THURSDAY. FEB. it, 1860.
D. C. HOUGHTON, EDITOR.
ASSOCIATED WITH
ALBERT BARNES, GEORGE DUFFIELD, 3m.
THOMAS BRAINERD, JOHN JENKINS,
HENRY DARLING, THOMAS J. SHEPHERD.
THE PALL OF PUBLIC MEN.
Nemo repente fuit turpisslmi-s.
The perpetuity of religion, the success of plans
for human progress, and the preservation of
liberty, depend on other things than the character
of public men. They are connected with causes
deeply Bested in human nature, in the hearts of men,
and in the purposes of God. They result much
more from the prevalence of general virtue in a
community, and from the general character of a
people, than from any thing which occurs in the
case of any individual, however eminent may be
his station, and however essential he may regard
himself, or others may regard him, in promoting
the great objects connected with human welfare.
The great objects pertaining to religion, to human
progress, and. to are identified too
many things that are permanent in their nature,
to be materially affected by the conduct of the few
individuals that may be placed at the head of
public affairs, and though they may be temporarily
checked in their progress, they soon recover, and
resume their wonted course. The great question
about the right of the American colonies to assert
their independence, was not affected in the eyes
of mankind by the conduct of Arnold; nor was
the character for lofty patriotism of the men en
gaged in the work of securing that independence
made suspicious by his conduct; nor was the work
of independence materially delayed by his act of
treason. The interests of general justice were
not made questionable hy the baseness of Bacon,
nor have those interests been permanently affected
by his conduct. The cause of religion has not
been permanently affected by the fall of David or
Peter, nor did the conduct of Judas Iscariot do
any thing to excite permanent suspicion among
men that he whom he betrayed was not sent from
heaven. The fall of a minister of the gospel into
sin, does nothing to prove that the Bible is an im
posture, or that religion is not of value to mankind.
Par down below all this are laid the foundations
on which truth and virtue rest, and on which the
movements for the advance of the worid depend.
In the deep virtues of the English people, in their
thorough sense of the value of justice, in their
love of law, in the general purity of those who
administered the law, lay the security for the
permanent administration of justice, whatever
might be the conduct of an individual man, even
of the eminence of Bacon. In the stern patriot
ism of the American army, in the love of liberty
in the nation, in the wisdom of the men who
guided the affairs of the nation, lay a security for
obtaining American freedom, which could not be
unsettled for a moment by the action of one man,
however important the post which he held. In
the evidences of the truth of the Christian reli
gion, in the miraeles, the wondrous character, and
the wondrous teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, and
the eternal purpose of God that his religiori should
bo permanent on the earth, lay the foundation for
the success of that religion, and the fact that it
was not even cheeked for a moment by the act of
the traitor. In the recorded promises of God, in
the pantings of mankind for a better system of
religion than heathenism can famish, in the
adaptation of Christianity to the wants of the race,
in its diffused blessings of peace and prosperity—
of education, social refinement, and civil liberty
wherever it goes; in the wisdom of the plans de
vised for its extension, and the fidelity of the la
borers engaged in the work of its propagation, is
laid the foundation of tbe hope that it will pervade
the whole world; and that foundation of hope is
so deep and solid, that tbe fall of any one man
into sin will not check its progress, or make man
kind even suspicious of the justness of the cause.
These things do not depend on any one man.
It may be a sad reflection, but it is true, that
men are far loss important for good or evil than
they themselves suppose; that a great man is
little missed whether he sins or whether he die s.
In either case, the world drops him out of view
fer sooner than he supposed it to be possible that
it could, and moves on as before. If he deserves
to be forgotten, it willingly lets his memory “rot.”
Prov. x. 7.
The principal effect of the fall of public men
pertains to themselves. The world now cares little
about Benedict Arnold, when he lived, or how he
died. It has long since ceased to feel any inte
rest in Judas Iscariot, and there is, perhaps, not
a man on earth who would make a pilgrimage to
the spot where he hanged himself. For a long
period the spot where Aaron Burr sleeps was un
marked by a stone, and was known only by tradi
tion, and by a little mound of earth; nor can all
the interest that may be thrown on such a name
by the genius that produced the “Tnarvellous
“Unde Tom,” and that made the character of a
poor negro—an African slave—so attractive to
nations, contribute to revive an interest in Aaron
Bttrr, or make men regret that he is so soon to
fitde away from the memory of mankind.* He
tiiga at a mountain who attempts'to lift the memory
of such men from the obscurity into which it
must descend; he wastes his strength for naught
who would seek to recall the memory of such men
to influence the living generation.
And yet on themselves the effect is often final
and fatal. That effect is, in most cases, forever
to k debar tbem from a return to society, and to
prevent their rising again to tlie influence and
position which they have lost, or to secure again
the confidence which they have betrayed. It is
the penalty of outraged justice, of injured patriot
ism, of dishonored religion; an act in which jus
tice, patriotism, virtue, and religion, rise in their
majesty and power and demand vengeance—ven
geance when no law Can protect them, and when
the criminal is so great, or the ordinary forms of
justice are so feeble, as to prevent the infliction
of punishment in the ordinary ways in which
justice overtakes and punishes crime.
The reasons of this are plain. It is not merely
the enormous wrong that is done; the injury in
flioted on that which is great and valuable and
pure; the insult publioly given to those who had
confided in such men, and who had heaped upon
them honors which the result showed they had not
deserved —-making the community ashamed and
mortified that it confided in them—as the tra
veller in a sandy desert who comes to the place
where there had been a running stream and where
his camels had found water, and now finds it
* The Minister’s Wooing.
swallowed up in the sand, and the bed dry, is
*ashamed ’ that he had trusted to such a stream —
so false and so delusive;* it is because the com
munity believes, and will not and cannot be con
vinced to the contrary, by any poor, hollow apo
logies, or by any amount of “hush money” paid,
that all this is the mere exponent or outbreak of
secret iniquity long practised; of acts of guilt so
often perpetrated, that for the good of the offender
himself, and for a warning to others, God suffers
the secret depravity to he uncovered, and the
guilty man to fall to rise no more. If it were the
result of a sudden temptation, the Church would
pardon it, as the Saviour did the offence of Peter;
if it were believed to be contrary to the general
tenor of the man’s life, and was accompanied with
true penitence of heart, the world would forgive,
as David was forgiven. But the worid is slow to
believe this; and it is commonly right in this judg
ment, however uncharitable it may seem, and com
monly just in the penalty which it inflicts, however
severe that may seem to be. Streams that flow
far under ground, somewhere, though far from the
fountain, make their way to the surface. Disease
that is long in the system, and that flows round
and round in the blood, will at some time mani
fest itself, and so it is with the corruptions of the
heart. They cannot always be concealed, and God
designed that they should not always he. Ac
cordingly few things are more common than such
sudden developments of Characters and outbreak
infgs of long-praetised guilt. We are often shocked
•by such cases, and our philosophy about men
seems to fail, and we are at a loss how to account
for tbe instances of sudden depravity that appal
the community. A man of fair character, and
enjoying universal confidence, becomes suddenly
a public defaulter. A clergyman is guilty of
some crime that shocks the moral sense of man
kind. A man of supposed regular habits becomes
suddenly intemperate. A man clothed with
power, like Arnold, betrays his trust, and attempts
to sell his country. A. judge ou the bench, like
Bacon, shocks the world by the undisputed fact
that he has been bribed. The community is hor
ror-stricken, and we feel for the moment like dis
trusting every man, and doubting all virtue and
piety, and we are almost led to conclude that all
the estimates of human character on which we
have heretofore relied are false: and we ask, not
improperly, who is safe? In whom can we con
fide? And we begin to distrust every clergyman,
and every man of supposed integrity and good
morals in the community, and every man on the
bench.
The penalty often seems severe. The world,
merciful elsewhere, refuses to stretch out its arms
to receive the offender, even though penitent;
much less on snspeeted and hollow professions of
penitence, or on lame attempts at self-justification.
The man who has been profligate is always wel
comed to the society of the virtuous and the pure,
if penitent; the man who has professed to be in
fluenced hy the high considerations of religion,
patriotism, or honor, and who falls into sin, never.
Rochester, once most profligate and abandoned,
is welcomed to the chureh and the fellowship of
the pure, on his repenting; Bunyan, a model in
early life of pollution and blasphemy, has a place
amidst the most honored of the servants of the
Lord, and his name is sent forward to secure the
gratitude of all future times; Augustine, who had
in early life run all the rounds of vice in the coun
try and.in the capital, is received with honor to
the bosom of the church,'and his name is enrolled
among the most eminent-of the saints, but society
will not receive back again the man who has abused
its confidence, and cast away the honors which it
had once bestowed upon him. Lord Bacon, con
scious that he could never rise again in his own age
in his sadness cast a glance to future times and
ages, and said —“For my name and memory, I
leave them to men of charitable speeches, and to
foreign nations, and to the next ayes” Arnold
fled to a distant land, certain that even if he es
caped death, be would be execrated in his own;
Aaron Burr wandered like a ghost from land to
land, avoided everywhere, suspected everywhere,
dishonored everywhere, poor everywhere, until
without honor, and with scarcely any one to bury
him, he sunk into the grave. At this moment,
these wander upon the earth, some of them in
places unknown ; not a few who have occupied the
high position of ministers of the gospel, once
confided in and loved, now destined to an exile
from the society of the wise and the good; as hope
less as was that of Ovid, and far more dishonora
ble than his, when driven from Rome, and com
pelled to spend the wretched remnant of life in
the wild regions near the mouths of the Danube.
Society will not receive such men again. Insulted
and wronged, even the church, that welcomes the
polluted and the profligate when coming from the
dregs of society, and stretches out its arms to re
ceive “publicans and harlots,” refuses again to
give them its confidence, or to restore them to its
forfeited honors.
But these painfnl disclosures are not depart
ures from the great principles of human nature.
There is an old maxim in law, which we have
placed at the head of this article, that “ no one
suddenly becomes eminently vile.” These me
lancholy lapses into sin are but exponents of
the real character of the man; the regular re
sults of a long course of guilt; the regular out
breakings of cherished fanlts —like the breaking
ont of the volcano, or like the tumbling down
of a bowing wall, or the fall of a house that has
been long undermined by secret streams. In the
case of the clergyman who becomes unprincipled
and vile; who shocks onr moral sense, and de
grades himself, and dishonors bis high office by
some public and shameful offence, we are not to
suppose that this is a sudden fault or crime.
There has been a long previous preparation.
There has been a relaxing of the high sense of
obligation, and of the sacredness of his calling;
there has been a train of evil thoughts and un
holy imaginings; there has been an indulgence
of guilty wishes, and the roving of an impure
eye; there has been a neglect of prayer and of
communion with God, and God suffers him to
fall, and his subsequent permanent and fixed dis
grace is to be regarded not merely as the divine
adjudication on the open crime, but on the long
train of evil thoughts that have led on at length
to so painfnl a catastrophe. The man who has
betrayed his trust, and who shocks the commu
nity by some stupendous crime as a public de
faulter, we are not to suppose has-been led into
crime by some .sudden temptation, or that the
act which overcame us is a solitary act. Back
of that there has been a series of faults that have
* * { My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and
as a stream of brooks they pass away; which are blackish
by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid: what
time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they
are consumed out of their place. The paths of their way
are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish. The
troops of Tcma looked, the companies of Sheba waited
for tbem. They were confounded because they had hoped;
they came thither, and were ashamed,”— Job vi. 15—20.
ltfflfoJStman Mil
been accumulating like pent-np waters, and that
now burst forth in an enormous act of guilt that
swoops away every thing that was valuable in
his character, and that is peaceful in his domes
tic circle. The man who betrays his country,
as Arnold sought to do, does not perform such
a deed by one act of sudden temptation. Far
back in guilty pleasures, in extravagance of
living,in secretdissatisfaction with his commander
or his country, in disappointed ambition, envy,
malice, or covetousness, is laid the foundation
of the enormous crime, and the act if traced is
just the exponent of his guilt. And the judge
on the bench who disregards the purity of his
ermine, and who. sells justice for a bribe, does
not do this deed alone. It is the result of secret
crimes and guilty desires, of a weakened sense
of honor and obligation, of habitual contempla
tion of plans of evil, until the strength of guilt
surpasses his sense of honesty and honor, and
he falls to rise no more.
‘■‘liars, b oo'/mv kardvat, ftksTcira) pijitiarj."
SOUTHERN SENTIMENT.
The North Carolina Presbyterian, (Old
School,) contains the following avowal of
Southern opinion ou slavery, which, in view of
its source, somewhat surprises ns. We expect
politicians and partisans to form their standard
of inorals and their opinions'tb the popu
lar sentiment, and to suit their own selfish ends.
Religious men ought to have a higher stand
ard. Right and wrong, truth and righteous
ness, are not questions of geography; they have
no relation to latitude and longitude. There is
no North nor South, East nor West to the Bi
ble. It utters the same authoritative voice
eyery where, to Jew, Greek, Barbarian, Scy
thian, bond or free. We can be charitable and
tolerant toward men who are involved in evils
which cannot be at once removed. We can
sympathize with those religious teachers who
seek, by the power of the gospel upon the con
science, to extract and alleviate, in a measure,
the inherent sin and evil of oppression from a
relation which they cannot hope immediately to
change, while they labor to deliver the souls of
master and slave from the more fearful bondage
of sin and death. But it is as alarming as it is
novel to hear the voice of Christian men, lead
ers and teachers of religion, volunteering to en
dorse and justify, as right and righteous in the
sight of God and man, a relation which all good
and wise men, in church and state, have uni
formly disapproved and bewailed as a great po
litical and social evil, and a blot upon onr holy
religion. We can hardly believe this statement
of the Presbyterian, that slavery is so clearly
a blessing and a virtue, as to constitute tbe sole
question in politics, morals, and religion, in which
the . entire South are united in opinion. Does
the N. C. Presbyterian speak the united voice
of the Old School Chureh at the South ? If so
it indicates a wonderful lapse since 1818.
According to the Presbyterian, the following
is the united opinion of the entire South:
V. • r
“Whilst a diversity of views concerning the
moral and political relations of slavery exists at
the North, and is patent to the most careless
observer, there is a unity of sentiment at the
South which is as hopeful as it is extraordinary.
Though the Southern mind is divided on every
other subject, social, moral, and political, on
slavery it is a unit. . That slavehojding ig both
right and righteous, justifiable in the sight of
man and God ; that the relation of master and
slave is neither sinful nor unnatural; that the
system was designed for good, and has resulted
in untold and inconceivable blessings to the ne
gro race; that it is the duty of our people to
pass and execute laws for the protection of their
property, the maintenance of their institutions,
and the punishment of interaeddlers and incen
diaries ; on all these points there is no division
of opinion in the South.
“Our citizens are prepared, as with the heart
and hand of one man, to assert and defend these
principles in the halls of legislation, at the polls,
and with arms, if need be, against invaders of
their homes. They do not ask or expect their
brethren at the North to be pro-slavery, to in
troduce the system on their boasted ‘free soil,’
or even to admire it where it is already esta
blished by law. They merely insist that they
shall be let alone, and allowed to live in peace
and security. The contest in November will
decide the issue. If the decision is unfavorable,
and the worst comes to the worst, the North
will be divided against itself, while the South
will be a united host in defence of its rights and
honor. May God, In his mercy and wisdom,
put to shame the counsels of those who are
urging forward the ‘irrepressible conflict,’ and
decide the issue in favor of the Union! ”
DR. WADDINGTON.
We have before stated that Dr. Waddington
met with opposition and prejudice on his return
to London, on account of his supposed complicity
with slavery in this country. Dr. Checver and
others have no doubt contributed designedly to
this impression. England is not in a condition
to understand and appreciate the condition of
things in this country, and her manifested sym
pathy with Dr. Cheever and Fred. Douglas will
not help to her enlightenment. The greatest
positive hinderanee to the progress of moderate
and practical views on the subject of slavery,
both North and South, are these very ultra meu
who are esteemed abroad as the apostles -of li
berty.
We extract the followfng from Dr. Wadding
ton’s letter to the Independent :
Since my return home, I have been frequently
assailed, rather offensively, for imputed compli
city with slavery in America. You smile, I
know, on reading this. But so it is. My de
sire (as yon well know) is that every human
being in the land of the Pilgrims may breathe
the air of freedom, and that, having a personal
interest in the country of his birth or of his
adoption, he may add to its strength and seek
its welfare.
Thetrne conservatism of America, as it seems
to me, is in the steady and sure advancement of
freedom for all men with order and peace. It
would be to strike a deadly blow on the hopes
of humanity if the sons of the Pilgrims were to
lose their love of freedom or become supine in
its sacred cause.
Bat that cause, in my view, can never be ad
vanced by bitterness, rancor, and extravagance.
Instead of treating with contempt or injustice
those who may honestly differ as to the means
for the removal of slavery, there should be pa
tient forbearance, that all may be combined in
the spirit of Christian philanthropy, and in the
use of the best instrumentality for effecting the
grand object. Because I hold such opinions I
have been held up to the British public as a
traitor to the cause, and a disgrace to my coun
try. Prejudice is caused to some extent, and
the attempt is made by it to hinder the comple
tion of the Memorial Church On the contrary,
there are signs of growing interest in some of
onr more influential citizens. The Chamberlain
of the City of London is exerting his influence
to move the best men for renewed effort. The
spiritual work of the church demands my per
sonal and unremitting attention, and I naturally
long to be freed from cares and burdens which
hitherto have hindered me in my proper work..
REY. MR. GUINNESS.
This young and noted preacher is still laboring
with success in this city. He preaches nearly
every night, and holds meetings of religious in
quiry. Crowds attend upon these services, and
there is no seeming abatement of interest. There
are no means of ascertaining the number who have
professed eon version, through his Instrumentality,
as they are severally-advised to connect themselves
with tbe various ehtftEhes yf the city, according
to their predilections and convenience. We are In
formed that fifty or more persons are daily in at
tendance upon the inquiry meetings.
There seems to be at the present time much re
ligious feeling and interest among tbe masses of
the people outside of -the churches, among those
who have not been regular and habitual worship
pers in the sanctuary”; This is an interesting and
promising field of labor, and our various city mis
sions were never moty<fruitful in good results.
“much ado About nothing.”
The Plymouth Church, Brooklyn, New York,
have held protracted meetings at intervals during
the last few weeks, discussing the propriety of
withholding their annual missionary collection
from the American Board. One of the sub-editors
of the Independent has been most prominent in
favor of this measure. Rev.. Mr. Beecher, the
pastor gvehi ana dvoccymt rorof
the American the final vote sustained
this position. Its positive effects, however, upon
tne approacning jubilee win not ne so mamrest as
might be supposed, for it is said that this church,
whose annual pew-rents are nearly §BO,OOO, con
tribute only about one hundred dollars a year to
Foreign Missions, One would naturally judge
from the published reports of these protracted de
bates, that they were disposed to make “much ado
about nothing.” :
THE TRACT SOCIETY PAPERS.
Finding that the statements made in the
Chronicle of Jan. 10, respecting the Tract So
ciety papers, contained some mistakes, and that
the facts in the case were not fully understood
in onr community, inquiries were made at Bos
ton. The following is the reDlv. It embraces,
we believe, all the necessary corrections of the
statement referred to. with other information of
some importance It will be noticed that the
officers of the society at Boston considered it as
within their sphere (of duty to retain in their
own hand a - f r as* praetie file, their former
business. ..■ ■
Tract House, 28 dornhill. Boston. Jan. 19, 1860.
To the Editors of the Vermont Chronicle:
In reply to yours of the 17tii inst., inquiring
what were “ the facts” which led this Society to
commence the publication of the Tract Journal
and Child at Home, we would say:.
On the 14th of March, 1850, the following
communication was,addressed to the Committee
of the New York Society:
“ Bev. Wm. A. Halloek, D. D.,
Dear Bro. :—Onr Executive Committee wish
me to ask if some arrangement can be made, by
which the Messenger may represent more fully
this Society?
“Would you let as have two columns, exclu
sive of our receipts; in which we might insert
our advertisements, ‘ or such other matter as per
tained exclusively to the interests of our So
ciety?
“Or, if this privilege could not consistently
be granted us, would you put our imprint alone
upon that portion which is designed for our cir
culation, say 50,©# or more copies, we furnish
ing two columns 6® |he matter, aside from our
receipts I Or, what might be still better, could
the two columns take the place of your receipts,
which occupy about the same space ? and then,
if you choose, our receipts need not go into
yonr portion of the edition. (All controversy
on both sides, of course, to be excluded.)
“Some such arrangement as this, would, we
think, meet the prepent state of things; and by
giving the subject your early attention, and re
plying as soon as convenient, you will much
oblige, Yours very truly,
J. W. Alvord, Secretary .”
To this application, the following reply was
received:
Dear Bro. : I do not see that it is necessary
to say more now as to tbe Messenger, than that
If you will send good * matter, having, as you
suggest, no controversial bearing, we shall gladly
insert it, just as matters now are, without any
new arrangement. )
“As the paper to press on the 6th of
the month, or about*that time, what you send
us should reach here as early as the 3d, or at
farthest the 4th of esch month?""'
With esteem, youtf brother in Christ,
Wm. A. Hallock, Secretary”
This reply, while seeming to grant, was in
fact a refusal of the request. We might indeed,
like any other correspondent, furnish “good
matter,” and it would be inserted ; but any “ar
rangement by which the Messenger might re
present more fully this Society,” was declined.
Such an arrangement, in view of the fact that
we had for a long time purchased outright nearly
one-third of the entire edition of the Messenger,
our Committee thought not unreasonable. The
privilege of having our imprint put upon the
copies circulated*by ns, —a privilege the like of
which is most freely coneeded to us by other
publishing societies and private publishers both
in this country and in England, was denied.
Had this been granted, it is probable that no
new paper would have been issued, —certainly
none at that time. Our Committee, therefore,
feeling the need of some medium of communica
tion with their constituents, and the public,
deemed themselves shut up to the necessity of
establishing an organ of their own. A speci
men number of. the ‘-‘Tract Journal” was pre
pared in May, and submitted _|o the Society at
their annual meeting ;■ find having received their
approval, the first regular number was issued in
July following.
Until the request* was made, Oct. 27, 1859,
for a transfer of pur subscription lists to the New
York Society, our Committee had no thought of
publishing a new paper for children. This request
was shortly after reiterated, with an accompanying
notification that after the Ist of January the price
of the Child’s Paper, Messenger, and Botsehafter,
furnished to us, would bethat “announced in those
papers respectively.” This being, of course, pre
cisely that for which we must sell them, it was
apparent that we could no longer circulate the
Child’s Paper but at a loss. All our expenses for
mailing, transporting, &&, would be without any
equivalent whatever. It was evident, besides,
that the Committee at New York desired to take
their whole circulation into their own hands. In
every way, then, it seemed, improper to continue
a service not desired by them, and occasioning di
rect loss to us,—a loss which would become greater
just in proportion to the increase of the business.
The only .alternative left us,-.as before, was to
establish the “Child at Home,” a measure which,
if we may judge from thq favor with which it has
been received, was judiciqua-and timely.
Permit us, ere we close] to advert to a statement
which has appeared in papers, to the effect
that the New York Society has never refused to
sell us their publications. That statement, in the
letter of it, is true. You will judge, however, how
far it is true in fact. The books and tracts of the
N. Y. Society are now charged to ns at “ the usual
terms allowed Jo those who buy to sell again.”
But if we furnish a bookseller in Vermont or else
where wo must do it at the game rates, of course
getting nothing for our expenses in packing, trans
portation, &c., —that is, incurring, as in case of
* This, and not “ demand, 15 is the word that should
have been used in the CmunitCLEmf-Jan. 10.— Eds.
« New York, March 24,1859.
the papers, a direct loss on every such sale. This,
you perceive, does cut us off entirely from all our
loholesale trade, (the largest part of our business,)
leaving us only our retail sales at the Depository
in Cornhill. We make no complaint of this. We
desire only to give you, as requested, dll the facts
involved in this matter. You and your readers
will judge of their significance.
We are very respectfully yours,
J. W. Alvord, ) „
I. P. Warren’ | ketones.
DEATH OF REV. J. ADDISON ALEX
ANDER, D.D.
Our country has lost a great scholar, and the
Presbyterian Church an able defender in tbe
death of Dr. Alexander. Two months ago the
church was startled by his sudden and danger
ous illness. After many days of suffering, the
anxieties of friends were relieved by his gradual
recovery. For the last mouth it had been his
hope to resume, at an early day, his duties in
the seminary. On Thursday last, in conversa
tion, he said he felt about as well as he had done
for years, and that his weakness was peculiar
to him in weather such as we were then having.
On Friday morning he was not able to rise at
his regular hour. After a little while he felt
better, and at noon was able to take a ride.
Upon his return to the house he was completely
prostrated. In. the he was much worse,
arid during the night and Saturday morning
knew no one, and at half-past three, P. M.,
passed away.
A few facts in regard to his early application
and his success in study may be mentioned. I
give them as they were given to the students of
the seminary.
When his father, Rev. Archibald Alexander,
D.D., came to Princeton, in 1812, he was four
years of age. Showing, at a very early age, a
great desire for study, his father allowed him to
take almost his owu course. From ten to twelve
he commenced the study of the Arabic, and be
fore fourteen years of age had read the Koran.
After mastering- this be turned his attention to
the Persian, and made great acquisitions in it.
Greek and Latin were pursued by him in his
regular academical course at Princeton. Be
fore he entered the seminary he became familiar
with the Hebrew. Syriac and Chaldee next en
gaged his attention. After getting these ori
ental languages, he turned his attention to the
modern languages. He became proficient in
these, and there is not one, in which there is any
literature, with which he was not acquainted.
He made, also, great acquisition In the San
scrit.
All these languages were cultivated, not
merely for the purposes of philology, but for the
literature found in them. He had a memory re
markably tenacious of events, ideas and words.
There was a comprehensiveness about his mind
that would overlook the whole subject, analyze,
and bring a variety of subjects to bear upon it.
Besides his powers of logic, he had a vigor and
fertility of. imagination that made his pulpit ef
forts magnificent. He was a perfect master of
language. Having a remarkable purity and fe
licity of expression, using the right word in the
right place, and at proper intervals, he charmed
the hearer, whether of his lectures or sermons.
INDIAN ORPHAN ASYLUM.
My Dear Brother Houghton :
After having received so many sympathetic
tokens for our Indian Orphan Asylum from your
city, will you not open a friendly space for me
to acknowledge them gratefully in a lump ?
The first Sabbath School I addressed in Phi
ladelphia was that connected with Dr. Barnes’
Church. >.
Their collection was . . . $35.19
Reformed Dutch Church, (Rev. Mr.
Taylor’s,) ... . 150.75
Dr. Brainerd’s congregation, one even
. ing, . . . . . . 45.85
Dr. Brainerd’s Sabbath School, after
wards; . . . . . 258.00
Western Presb. congregation and Sab
bath School, . . . . 106.00
Rev. Mr. Chandler’s cong., . . 41.00
Daniel Steinmetz, . . . 25.00
Calvary Presb. Church and S. S., . 100.37
Methodist friends, . . . . 17.50
George H. Stuart, . . . 10.00
Rev. Mr. Grew, (Baptist,) . . 5.00
Individuals, ladies and gentlemen, . 48.01
Manayunk Sabbath School, . . 10.00
Third Dutch Ref. Church, . . 5.00
Total,
The above is as I have it on my books. The
names of the various individuals I have on my
books also, but thought they might be omitted
here. I wish to express our earnest thanks to
these various contributors, and assure them that
their kind offerings have been gratefully re
ceived, and rendered very much relief, and en
courage us now to hope we may save the in
stitution from extinction. lam confident that
in eternity, if not before, the donors will see
that their benevolence has not been in vain.
Perhaps there are other Sabbath Schools and
warm-hearted friends to our red men who have
a cheerful offering td add to those already men
tioned, and if so I will send them to our address,
Irving, N. Y. Any sums will be promptly ac
knowledged.
0 I hope, dear Mr. Editor, that my head will
not turn much whiter till I see this Orphan Asy
lum (the only Indian Orphan Asylum in exis
tence, to my knowledge,) safely endowed. We
should all feel so happy to look upon such an
institution, bearing the bright marks of friend
ship for the Indian. What sacrifice would it be
for a few hundred of your generous readers to
finish this one little affair, —clothe, feed, and
educate this one poor child of the forest ? What
if we could secure from $25,000 to $30,000 to
have one such striking mark on Indian soil yet
in their possession ? Would an American in
stitution suffer ? Would an American Con
gress become bankrupt, and thus be obliged
to dissolve the union from becoming poverty
stricken ? O may God bless the church, pour
out his Spirit, and exalt onr nation with righte
■ousness, and harmonize onr statesmen with a fra
ternal fellowship I Could I but see this one
great burden rolled off my aching shoulders,
and we be permitted to send out our song of
thanksgiving to those who have crowned onr
wishes, then, methinks, before any one had time
to request me to take another weight upon me,
I would be in advance, and take np the whole
tented field of the Lord God Almighty, and
swell the loud clarion, calling in all the enlisted
soldiery of the Redeemed army to obey the
Royal command, —to carry the everlasting gos
pel over the whole face of the earth! With all
the fulness, the richness, the freeness of salva
tion, how long would it take to MU the Di
vine command ? 0 that the nc wou
their eagles, give of their thousands, and m
this a year of jubilee in good ‘
that debt of the A. B. C. P- M. was
about by a lack of care, or by a wicked p
gality, I would drop my pen and mourn; _
while it is incurred by its gfeat prosperity then
come on, come on, O ye soldiers of
. . .. * A. Gleason.
victory is ours!
There is something singularly touching in the
simple history of many of these people Truth,
here at least, is often stranger than fiction; or,
>if not stranger, it certainly has higher claims
upon our sympathies. While visiting from
house to house the other day, I found a woman
of about twenty-eight, with a child of four years
old. She was washing, and had every appear
ance of neatness, industry anf sobriety, but with
a mind so crude and uncultivated that I felt
constrained to inquire into her history, and the
more so as she has spent her life.,in the city.
She did not hesitate to give, it.
When three years old her mother'died. Her
father was dissipated, and neglected her wholly;
he put her out to another of his class,'with
whom, and among such, she grew up. Thus
time went on, until some few-months-ago, when
her child fell from a chair and broke its arm.
At this time she had a good stock of clothing,
besides $5O, saved by washing. The time and
money now spent with her child her
previous earnings, and left her with but little
washing to do, so that, with her heavy rent,
($2.50 per-montb,) she could save nothing for
clothing. Last fall she was taken ill of a fever,
which lasted for weeks, and she has since made
but $1.50 a month clear of her rent,—that is,
thirty-three cents a week for herself and child.
She has now bat one thin dress, which: she
washes on Saturday evenings. Of her under
clothing I, of course, could only judge from ap
pearances, and thus judging, it is to me an un
speakable satisfaction to know that she will not
be forgotten. Who can tell but the “law of
kindness” may yet be the means of bringing this
woman to the feet of Jesus ? It would gratify
me if one of the ladies would visit her, learn her
wants, as to clothing, and supply them.
Inquiry is frequently and very properly made
as to the business relation of the mission. Its
pecuniary plans have been heretofore passed
over in the “ Annals,” because the other details
presented were deemed of more pressing ur
gency, and also because some evidence of pre
sent, as well as assurance of future usefulness
seemed a reasonable condition precedent to sys
tematic aid. The confidence, and sympathy,
and aid of individual Christians have been ex
tended in so marked a manner, that we no longer
hesitate to answer freely every inquiry. Two
large rooms were taken at a monthly rent of
$11.66, the writer being solely responsible for
its payment, and, like every other expense, he
is answerable for It. A balance sheet of these
expenses maybe seen, as heretofore stated, at
1334 Chestnut Street. We have believed, and
do still believe, that Christians will be found
who will contribute statedly to r meet them, but
we have, and have had no pledges. We have
incurred considerable personal expense, which,
we trust, may yet be refunded, and the amount
of which appears in said balance sheet. We
are not employed nor paid by any one, although
we shall be glad of the aid of any ehnreh or so
ciety in meeting the expenses referred to, the
mission retaining its independent character.
This, with what has heretofore been said, seems
to embrace all that need be said. We go among
the poor and make our appeal to Christians,
without raising any questions of a denomina
tional character. 33.
R. H. W.
For the American Presbyterian.
GENEVA PEESBYTEEY OK SLAVERY.
The Presbytery of Geneva, in common with
their brethren in this and other lands, regard it
as a Christian doty to bear their testimony, at
this time, against the practice as well' as the
principle of slavery, as it is now known and ad
vocated in these United States. -
We have not been able to-find in God’s word
any warrant whatever for the mastery of the
white over the colored raoes, by which the lat
ter are to be regarded as righteously owing
service to those who offer them no proper com
pensation for their toils. ,
$857.67
Nor can we find in the Scriptures any justifi
cation of the laws which are deemed necessary
for the perpetuity, protection, and quiet of
slavery; and by which it is made a virtue to de
grade a man by withholding from him the power
to read God’s word, and a crime to elevate- him
by the help of any religious privileges except
those that are sanctioned by his master. '
Nor can we find, in any of the legitimate fruits
of slavery and its laws, aught that is not evil
only evil, and that continually, both in regard
to its tendency to destroy the manhood of the
slave, and encourage the oppression of■ the
master.* , - - .
Nor can we hope for any good out of all this:
evil until the gospel shall teach obedience to the
law, “Thou sbalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, and thy neighbor as thyself.”
Nor can we hope for God’s blessing with our
exhibitions of truth in the premises, as long as
we refrain from obedience to the spirit of the
command, “Thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy
neighbor, and not suffer Bin upon him.”
Now, therefore, in humble reliance upon the
truth as it is in Jesus, remembering those who
are in bonds as bound with them, weeping with
the slave, trembling with the master, sympa
thizing with and loving both, we do once more
in the name of our God, lift up our voice, and
our prayers, and our remonstrance against this
system of oppression, looking forward to the
time when it shall have forever ceased.
The foregoing was adopted by the Presby
tery of Geneva at its.late meeting, and ordered
to be forwarded to the New York Observer, the
Evangelist, and the American Presbyterian
for publication. ’ " -
In our last week’s paper the first line of
the beautiful poem by India was seriously marred
by the carelessness of the compositor in insert
ing the word “major” for magic.
We are glad to be able to assure our readers
that India will be a regular contributor, and that
she gives encouragement that she will heed the
suggestion of a kind friend and try her hand in
writing for the little ones.
She wffl greatly oblige us by furnishing us
with her address.
ANNALS OB THE POOR.
the orphan. ;
“MATTERS OP BUSINESS.”
A pleasant incident.
At .»»■>*» P»iJ * 7 o ?7 h " d .
J*. to tte ptttorof to Pr»M™ f« A
»'"“^a f ™e g to" d S
Sf**!**™"'* g»« aollm, w»m, d ,
l a eomelv maiden who represented the several
Bible classes connected with the Sabbath school.
“Beloved Shepherd and Shepherdess:
We, the lambs of jour flock, m token of our
respect for yon, and onr gratitude for the interest
you have ever shown inns, for the anxiety wnh
which yon watch over and endeavor to guide us,
for the instructions we receive both from the pul
pit and in the Sabbath School, and also for the
good example of your consistent lives, beg that
L will accept this little card, with the love of
those who present it. May Heaven's nchest bless
ings rest upon you, and all your labors among us
be crowned with success!
The pastor briefly and with a heart
full of tender feeling “ hoped that he and the help
reel God had given him, might be permitted to
bestow on the lambs of the flock, that which shall
prove more precious than gold/’
EDITOR’S table.
UFE WITHOUT AND LIFE WITHIN: or Reviews,
Narratives, Essays, and Poems. By Margaret Fuller
OssoU, author ot' “ Woman la tKeTfineteenth Cen
tury 1 ” “Art, Literature, and the Drama,” &c-, &c.
Edited by Mr Sfenheiv Arthur B. Fuller. Boston:
Brown, Taggart i Chase. 12mo. pp. 434. For sale
by J. B. Lippincott & Co., 32 N. Fourth Street.
This work contains reviews, essays, poems, &c.,
by a highly accomplished literary, lady. They
were collected and. put in form, by her brother.
Her opinions of authors and distinguished literary
men are discriminating, and her strictures are
kind and amiable, as well as pertinent. This
volume will serve to add to a reputation already
established. Her religions sentiments seem to
have been more of the dreamy and transcendental,
than of the real and scriptural.
TOM BROWN AT OXFORD: A Sequel to “School
Days at Rugby.” By Thomas Hughes, author of
“School Days at Rugby, “Scouringof the White
Horse,” ,etc. ; Part lIL Price twelve cents. Boston:
Ticfcnor & Fields. Philadelphia: Lippincott & Co.
This is the third number of the monthly series.
Humorous, piquant, and interesting, ft is enough
to say, that it is of the same general character as
“School Days at Rugby.”
LYRICS AND OTHER POEMS. By S. J. Donaldson,
Jr. Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakiston.
This is a neat and beautifully printed volume
of lyric poems. They abound in good sentiments,
pleasantly and poetically expressed. ,
The Atlantic Monthly for February has
been promptly issued.. It is a rich number. The
contents are, Counting and Measuring; My Last
Love; A Shetland Shawl; Roba di Koma, by
, Story; Gods, by Miss A. E. Pres
. cott; (authoressof St,. Bohan’s Ghost;) The Poet’s
Friends, by W. D. Howells; ; The' Memorial of A.
B. or Matilda Muffin, by Rose Terry; Some Ac
count of a Visionary, by Marian James, London;
The Truce of Piseataqua, by j. G-. Whittier; The
Maroons of Jamaica, by T. W. Higginson; The
Professor’s Story, by O. W. Holmes; Mexico, by
C. C. Hazewell. The review of current, literature
* s 3 s usual, yery satisfactory.
The February number of Harper’ s. New
Monthly Magazine has as illustrated articles,
Coos and the Megalloway, an-interesting descrip
tion of the forests and water courses of New Hamp
shire and Maine, north of the White Mountains;
Holidays in Costa Rica, No. 3, by Thomas F.
Meagher; Coins and Coinage; and the opening
chapters of Thackeray’s new story, Lovel the
Widower, published from advance sheets. Among
the noticeable'contributions to the pfesent dumber
are, Capt. Gaylord’s Will; The Arabs in Spain;
Mother of Pearl, a story of Fitz-James O’Brien,
etc. ' -
UFEIN SPAIN, FAST AND PRESENT. By Walter
!; Thornl>ury, author of “Every Man hi* own Trum
peter,” “Art and Nature,” “ Songs of the Cavaliers
and Round Heads,” etc. New York: Harper & Bros.
Philadelphia:. Lindsay & Blakistou.
This is a racy and entertaining hook. It pic
tures Spanish life, customsy habits, and sentiments
.in a style, at once lively, amusing, and instruc
tive.
POEMS. By the author of. “John Halifax, Gentle
man,” Ac. Boston: Ticknor A Fields. Philadelphia:
Lippincott A Co.
These fugitivc.poems of Miss Muloch have ap
peared in Chambers’ Journal it different times
dunng thelast ten years. The frequent reprinting
them in Engiand and America, has induced the
authored to collect them into a book,, and stamp
mark ®P° n them. Many of the pieces well
deserve this distinction; others will hardly claim
rank with first clajss poetry. Evidently Miss Mu
oe s forte is prose, and having written “John
Halifax, Gentleman,’’ it is of doubtful policy to
nsk her acquired fame on a volume of indifferent
poems.
a J™ ATive of the discovery of the
SIR JOHN FfiANKLIN AND HIS COM
PANIONS. By Captain M‘Clintock, R. N., LL. D
4 FieldS ‘ ***** J. B. Lip-
: Thc results of Captain M’Clintoek’s adventure
to the Arctic regions, in search of the fate of Sir
John Franklin and his expedition, have been made
known to the world. After England and the
United States had made repeated efforts to learn
tlie destiny of the Erebus and Terror and their
brave and venturous crews, to no purpose, this
pnvate expedition, manned and equipped by Lady
. ra f klln > gelled the sad mystery, and revealed
to the anxious world their fatal end. The volume
is a detailed history of this last and successful ex
pqfotion, prepared from the. notes and observations
of the hardy and bold commander. It fo a valu
e contribution to geography, natural history,
and meteorology. The incidents of the journey,
n e descriptions of interviews with the native
Esquimaux will have interest. These several ex
peditums have added, essentially, to the knowledge
of these northern polar regions, and contributed
? f BClentific and geographical informs
tion of this icy 'zone.
? ONTHtT ' takes the place
favor i A 3^ Y Bome, which has always been a
favorite with us. not think the change of
thT’ T ,™P rOTei 9® n t; ‘besides, we receive ano
tbervaiuable monthly with the same cognomen
from Buffalo. The Home Monthlyis an excellent
mi y magazine. Its contributions are chaste,
moral, elevating, and the tone do
cidedly rehgmus as well as literary. It merits a
large circulation. Published by Cyrus Stone,
Boston, and edited by Wm. M. Thayer. Wm.
• orne , Philadelphia, Corresponding Editor,
per annum. > • . i
Feb.
Eyander.