SFISEJ JBISlPJBIflIBffo
I
'Tp plcafSo tho ruilb ulid cheer tliominil."
"STANZAS.
''Vdnhy'of Vanities! nil i$ vanity!"
''ijr vain I in tain I those blighting words,
, How godly tin the heart they fall !
Liko croaking or in-boding- birds.
Turning; iu sweet delights' to gall.
One" voice rings ever in th'6 ear,
Ono thought jewelling in tho brairi,
From youth to eld, from year to year,
. That all our toiU'omo liW is vain.
"Oh, loro hath many a graceful flower,
And liato has many un evil eye,
And hopo full rnaiiy a promised dower,
And fear has many h death to die.
"Joy hath his night df revel caro
Its season of distfust'tind pain,
"'Sorrow fier wrcaih,' of verdure liaro, ,
And thcsoi 'mo they not 'all in vain I
' All that philosophy hathi aught,
All that" tho mind aspires fo know,
That heaven-Jed genius cver'caught,
Of bcautlfuV above, below
- All that tho cartbMjblihd sVul'would Beck
Of wordly spoiland wordly gain,
That fiction paints or truth can speak
In vain ! how nro they all in vain1!
As ho whb nightly searched th'o skies
For th'o'los't Pleiad, (unled away,
With fainting he'aft and aching eyes,
UnblesVunlightcd by its ray
So man through life is doomed to cravo
Borne good ho never can attain,
'Hit destined goal an unsought grave,
'liis epitaph" Life, life is vain !"
irzWiti' sir. cijjiiit.
a prize tali nr i. o. whittiea.
Henry St. Olair ! How at the mention
of that name, h thousand dreams of friend-'-
ship ahd youth and'of the early and beau-j
tiful associatlbhs wHich linger like invisible1
Spirits around 'tis, lb bo 'called into view
'onlv bv thefhocical infliiene.fi of mcraorv.i
arc awakened ! How does the glance o
- i - a-' - J '
tetrospeclidh go back to the dim images of
the past from tile bahquet-hall and the
"pleasant fostiyal, down to tho s'ilent ahd un
broken Bolilhdo of tho tomb
We were as br6ih6rs in childhood "St
'Clair and myself, brothers too in the
"dawning of manho6d ': a'nd a moire ingenu
ous aim high-minded friend I nover knew.
Yel ho was strangely proud not of the
world s gifts wealth family and learning
... rr . . ,
" but of his intellectual power of the
,;great guift of mind ho possessed, tho ar
'dent and lofty spirit which shone out in his
"every action. And he might well be proud
of such guiftff. I never knew a finer mind
Ft was as the 'embodied spirit of poetry its-
"elf the beautiful home of high and glorious
aspirations.
Henry cat. utair was never at Heart a
"christian. He never enjoyed the visitations
tjf that pure and blessed influence, which
comes into the silence and loneliness of the
'human bosom, to build up anew the broken
altars of Its faith, and rOvivo the drooping
flowers of its desolated affectiohs. He loV'
vd the works 'of tho great God with tiro love
of an enthusiast. But beyond the visible
and outward forms the passing magnifi
"ence of the heavens the beauty and gran
deur of the earth-, and the illimitable world
of waters, his vision never extended. His
spirit never over-looked tho clouds which
"surrounded it, to catch a glimpse of the
'tetter and iftore beautiful land
I need not tell the story of my friend's
Voting ycarr. It was nothing t6 distinguish
"it from a thousand 'others "; it is th6 brief
"and sunny biography of one iipon whose
"pathway the sunuhino of happiness rested
'unshadowed by a pissing cloud. Wc were
'happy in ouV friendship, but the time of
'manhood came ; and we Wci-6 parted by
"our different interests, and by the opposite
tendency of circumstances peculiar to each
Mother
It was a night of autum'n a cold and
Btarless evening I remember it with pain
rful distinctness, although year after year has
mingled with eternity, that had occasion
'to pass in my way homeward, through ono
of the darkd'aj and loneliest alleys of my ha-
tiro city. Anxious to reach my dwelling,
I was hurrying eagerly forward, when 1 felt
myself suddenly siezed by the arm 5 and a
Voice close in my ear whispered hoarsely
-'btop or you are a ueau man.
I turned suddenly. 1 heard the cocking
..... . ......
'of a pistol, and saw by a faint gleam from
'a neighboring windOWj the tall figure of a
man holdings weapon at my breast.
I knew hot what prompted me to Tcsis
tance I was totally unarmed, and altogeth
'cr unacquainted with th6 struggle of mortal
.jeopardy But 1 did not resist and, one
instant I saw my assailant in tho posture I
havo described, the noxt, ho was disarmod
mid writhintr beneath me. It seemed as if
iin infant's strength could have subdued him.
'Wrcich.!" Icxclaimcd, as I,heldMhis
'Wtr.'pTsfoWo ihisbbsom, '5vhat 'is your
object! ArQ'yb'u'a'commbhmigiiiJsht rob
ber or bcaryou aught ol private malice
towards Roger Allston ?'' , , ,
"Allston! ftdgcr Allston i" repealed the
wretch botfrjath the, in a vpicb whibh sound
ed like a shriek, as he struggled half up
right qven against tho threatening pistol.
Great God I has it come to this i Hell has
no pang like this meeting! Shoot?" he
exclaimed,' and there was a dreadful earnest
ness in liis manner, which sent the hot blood
of indignation cold and 'ice-like upon my
heart. "Shoot! yon wfarb once riiy friend
in mercy kill me !"
A horrible suspicion flashed 6ver my m'ihd
I felt a sudden sickness at my heart and
the pistol fell from my hand.
Whoever you may be," I said, "and
whatever may have been your motive m
attacking mo, I would not stain my hands
with your blood. Go and repent of your
crimes."
'You do not know me," said the robber,
as witli s'omo'difliculty- he regained his feet,
".'even you have forgotten me.' Even you
refuse tho only mercy man can now render
me the mercy of death of utter annihila
tion !
Actuated by 'a sudden and half defined
impulse, I caught the stranger's arm,
and hurried him towards the light of a street
lamp. It fell upon his ghastly and death
like features, and on his attenuated form,
and ragged apparel. Breathless and eager
ly I gazed upon him, until he trembled be
neath the scrutiny. I pressed my hand
against my brow, for I felt my brain whirl
like the coming on of dclirum. I could not
be mistaken. Tho guilty wretch before mo
was tho friend Of my youth one whose
memory I hatl cherished as the holiest le
gacy of the past. It was Henry St. Clair,
Yes it was St. CI
since last we had communion with each
'6:hcr! Where was the look of inlclli
gence, and the visible scat of intellect the
beauty of person and mind ? Gone and
gOno forever to give place to the loath
someness of a depraved and brutal appetite
, , r ,. ,. ,
to the vile tokens of a discusting sensual
lty, and the deformity of disease
"Well may you shudder," said St. Clair,
'lam fit only'for tho companions ,of demons
but you cannot long be cursed by mo pres
once. I hayo not tasted food for many days
hunger drove me to attempt your robbery
but, I feel that I ain a dying man. No htf
man power 'can 'safe mci and if there be a
God, even He cannot save mo fiom myself
from the undying horrors of remorse."
Shocked by his words, and still more by
the increasing ghastliiiqss of his counto
nance, i leu me wrotcneu man to my
dwelling, and after conveying him to bed
and administering a cordial to his fevered
lips, I ordered a physician to bo called.' But
it was too late; the hand of death was upon
him. He motioned me to his bed-side af
ter tho physician had departed ; he strove
to speak, but the words died upon his lips,
He then dr6w from his bosom a sealed letter
addressed to myself. It was his last effort
He started half upright in his bed uttered
one groan of horror and mortal suffering
and sunk back, still and ghastlyj 113)011 his
pillow. He' was dead.
I followed the remains of my unhappy
friend to the narrow place appointed for all
the living tho damp and cold chtlrch-yard
I breathed to no one tho secret of his name
and guilt. I left it to slumber with him
I now referred to tho paper which had
been handed me by the dying man. Willi
a trembling hand I broke the seal of tho en
velope, and read tho following addressed to
mvself
"If this lotter ever reaches you, do not
seek to find its unhappy writer. He ia be
yond the reach of your noble generosity
a guilty and a dying man. I do not sec
for life. There is no hopo for my future
existence-, and death daik, and terrible
and mistciioua as it may seem, is less to be
dreaded than the awful realities with whic
I am surrounded;
I havo iitlic treneth lo tell vod the sto'
1 . " .
1 ry of my fall. Lot me be brief. You know
how wo parted from each other. You kno
w
tho lofty hopes and towering feelings of am
bitioiij which urged mo front your society
froirt the enjoyment of that friendship
tho memory of which has ever since linger
cd like an upbraiding spirit at my side.
arrived at my place of destination ; and aid
cd by the introductory oplslles of my friends
and the influence of my family, I was at
once received into tho first and most fas
ionablo circles'of tho city.
" I never 'nrwscss.ed those principles of
irtue.antliirloral d'iirnHy, the cil'ect 'of, which
las' bcenso. eonspicUous,in your own .cha
racter. Amidst ttio naileries auu uuuuuui.
f those around mo, and in tho exciting pur
suit of pleasure, the kindly voice of admo
nition was unhoard ; and I became the gay
est of .tho gay a leader in cvory sceno or
fashionablo dissipation. The principles of
my new companions were (hose of mlidelt-
and I embraced them with my wnoio
soul. You know my former disposition to
Idirtit that doubt 'was now'changed into a
settled unbolief, and a bitter hatred towards
all which I had onco been taught to believe
acred and holy.
"Yet amidst the baleful principles wlncli
had imbibed, one honoiablo feeling still
ingered in my bosotii, like abeautitul an
gel in the companionship ol dpmons.
TheroVas ono being, a young and lovely
creature, at whoso shrine all tho deep affec
tions of my heart were poured out, in the
sincerity, 6f early love. Sho Was indeed a
beautiful girl a being to bow down to anu
worrthip pure ahd high'-thoughtcd as the
sainted ones of paradise, but confiding and
artless as a child. She possessed every ad
vantage of outward beauty but it was not
that which gathered about her as with a
spell, the hearts of all who Know her. It
was the light of her beautiful mind, which
lent the deep witching of soul to her fine
countenance flashing in her dark eye, and
playing like sunshine on her lip, and cross
ing her fair forehead with ah intellectual
halo.
Allston! I lookback to that "spring-time
of love even at this awful crisis of my des
tiny, with a strange fooling of joy. It is the
only green spot in the wilderness of tho past
an oasis in the desert of being. She lov
ed ine Allston :and a heart more precious
than the gems of the cast, was given up to
a wrctsn unworthy of its slightest regard.
Hitherto prido rather than principle had
kept me above the lowest degradation of
sensual indulgence. But for one fatal error
I might have been Vtmted to the lovely be
ing of my affections ; and oh ! if sinless pu:
rity and persuasive love could have had
power over a mind darkened and perverted
as my own, l miglit nave ocen reciaimeu
from the pathway of ruin I might .have
been happy.
'But that fatal cnorcame ; 'and came too
in the abhorrent shape of loathsome drunk
enness. I shall never in time, or eternity
forget that sceno ; it ia engraved on my
momory in letters of fire. It conies up be
fore me like a tcrriblo dream but it is a
dream of reality. It dashed from, my lips
tho cup of happiness, and fixed forever the
dark aspect of nly destiny.
"I had been very gay-for thorp had been
happy spirits around mo ; and I drank free
ly and fearlessly for "the first time; There
is something horrible in the first sensations
of drunkenness. For relief, I drank-still
deeper and I was a drunkard, I was delir
ious, I was happy. I left the inebriated as
sembly, and direclcd my steps, not to my
lodgings, but to the home of her, whom I
loved nay, adored above all others. Judge
of her surprizo and consternation when I
entered with a flushed countenance and un
steady tread ! She was reading lo her aged
parents, when with an idiot's grimace I ap
proached her. She started from her seat
ono glance told her the fatal truth ; and
she shrunk from me aye, from me to whom
her vows were plighted and her yotlng af
fections given with fear, with loathing,
and undisguised abhorrence. Irritated at
her conduct, I approached her rudely, and
snached from her hand the book she had
been reading., I fcaat it into tho flames,
which roso brightly from the hearth. It
was the volume which You call sacred. I
enw the smoko of its consuming go upward
liko a sacriiiog to the demon of intomper
ancc, and therci even tliore, by that Chris
tian fire-side, t cursed the book and its au
thor.
"The scene which followed beggars dc
scription. Tho skriek of my betrothed
her falling down iuto a stale of insensibility
the tears of maternal anguish the hni
ror. depicted-on tho countenance of the oj
man all, those thropg Oven now confused
ly over my memory. 1 staggered to the
door; The reception I had mot with, and
tho excitement there produced, had obliter
ated in Homo measure the efl'cct of intoxica
lion i and reason bogan to assume its em
pira. The full round mOon, was up in tho
heavens and tho stars how fair, how
passing beautiful they shonn down nt that
hour ! I had loved to look upon tho stars
those bright and blessed evidences of a holy
ihdnll-porvadinjr inlelligeneoi hut that night
;liQir grandeur aild tlicfr exceeding purity
camclik a curse to my weary vision. 1
could have seen thoso beautiful lights ex
tinguished, and the dnrk night-cloud sweep
iiig'bvcr the'fair face of thd'sky, and have
smiled with grim satisfaction fo'r the change
woulil'havo been in unison witli my feel
inirs. "Allston ! I havo visited, in the tearless
agbhy which mocks at consolation, tlic
.rrnv'c of mv betrothed. Sho died of a bro
ken heart. From that niomdnt,,a'll is dark
and hateful, and loathsome, in my history
I am reduced to poverty I am bowing to
disease I am without a friend. I have no
longer the means of subsistence ; and star
vation may yet anticipate tho fatal termina
tion of the disease which is preying upon
me.
Such is 'tho talc df the once gifted and no
blc St. Clair. Let the awful lesson it teach
cs sink deep in the hearts of the young a'nd
ardent in spirit.
ni3L,IGIOUS-k
'Published by request.
L'ONOING FOll HOME.
Oh land of rest for thco I sigh,
When will the moment come
Whcnl shall lay my armour by,
And dwell in peace at Home!
No tranipiil joys on earth I know,
No peaceful sheltering dome;
This World's n wilderness of woe
This world is not my Home.
To Jesds CimisT, I sought for rcit,
Ho bade mo ceaso to roam;
'And fly for succor to his breast,
And Ho'd conduct mo Komi.
I would at onco have ipiitthis place,
Where foes with fury roam;
But all! my passport wss'not scaled,
I could notyet go Horn.
Whon by aflliction sharply tried,
I view tbe gaping tomb;
Although I dread death's chilling tide1,
Yetstill 'I sigh for lloxt.
Weary of wandering round ond round,
This vale of sin and gloom;
I long to quit th'unhallowcd ground,
And dwell with Citnisr at Home.
BISHOP JEBB'S CONVERSION.
By the bye, I haV6 a curious and not un
interesting anecdote to tell you about Ice
land's "Advantage and Necessity of Reve
lation." Mr. T. II. It was the re
lator of it to me, in the year 1820. "When
very young," said he, 'I unhappily had ac
cess to a circulating library, stored with
German novels and other infidel publica
tions. The consequence was that I became
a thoroughpaced unbeliever; still, however,
c6ninued diligent in business, and to the
utmostof my powers, supporting, by my
exertions a scrivener, and laborious literary
drudge, a family of young and helpless
orphan brothers and sislcrs of mine. For
ced, prematurely, to break off my school
studies at Christ's Hospital, that I miglit
earn a livelihood for myself and them, 1
still snatched au hour wh'cn I could, for
classical reading; and one day I met, and
took up Leland on the Advantage and Neces
sity of the Christian religion. My object
in doing so was any thing but religious.
I wished, in fact, merely to read tho Latin
and Greek quotations scattored over tho
book. Some passages, however, from ono
of the fathers struck my eye. I read them,
and suddenly asked myself, What if Chris
tianity were after all to provo true.' Ay,
wiiui wouiu men income 01 lncr 1 was
thus led to examine tho book, and, by the
1.1 .1 1 . .
blessing of God, as I had read hiysclf iuto
infidelity, so I was enabled to read myself
out ol it. I then, at intervals stolen from
sleep and labor, went through alongcourso
of biblical study." Bishop Jebb.
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
If, liko the meek and lowly Immanuel,
the Genius of Sabbath Schools particular
delights iu doing good to those whoso sour-
cos ofothcr happiness are few, 01 dried up
if, like him, it sheds its most benignant
smile where foituno has thrown her wither
ing frown if, like him, it sends tho almo
nersofits bpunty most frequently to tho
humble dwelling of the poor, and speaks,
like him, with tundercst accents to cars that
tnosl seldom listen to the voice of kind
nesslike him, also, it does not confine its
attentions to those. Whilo it cstcoms it no
dompaninj eoudeconsion to visit tho lowlv
abode, the log cabin, or tho thatched cot-
tage, it does not, on tho other hand, consid
oritself guilty of an arrogant or intrusive
aspiration, if, in it errands of mercy; ii
bocks an enieraiico to the most lordly man
sion. It yearns to embrace all within the
sphcro of its hallowed influence It would
elevate tho humble, without a' possibility 0f
degrading the most oxalled in character or
in station. It assumes tuo tasit 01 instruc
ting the 'illiterate and tho untaught, and pro
fesses, at the samo lime, to auu a high,
cr gracq to thoVo of more accomplished at
tainments. It teaches tho forttinato favour
ed few of its young assemblies how to in
prote their prosperity aright, arid to tho
sorrow-stricken children of aflliction, iu
kind languago is. .
"Look up.yo fad ones ! 'Tis your Falhrr s house,
llcncath Whoso consecrated domo younrc.'. ;
In short, it flies abroad over our world
a loving anglu, stooping here and there to
bless the young (and in blessing tho yr-u
1 1 . . 1 1 1 r 1 1 . . . . ,i
to Dicss me 0111 01 every lainiiy 111.11 wm
receive its blesing. So that it cannot fail
to appear, from this apiludo of tho Sabbat'i
School to profit the most divers branches
of the vast fraternity of man the rich and
the poor, tho lofty and the low, tho joyful
and tho disconsolate, the followed and the
forsaken that it deserves to bo classed
among tho m'bst efficacious means of univer
sal hppincss that havo been employed,
Hapittt Jlegisttr.
Effects vf the JJible. I was travelling
about four years ago in a romoto district in
Bengal and I came to tho house of a gen
tlomcn belonging to Portugal. I found him
reading tho Scriptures in Bengalee to sev
enty or eigluy people, men, women, ami
ciiuuten, 01 mat country, who wcro all
very attentive. This gentleman told mo
that he had bocn led to employ some of his
leisure moments in this way. And to-mor
row,' said lio, as you pass my fa I'm, men'
lion my name and they will procure you a
bed, and you will then seo the effects of
reading the Scriptures.' The next day I
called at his estate, where I saw ono him-
1
drcd men, women, and children, who had
all become converts to Christianity within
three or four years. I inqnircd how they
found thems'clves; they appeared delighted,
and thought 11 a happy thing for them that
Europeans had translated the Scripture,
that thoy may read in their own tongue the
wonderful work of God. I had some in
tcrcotirso also with an official person in that
district, and I mention it because some per
sons tell you tnat nothing is done by the
missionaries, I asked the Macistrate what
was the conduct of these Christians, and hi
said: 'Thero is something in them tha
does excite astonishment; the inhabitants e
this district arc particularly known as be
ing so litigious and troublesome, that they
have scarcely any matter but what they
bring into a court of justice. But during
three or four years hot one of theso pconlei
have brought a cause against any one, wijj
any against them.' I mention this to9how
that chrastianity will produco in nil coun-j
tries, peace and happiness, to those win
know tho truth as it is in tho Lord Jesus
VVJIUSBINO.
Two Lawyers, when a knottv ciso was o'er.
Shook hands, nllhough they Wrangled hard be
lore.
Zounds, (-tvs the client who was cast ) nr.
how
Can you bo' friends, who were such foes jrn
nowi
You fool, cried one, we lawvers. llmntrh no keen.
Liko shears, no'cr cut ourselves, but what's between
A compaiuson. Sir Ccoffry Kncllc
being informed by his servent that Mr. Jar
vis, the painter, was coming up the avenue
in his carriagej to visit him; said "If hii
horses cant 'draw' no better than himself
he Avon't bo hero this week."
Neck and Heels A young irian na
Hied irfcc(say the charlotte Journel) ha
recently boen married to a Miss Heck
Miss Heels went "Neck or nothing."
A Tax Evadud, At the timo of a aJ
upon beeches in England, the' folowing ap
peared:
i.'ri.r. .... ! t ... .
xnw wx upon ypur tjreeclies." exc aimed 1
Old nt,
Pray, how do you relish, friend Sly!"
'Very well, 'aimvorcl t'other "the mbilster's bi
My wife wears tho breeches, not I."
Hr. M-
being sent for bv a
make
of universal specifics, crand Balutarians.S:i
up Broadway, expressed his surprise a&f
ing called m on an occasion apparently hi
fling. ' "Not so trifliiig neither," replied 111
quack, "for, to tell the truth, I have, by mij
tako, taken somo of my own mils." 1
As art Irishman was leading a horse th
other day, tho animal broko from him an
wn; Some passengers planted thomselvc
in tho road to stop him, which Paddy ol;
serving, and fearing they would scare th
horse, cried. "By tho powers, now, bo aisy
II VO Sinn Dm hnetn .' II I .
inm rm tne taster; '
1