The foundation of the Circulating Library was Miss Ellis's own collection of religious books. Book lovers know what this sacrifice would have been to a less generous nature, one less intent on helping others. Additions were made by gifts from individuals and authors, and by Miss Ellis's occasional purchase of some book whose need she felt, until the library now numbers over one hundred and thirty volumes. These books were loaned at church, and by mail all over the country.
A letter to Rev. A. A. Livermore reveals the brisk, happy, and business-like Miss Ellis of the later years, with her hands at last full of work for her denomination. It also records the advent of her first correspondent, Mr. Julius Woodruff.
March 10, 1881.
I have been better in health this winter than for many years,—for a severe winter is all the better for me,—and have been able to keep very busy. Mr. Wendte has made me chairman of a Book and Tract Table in the church, which has kept me very busy; and in addition, the Unity Club made me Corresponding Secretary of their Sunday Afternoon Lecture Committee, which involved distributing the tickets (one thousand) and then collecting the money on them.... In the mean time, too, I was agent here for the "Register," had that to attend to, besides attending to sale of books, paying for them, and sending new orders, also "Unity" subscribers coming in, and hunting up members for the Women's Auxiliary Conference, and receiving their money. Now, do you not think for one who has always been more spiritually inclined, that I have taken quite too much to money matters?
Well, in distributing "Registers" through the State I have come across a very interesting, appreciative young man of twenty-one, in Ravenna, Ohio, and I have reason to think we have created quite a stir in the little town. Mr. Woodruff, my correspondent, writes a very good letter, and is quite enthusiastic on the subject of Unitarianism, and is willing to do missionary work, distributing widely the documents I send him, and has recommended a young man, formerly a student of theology, an intelligent, thinking man, who is much interested in our views. He now works on a farm and teaches school, in order to gain an education. On Wednesday last we organized our Women's Auxiliary Conference, at which I read Mr. Woodruff's letters, and the ladies at once moved that we should propose Meadville to our young friend, whose name is ——. I am to write and ask whether he would like to go to the college at Meadville, and in the mean time am to find out through you the conditions on which he could be admitted. I should be only too happy if I prove the means of assisting one young man to the ministry, and shall feel that all these many years of interest in the church have not been lost, if we only succeed in doing this much good. Besides all this other work, I find the ladies are much in favor of a Circulating Library in the church, so I am going to found my library soon.
The journal, March 20, shows the indomitable will that ruled the feeble body:—
Yesterday [Saturday] I was at the church all day to get the library in order. Was taken with vertigo, and for over an hour and a half couldn't walk straight. J—— S—— happened to be at the church at choir-meeting, and brought me home. By bedtime could walk alone, and to-day have been attending to duties at church. Succeeded in getting the Library settled to my satisfaction, and was glad there was no one there. Opened my library March 19. Mr. W——announced me "Miss Sarah Ellis" in the papers.
March 28. Have felt quite encouraged this week by applications for documents. Have just mailed to Rev. ——, "Statement of Unitarian Belief in Bible Language." [This applicant is now in a Unitarian pulpit.]
April 3. A beautiful sermon in "Register" to-day—"Life's Shadows"—by Rev. J. Ll. Jones. [She copies two pages.]
May 1. Feel deeply interested in a correspondent we have in Springfield, ... who confesses himself something of an atheist, and I am hunting up all the convincing articles upon the subject of God and Immortality that I can find, and came across a "Unitarian Review," of June, 1876, which seems to have been written for his very case.... Hope these will be convincing to the Springfield Club, which was formed last Sunday, with ten members to begin with.
June 2. Am now quite interested in trying to manage it so as to keep the church open two hours Sundays during the vacation, for persons to come and read and take home books. Hope I may succeed.
June 12. Have felt tired to-day, but enjoyed the day, for Mr. Wendte and mother dined here. He tells me I may "run the church" during the vacation, which will make me very happy.
June 29. The hottest day of the month for ten years, and the hottest of the season so far. Intense. One hundred in the shade at noon. Have been reading W. R. Alger's "School of Life," from which the following abstract....
Then follow three pages of the "abstract," in a close, minute handwriting, ending this volume of the journal,—the last submitted to the writer's inspection, because, as has been previously said, there was almost no personal matter in the diaries of the remaining years.
Miss Ellis's ardent desire to keep the church open during the summer vacation had to be abandoned, owing to the reluctance of her family to have one so feeble at the church alone; and she went Saturday afternoons instead, when the sexton was there.
The Cincinnati branch of the Women's Auxiliary Conference, on its organization in March, 1881, looking about for work to do, remembered occasional letters received by Mr. Wendte in response to the documents sent out by him and Miss Ellis. These letters seemed to hint at a possible opportunity awaiting this Unitarian church, standing so isolated in the heart of the great rich West, where the multitude of Ingersoll and Liberal clubs, and of intelligent people outside all churches, seemed to indicate a want that the evangelical denominations did not meet. It was therefore resolved to attempt extending the work begun by Mr. Wendte, by advertising in the daily papers Unitarian literature for free distribution,—an experiment never before tried. Miss Ellis entered upon her duties as Corresponding Secretary "without money and without price" (though later a small annual salary of one hundred dollars was raised for her), but with an immense zeal. The advertisement's line or two of fine print, almost lost, apparently, on the broad side of the daily paper, inserted only once a week, nevertheless soon began to bring Miss Ellis letters that equally surprised and delighted us, showing that we had not over-estimated the demand for Unitarian literature in the West.
Rev. J. Ll. Jones being in Cincinnati, the first bundle of letters was read to him, and his opinion, as an experienced Western missionary, anxiously awaited. It was given in these words:—
"I think you Cincinnati women have got hold of the little end of a big thing, and if Miss Ellis's health and your enthusiasm hold out, something is bound to come of it. Go on, by all means." He added, "I wish I knew that Miss Ellis had ten years more to live."