The Ohio organ, of the temperance reform., October 21, 1853, Page 314, Image 2

About The Ohio organ, of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, [Ohio]) 1853-1854

Image provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

                
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The Blind Boy.
An editor, from ho,e Section, . take
the f. "owing line; hu beautifully said,
that, for himself, h. iould not m to read
&em trough: fj
tt was a blessirf summer's ... K
The litU. bird! PJ ,
Beta the deep woods' simpls shads. ! '
Till suddenly 1 P? ... ..-.
X ebUdre whs tuwl Uutter strajea. ...
Just it 11 tge beech trte'i foot,
a I... I. kn. and lilt RCllDedt
; i
H i hand i hers tin "tlj put.
Aid th I U oj was Wind.
Thschildrem saewwrtlwas aesr i ,
tree ooicealed we ! their new J
But til they said I well could hear,
Aad I could tee all thqr might do.
" Dear Mary I" laid the poor blind boy,
"That Utile bird slug! very long,
Sat, do you see him in his joy,
. And it he pretty as his song 1
"Tes, Edward, yes." replied the maid, 1
I tee the bird on yonder tree i" .;
The poor boy sighed, and gently said,
"Sister, I wish that I eould see 1
"The flowersi yon say, are Tery fair,
And bright green leaves are on the trees,
' Aid pretty birds are singing there,
" How beautiful tor one who sees 1"
"Yet I the fragrant flowers el Smell, ;,
, And 1 can leel the green leaf's shade, . f
Aid 1 can hear the notes that swell
From those dear birds that God has made. .
. . !'8o, sister, God to me Is kind, t
Though siglit, alas I He has not given; t
Buttell me. are there any blind
Among Uie ehildren up in heaven i
"No, dearest Edward, there all tee s
But why ask me a thing so odd I"
"Oh, Mary, He's so good to me,
I thought I'd 1 ke to too at God I"
Ere long, disease his hand had laid
On that dear bnr, so meek an mild i
His widowed mother wept and prayed
That God would spare her sightless child.
He felt her warm tears on his laoe,
And said, "Oh, never weep lor me,
I'm going to a bright, bright place,
Where, Mary suys, I God shall see."
"And you'll come there, dear Mary, too j
But. mother, dear, when you come there,
Tell Blward, mother, that 'tis you
You know I never saw you here 1"
He ip"Ve no more, but sweetly smiled,
Until the final blow was given j
When God took up that poor blind child
And opened firat his eyes in heaven.
Fate of a Drunkard. ,
BT DICKENS.
When the dim and misty light of a
winter's morning penetrated into the nar
row court, and struggled through the be
; wrimmed window of the wretched room,
Warden awoke from his heavy sleep,
and found himself alone. He rose and
looked around him ; the old flock mat
tress on the floor was undisturbed ; every
thing was just as he remembered to have
seen it last, and there was no sign of any
one save himself, having occupied the
room during the night. He had in
quired ot the other lodgers and of the
neighbors, but his daughter had not been
seen or heard of. He rambled through
ue streets, and scrutinized each wretch-1
ed face among the crowd that thronged
them with anxious eyes. But his seaich j
was fruitless, and he returned to the gar
ret when night came on, desolate and
weary.
For many days he occupied himself in
the same manner, but no traces of his
daughter did he meet with, and no word
. ef her he hears. At last he gave up the
', pursuit as hopeless, and long thought of
'the probability of her leaving him, and
1 endeavoring to gain her bread in quiet
' elsewhere. She had left him at last to
starve alone. He eround his teeth and
; cursed her.
,' He begged his bread from door to
, door. Every half-penny he could wring
from the pity or credulity of those to
whom he adureseed himself, was spent
ri in the old way. A year passed over his
head ; the roof of a jail was the only one
that sheltered him for many months.
tHe slept under arches and in brick fields
' j anywhere where there was some
: warmth or shelter from the cold and
oil rain. But in the last stajre of poverty.
,, i disease, and houseless want, he was a
... drunkard still.
,. At last one bitter night, he sunk down
on a, door-step, faint and ill. The pre
mature decay of vice and profligacy had
worn him to the bone. His cheeks were
hollow and livid ; his eyes were sunken,
and their sight was dim. His legs trem
bled beneath his weight, and a cold
hivpr ran through very limb.
Ml
And now the long forgotten scenes of
MWI 11 1 "' ' ' if
i
THE OHIO ORGAN OF THE
a misspent wo crowuou ..v.
upon him. He thought of the time he
had a home, a happy, cheerful home,
and of tl ose who peopled it and flocked
about him then, until the forms of his
alder children seemed to rise up from
the grave and stand about him so plain,
so clear, and so distinct they were, that
. ir. I n fhi,ip inn liar
he could touon ana ieei mem. nuu
that he had long forgotten, were fixed
upon him once more; oices long since ,
hushed in death, sounded in his ears like
too music of village, bells. But it was
only for an instant, l ne rain oeai ueavi
ly upon him, and cold and hunger were
gnawing at his heart again.
tie rose ana urngijcu u -
a few paces further. The street was si
lent and erapty-Mhe fevy ; passers by, at
that late hour, hurried quickly on, and
his tremulous ? oice was lost ia toe vio
lence of the storm. The heavy chill
throush his frame, and his
kff -.mail to stagnate beneath it. He
coiled himself up in a projecting door
way, and tried to sleep. ,
' But sleer) had 'fled from his dull and
glazed- eyes. His mind , wandered
strangely, b he was awake and con
scious. The well known shout of drunk
en mirth sounded in his earjtnegiass
was at his lip; the board was covered
with rich food: they were before him;
hamnld see them all: he had' but to
reach his band and take them; and
though the illusion was reality itself, he
knew that he was sitting alone in the
deserted street,-watching the Tain-drops
as they pattered on the stones; and that
there were none to care for or help him.
Suddenly he started up in the extremi
ty of terror. He had heard his own
voice shouting in the night air ; he knew
not what or why. Hark! A groan 1
Another ! His senses were leaving him ;
half formed and ' incoherent words burst
from his lips; and his hands sought to
tear and lacerate his flesh, He was go
ing mad, and he shrieked Tor help till his
voice tailed him.
He raised his head and looked up the
long dismal street. He recollected that
outcasts like himself, condemned to wan
der" day and night in those dreadlul
streets, had sometimes gone distraoted
with their loneliness. He remembered
to have heard many years before that a
homeless wretch had once been found
in a solitary comer sharpening a rusty
knife to plunge into his own heart, pre
ferring death to that endless, weary wan
dering to and fro. In an instant his re
solve was taken ; he ran quickly lrom
the spot and paused not for breath until
ne reacnea me river siue.
He crept softly down the steep stone
stairs that led from the commencement
of Waterloo bridge down to the water's
level. '
He crouched into a corner, and held
his breath as the patrol passed. Never
did a prisoner's heart throb with the hope
of liberty and life half so eagerly as did
that of the wretcned man at tna pros
pect of death. The watch passed close
to him, but he remained unobserved;
and after waiting till the sound of foot
steps had died away in the distance, he
cautiously descended and stood beneath
the gloomy arch that torms the landing
place from the river.
The tide was in, and the water flowed
at his feet. The. rain had ceased, the
wind was lulled, and all was, for the mo
ment, still and quiet; bo quiet, that the
rippling of the water against the barges
that were moored there was distinctly
audible to his ears. The stream stole
languidly and sluggishly on. Strange
and fantastic forms rose to the surface,
and beckoned him to approach; dark
gleaming eyes peerea irotn tne water,
and seemed to mock his hesitation.
while hollow raurmers from behind
urged him onward. He retreated a lew
paces, took a short run, a desperate leap,
and plunged into the river.
Not five seconds had passed when he
rose to the water's surface : but what a
haU taken place in that short
time in all his thoughts and feelings!
L,ue, uie in anyiorm; poverty, misery,
starvation, anything but death. He
fought and struggled with the water that
closed over his head, and screamed in
agonies ol terror, the curse of his own
son rung in bis ears. The shore but
one foot of dry ground he could almost
touch the step. One hand's breadth
nearer, and he was saved but the tide
bore him onward, under the dark arches
ot the bridge, and he sank to the bot
torn. Again he rose and struggled for
me. r or one instant, tor one brief in
TEMPERANCE REFORM.
stant, the buildings on the river's bank,
the light on tba bridge under which the
current had borne him, the-black water
and the fast flying clouds, were distinctly
visible ; once more he sunk and again
he rose; bright flames of fire shot up
from earth to heaved, and .reeled before
his eyes, whilst the watet tbundereJ in
his ears, and stunned him with the fu
rious roar.""' '
FA week afterwards the.body was wash:
ed ashore ' some tnileVdown the river, a
swollen and disfigured mass. Unrecog
nized and unpitted, it was' borne away
to the grave. There it has long since
moulded away.
. .. s i
!r, A-Tru Sketch ;
''The following YaifhtW picture, drawn
by James H. Smith, Esq., Associate Edi
tor Of the Wilmington" Free Press, actu
ally transpired in bur own city of. Ra
leiarh. We well remember the soul-
thrilling cries and harrowing shrieks of
the heart-broken mother. ! We stood near
the gallows as the unfwtunate victim was
prepared for the fatal drop, and warned
the multitude around to beware of strong
drink, the foul demon that had brought
him to his . awful, end. Anxiously he
looked for, and seemed to expect the ap
proach of a Courier bearing the Govern
or's Reprieve! and writhing under (error
and suspense, he. would cry "It is hard
it is hard lor one so young to die the
felon's death Oh!' whisky, whisky
cursed whiskv I it has mined me." J'tne
last five minutes of his time had come;
the Sheriff adiusted the rope and death'
cap the fatal cord was struck and poor
Madison Johnson nung Deiween neaven
and earth the disgraced and lifeless vic
tim of strong drink. Eo. Spirit or thb
Age.' . i : '; .,n ', ' ::. . : I : ?u -
In the davs of mv bovhood I knew a
young man who was in the 18th year of
his 1 age,' or thereabouts, l he healthy
blood flowed in his veins, and he bid
fair to live many years.. But, although
nurtured by tender parents and taught to
avoid evil practices, he mingled in evil
company, and at last no began to drink
n r ' . i ' i i
liquor, nis iamer, wno Kept a grog
shop, ascertaining that he drank to ex
cess, forbid the clerk from letting his son
have any, on pain of being discharged.
A few days after this order, the young
man entered Ins lather's shop, ana ae
marwlnd drink of brand v.
"Your father has positively forbade
me letting you have any," said the good-
natured cleric. : . , , :
"I don't care what he or you says
either," shouted the young man, for his
passion was becoming ungovernable. '
"You can't have any liquor, from this
place, sir."
"l cannot f"
"Not a drop." , i 1 -
"Then I'll have something else," said
the young man, fiercely, drawing a pis
tol from his pocket and presenting it at
the frightened cleric. ; n
"Give me liquor."
"I'll die first."
"Then die, I'll have liquor." ,
A report, and the clerk fell a corpse on
the floor. The murderer was arretted.
Mad with the effects of brandy, he raged
the more those around endeavored to
pacify him. He became the sole occu
pant of a dismal dungeon the felon's
home, and too often the poor drunkard's
home. The unfortunate youth was left
alone alone with his own conscience,
and with no eve to watch the operations
of remorse when he became sober, but
the eye of the Eternal.,
1 he awful day ot his trial is at nana
He is put upon his trial and pleads not
guilty. Counsel use every stratagem to
clear him, but after a patient investiga
tion, twelve honest and capable men
nronounce him guilty or murder. The
Judge, with a sad heart yet an unyield
ns tense ot dutv. Dronounces tne areaa
ful sentence of death upon the doomed
man. He is remanded back to ms aun
geon home, where, cut off from hope in
this world, he miaht prepare for eternity.
tne revolving wheels ot time bring tne
fatal Friday; the crowds of men are
gathering here and there, every pulse
beating wildly. The law will be en
forced, dm what gnet-stricicen group is
this who are wending their, way to the
Governor's mansion! . They are the
parents of the doomed youth. They are
making another soul-moving appeal to
ihe Governor. Seel they are kneeling
at his feet, and are pleading for the first
pledge of their early love. The wild
screams of the heart-broken mother ring
out clear upon the air, and reach even
the cell of her beloved son. But there is
a voice far louder than the temfio wail
of that mother. Justice thunders to the
officer, "See thou pardon him not blood
for blood." Hope has fled all is lost I
With the crowd we hasten to .the pri
son The time hai come to proceed lo
the. place where Ihe horrible tragedy
snail terminate, cehold mm 1 u, God
save me from a scene so overwhelming
ly appalling. He comes out of his slimy
cell dressed in the habiliments of the
grave. Mis mother, his once beiovea
mother, is there waiting to give him one
parting embrace.; j He Jneels down and
asks her to forgive him for breaking her
poor bean, becoming a drunkard, ana
consequently a murderer. Weep, ve
angels over a scene like? ' this, f ,0h !
youth ot America, be warned by ms con
fession, It wasBum that, did it all.
The Sheriff proceeds to the fatal spot.
The agitated crc-wd' fofWl 1 TheV reach
the.plMe,itAfteT.Mhrt! prayer, the
criminal ascends the scaffold, The rope
and cap is adjusted; a short pauso, and
then a dull, heavy sound fall upoa the
air, and the stillness of death come oyer
the assembled multitude. , ,
Justice says' I am satiffied the victim
was Blain. ' Rum had done its work.iii
I) -T
.uil
; Anecdote or Gn, Jackson. The, Hon.
and1 Rev. "- -j-, who,, as, a, Baptist
preacher anil' Lieutenant1 Governor, had
at one and the' same! time been m ine
service of , the Lord and the State of, Il
linois, becoming dissatisfied with the
honors or profits, or both, of the posts he
held, determined to resign them, and de
vote his time and talents to tne assis
tance of the administration 'itt carrying
on the general government of the coun
try. Accordingly he came to Washing
ton and laid his case belore the Presi
dent. He stated his pretensions' and his
wishes, narrated , at soma length al the
events of his- political life, dwelling es
pecially upon his untiring deVotion' to
the Democratic party, thai sacrifices he
had submitted to, the exertions be had
made in its, behalf, and, Jti , consequent
indebtedness to him, but not a word for
what he had done for the cauee of reli
gion. Gen. Jack son heard ,the clerical
aspirant in silence, and after musing a
moment, 'put the following questions to
him: "Mr. K., are you not a minister
of the gospel 1" -"1 am, sir,"; was the
reply. "Then, air," said the General,
with his usual quiet, dignity, "you hold
already a much higher office than and
in my gift; an office whose sacred da
lles, properly performed, require your
whole attention ; and really 1 think the
be.t I can do for you will be to leave
you at liberty to devote your whole time
to them ; for, from what you tell me, 1
fear that hitherto they have been some
what neglected." !'!)
.. ; A Model State, .,,
Vermont is in the enjoyment of
about as many real blessings as any
of her sistera of this great Confedera
cy. First, she has ner model Pro
hibitory Liquor Law, which, among
other things, has emptied three of her
county prisons. She has no public
debt. Her system of education flour
ishes with 2.594 school districts, and
nearly 100,000 scholars. She has
also three flourishing couegtaie insti
tutions, and a lar?e number of acade
mies and private schools. She has S3
libraries, containing ao.uuu volumes.
Th wholo number of newspapers and
periodicals published in Vermont, in
1850, was 38. xnere are oou cnurcn
es in the State, which accommodate
226,466 persons, and are valued at
91,513,x2U. un tne ursi oi January
last, she had 427 miles of railway in
operation, and 40 miles in construc
tion. ''The Maine Law and.no Pub
lic Debt.", When shall we say that
of our noble old Keystone ? Lancas
ter (Pa) Exprtss. . "l
Important. ,, j ., u
The editor ot the Galena Jefferso
nian, who is a Doctor " by trade,"
gives it as his deliberate advice that
whisky should not be. drank in warm
weather. ; He is equally decided on
another point, Viz : That it should
never be drank when the weather
not warm.