Page:Women of distinction.djvu/258

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WOMEN OF DISTINCTION.

position with many misgivings, for she knew that Salem, although far in advance of Philadelphia at the time as to liberality, yet was not entirely free from prejudice against color, and she feared also that some of the pupils might be insulting or rebellious, especially as the school contained some very unruly members—large boys who worked in the country during the summer months and came to school in winter determined to get as much "fun" out of it as possible. Some of these were larger than herself, hence there was some room for fear in case of conflict.

But very soon she had the satisfaction of seeing these riotous spirits, like raging billows, calm down, and never did she hear a disrespectful word or the slightest allusion made to her color. Her relation to the pupils was a very pleasant one, and after teaching there for some time it was with much regret that she was obliged to resign the position on account of extreme ill health brought on by the severity of the New England climate, and return to Philadelphia. When she had, after a long period of invalidism, regained her health, she returned to Salem, where she had a position in the school which she had first attended. The principal, one of the finest teachers and noblest women she had ever known, was her dearest friend. The position in this school, in which there were only girls, was an extremely pleasant one, but after teaching there some months she was again attacked by severe illness and obliged on her partial recovery to return to Philadelphia on account of the milder climate. During her residence in Salem she had written articles