Morn came.  The waves sparkled merrily in the sunbeams, and not a trace of the fell destroyer remains; but far—­far down in the depth of the ocean, on a bed of green sea flowers, reposes the form of that fair young bride—­the friend of my youth.

Letter of Resignation, from Mrs. Hanna to The Maternal Association

February, 11th.

Dear Sisters in Christ: 

We have journeyed on together, through another year, until we have reached that elevated period, where it has been our wont to pause and take a retrospective view of the past, and lay plans for the future.

Has the progress of our Association been satisfactory?  I feel, my dear sisters, that while we have some things to deplore, we have much to be thankful for.  No mother has been taken by death from our circle, and we have been called to part with but one darling child; and while God has taken from us one immortal spirit to bloom in his paradise above, he has in his rich mercy bestowed upon us another to claim our sympathies and our prayers.

Another year is gone—­solemn thought!  As we glance at the record of its events, and contemplate its changes, we can but feel a realizing sense of the shortness of time, and the necessity of improving the present to the best possible advantage.  One after another has dropped from our little circle, till we are left but few in number; but enough to claim the precious promise of the blessed Saviour, that he will be with us if we meet in his name.  And, my sisters, has he not verified his promise unto us? for have we not felt our hearts burn within us, when we have knelt together before a mercy seat, and poured forth our prayers into the ear of that pitying Saviour, beseeching him to have compassion upon us and our children.  Have not the hours we have spent together, conversing upon the things that pertain to the kingdom of God, and the moral and spiritual improvement of our children, been to us like the oasis in the desert to the weary traveller? and may we not look back upon them as the spots where we rested beneath the shadow of the Almighty, and drank from the healing waters of salvation.  And my sisters, though we may not see the immediate results of our labors, let us rely upon the rich promises of God, that in due time the seed shall spring up and bear fruit, some ten, twenty, thirty, sixty—­perchance some an hundred fold.  Then let us be encouraged to do with all our might what our hands find to do.

As we see the vacancies the past year has made, we can but feel, with Job, “that when a few more years are come, I shall go the way whence I shall not return.”  And truly we may adopt the language of Paul, “Seeing these things are so, what manner of persons ought we to be, in all holy conversation and godliness.”