GRACE DARLING
1.“Honor and shame from no condition rise；Act well your part-there all the honor lies.”
The truth of this saying is strikingly illustrated in the history of Grace Darling.Her situation in life was humble，yet she possessed a truly heroic soul，and nobly and well did she act her part，manifesting on one occasion some of the highest qualities that belong to human nature.Her daring and magnanimous conductGrace Darlingsecured to her the respect and admiration of persons of every rank and condition，and a celebrity which may be said to have spread over the greater part of the civilized world.
2.Her father，William Darling，was keeper of the lighthouse on Longstone，one of the Farne group，a cluster of twenty-five small islands，on the coast of Northumberland，England.Though situated at no great distance from the main land，these islands are desolate in an uncommon degree.Composed of rugged rock，with a slight covering of herbage，and in some instances surrounded by black and splintered precipices，they are the residence of little beside wild sea-fowl.Through the broken channels between the smaller islands，the restless sea rushes with great force；and many an unrecorded shipwreck must have happened here in former times，when no beacon light blazedamid the storm to guide the daring mariner in his perilous pathway along the tempestuous deep.
3.Mr.Darling was a man of superior character，worthy and intelligent，of modest manners，and possessing within himself those resources demanded in so solitary a situation，where weeks often passed without any communication with the main land.Although in humble circumstances and the father of a large family，he managed to educate all his children in a respectable manner.Grace，his seventh child，was born Nov.24，1815.She was remarkable for a retiring and somewhat reserved disposition.In person，she was about the middle size，of fair complexion and a comely countenance，gentle in manners and with an expression of the greatest mildness and benevolence.She had reached her twenty-second year，when the incident occurred which has rendered her name so famous.
4.The Forfarshire steamer，commanded by Captain John Humble，sailed from Hull，on her voyage to Dundee，Scotland，Wednesday，Sept.5，1838.She was laden with a valuable cargo，and had on board，in addition to her officers and crew，twenty-two cabin，and nineteen steerage passengers-sixty-three persons in all.During Wednesday night a leak was discovered.This was partially repaired and the vessel proceeded on her course.On Thursday evening she neared Farne Islands，the sea running high and the wind blowing strong from the north.Owing to the motion of the vessel，the leak increased to such a degree as to extinguish the fires.The engines were now entirely useless；the vessel soon became unmanageable；and，the tide setting strongly to the south，she drifted in the direction of the island.
5.Meantime it rained heavily，and the fog was so dense that it became impossible to tell their situation.About four o’clock on Friday morning，she struck upon the rocks，and lay at the mercy of the waves.Soon after the first shock a powerful sea struck the vessel，raising her off the rock，but immediately allowing her to fall violently back upon the sharp reef，fairly breaking her in two.The afterpart，with many ofthe passengers upon it，was borne away through a tremendous current，and every soul perished；while the forepart of the vessel remained fast upon the rock.The survivors，nine in number，continued in their dreadful situation till daybreak，clinging to the wreck，exposed to the buffeting of the waves，and fearful that every rising surge would sweep the fragment to which they clung，away into the yawning deep.
6.Such was the situation when，as day broke，they were descried from the Longstone，by the Darlings，at nearly a mile‘s distance.There were at the lighthouse only Mr.Darling，his wife，and Grace.A mist hovered over the desolate island；and though the wind had somewhat abated its violence，the wild and heaving sea，which，in the calmest weather，is never at rest among the winding gorges between these iron pinnacles，still raged and roared fearfully.To have braved the perils of that terrible passage，would have done the highest honor to the well-tried nerves of the stoutest man.But what shall be said of the errand of mercy being undertaken and accomplished，mainly through the strength of a female heart and arm？
7.Through the dim mist of the stormy morning，by the aid of a glass，the figures of the sufferers were seen clinging to the shattered wreck.But who could dare tempt the raging abyss that boiled and surged and maddened around them；and bear across the crested billows relief to the poor victims of the tempest？Mr.Darling at first shrank from the attempt：not so his intrepid daughter.At her solicitation the boat was launched，the mother assisting，and father and daughter entered it，each taking an oar.
8.It could have been only by the exertion of great muscular power，as well as of determined courage，that the boat was rowed to the rock.When there，a greater danger even than that which they had encountered in approaching，arose from the difficulty of steadying the boat，and preventing its being dashed in pieces upon the sharp reef，by the ever-restless and heaving billows，still wild and turbulent from the dreadful lashing of the storm.However，the sufferers were safely rescued.