The parting hand was given; and as kind friends left the deck
the ropes were loosed, and in noble style the vessel swept out into the
harbor, and the mother and child gazed upon each other for the last time.
"Ye who, forsaking all,
At your loved Master's call,
Comforts resign,
Soon will your work be done;
Soon will the prize be won;
Brighter than yonder sun
Ye soon shall shine."
Most of the voyage was spent by Mrs. Van Lennep in preparing herself for
future usefulness and in the study of those languages which she would most
need. She enjoyed the passage more than any other lady on board, and was on
deck in some scenes of peril which made even the hearts of strong men to
tremble.
More than any thing else did our subject miss the privileges of the
Sabbath. The daughter of a clergyman, she had been reared beneath the
shadow of the Christian temple, and taught from infancy to love and revere
the day of rest. And though upon shipboard she heard the song of praise,
the solemn prayer, and the interesting discourse from the same lips which
led the devotions at home, yet the church-going bell, the pealing organ,
and the countenances of early associates were not found on the ocean.
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