Jula Ward Howe, Reminiscences: 1819-1899

[444] occupy the pulpit of my own dear church and that of others, without regard to denominational limits. Lastly and chiefly, I have had the honor of pleading for the slave when he was a slave, of helping to initiate the woman's movement in many States of the Union, and of standing with the illustrious champions of justice and freedom, for woman suffrage, when to do so was a thankless office, involving public ridicule and private avoidance.

I have made a voyage upon a golden river,
     'Neath clouds of opal and of amethyst.
Along its banks bright shapes were moving ever,
     And threatening shadows melted into mist.

The eye, unpracticed, sometimes lost the current,
     When some wild rapid of the tide did whirl,
While yet a master hand beyond the torrent
     Freed my frail shallop from the perilous swirl.

Music went with me, fairy flute and viol,
     The utterance of fancies half expressed,
And with these, steadfast, beyond pause or trial,
     The deep, majestic throb of Nature's breast.

My journey nears its close—in some still haven
     My bark shall find its anchorage of rest,
When the kind hand, which every good has given,
     Opening with wider grace, shall give the best.