This 1859 reply to Mrs. Margarette Mason's accusations by Lydia Maria Child is summarized in eight pages. There are no other sources listed.
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the immoral condition of slavery. One can imagine that she gained a great deal of enemies with such a stance and such is seen in regards to her admiration of
John Browns raid on the Harpers Ferry, which she publicly announced as a wonderful action. One of her letters concerning the admiration she possessed made its way to the New
York Tribune where many northerners admired her and many Southerners condemned her. One of those who condemned her was Mrs. Margarette Mason, Wife of senator James. M. Mason. Her reply
to Mrs. Mason was published and is known as "Mrs. Childs Reply." In the following paper we summarize the letter and then discuss how it possesses similarities to Linda Brents
(Harriet Jacobs) "Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl." Summary In summarizing Childs reply we note how she combats Mrs. Masons usage of the Bible, pointing out her
own verses which clearly indicate that slavery is wrong. Apparently Mrs. Mason was using the Bible to justify some sense of slavery, using such lines as "Servants, be subject to
your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward" (Child 1059). With our modern understanding of the ignorance and arrogance of slaveholders
we can see that such words would clearly irritate one who was not ignorant of the truths. And, in all honesty, Child spares no expense at providing Biblical quotation after
Biblical quotation to make her point that God, or Jesus, is the only master and one should never be enslaved to another human being. After a page or so
of Biblical quotes Child moves on and illustrates some of the realities seen in the South regarding slavery. She notes that blacks and whites are not allowed to marry by