended, if found successful, to serve as a sort of
model for other places. The experiment had proved entirely successful
and satisfactory; matron, warders and chaplain all united in one chorus
of praise. Major Cottingham, the Inspector-General, wrote:--
Although I made my annual inspection of this prison on February
18th, 1847, as a date upon which to form my report, yet I have had
very many opportunities of seeing it during past and former years,
in my duties connected with my superintendence of the convict
department. The visitors may see many changes in the faces and
persons of the prisoners, but no surprise can ever find a
difference in the high and superior order with which this prison is
conducted. The matron, Mrs. Rawlins, upon whom the entire
responsibility of the interior management devolves, was selected
some years since, and sent over to this country by the benevolent
and philanthropic Mrs. Fry, whose exertions in the cause of female
prison reformation were extended to all parts of the British
Empire, and who, although lately summoned to the presence of her
Divine Master, has nowhere left a more valuable instance of her
sound judgment and high discriminating powers than in the selection
of Mrs. Rawlins to be placed at the head of this experimental
prison, occupied alone by females; and so successful has the
experiment been, that I understand several other prisons solely
for females have been lately opened in Scotland, and even in
Australia. In this prison is to be seen an uninterrupted system of
reformatory discipline in every class, such as is to be found in no
other prison that I am aware of.
The matron alluded to in the above extracts gratefully acknowledged that
Mrs. Fry's plan had completely succeeded in every respect, while she was
equally grateful in owning that to her instructions and wise maternal
counsel she herself owed her own fitness for that special branch of the
work.
The testimonies to her success not only came in from official quarters,
but from the prisoners themselves. This chronicle would scarcely be
complete without a specimen or two of the many communications she
received from prisoners at home and from convicts abroad. True, on one
or two occasions the women at Newgate had behaved in a somewhat
refractory manner, for their poor degraded human nature could not
conceive of pure disinterested Christian love working for their good
without fee or reward; but even at these times their better nature very
soon reasserted itself, and penitence and tears took the place of
insubordination. To those who had sinned against and had been forgiven
by her, Mrs. Fry's memory was something almost too holy for earth. No
orthodoxly canonized saint of the Catholic Church ever received truer
reverence, or performed such miracles of moral healing.
The following communication reached her from some of the prisoners at
Newgate:--
HONORED MADAM,--Influenced by gratitude to our general benefactress
and friend, we humbly venture to address you. It is with sorrow we
say that we had not the pleasure of seeing you at the accustomed
time, which we have always been taught to look for--we mean Friday
last. We are fearful that your health was the cause of our being
deprived of that heartfelt joy which your presence always diffuses
through the prison; but we hope, through the mercies of God, we
shall be able personally to return you the grateful acknowledgments
of our hearts, before we leave our country forever, for all the
past and present favors so benevolently bestowed upon what has been
termed the "most unfortunate of society," until cheered by your
benevolence, kindness and charity: and hoping that your health,
which is so dear to such a number of unfortunates, will be fully
re-established before we go, so that after our departure from our
native land, those who are so unfortunate as to fall into our
situation may enjoy the same blessing, both temporally and
spiritually, that we have done before them. And may our minds be
impressed with a due sense of the many comforts we have enjoyed
whilst under your kind protection. Honored and worthy Madam, we
hope we shall be pardoned for our presumption in addressing you at
this time, but our fears of not seeing you before the time of our
departure induce us to entreat your acceptance of our prayers for
your restoration to your family; and may the prayers and
supplications of the unfortunate prisoners ascend to Heaven for the
prolonging of that life which is so dear to the most wretched of
the English nation. Honored Madam, we beg leave to subscribe
ourselves, with humble respect, your most grateful and devoted,
THE PRISONERS OF NEWGATE.
The following letter was from a convict at Paramatta, New South Wales,
some time after her banishment to that colony:--
HONORED MADAM,--The duty I owe to you, likewise to the benevolent
society to which you have the honor to belong, compels me to take
up my pen to return you my most sincere thanks for the heavenly
instruction I derived from you, and the dear friends, during my
confinement in Newgate.
In the month of April, 1817, that blessed prayer of yours sank deep
into my heart; and as you said, so I have found it, that when no
eyes see and no ears hear, God both sees and hears, and then it was
that the arrow of conviction entered my hard heart; in Newgate it
was that poor Harriet, like the Prodigal Son, came to herself, and
took with her words, and sought the Lord. Truly I can say with
David, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I have
learned Thy ways, O Lord."... Believe me, my dear Madam, I bless
the day that brought me inside Newgate walls, for then it was that
the ways of Divine truth shone into my dark mind.'... Believe me,
my dear Madam, although I am a poor captive in a distant land, I
would not give up having communion with God one single day for my
liberty; for what is the liberty of the body compared with the
liberty of the soul? Soon will the time come when death will
release me from all the earthly fetters that hold me now, for I
trust to be with Christ, who bought me with His precious blood. And
now, my dear Madam, these few sincere sentiments of mine I wish you
to make known to the world, that the world may see that your labor
in Newgate has not been in vain in the Lord. Please give my love to
the dear friends; the keeper of Newgate, and all the afflicted
prisoners; and although we may never meet on earth again, I hope we
shall all meet in the realms of bliss, never to part again.
Believe me to remain your humble servant,
HARRIET S----.
In addition to the grateful acknowledgments of "those who were ready to
perish," Mrs. Fry won an unusual meed of honorable esteem from the noble
and great. Sovereigns and rulers, statesmen and cabinet councillors, all
owned the worth of goodness, and rendered to the Quaker lady the homage
of both tongue and heart. Beside that notable visit to the Mansion House
to be presented to Queen Charlotte, in 1818, Mrs. Fry had many
interviews with royalty--these royal and noble personages conferring
honor upon themselves more than upon her by their kindly interest in her
work.
In 1822 the Prince and Princess Royal of Denmark visited England, and
spent considerable time in inspecting public institutions, schools, and
charities tending to advance the general well-being of the people. Of
course Mrs. Fry's name was spoken of prominently, seeing that she was
then in the full tide of her Newgate labors. The Duchess of Gloucester
first introduced Mrs. Fry to the Princess, when a few words of question
and explanation were given in relation to the prison enterprise. But
some days later, the family at Plashet House were apprised of the fact
that the Princess intended honoring them with her company at breakfast.
She came at the hour appointed, and, while partaking of their
hospitality, entered fully into Mrs. Fry's work, learning of her those
particulars which she could not otherwise gain. The foundation of a firm
friendship with the Princess Royal of Denmark was thus laid, which
continued through all Mrs. Fry's after life.
In 1831 she obtained her first interview with our gracious Queen, then
the young Princess Victoria. Then, as now, the Royal Family of England
was always interested in works of charity and philanthropy, and the
young Princess displayed the early bent of her mind in this interview.
In the most unaffected style Mrs. Fry thus tells the story: "About three
weeks ago I paid a very satisfactory visit to the Duchess of Kent, and
her very pleasing daughter, the Princess Victoria. William Allen went
with me. We took some books on the subject of slavery, with the hope of
influencing the young Princess in that important cause. We were received
with much kindness and cordiality, and I felt my way open to express not
only my desire that the best blessing may rest upon them, but that the
young Princess might follow the example of our blessed Lord; that as she
grew in stature she might also grow in favor with God and man. I also
ventured to remind her of King Josiah, who began to reign at eight years
old, and did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, turning
neither to the right hand nor to the left, which seemed to be well
received. Since that I thought it right to send the Duke of Gloucester
my brother Joseph's work on the Sabbath, with a rather serious letter,
and had a very valuable answer from him, full of feeling. I have an
invitation to visit the Duchess of Gloucester the next Fourth Day. May
good result to them and no harm to myself; but I feel those openings a
rather weighty responsibility, and desire to be faithful and not
forward. I had long felt an inclination to see the young Princess, and
endeavor to throw a little weight into the right scale, seeing the very
important place she is likely to fill. I was much pleased with her, and
think her a sweet, lovely and hopeful child."
Some three years afterwards the Duke of Gloucester died, and his death
recalled the old times when he was quartered at Norwich with his
regiment. The biographers of Elizabeth Fry tell us that the Duke "was
amongst the few who addressed words of friendly caution and sound advice
to the young and motherless sisters at Earlham." She never forgot the
old friendship--a friendship which had been increased by the unfailing
interest of both the Duke and Duchess in her philanthropic work. As soon
as she heard of the bereavement she wrote the following letter to the
Princess Sophia of Gloucester:--
MY DEAR FRIEND:
I hope thou wilt not feel it an intrusion my expressing my sympathy
with thee in the death of the Duke of Gloucester. To lose a dear
and only brother is no small trial, and for a while makes the world
appear very desolate. But I trust that having thy pleasant pictures
marred in this life may be one means of opening brighter prospects
in the life to come, and of having thy treasure increased in the
heavenly inheritance. The Duchess of Gloucester kindly commissioned
a lady to write to me, who gave me a very comforting account of the
state of the Duke's mind. I feel it cause for much thankfulness
that he was so sustained through faith in his Lord and Saviour; and
we may humbly trust, through His merits, saved with an everlasting
salvation. It would be very pleasant to me to hear how thy health
and spirits are after so great a shock, and I propose inquiring at
Blackheath, where I rather expect to be next week; or if thou
wouldst have the kindness to request one of thy ladies in waiting
to write me a few lines I should be much obliged. I hope that my
dear and valued friend, the Duchess of Gloucester, is as well as we
can expect after her deep affliction.
Shortly after this she paid a visit of condolence to the Duchess by
appointment.
Early in 1840 the young Queen, her present Majesty, sent Mrs. Fry a
present of fifty pounds by Lord Normanby for the Refuge at Chelsea, and
appointed an audience. On the first day of February Mrs. Fry,
accompanied by her brother, Samuel Gurney, and William Allen, attended
at Buckingham Palace. This was only a few days before Her Majesty
espoused Prince Albert. Mrs. Fry writes as follows in her journal,
respecting that interview:--
We went to Buckingham Palace and saw the Queen. Our interview was
short. Lord Normanby, the Home Secretary, presented us. The Queen
asked us when we were going on the Continent. She said it was some
years since she saw me. She asked about Caroline Neave's Refuge,
for which she has lately sent me the fifty pounds. This gave me an
opportunity of thanking her. I ventured to express my satisfaction
that she encouraged various works of charity, and I said it
reminded me of the words of Scripture, "With the merciful Thou wilt
show Thyself merciful." Before we withdrew I stopped, and said I
hoped the Queen would allow me to assure her that it was our prayer
that the blessing of God might rest upon the Queen and her Consort.
In January, 1842, the Lady Mayoress pressed Mrs. Fry to attend a
banquet given at the Mansion House, in order principally to meet Prince
Albert, Sir Robert Peel, and the different Ministers of State. After a
little mental conflict she decided to go, with the earnest hope and
purpose of doing more good for the prisoners. A summary of her sayings
and doings at that banquet is best supplied in her own words:--
I had an important conversation on a female prison being built,
with Sir James Graham, our present Secretary of State.... I think
it was a very important beginning with him for our British Ladies'
Society. With Lord Aberdeen, Foreign Secretary, I spoke on some
matters connected with the present state of the Continent; with
Lord Stanley, our Colonial Secretary, upon the state of our penal
colonies, and the condition of the women in them, hoping to open
the door for further communications with him upon these subjects.
Nearly the whole dinner was occupied in deeply interesting
conversation with Prince Albert and Sir Robert Peel. With the
Prince I spoke very seriously upon the Christian education of their
children ... the infinite importance of a holy and religious life;
how I had seen it in all ranks of life, no real peace or prosperity
without it; then the state of Europe, the advancement of religion
in the continental courts; then prisons, their present state in
this country, my fear that our punishments were becoming too
severe, my wish that the Queen should be informed of some
particulars respecting separate confinement. We also had much
entertaining conversation about my journeys, the state of Europe,
modes of living, and habits of countries. With Sir Robert Peel I
dwelt much more on the prison subject; I expressed my fears that
jailers had too much power, that punishment was rendered uncertain,
and often too severe; pressed upon him the need of mercy, and
begged him to see the new prison, and to have the dark cells a
little altered.... I was wonderfully strengthened, bodily and
mentally, and believe I was in my right place there, though an odd
one for me. I sat between Prince Albert and Sir Robert Peel at
dinner, and a most interesting time we had.... It was a very
remarkable occasion; I hardly ever had such respect and kindness
shown to me; it was really humbling and affecting to me, and yet
sweet to see such various persons, whom I had worked with for years
past, showing such genuine kindness and esteem so far beyond my
most unworthy deserts.
Royalty and nobility thus concurred in carrying out, although perhaps
unconsciously, the Scriptural command: "_Esteem such very highly in love
for their works' sake._" It is interesting to notice how very
frequently, in this world, the course of events does coincide with the
words of Holy Writ, and the honor which Providence showers upon a
remarkable servant of God. It is equally interesting, also, to see how
completely, in the philanthropic Quakeress, the nobility of moral
greatness was acknowledged by the highest personages in the land.
Very soon after this meeting at the Mansion House, the King of Prussia
arrived in England, to stand as sponsor to the infant Prince of Wales;
and, speedily after his arrival, he desired to see Mrs. Fry. He neither
forgot nor ignored her visits to his dominions in the interests of
charity; and he concluded that a woman who could travel thousands of
miles upon the Continent, in order to ameliorate the condition of
prisoners and lunatics, must be worth visiting at her own home. By his
special desire, therefore, she was sent for, to meet him at the Mansion
House. After the dinner, at which no toasts were proposed, in deference
to Mrs. Fry's religious scruples, an appointment was made by the King to
meet her at Newgate on the following morning, and afterwards to take
luncheon at the house in Upton Lane. This memorable engagement was
carried out in its entirety about midday. Mrs. Fry and one of her
sisters set out to meet the party, which included the King, his suite,
the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress, the Sheriffs, some of the Ministers of
State, and a large number of gentlemen. The poor women of Newgate
numbered about sixty, and doubtless their attention was somewhat
distracted by the grand company present; but Mrs. Fry, with her
accustomed common-sense, reminded them that a greater than the King of
Prussia was present, even "the King of Kings and Lord of Lords." After
this admonition she read the 12th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans,
and expounded and conducted a short devotional service. Then, she says,
"the King again gave me his arm, and we walked down together. There were
difficulties raised about his going to Upton, but he chose to persevere.
I went with the Lady Mayoress and the Sheriffs, the King with his own
people. We arrived first; I had to hasten to take off my cloak, and then
went down to meet him at his carriage-door, with my husband and seven of
our sons and sons-in-law. I then walked with him into the drawing-room,
where all was in beautiful order--neat, and adorned with flowers. I
presented to the King our eight daughters and daughters-in-law, our
seven sons and eldest grandson, my brother and sister Buxton, Sir Henry
and Lady Pelley, and my sister-in-law Elizabeth Fry--my brother and
sister Gurney he had known before--and afterwards presented twenty-five
of our grandchildren. We had a solemn silence before our meal, which was
handsome and fit for a king, yet not extravagant, everything most
complete and nice. I sat by the King, who appeared to enjoy his dinner,
perfectly at his ease and very happy with us. We went into the
drawing-room after another silence and a few words which I uttered in
prayer for the King and Queen. We found a deputation of Friends with an
address to read to him; this was done; the King appeared to feel it
much. We then had to part. The King expressed his desire that blessings
might continue to rest on our house."
Solomon says: "Seest thou a man diligent in his business he shall stand
before kings; he shall not stand before mean men." Elizabeth Fry's life
was a living proof of the honors that a persistent, steady, self-denying
course of doing good invariably wins in the long run.