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FEL.

she was faithful to teach her only child, a lovely little girl, whatever of truth and goodness she knew herself, and it was through the death of this cherished child that Madame Feller was brought to view religion as a solemn and all-important duty. Her husband followed their child to the grave in a few years. His death was that of a Christian; and in submission to the will of her Heavenly Father, Madame Feller now devoted her life to the good of others. Every creature of God's had claims upon her sympathy. Her strong and ardent mind would not be satisfied with that passive goodness, in which most of her sex who call themselves Christians, arc content to pass their lives. She wanted to work in the cause of her Saviour. She felt that labourers were needed in His service, and she determined to devote herself as a missionary in His cause. In 1835 she joined at Montreal two of her friends, M. and Madame Oliveir, who had gone out to Canada to open a Missionary School. Here she commenced her labours among a people who are described as "a degraded race, wanting the common necessaries of life, without instruction, ignorant of the Bible and of the love of God to man, living in the most stupid indifference and insensibility, and dying with scarcely a hope or thought of eternal life."

Among these people Madame Feller took up her residence, earnest in the desire to do them good, and undeterred by the doubts and dislike of those who in their blind ignorance distrusted the hand which succoured them.

Partly on account of ill health, but chiefly from the opposition he met with, M. Oliveir and his wife were compelled to leave Montreal soon after Madame Feller joined them. But she remained strong in the hope of doing good.

On leaving Switzerland, Madame Feller provided, as she supposed, sufficient funds to support herself for life in America. She had intended all her missionary labours should be at her own expense. She brought her money with her, and placed it in the hands of a gentleman of Montreal, who was considered honest and safe. But he failed in business, and so completely was he ruined that she could not recover one dollar of her deposit. To add to her distress, she was prevented getting up a school in Montreal by the prejudices of those who had persecuted M. Oliveir; and after struggling in vain against the tide, she was compelled to take refuge at St. Johns. Here too she met with opposers, and as she had no funds she could do nothing. She had written to her friends in Switzerland of her destitute condition, but before help arrived, she was reduced to great distress. Her utterly forlorn condition at St. Johns weighed heavily upon her heart. But this cloud did not long oppress her. She remembered she was doing God's work, and that she must not faint under trials that had been foreshadowed to her. Means of support from her friends in Switzerland soon reached her, and she again began to teach all the pupils she could obtain, adults as well as children, to read the Bible. That was her mission. The necessity of her labours may be somewhat understood from the fact that there then was not more than one in twenty of the French colonists in Canada, who could read, and scarcely a copy of the Bible to be found among the Catholic population.

Madame Feller had obtained considerable influence at St. Johns. So conciliating were her manners, so pure and peaceful her life,