The national era. [volume], January 31, 1850, Image 1

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THE NATIONAL ERA. !
Q. BAILEY, EDITOR AND PROPRIETOR; JOHN G. W III T T I E R, C O R R E S P 0 N DI N G EDITOR.
VOL. IV.?NO. 5. WASHINGTON, THURSDAY. JAMJAKY 31, 1860. WHOLE NO. 161. \
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BUELL k BLANl'HAKD, PitlN'TKKS.
THE NATIONAL ERA.
WASHINGTON, JANDAKV xs,
Fur the National hr*
VIRGINIA.
BY S. M JANREY.
I have sometimes thought that our good old
Commonwealth might be aptly eon.pared to that
renowned spinster whom the English are wont to
cut the gxsl Queen-Bens, and-front maidenly
condition the name of Virginia was derirtd
Although rather pugnacious by nature, and especially
severe towards those who meddled with
I her domestic relations, she had many great and
excellent qualities, and was famed for her political
sigacity.
She had, however, one weakness: when somewhat
advanced in life, she fancied that she still
possessed the grace of her youth, and delighted
iu receiving the grossest adulation. For twenty
years previous to her death, she refused to look
o mirrnr nnd when suffering with a disease
iu her extremities that made it painful to stand,
Bhc danced with the French ambassador, in order
that he might report to his master the grace and
vigor of the English Uueen.
Virginia has so long listened to the voice of adulation?it
has been so customary to call her
' the mother of statesmen and of heroes," to advert
to iite peftou o? uer gr*<n?IU rruu? ? , troeif
,. hen she st?*i prsy-miaeat among ?!- * J
States?that iV now requires some courage to
hold up a true looking-glass before her, or to
point out the symptoms of a disease that impairs
her beauty and hastens her decay. It is, however,
some consolation to believe that her case is not
yet desperate, and that there are many true patriots
in the State who have the discernment to perceive
and the candor to acknowledge the causes that
paralyze her energies and impede her progress.
In the eloquent address of Governor MoPowell
at the opening of the Education Convention at
Hicbmoud, he observed that?
"We were satisfied with the shadows of the
past, with the crumbling monuments of our renown.
We are decoyed by the fascinations that
linger around the tombs of the illustrious dead,
from the actual labors and important duties of
life, until nought remains but our children and
our story. Like the prisoner in his cell, amid solitude
and gloom, we console ourselves with the
preseuoe of our shadow."
Is it not time to arouse ourselves from this
dreaming lethargy, to awake to a sense of our actual
condition, and to endeavor to investigate the
causes that have brought dowD our beloved State
from the proud preeminence?which has placed
her in the fourth rank among the States, und
must soon reduce her to the fifth in the Union.
For some years past, the Richmond papers have
teemed with earnest and able appeals to the people
of Virginia, in order to induce an effort to develop
her great natural resources. It seems to be
admitted on all hands that the eastern part of our
State has, for twenty years past, been retrograding
In population and wealth, and th:.t a Jeplora- *
ble amount of ignorance exists, even among our
white inhabitants. In order to stay the progress
of decay, and revive our declining fortunes, we
have been urged by every consideration of interest
and patriotism to attempt the establishment of
manufactures, the construction of railroads and
canals, and the adoption of a good system of general
education. We have been referred to the
example of the Northern States, and especially to
Massachusetts and New York, to show that manufactures
and internal improvements must enrich
us. and that a good system of common schools will
effectually enlighten. But none of these writers,
with the exception of the lamented J. II. Pleasants,
have touched upon the true cause of that decay
which they so eloquently deplore, and of that
ignorance they so earnestly desire to remove. It
in true, they sometimes give a hint xnai more is
meant than meets the eye, and we may infer that
there is a cause which they scarcely dare to
name?a cause so obvious that none can mistake
it, and so alarming that it can only be breathed
in whispers.
But why should this mysterious silence he observed
in relation to a question of such vast importance
as tho existence of slavery in Virginia?
a question that the even's of every day force upon
our attention, and which must, ere long, claim
our consideration, and be openly discussed among
us
It is well remembered by us all, that in the
Legislature of Virginis, during the winter of
1832, this question was fully and sbly discussed
with open doors; the evils of domestic slavery, in
its effects upon both the master and the slave,
upon private interests aud public resources, upon
wealth and upon morals, were disclosed in many
speeches of surpassing power and eloquence.
Among the speakers we remember the honored
names of Rives. McDowell, Faulkner, Moore,
Rrodman. Marshall, Randolph, and Summers,
who depicted in glowing terms the blighting
effects of this institution, and urged the necessity
of measures being then taken to effect its gradual
but certain extinction. Did any injury then result
from the open discussion of this question in
the city of Richmond, from the publication of
those speeches in the newspapers and in pamphlet
form, or from the many conversations that
were everywhere held concerning it? None
whatever. People slept as securely in their beds,
walked as safely through the streets, and ramble t
as freely through the woods, us though no such
discussion was going forward.
The slaves in Virginia are not more numerous
u.iw than they were then ; the country is in a
state of peace, the turmoil of political strife is
somewhat abated, and this, perhaps, is as favorable
a time to take np tbe examination of the subject
as any that is likely to oacur. It is obvious
that no important measures can be adopted under
a republican government without public discussion
, for information must be dssseminated among
he people, and they must have their attention
turned to the consideration of the measures pronwil
iKolr ronr6iu>ntativM tnn Ka mm??*_
pared to act with decision, and carry out their
wishes
It is to he regretted that this question has heen
permitted by the people of Virginia to remain so
luug undetermined, for it is well known that her
revolution try patriots were very generally in favor
of their taking measures to put an end to slavery.
A plan was proposed by Judge Tucker in 171*6 ;
and in his letter presenting it he says " Should
we oot. at the time of our Involution, have loosed
their chains and broken their fetters? or, if the
difficulties and dangers of such an experiment
prohibited the attempt during the convulsions of
n revolution, is it not our duty to embrace the
first moment of constitutional health and vigor to
effectuate so desirable an object, and to remove
from us a stigma with which our enemies will never
fail to upbraid us, nor our consciences to reproach
us T"
This was also a favorite measure withJeffer-1
son, and continued to he an object of intense inter.-st
to the end of his life
How happy bad it been for him, what a charm
it would have cast over the evening of his event- j
ful life, could he have seen this great measure '
consummated, or even l>egutft before he was call- I
ed away by death, and required to take a final
leave of Virginia, the object of his wannest affections!
His plan of emancipation waa presented by his
grandson in the memorable debate of IM'J; hut
although eloquently suppprted, It was defeated by
a small majority, and since that day the agitation
of the subject has not boen renewed in the Legis
lature
Is It not obvious that the prosperity of the
i Htftte would have been greatly promoted if some
judicious plan of emancipation had then been
| adopted ? More than seventeen yean have ainoe '
L
elapsed, and. I' rT?*n n,r,Ht gradual rUn had
thro been determined on, *f should now feci itc
eff'.rtH. by u new impulse being given to industry
in every field of labor.
Instead of oar enterprising young men leaving
the State to teek their fortunes in the Went, we
should witness a crowd of immigrants arriving
from other Stales?the wast* places of Old Virginia,
iui|w>v*rished by (dare labor, would be filled
up and renovated by the skillful toil of the free?
rrnl eet nte would rapidly rise in v?lue?commerce
would revive?manufacture* would flourish?our
vast Water power would be improved?our hidden
atorcauf mineral wealth developed?and, what is
more than this, the immeasurable intellectual
w ealth that lies hidden in the minds of the young
would he brought to light by a system of geueral
education.
Who would not be wiliiug to make some sacrifices
to promote these desirable results?
What a field of labor is here to call forth the
sympathies of the benevolent, sud to excite the
energies of aspiring minds ?
Virginians are proverbial for their strong attachment
to their native State, and in every land
where they travel they are proud to avow their
nativity. Cannot this irrepieasible feeling, which
the writer of this article shares with the rest of
his felJow-ollireiiSj be turned into a useful chance],
by direc'-Utg our attention calmly and carefully
to consider w hat it is that olmtructs the progress
of our native State, and then with united
energies endeavor to work out the cure by such
means as Divine Drovidence has placed in onr
power t There is one consideration that should
encourage us. It is this: Kvery sincere and wellconsidered
effort that is made for the good of our
fellow-men. even if not successful at first, will improve
the individual character; for man grows by
action, his powers are developed by exertion, and
be knows not what lie can achieve, nor how
much he c m endure, until he is put to the test.
In like manner, a State or community that is afflicted
and borne down by some great burden, if
by ft powerful effort that burden is removed, she
finds herself in posse-siun < f energies that she
knew not of, she rises with unwonted majesty and
power, and she starts forward in acareerof uneiampled
prosperity.
It has been too much the custom of the young
und enterprising citizens of Mastern Virginia to
fly from the desolations produced by -slavery,
leaving the scenes of their vouth. to seek, for
homes in the distant West To these we Would
Governor Coles, which may be found in his letter
on emancipation, recently published by ri quest of
Henry Clay in the Lexington Observer. After
staling lu tl mo love oi justice una me love 01
country plead equally the cause of these people,"
|the sluves.) and it is a moral reproach to us
' that they should have pleaded so long in vain."
he closes his letter in these words : " I hope then,
my de.ir sir, you will reconcile yourself to your
country nud its unfortunate condition; that, on
the contrary,you will come forward in the public
councils, become the missionary of thiB doctrine
truly Christian, insinuate and inculcate it softly,
but steadily, through the medium of writing and
conversation; associate ot Iters in your labors, and
wknt lb* phalanx i< formal, bring on and press the
proposition perseveringly until its accomplishment.
" It is an encouraging observation, that no good
measure vas ever proposed, which, if daily pursued,
failed to prevail in the end. We have proof
of this in the history of the endeavors in the British
Parliament to suppress that very trade which
brought this tvil on us. And you will be supported
by the religious precept, ; be not wearied j
in well-doing.' That your success may be as
speedy and complete as it will be honorable and
immortal consolation to yourself, I shall as fer?
vontly and sincerely pray, as I assure you of my
great friendship and respect."
Citizens of Virginia! how many are there
among you willing to join the Jeffereonian Phalanx,
in order to battle valiantly for the right, not
with the weapons that destroy meu'a lives, nor yet 1
with keen invective or angry denunciation, but 1
with the more effective weapons of persuasive argument,
conciliatory conduct, and consistent examples
1
???
For the National Kra.
WE POET OP THE POOR."
It is not seldom the case that while the world is
payiug its supposed debt of praise to the prominent
and direct instruments of some great reform?
the abolition of the slave trade, the reducing of
complicated and highly restrictive tariffs, the
{(Ositivc enactments that shall do good for the
masses, and the negative enactments that destroy
what has done and would continue to do harm?
while, we any, the world, after long struggling
against the heresies of Reform, at last veers
routul, ( i by no means uncommon occurrence,)
and applauds the men who are in at the death of
abuse, or at the birth of improvement; a farthersighted
and more exquisite judgment would leave
all who receive this applause, and rest smilingly
upon some one or two comparatively obscure persons,
or, perhaps, ujmn some poverty-marked
dwelling, or some unnotiood grave. The men
I list first rnun uluivc nrcccdent and fhmnrht in
defiance of social or political organisation, always
have had a hard task. Luckily, men of such
powers are uluioat invariahly enthusiasts, who
fly high ahove the heads of the crowd.
Khenezcr Klliott, the English "Poet of the
I'ogr," the "Corn-Law Ithynier," who died on
the first of December last, may be fittingly spoken
of after such a reflection as that just uttered.
lie was among the earliest of those who denounced
the accursed bread tax,"' the Corn Laws, lately
in etlVct repenbd by the Hrilish 1'arliauieut. 1
For many years, with unflagging zeal, he poured
out argument, sentiment, appeal, and invective, ,
on this subject. I le never gr< w tired, never de- I
sorted his colors, never sheathed his sword, as
long as the enemy laughed in pride from the cit- ;
adel. In poems which, without being of the first j
cla^s of art. posso-ised much beauty, truth, and ,
passion, be brought a new and powerful weapon i
to his aid. Me was of those who gave the start to I
that great reform, uud it w ould be idle to say but
that his writings have penetrated the popular ,
mind for years, and that the flowers of bis
thought, having turned to seeds, deserve mention
among the worthiest causes of the good fruit
Hut Klliott's claims to remain awhile In the
Waihalla of mankind's memory of the good,
spread wider fsr than his opposition to a great
and deidly restriction, lie was deeply moved by
the wish to improve,elevate, and refiue the poor?
to make their burdens less heavy, and the light of
their lives less dark. Hear what he says of himself ,
in one of his own articles:
" It is now about forty-six years [being then
thirteen years old) since I quarrelled with my j
father, because he denied that one Englishman (
could thrash five Frenchmen I lis little preach- (
ing parlor (he preached f.<r love, not monei) was i
adorned with aquatint prints of Oliver Cromwell, ]
Israel Putnam, John llampdeu. and George
Washington, and the gloiions victories of Lex- ,
ington and Hunker's Hill. The good man (he j
was an old Cameronian and born rebel) did not
fail to tell me w hat sort of victories these were. (
Still I wss slow to believe that did not win |
* * I am fifty-eight years old, and have been (
forty-three a scribbler |since 1797 | * * * * |
I do not remember the time when I was not die- |
satisfied with the condition of society Without
ever envying any man his wealth or power, I have
always wondered why the strung oppress the
weak"
In it not beautiful when a man who has seen
sixty years in the selfish bustle of this oon*er*ati*e
and formal world can talk so? Must not the
well be deep, and waters pure, which nearly the
appointed three score and ten of a life-time hare
been unable to exhaust, and all the cheats of society
and the shams of GoTrrnmmt hare failed
to nusaijthropixe in the least? It is erident, too,
that there w is no affectation, nothing morbid, about
this man, Klliott. Kimplioity was the twin of his
sincerity. Listen to th# last lines he wrote?how
sweet and unelaboratel He wrote them while
upon his death-bad, and left them to his daughters
as a pleasant memorial of himself, to lie twined
through music in their minds, and thus make
him identical with the twilight of the evenings,
when the song should be rang, and with the
smooth and solemn aweetnena of the Terra, and the
thoughts that would naturally follow?
S Thy iwitea, sweat Hot In, *>n aa Jew.
Meant ?? ? or lata, are Jaar Una;
To Muilo I eonlJ bid sdtee,
but not to tbaa.
< When from my eyes this lifrful tbr?r\g
Hu )*wte?l >? ay, no more to bf,
Then Mituinn'a primrose Robin'* ??ng.
Return to me.''
These verses were intended for the air?
' 'Tie time thin heart shonlJ be uumuvetl."
We have tnentiontd that Elliott died on the
1st of Pecemtier, 1H49. lie wub iu ti e sixtyninth
year of hi* age, h iving been born in M mIsirough.
in Yorkshire, England, in 17M. Ilia
father supported a large family ou a entail stipend?the
latter being seventy pounds a year, and
the former comprising eight children. Ebenexer, j
ss a l>oy, was invariably good-natured, hut wits 1
considered stupid, lie could not muster i he com- i
noon branches of e<lucation. nor )< aru to work in ]
the iron factories where his father wus a clerk,
aud some of bis brothers were employed. Hut, |
strangely enough, he ' took" to such pursuits as
botany aud drawing, and. hardly out of aprons,
commended his first poem, which, with many other
originul figures, desctiltes something previously
unheard of even from poets and romancers, namely.
a flock of sheep ruuning away after they were
killed by lightning !
As Elliott grew in physical and mental stature,
he grew in w hat people now mil ' Radicalism."
He wrote a long poem, no doubt a chaotic and utiharmoDious
thing, about our American Revolu- I
tioii. Hi* first publication was (he " Vernal
Walk;" it had some items of solid grain, but a
great deal of chaff sud lioinbast. ^Gradually,
however, lie let fill the ungraceful parts of his
muse's attire, corrected, condensed, and simplified
his stylo, and has since written many fine pieces
Earnestness, vigor, and love for the poor, are palpable
in a majority of these
Mliott s l ist years were passed m comroriame
circumstances, and ho had noon hi* sixty-eighth 1
birth-day uiur months b. fore hi* death.
SPIRIT OF THE I'M.
From the Madison County (A'. 1") Journal? Whig
pop"IION.
\V 11.I.I AM 111' I- It.
On our first page will be found the vote iu the
House of Representatives on the resolution offered
by Mr. Root, an Ohio Free Soiler, providing 'or
a Territorial Government over New Mexico,
with the Wilmot Proviso ; aUoJ^lr liner's
exphir.fng nia vote. We are free to pay thnt the
*>mM ?LJ-V ,J: l!r' ic'r~ !zcrd kir resolution
appears to ua to have been unfortunate, and
is calculated to give the impresaion that he was
prompted rather by party policy, than a real de.
sire to subserve the interests of Freedom Its
effect must be to embarrass the speedy admission
of California as a State, by throwing in the way
of a bill for thut purpose, a long anil embittered disoustdon
on his resolution. Vet we find the Southern
members voting >n mats? to lay it on the table,
and the Northern members, with h few exceptions,
opposing that motion These exception*,
we ?re sorry to sny. comprise, beside the invariable
doughfaces, three members frotn this State,
among whom is the Representative from our own i
district I
We feel called upon to say, that we believe this >
vote was given in op|>ositiou to the views and t
wishes of the great mass of his Whig constitu- i
ente. t
Mr. Duer has douhtloss access to far better
and more extensive sources of knowledge with f
regard to the wishes of the people of New Mex- c
ico, than the public at largo. But from the infonna'ion
as yet laid before tbe people, it would I
Appear that tbe Conv-ntion of New Mexico, by *
an almost unanimous vote, decided in fi?vor of a J
Territorial Government, and accordingly elected t
their Delegate to Congress As we have before j
remarked, the resolution of Mr. Root m iy have ?
been ill-timed, ee regards the admission of Cali- <
fornia, yet a portion of tbe card of Mr. Duer, f
which seems to hint that the question should be g
left to the people of New Mexico themselves, (
bears too close a resemblance to the doctrines of (
Cuss's " Nicholson Letter," sgninst which we
l?awc *AA IrtiacF and t/\rv narnAwtlv Ci mt nn.l ml fn n
yield the least concession at thin late hour. It p
has been the nettled principle of the Whigs of r
thin State, reiterated in the canvasB of 1S4H nnd
1849, and enunciated with an earnestness and a
distinctness too forclTIe to be misunderstood, that
it was the urgent duty of Congress to prohibit
slavery in the Territories byn positive enactment
at the earliest possible moment. Hunger now
stares us in the face from Ntw Mexico
It is the last stronghold of the Slavery perpctualists;
and if by any management notion in
Congress on the subject may be postponed or
staved off. If will be done. And the acquiescence
of a single Whig member from this State in such
a course, seems to give to the South an earneat
that they may receive "aid and comfort" front
the Whigs of New York. It is under these circumstances,
and from the ndditionnl fact that
Mr l)uer represents the strongest Anti-Slavery
district in the North, that we feel it our duty to
express our deep regret that he has placed himself
in his present position.
Prom Iht: Ctnciiintih Dotty Rto/uirrr?A Poiitrrvotive
Dtmocro'ic jwper.
TUB MM Til AND 1II K KOR1II.
The recent outpourings of the Southern memhers
of Congress, while the balloting* for Speaker
were progressing, and the still more rcoeul Jr.
bates in I he Senate, will attra< t the attention of
every thinking man in the (Inion The speeches
I heinselves will accompli-h more for the progress
of Free-Soil ism, than all that lias he n said or
done by the peculiar friends of that growing
principle in the |iolitics of the free States Hard
words and threats arouse opposition, and every
citizen of a free State will lie induced to believe
that there is more in this questh n of .slavery,
politically considered, than lio els the ;je They
will lie led to do what, otherwise, they prAhahly
would not have done?to think, relied
The Representatives of the South, (for a
Southerner ulwiys takes especial care to let you
know that he is a member from the South.) lose
no opjiortunity of offensively thrusting the qiim- w
lion of Die " rights" of the South into every de- "
lute that can be distorted into such an issue. h'
i'hey generally wind up th%ir spe ehes with '
windy threats about the dissolution of the Union.
Such threats are worse than idle; their own constituents
would repudiate them, if they attempted
to reduce them to practice. They do no good,
unless to procure a momentary triumph in Hon
L l. - I.. ?LUL Ik. I>
l_'rcsn. III r<< I p II H I Jlll/ll OHHM , ujr n lltun lur nillllll
will get a Speaker, hikI iImih secure the ascendency
in Committer*. T.ut for thtH mnnll nnd fmn- "
sient gain, what an immense sacrifice in made of ''
the kind feelings of the North for the South I
We speak iu sober earnest when we say. that 11
the speeches of hot-beuded and injudicious mem- ''
hero from the South, on the lloor of Concrete. "
have made more alvolitionistH than all the hIkjH- *
tion lecturer* of the land. Their constant threats
of disunion; their arrogant demands on the good '
nature of the North; (heir unreasonable assump- "
lion of rights which do not belong to them, that
Ihey may procure a favorable romyromist, have r
weakened the affection of their Mends in the "
North, and changed their ay mpathy into coolness
if not di-gust. It is a bad causa that requires '
iQch advocacy, and by the declarations of ita 11
counsel the South ia Inning ground rapidly in the "
judgment of the great jury, the American People. '
new aitting in inquest.
The Democracy.acting under the Constitution. *?
Mid with a aincere deaire to carry out ita sacred
injunetiona, have, on more than one occasion, "
placed themselves in the breaches which fanati- "
b-iam had made in the guaranteea of that inatru- rl
inent. They were willing and determined that
the true " rights" of the South ahuuld lie protected
from aggreaainn. and have suffered sorely
for their generous aid to their Southern brethren
And how have these disinterested aets been rereived7
Has the South looked with a friendly "
eye on three sacrifices of the Democracy on the ci
altar of their common country? Ilea it appre- ?
oiatcd and measured these acts, as a brother, or a* .
a taskmaster 7 Most certainly the latter. It
has cried, give! give! until there ia no more to 1,1
give It has exhausted the friendship and pa- ir
lienee of those who have, hitherto, stood by it
with unswerving devotion Their generosity has
been repaid by ingratitude. Their beat men
have beeu sacrificed without hesitation hy the c'
heartless selfishness of the South ; and the " p?. p
culiar institution'1 can now lewst of as many vie- a
tims as any heathen altar. It has immolated its p
friends, without remorse or reflection. Those .
who bore the olive branch have b**n driven away >
with revllings, and a moment * triumph has been T
considered hy the South as better than an age of
security.
W* regret to apeak thus har-bly of those whom
we ahoold delight to oall brethren ; but ingrati- p.
tude haa a keen edge, end will make us feel. The tl
Democracy have endured the scoldings and exior- li
tiona of the Sooth until their stock of patience a
ia completely exhausted The exactiona of their d
would-be taskmasters have become too great to it
* longer borne. They must now he taught that
io are not their servants, hut their brothers
Wo hear much about the "rights" of the |
iouth. IIbr no other nection right*? Was this |
tepublic formed, cemented, extended, only th?t
he South might dictate terms to all the other
ections of the Union, and lay down the law by
rhich it waatohe governed ? Una the South any
icculiur " right,'' other than the one specified in
he Constitution, separate and apart front that of
ny other section ? We should answer, No!
Our fathers found Slavery existing in a portion
f the States of the Confederacy. Though they
egretled its existence, and deplored the necessity
>f its recognition, yet, yielding to the imperious
lemands of harmony, they deemed its recoguiion
as the lesser of the two ivils They chose
he least. Where Slavery did exist, its existence
ras recognised ; hut its extension never inet with
uvor from those who formed that sacred instruiieut
of our lil?erties. Were they alive now. and
iitiog in solemn conclave in the Halls of Conrre?s.
these impotent threateutrs of di union
vould 1 e frowned into silence.
What does the South want? ller rights iu
he Territories? She has them, ller citizens
ire as free to go with their horara, their wagons,
heir wives, and their children, as ?he citizens of
he North. Will that not satisfy the South?
iarftr some peculiar ngnr, winch lt(e North docs'
i>?t poasesa. and does not wish to'' lias it the
ight to take into the free Territories a species of
iroperty, which the free labor of the North retards
as a pestilence, and which it knows to he
ts natural enemy ? Most certainly not. There
s a right stronger than that claimed by the
touth?the natural right of ni'>n. It is a right
vhich overrides all others. It is omnipotent,
rreslstihle It acknowledges an equal right, hut
to superior. It goes hand in hand with its equal,
mt uot with the slave. It breathe* and lives in
be pure air of freedom, but suffocates in the
itmosphere of Slavery It asserts only the great
irineiple of life, that of self-preservation, when
t says that the fertile plains ami siuiling vulleys
if our new lands skill lx fax !
If the South ia content with Slavery where it
h?w exists, we are All we ask is, that it shall
emain where it is. If. in grasping for more,
hey shall lose all, the people of the Mouth will
uive only themselves'to blame. By their unrealonable
demands in Congress and through the
tiess. they nre begetting a spirit in the .Vurth,
fchich is to lie regretfeil, hut not condemned.
\rrogaoce he .w?> )?v firmness if in
he conflict hate ia engendered, arrogance has
inly itself to blame.
In speaking thus, we are confident that we hut
ipeak the sentimeut of nineteen-!wentieths of the
Itixens of the free States They will yield much,
rave yielded much, to the caprice of the South ;
nit w hen their most sacred rights are demanded
is the sacrifice of peace, they will not yield. Will
he South he warned in time ?
front llit Ku'limciml (IV/) 117///,'.
SOUTHERN CONVENTION.
The Enquirer last week threatened to demolsh
us It carried its threat into execution, hut.
^coming very justifiably dissatisfied with itsown
vork, it promises to do it over again. In the
nean time, and before it t h?H have consummated
ts cruel design, we beg leave to any a word or
wo.
The following is the proposition in controversy,
is presented by the Select Committee oft be House
>f Delegates
" Resolved, further. That this General Assembly
?eartily approve the proposed Convention of
Southern States, to be held ut Nashville on the
irst Monday in June next, and that it will proteed
on the ? day of to the election, by
oint ballot, of four delegate* to said Convention,
ind that the People of Virginia he requested to
dect, at the next spring elections, a delegate
rom each Congressional district?which dele's
tea shall, jointly with those selected by the
Jeneral Assembly, represent this State In said
'onvention."
This is the proposition which we combat. The
rguments urged against it by Mr. Stovall?
;ood Democratic authority, and representing one
>f the largest slaveholding constitnencie* in the
itate?have not been answered, and they cannot
>e answered.
We will sum up, in n few word*, our objections
o this extraordinary proceeding.
First and foremost. The people have not spolen
on the subject. Not a primary meeting lrns
>een held in a county in the State. They ore
he persons who will hsvc to endure the consojui
noes, whatever they be. and they arc the only
iroper persons to decide upon the measure
Secoud. We deny the right of the Legislature
o take to themselves the appointment of four of
he delegates. There is no authority in the Contitution
or laws, or in the expression of public
entimeut, which justifies or excuses such an asumption.
If delegates are appointed at all, they
hould be appointed by the people. The vitsl incrests
at stske, to say nothing of the genius of
'eprcseutative republican institutions, require
his mode of election.
Third. We are opposed to intrusting to any
lineteen men in the State the {tower to dissolve
he Union, or to pledge the State to any course of
onduct they may choose, without having first uscrtsined
the wish of the people. It will he seen
hat the committee propose no limitations whstver
to the powers of the delegates They are
leputed w ith full, absolute, and unrestricted powr
to do whatsoever they may please, ami bind the
date to sustain them
Fourth. We Hre opposed to what seems to be
favorite feature in this whole scheme, theilfrayvg
thi txfunstt. The Governor recommends it,
he committee repeats the recommendation, the
'inquirer urges it with the fervor of a man who
adjust risen from the enjoyment, and knew how
i) appreciate alt I lie sweets of a (at joli rS elf Uer
Mississippi nor South Carolina proposed anyhing
of thin kind. They would not leave it
o h?* inferred. that it wan necessary to pay
embers, in order to Heeuro their attendance Ht
l>ih Patriotic Convocation. The idea in original
filh our disinterested patriot*. Their wholeaouls
re devoted to the rights of the South, hut their
enerouH outlay of patriotism must he met by a
orreapondiiig outlay from the putdie Treasury !
Ve cannot approve this cherished idea, for one
eaaon among many, that there la no duration
*ed tor the aitting of the Convention. It may
ontinue f. >r months, or even year a. There ih
0 restriction in tLe reaolution making the Hpointment.
Fifth We are opposed to the Convention it*
L"If. in uuy shape, if ita only object he. aa elated
y the Kn<|uirer, to make a "solemn appeal" to
lie North. W? helleve no good will come from
ny auch appeal. We have Uilked enough. We
refer action now. Let ua adopt measures which
ill gradually, and aa speedily aa can he, hring
hout commercial non-intercourse with the North,
'hia course is worthy of our moat serious runsid*
ration, irrespective of the aggressions of the Ahlitiouists.
I hit, in view of those aggressions, it
ecomes a patriotic duty. It ia the only effective
1 medy for the evils we complain of, which occurs
) us. it is aa practicable now, aa it wua in 177-0.
Cut whatever ia undertaken, should he underiken
by the people themselves. Their hearty
pprobation is indiepcneablf to-the sucrcM-of any
M*aaure that may he proposed. The ettempt to
iinmit Ihem, end their destinies, in advance, to i
?e nhiolute disposal of nineteen men, is anliepuhlican,
undemocratic, and can ouly rt*sult in
inoord. oonfnaion, and miechlef. Let the whole
1 liter he submitted to the people?end there is
ot n true son of the Old Dominion who will not
lieerfully abide by their decision.
J'lOrn Ihr India Hit Mat* ,V rilut' I.
The following article in from the pen of u g> tiruian
who. fur many year*, ha* been one the <
in*t active ami influential political writer* in the i
juntry. It ditcume* a (jtieaHoa of paramount '
it local importance at the | i c*ont moment, an I
je view* which it prevent* w? think will be jJlilted
to be jiiat by all candid anil reflecting
icn. I
This article U worthy of the attention of thoae
lemb.r* of Conferee* who have recently pro
laiincd themnelvet Oisunioiib-L* There it comaratively
fewer Aholiliontsli in Indiana, than iu
ay other free State, yet the aentimente aipreoted
y this writer will bo atliriuatively responded to
y uine-tentha of oar people
he nrntHKttv or the free trrtTw
v., SLAVERY?-THE UKHfM'RATM.' PARTY
NORTH AND SOUTH.
The ihrory of our Government it that of tautil i
olitioal right*?it* j,tactic* it often that of injut- i
ce and wrong. The antagonUme of capital and
ihor are alwayt buty? one toincreaae Ita amount
ad ita power, the other to *et bouadt to ita I nor- I
in ate accumulations, and protect itaelf against I
a extortions. The employer it suffered to pur- <
I
chase labor as cheaply as possible, while the la- j
borer, in bringing hi* wares to market, in anxious
to command the eery highest price. Hence, ns a
general rule, when labor is cheap mouey is high, j
and w hen money is cheap labor is high. From
the efforts of capital to impose unequal burdens j
upon labor has arisen the contests in Congress
during the last twenty years on discriminating ! I
tariffs, a national hank, and all kindred questions
The opponents of the l?etnocmtie party, whether
marching under the name of Federalism, National
Republicanism, or Whigism, in the ft" Stain
hare often professed to be profoundly ignorant of
the rmson v hy the poor laliorer of the North j
should voh irt'h th'1 South*tm sl it'hohlrf; and he
has not unfrequeutlyb.cn derided as a doughface.
and a supporter of slaveholders, for his party
associations llut the rmson of this jtarty alluiuc*
is a very plain one. The free laborer, who earns
his bread by the sweat of his brow, supports pub- j
lie measures, and the enactment of laws, w hich, '
in his judgment, must ben. tit labor, that being 1
all he has to bring to market; and the slaveholder.
who i.wds the laborers themselves, necessarily
becon.es his ally, and in all legislation affecting
capital in money, commerce,and manufactures,
as antagonist to capital iu labor, votes aud
acts w ith him
Whenever the questions of tariffs and currency^
have been discussed and acted upon, front the administration
of J.fferson to the present moment,
the bond of union bet ween the owner of his .>wn labor
and the owner of labor iu his slaves has been
an alliance for the protection of laltor agaiurt the
constant encroachments and extortions of capital
The union was natural, aud party organization
aud concert necessary to success ; and to this
union?this organization and concert between the
Northern Democracy and their Southern allies?
the country owes the overthrow of the I'nited
States Hunk. and all the progress yet ma le towards
a just aii<l equal tariff, and other liberal
legislation.
Hut the ?|uestionof the laborer'sright to he his
own master is h very different matter. The free
white laborer of the North, while he conscientiously
altstuinv from interfering with the rights
of his Southern ally, guarantied to him hy the
Constitution, insists upon it that slavery is the i
creature of sptcial legislation and a local ami
State institution, that shall not he extended iuto
the free Territories of the common domain where
it is not. He regards it as a cur**
the country while colonies of Great Hritain,
Speto, and F ranee. ./"Mets, and- vw'C C?.LC.,1
upon its non-extension, hy the notion of the General
Government, into free territory, whether acquired
hy purchase from the Indiana, or hy treaty
from Mexico On this point, the l>emoerac"of
the free States are ftrrd stars, whose light will
guard and protect free soil for the inheritance of
generations of free toeu and free labor. To their
Southern allies they s.iy :
"You must he satisfied that we allowed the
Louisiana and the Florida purchases, and the
Texas acquisition, to come iuto the Union as
slave territory; and that when Cuba desires to
come, as such, we will not object, nor seek to disturb
her domestic institutions, Hny more than
those of Louisiana, Florida, and Texas You
need not ask it at our hands, for we will never
oouseut that any portion of the existing territory
of the Union, or any future acquisition now free,
or fiee when acquired, shall become slave territory
; nay, more, ?/ > will Mtrer allow it
"We love the Union, purchased hy so many
sacrifices of blood and treasure, and cemented together
by so many honorable compromises, but we
will never disgrace the memory of Jefferson and
his associates, who deprecated slavery as the 1
curse of curses, and tolerated its extension only
because they could not prevent it, by extending the
arm of us hoandants. To its present limits we
will confine it, leaving its oontinuanoe or abolition
there to the free white population, to dispose of
as they may deem proper and right ; and from
this position no threats of violence, no threats of
the dissolution of the Union, shall drive us. In
mere matters of expediency we will make many
and large concessions, and sicrifiees of opinion,
for the sake of peace, and to cool your hot blood;
hut dpttr as the sound of the word Union is to uh,
the word LiutuTV isfardearer. These words,that
have been, nearly synonymous for sixty years, yon
threaten violently to separate; and for what?
Not itemise we threaten or even seek to interfere
with your local institutions, hut because we will
not allow yon to curse the common inheritance,
now free, with the evil of slavery. You threaten
to dissolve the Union. In y ur cooler moments
we do not believe you would dissolve it if you
could, and we know you could not if you would.
Where would you draw the lines of dissolution,
if we would allow of dissolutiou ? Besides, we
know as well as you do that your three
millions of slaves would not be worth three red
cents, were the Union dissolved; or, rather, we
should say you know it as well as we do Dissolve
the Union?the peculiar inheritance of freedom?
the home of the oppressed of all nations?the
throne of liberty, and its hope throughout the 1
world because you cannot make California and 1
New Mexico the inheritance of Slavery! You
dare not?mint not?cannot?SHALL NOT do (
it." Indiana. (
From thr Clu'lnml Plninilealnr.
A MOST I'NMITIUATKI) DOUGHFAt'K.
We promised our readers at the commencement
of this Congress to keep an eye out, and
note the doughfacis from the North. We have
a glaring case in a member from our own State,
and a Democratic mender, too ; we mean the honorn/rl
JOIIN K MILL Kit, from the Mount 1
Vernon district. We find him on every sectional
i|uestion doing the dirty trork of a iloimkjud. ami
putting his helly a little nearer the ground thin t
any other Northern man, in servility to the Sooth,
lie is a precious tool in their bauds, and, when *
they get through with him as a legislator, w e hope 1
they will take him home with them, and use him r
as they do the rest of their slaves. I
w e auvisr hii hucu 10 t mi^rarr toouiii. vve ^
like to nee representatives ami their count itueut*
living together ,\] r Miller's district ought to I
Join General Taylor's plantation, and, like the
lattir, he should have a big hell to call his coii- (
stituents together. He represents no portiou ol
Ohio or any other free State.
When the Ohio delegation were voting for one
of their own number, Mr. Potter, for Speaker,
and his vote* were being increased by delega- <
lion* from moat of the free States, John K. Miller
wss voting for Howell Cobb, of Georgia. Fie
took ii very active part in the caucus which nominated
Cobb, and opposed most strenuously all
candidates from the free States. Kor Clerk, lie
would vote for a doughface like himself, and for
no one else His lout vote which ha* reached u*
i* " *olitary and alone" of the w hole North western
delegation, cast with the South, and against instructing
the Committee on Territories to rejairt
to the llouse a bill or bill* providing Territorial
Government* for all that part of the territory
ceded to u* by a treaty with Mexico, lying emfward
of the Sierra Nevada, and prohibiting slavery
therein Kvery Democratic member from
Ohio voted for it, Mr. Miller ugatnit it. Now, ?
what doe* thi* mean? Are the people of bis r
district mi different, from the rest, of the Slate a* (
to reijnire on all occasions a contrary representation
? Or i* id because Mr Miller is " wise in hi* '
own conceit?" Certainly there is more hope of '
a fool than of him. f
Uiom tfn l)< mocrulic Union?L)- MOffiltU ji'ljn r,
IION. IHAHI.fcft I-:. CI.AH It K.
In the House of Kepre*ciitative*. on Monday,
the .'list ult Mr Root, of Ohio offered the following
resolution
IIlso!"J, That fhe Committee on Territories
be instructed to report to the I louse, with a* little
delay a* practicable, a hill or Idlls providing a
Territorial Government or Governments for all
that purl of the territory ceded to the United
Slate* by Mexico, by the treaty of Guadalupe
Hidalgo, lying east of the Sierra Nevada mountains,
and prohibiting Slavery therein
On the adoption of this resolution, Mr. limit
called the prevlou* <|U?*tion Mr. Stephens, ol
(ieorgia * confirmed Slavery propagandist, moved
to lay Mr. Root's resolution on the table?on
which motion Mr. it .demanded the yeas and usy*
The yeas ami n*y* were ordered, and resulted ** f
noticed in our paper last week?yeas hd, my* 101. j
Among those who voted "aye"on the motion to ^
lay upon the table were M e**rs. Clarke, IJuer, ami
,.f \ ii.L ai. W7 >ii. . i,,,,/ /.in;. t
mUl'tl ilr?ni(ly to I If Slut* ri/ Prej'Cil of ikf. fnn'iil *
AilmiMultulMH. t
Wlm *iy yon Freemen of the North, to thief
William l>uer, when he ran for Cogreee in the
decidedly anti-olavery diet riot compoeed of the 1
countiee of O/iwegoend Mnlleon. ftofrttnl to l>e ?
a Free-Hoiler ?indeed. averted that hie reliability r
upon thet ieeue wee ?i//?rier to that of hie oom- t
|>elitor, (jenerel Nye, whoee eupport of Free ^
Soil doctrines hea always been of a character entirely
above cavil or dispute We have seen the h
extent of Mr. Duer's adhereooe to the letter or II
the spirit of his pledges thus mails before election
No* that he has written himself a Doughface, we
hope to are him shielded. by hia future politic tl
associates. from the fiery assaults of Mr Meacle?
which assaults. from making him at first very hM
in the cause of the North, seem, at last, to fcsve
effected the additional wonder of leaving hitn extremely
cool.
Herein Jefferson we all remenilier the extent
and the appttrrtif unc-rtiy of Mr Clarke's professions
in the sirred cause of freedom, previous
to his election to the office he now holds, l'.arely
a short year ago. none were so thoroughly, uticonipromisingly,
reliably in favor of checking the
extension of Slavery ns himself!?none would go
*o far to rebuke and chasten an institution which
the whole civilited world had denounced as cruel,
monstrous, barbarous! lie even feared, considerate
soul! that the I'rce-M.iilers might iltroir utrny
'hnr t'ul's hy uuIimx >" the!ton of Mr. Ives?
whose opinions, heing littlekuown, might possibly
he mi-construed!
And such is the end of all his boosted allegiance
to Kreidom?such is the extent of the sacrifice
h* is willing to make to further the euunriastion
of correct doctrines upon the floor of ("on- !
gross. Elected hy % constituency, uine-tenths of
of whom are Free-Soilera in principle and feeling,
he yet dares to stultify his own convictions of:
right sudiciently to cringe and grovel lienestti the
cruel lash of his political wasters. What nu?y we
uot expect from him hereafter'
it-opvkishv itl'l tin i
THK MOTHKR-IN-I.AW.
ASTORV OK THK IM.tMl ftl tTt,
hv mkm. k'mm/t ! ?" mm rilwokih.
X V.?f'oNTI.M ?
In the very next room to this, hut separated by
a wail so thirk as to jirevent tbc passage of the
sound of conversation, another confidential iri'erview
was held between a parent and child. Mrs
Armstrong and Louise were alone in their bedchamber,
for Louise had always shared the sleeping
apartment of her mother. Mrs. Armstrong
had sunk into an easy chair, and Louise had seated
herself on u low cushion Kij her note with h.?
head resting upon her mother's lap Mrs. Armsi
ron$ ? iee-infe" thee nail at mostly a wed .'her marble
like features were almost flexible, as here, in
the privacy of her bed-chamher, she conversed
w ith her daughter, seeking?alas! it whs almost
too late?to win the confidence of the ehitd whose
innocent revelations of herself hinl beeo repulsed
and driven hack, until all her thoughts and feelings
were closely, timidly enclosed in brain ?ud
heart There was too much fear and dread blended
with the love in Louise's idolatry of her moth- I
er, to admit of perfect sympathy and confidence
Mrs. Armstrong's favorite maxim was, that familiarity
breeds contempt," aud so she had
' guarded her strangeness " all but too successfully.
Now, as she sut there, with the head of
Louise for the first time since infancy laid u|*>n
her knees, and while she ran her fingers through
the pale hair, she would have given much for an
hour of the warm, free, full intercourse of mother
and daughter, but the natural How of coutiding
affection, repeatedly checkid, congeals at its fount,
and is not no easily unloosed by the suuahine of
sympathy as the ice-bound waters arc by spring.
" My daughter, itappeared tomethat your manner
was cold to Louis
"Was I wrong, mamma ? Indeed I wished to
do right."
" You wire wrong, Louise."
" I wish I ever knew what to do! Dear mother,
ntn 1 not stupid? I try to do well, and am always
doing ill. How is that? I was wrong in
conversing w ith Louis ou the grounds some w eeks
since, and I am wrong in not conversing with
him now. I am afraid, mother, that I have a very
feeble understanding?buvc I uot V
It was just now, in this exigency, that Mrs
Armstrong divined the difficulty of making n rational
and responsible moral agent of one, out of
whom she had crushed all freedom of thought und
feeling
" My <Iaugh(er !" she replied, in a slightly sul>dued
tone, u my (laughter, 'circumstances alter
cases.' Miss Armstrong in her own halls must
display a courteous hospitality to Mr. NluartGordon
as her guest. And," continued the lady,
sinking her voice to a still lower and more confidential
key, " Loui*? must console Lotus ? must
win him from the melancholy that still so darkly
colors his conversation and manners?my daughti
r P
" My dear mother P
" You did not reply to me. Understand, Misa
Armstrong, that I wish you to he amiuhU to Mr
Louis Stuart-Gordon."
Louise ho wed her head, in reply
" Now, my love, ring the hell for Kate, that she
amy come and put your hair in curl."
Louise obeyed.
This act of commanding a girl to he sympahetic
was in perfect keeping with Mrs Armstrong,
who did not understand sympathy. Hut
n thi course of a few days the astute lady, pereiving
that her presence imposed the greatest 1
iimsihle restraint upon the iimnneraof herdmigher,
gradually withdrew herself as much as
losaihle from her neighborhood, and covertly
vatched the progress of her drama. She within
w herself and mlo herself, and a dark shadow
if gloom, bitterness, ami reserve, settled upon her
tountenance. 11 < r soul was an iiiNtsnceof a kinglorn
divided ag'iiiist itself. '1'lie destiny site had
Ichigued lor lur daughter was oci tain ly approachng
Yet, us it drew on and on towards its conluiuoialiou,
the cloud darkened Mucker and block r
upon the hrow of the mother i
XVI i
SUSAN NOMKHVII I.K
Tb#y eeui'il in ttinn sticms tbeni mint,
Tl e worldly friends of terry dsjr.
Her mi We w*r iindlniirbtd srid swtst,
Htr ronrlr.y w.? frrt snil irsy ;
And ysl tf on* (lie other's nsnis
III rnius unirusrdel inotnrnl hssrd, |
Thr hssrl you ihonutit so r ilil unit turns (
Would flutter like ? o?|itlve bird ?Milnei
To the morbidly fastidious nature of l.onls
Ituurt Gordon, there was something eitreniely
ilnilsive ill the idea of the interference of u
bird purly iu bin wooing, eren when that tbird
r>rty was hi- father, and woH-wiaher is; his suit. (
landllng, liuwev* r tenderly, brushes the down
rom the wing of tbe butterfly, lore. lie found a 1
liffioulty in courting " to order," even tbe girl he
ored. " Marry Louise"?he wished no lean, but
iow, if he did but speak to her, look at her, he
elt hiuiHcIf n ull If il? wale hed with a solicitous
HVction, with a lion ioyu^f to hift Milt, it in true, 1
nit ft ill ntilih'il, and bis delicate cupid folded its
ring*, tucked Dm bead beneath one, bird fa*hion< (
rid would have compos* d itself to sleep, but that
n incident roused and alarmed him This was 1
he assiduous attentions of Willia Lindsay to
,oui?c to Int Louise?hin drlicrrte flower?his (
heltered exotic, whose greatest charm for hiin t
mm her rare crystalline purity front the con- I
act of the world?from those frequent, so-called, J
larmless, hut really debasing flirtations, In which (
be aroma of a girls first affections are apt to be ex- |
taled?from those pressures of the hand, glauc- i
nga of th" eyes?from those sighs, and tears, and 1
*hiaperrd tones of lore, thai, breathed upon his
lower, would huve carried otl its dew and withred
its freshiieas for biin You will smile, readir,
tint it is a fact that Louis Ntuart-Qordon con[ratulated
himself that his little lady-lose hail
leither brother nor father to familiarise her with
that his morbid delicacy termed coarse oaresaes?
lay, that even her mother waetoo cold and proud
t> touch the polished brow of tbe girl with
er lipe. True, vitality hud been ckdUd within (
er, but it wnn not dead?he could warm her to |
ife again?and such a life of lovsl Thene had i
I>cen the thought*. wishes. and intentions of
Louis Stuart-Gordon Now, however his divinity
*? in danger of losing in his eyes some of her
delusive glory ; ever clote by her side, stooping
to her ear un'i whispering in a low and love-tuned I
voice, stood Willis Lindsay. Mow he sped in his
wooing it was impossible to tell, from the habitually
si.Lined and ipiiet manner of Louise.
The life, the sting, of jealousy, is iu unfftatn"
Where there is assurance one way or theother the
passion may become love and joy or it may Is-rome
dejmiror revenge,but it craaestolie /-alou y. Mow
dissimilar in unlike nature*, tire the manifeetationa
of passion and emotion Mow various, in differ
ent subjects, is the pathology of jealousy |D the
bounm of Louis Stnari-tiordou. its rise n a t-1. s I
sorrowful, rather than sudden or angry. dis|s??. i
ing hiin to self-immolation rather than to ven f
geance. |
" If Iconise my datiiug Loui e, fills away from
the affection of her infancy and childho. d. of all
her young life?if she has ceased to love me, and
has given her hesrt to this happier cousin of
hers?why then ?what then 7 Shall I dim her
>?y -witir-Tn*' imrwiedge of stiileffTigr? No
Louise! That may he demon-love, but it is hot
angel love?it is not even hnmsn love No,
L.^iis*1 I would not cast the shadow of another
cloud up<A that young brow?too overcast nl
reody. No. darling Louise' be happy?and God
give me some other way of contributing to her
happiness I will even enrich that poor. young
cou-iu, if his poverty stand in the way of your
union uoutne: i win ix> m? unseen prevalence
of your happiness. Louiae; hii<I then? and
thou!?u ihoit lib, God ! oh God h \hort lib '
So Haying. Lenin Stuart-Gordon. with the
thought of the happiness of our being absorbing
his mind, went straight to make the n i-ry of
mother.
There are more mistaken made. more sine corn
initted. more wrongs done, hy mere ih.mu),limit
ess, than hy ull the evil propensitim :tnd malign
passions put together
There wm in the eofl seem1 tig fortn. serene
countenance. and quiet tone of Mi*s Somervitle.
n tnenmerixing influence tb?t poMtined the power
?.(cowwdt^ (he mo*' 1 *wi emotions of th.?
most disquieted souls that appronrhtd her I he)</??..
1 ?;.d and .*?.. f-xrv *
n maniac. How healthful was her influence upon
the morbidly excitable temperament of Louie
Stuart-Gordon; but. oh! at what a fearful
price ehe imparted it1 When the diseased woman
touehed the bent of the Suvioui'a garineiit,
Christ felt "virtue rl'junt from" him
The health that healed the nick, the ntrrngth that
rained the feeble, ihpmtnl from the Saviour?and
how ill and weak it left him in Gethiu mane! How
ill ar ' ue .k until "angels ministered unto hiiu,
Htrengthening hintIt ia not irreverent to ray
that the life of the humblest disciple haM its type
in the life of Christ I
Gri< t for the losn.of hiamother neparation front
I .on inf. r,Him. trih,,m litre, the sickness of adolcscenoe,
the maturing and the dbqniet of energies
that had not yet found their proper direction, tbe
youthful want of love, rather than love it-elf?
the-e were the mixed motiveH that first drove
Louia to aeek aolace in the company of Susan
Homerville?little dreaming that, while he wa?
nmui/iK from her, health. Mlrength, and cheerfultie-*,
that she w.ts fo?t?-g the same to him Iter
hoft manner* were ao soothing to him, how roe/./
lie deem that the pence that wan fal'ing upon Iik
nnirita was departing from hrrs > That, in benefiting
him. ahe waa growing U> love him; th.it,
iu loving hint, ehe waa losing her obi tranquillity, I
her independence, aye, for a while the v?ry power 1
of guiiiing her own life And so, d iy after day,
thovfhtlisilti he had viaited her, Hat hy her aide,
read, oouversed with her, until hianoeiety became
n habit, a necessity to hn, in proportion an hia
returning cheerfulness rendered hers needless to
him. Now. at Mont Crystal, he nought sgiin the
society of Susan Somerville an a balm for the deep
wounds hi- heart bad received in the Happened
defection of Louise, and lie met again the name
hweet welcome, the name gentle glancen and Hoft
tonen that ever fell, like cooling dew, upon the
fever of hin spirits
A ml SiiMttii?-Ik.vv fgrftl i( uith K?>r I 'ultn
cool, and wise, in hII Wber a flairs, in 'An she was j
hut loo blinil. She hrnl sufferid her heart. not
ht'nd, Jo interpret the meaning of Louia'sronsliint
vinittt?hid Iontarrying?bin corneal glance*
and hi* breathless lidtening for her words?anil
even hh '/.oe had rewired ihemlrnt manifestations
of her lover's regard in all confidence, do Sudan
accepted the tacit friendship of Loiiin, translating
it?/ore; and ifahe lost her serenity, und grew
hurried and agitated, it was, iik yet. rather with
hope than with fear
It waa under these circumstances that, upon one
morning about a week after their arrirul at Mont
Crystal, Louis nought the side of Sushii Somerrille.
The family had not yet assembled to hreakfaal,
and she was the sole occupant of the drawing
room She was seated upon that crimson aofa at
the extremity of the saloon. Louis entered, slowly
sauntering towards her, and took the seat by
her side, dropped his head upon hisopiu palms,
and murmured? ?
"Susan, dear Musnu."
" Louis."
That was all she said, hut the round, full, melodious
tone in which that single won! was
breathed might have stilled the tumult of a
tempest.
"Susan, I have need of thee I have need of
thy uifeotion , give it me. Susan. 11 ere ! lay one
cool hand oil my brow, the other on my heart?
so. Susan, I have neither mother, sister, nor
love ; and I do need soine rroman't attention so
much?give ine yours, Susan "
" Von have my best love?you shall have my
hest efTorts to promote your happiness, dear
Louis."
"Thank you, uiy dearest sister?thank you,
8 it at n AIhh, .Susan y?u will UeMfino mo; I mn
growing sentimental, maudlin, mawkish ; I nm
beginning to depisc myiflj. .Susan give me the
secret of i/our ciieerluliiess?of the cheerfulness
of oil the people I ?if around mo. I low in it
that they live without n grout love, .Susan I
Mow ito they fill up their hrarta 1 Why cannot
/ <lo so ? f*-4t for the want of good mother wit,
good strong common sense, .Suasu. thut I iiu.iin my
honrt out heratise it young, pale frail, trembling
git I does not return my love 1 Ti ll me Susan"
Kunuti Soiuerville hud hoen startled l>y thn
commeucruit lit of hut loot speech, hud grown pule
rm it progressed, ami at its conclusion she replied,
in 11 sinking eoioo?
" I do not lit nit uudcrstsml you. dear Louis''
" All, my .infer Hasan ! I love and adore Louise
Armstrong, while she hna given her heart to i?nttther;
pity mo, Sukhu''
411 do, I do itulmij' murmured Hiia?n, in a dying
lone. " Hut I pity you because you aro Mind ;
the does not love any one except her mother."
44 Are you aure of what you aay, Huhi.ii ?"
4< Very sure of it, Louis And now 1 must bid
you good morning "
A ml ho siying, the girl arose nml left the room
Moetiug a servant, ahe requested him to have
M.ijor Sumurvillt a hursts saddled und LrougLt
around.
Susan .Somerville passed on up the stairs, her
smooth white cheeks a shade jailer, In r quiet step
a degree slower, tier calm voice a tone lower?
these were nil the signs the moat acute observer
could have dlscovi rid of the darkness, ooldness,
J<eolation, that had fallen upon tiie poor girl's
life I know that this wotd 41 desolation" is
strong -la hackneyed Vet let the reader remember
that a lirst disappointment in the aft'eclioux
falls upon the young heart like the km-ll
of ft doom more terrible than tha denth of I ha
body?? spiritual annihilation. To them the driirurtloii
of their lota hopes is indeed despair,
' desolation " Thry hare seen the sun fat for tha
hi tl iiuii. tu<d have no eiMrienon to tat oh (bant
[hat it will rise again. They have se?n vegeln
ion blighted by u fir it front?rivarf find brookatii
fron-n by a tint winter, and thay harp no
knowledge that Mowers will bloom and waters
How in a second spring. Ah ! no the darkness
it perpetual night, the coldncaa of eternal winter,
the agony of an infinite told, seems within
inil around them The long, weary years of life,
stretching out toward* the future stem too ler
ribla to bear heath would he welcome to tha
most cowardly during this he?rt-sicknes* So
felt Hnaau, aa she punted slowly up the stairs,
without a single thought in ber mind, with only
the feeling of a horrible nightmare of the spirit
weighing ber down. Hbe oould not ?Ai*#,sheoould
only tr-l. Hbe could not wonder why the sunlight,
Fjlsncing through the window on the stair-land
ng, fell gloomily npon her?why the distant
shouts of Gertrude Lion's laughter grated harshly
upon her ear?why the Mantling of Rritanaia's
purple satin dress, bright ringlets, nnd 1
sparkling fttce, a* she bowed and smiled her hasty
good morning, in crosaing the upper paaesge,
(truck painfully upon her?why all gay sights,