Sarah’s willingness to surrender her to whatever work she felt called to do was a great relief to Angelina.  In writing to thank her and to speak more fully of Mr. Wright’s letter, she says:—­

“The bare idea that such a thing may be required of me is truly alarming, and that thy mind should be at all resigned to it increases the fear that possibly I may have to do it.  It does not appear by the letter that it is expected I should extend my work outside of our Society.  One thing, however, I do see clearly, that I am not to do it now, for I have begun to write an ’Appeal to the Christian Women of the South,’ which I feel must be finished first.”

She then proceeds to give an account of the part of this Appeal already written, and of what she intended the rest to be, and shows that she shared the feelings common among Southerners, the anticipation of a servile insurrection sooner or later.  She says:—­

“In conclusion I intend to take up the subject of abolitionism, and endeavor to undeceive the South as to the supposed objects of anti-slavery societies, and bear my full testimony to their pacific principles; and then to close with as feeling an appeal as possible to them as women, as Christian women, setting before them the awful responsibility resting on them at this crisis; for if the women of the South do not rise in the strength of the Lord to plead with their fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons, that country must witness the most dreadful scenes of murder and blood.

“It will be a pamphlet of a dozen pages, I suppose.  My wish is to submit it to the publishing committee of the A.A.S.S., of New York, for revision, to be published by them with my name attached, for I well know my name is worth more than myself, and will add weight to it.[4] Now, dearest, what dost thou think of it?  A pretty bold step, I know, and one of which my friends will highly disapprove, but this is a day in which I feel I must act independently of consequences to myself, for of how little consequence will my trials be, if the cause of truth is helped forward ever so little.  The South must be reached.  An address to men will not reach women, but an address to women will reach the whole community, if it can be reached at all.

“I mean to write to Elizur Wright by to-morrow’s mail, informing him that I am writing such a pamphlet, and that I feel as if the proposition of the committee is one of too much importance, either to accept or refuse, without more reflection than I have yet been able to give to it.  The trial would indeed be great, to have to leave this sweet, quiet retreat, but if duty calls, I must go....  Many, many thanks for thy dear, long letters.”

[4] In a letter written some time after, she says:  “I would have liked thee to join thy name to mine in my Appeal, but thought it would probably bring out so much opposition and violence,