The sign of the cross

In Short

Set in the mid-19th century, this narrative follows Edah Champlin, a young woman who returns to her struggling family home to find them burdened by poverty and her father’s alcoholism. Through her commitment to her faith and the establishment of a local Sunday school, she seeks to reform her household and serve her neighbors. The work functions as a piece of didactic moral fiction, typical of its era, aimed at encouraging young churchgoers to lead lives of active, self-denying service rather than passive belief.

The Story

Edah Champlin is a young woman who has spent time away from her family home, only to return and find the household in a state of quiet crisis. Her father is a man drifting toward ruin, enslaved by a growing, destructive appetite for alcohol that has alienated him from the church and poisoned the atmosphere of their home. Her sister, Susan, is exhausted, shouldering the physical labor of the house and suffering from declining health, while her younger siblings grow up in a home defined by tension and harsh words.

Edah begins her journey by confronting her own spiritual lethargy. Guided by her local Rector, Mr. Wardwell, she moves past her previous indifference toward religious life, accepting that true faith requires a public, daily commitment. This internal shift dictates her outward actions: she begins to simplify her life, eschewing expensive fashion to save money for charitable causes, and she adopts a spirit of patience toward those who, like her brother Sam and sister Susan, are quick to anger or resentment.

The story tracks Edah’s efforts to stabilize her family. She takes on the role of a teacher to provide financial support, helping to pay off debts caused by her father’s vice. She also establishes a Sunday school, an endeavor that brings her into contact with a wider circle of the community, including the influential Laurence family. Through the friendship of Annie Laurence and the mentorship of the clergy, Edah finds the strength to support Susan, who continues to decline physically, and to shepherd her younger sister, Pauline, toward a life of service.

The narrative arc is punctuated by cycles of improvement and relapse. Edah’s father remains a tragic figure, his health failing alongside his moral resolve, while the family struggles with the reality of his decline. Yet, amidst this sorrow, the community undergoes a transformation. A church is established in the village, a Bible class is formed, and young people like Sam find a vocational path toward the ministry. By the conclusion, the family has endured significant loss—including the death of a young child—but they are anchored by their shared faith. The final movement of the book serves as a broader exhortation to the reader: to abandon the "barren fig-tree" existence of nominal belief and to actively seek ways to serve the poor, the ignorant, and the spiritually lost, ensuring that their own lives reflect the "Sign of the Cross" they bear.

How It Unfolds

The spiritual awakening Edah visits her rector, feeling the weight of her own past failures to live up to her baptismal vows. She confesses her vanity and her previous shame regarding her faith, ultimately resolving to lead a life of deliberate, self-denying service.

The household in shadow Edah returns to her family to find a home fractured by her father’s alcoholism and the resulting poverty. She faces the resentment of her brother Sam and the physical frailty of her overworked sister, Susan, while trying to maintain a calm and charitable demeanor.

The school and the circle of influence Seeking both a way to contribute financially and a path for community improvement, Edah starts a Sunday school for the village children. Her initiative earns the respect of neighbors and local figures, leading to a revival of church life in the area.

Confronting tragedy The family faces the illness and eventual death of a young child, a loss that deepens their reliance on their faith. Despite this, they find hope in the future as Sam begins to prepare for the ministry and the community solidifies its commitment to local charitable work.

The People

Edah Champlin is the central figure, transitioning from a girl concerned with "young lady airs" and personal adornment to a woman who views her life as an instrument of service. Her growth is measured by her ability to endure her brother’s taunts and her father’s failings without losing her resolve.

Susan Champlin represents the heavy burden of domestic life. Hardworking and initially cynical, she is the primary victim of the family’s instability. Her journey is one of endurance, as she learns to lean on her sister’s support and her own deepening religious conviction despite her failing health.

Mr. Wardwell and Mr. Laurence are the spiritual architects of the story. They provide the theological framework for Edah’s actions, moving the characters beyond mere attendance at church toward a life of active, sacrificial duty.

Sam Champlin begins as a volatile and defiant youth, prone to resentment and mocking the "parson-like" behavior of others. His eventual transformation, spurred by Edah’s example and his own search for purpose, leads him toward the ministry, completing the cycle of influence that began with his sister’s quiet changes.

In Its Own Voice

"I have always been ashamed of the faith of Christ crucified, and have never fought under His banner."

This admission marks the turning point in Edah’s spiritual life, as she acknowledges her previous failures to her rector.

"The difference between a twelve-dollar lace collar and a twelve-shilling French worked one, would furnish a very good Sunday School library; and how is any one the better for wearing a twelve-dollar collar?"

Edah explains her shift away from personal vanity to a more practical, charitable use of her resources.

"She hath done what she could."

The author concludes the book by applying this biblical commendation to the reader, urging them to find their own small, necessary work within the church.

What It's Really About

At its core, the book is an argument for the necessity of "active" versus "nominal" Christianity. The text posits that a person’s status as a church member is meaningless if it does not manifest in specific, self-denying deeds. It grapples with the question of how a "living member" of the church should interact with a world full of suffering—specifically alcoholism, poverty, and child neglect. The text argues that indifference is a form of complicity and that even the youngest or most burdened reader has an obligation to find a "work" to do, whether it be teaching children, sewing for the poor, or offering comfort to the dying.

Why Read It Today

This book will appeal to readers interested in the history of religious life in America and the evolution of the "Sunday school" movement. It offers a clear, honest look at the mid-19th-century domestic experience, specifically the crushing impact of alcohol on family stability and the ways in which women sought to exert influence within their limited social spheres.

Reading this feels like stepping into a Victorian parlor where the conversation is serious, direct, and unapologetically moralistic. You will encounter language that is formal and instructional, reflecting the period’s focus on duty and self-examination. While some modern readers may find the didactic tone challenging, or the frequent references to baptismal vows and catechism quite specific to the Episcopal tradition of the 1850s, the human drama remains accessible. Edah’s frustration with her brother’s teasing, her quiet anxiety over her sister’s health, and the small, hard-won victories of her Sunday school are universal experiences. You will stay with the book for its sincerity; it does not shy away from the fact that being "good" is often difficult, unglamorous, and met with resistance, yet it insists that such a life is the only one worth living.