The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-04-24
Incidents la the Life and Character OF the
Late Mcdonald Clarke.
To JAMES GORDON BESvErT, Esq.
DrAp Stp

| DEAR SIR,
Since death put an end to the sorrows and suffer.
ings of him whose name stands at the head of this
article, | have felt highly ~grati6ed in reading i,
the papers of this city the many favorable notices
which editors and others havs written in prose and
poetry concerning him, but they have all spoken OF
him as a poet, a lover, an eccentric, a friendless and
disappointed man; therefore l need say nothing
upon points which have been so often and SO ably
touched by others, but | wish TO speak OF Nc Donald
Clarke, the friend, the christian, the benevolent
man, and the grateful son. And although a stranger
to you myself, / have often heard him speak, in
the highest terms, Of your uniform kindness to him,
and knowing from him that you never refused to
give his communications a place in your paper,
nor 10 reward him handsomely for his laborS i
have thought the following incidents might not be
uninteresting to you, nor to that numerous class
who have, in the columns of the Herald, SO often
seen his name, and the productions of his pen.
During several OF the last mouths of his life he
was in the habit Of calling upon me as often as once
q week, and it was generally on Sunday, at the
close OF the afternoon service in the churches. I'm
mediately after inquiring about the health OF the
family, he always spoke of the sermons which he
had that day heard at Grace Church, regretting
that they had not been heard by a greater number,
might yet b. published; thousands and thousands
Of copies distributed among the poor; 'for,' said
he, cdr. Taylor is a man after Gods own heart
his sermons are practical, and it is the practice of
more IMAM ~ tucOTy Vi w., nat Deue-
fits. and blesses, and saves The world. at makes
me happy" said he, ste hear him speak against
pride and fashion, and the love Of money and am
bition, and humility, and kindness, and
benevolence, and | never leave there without feel.
Ing that some portion fthe dross of humaa nature
has been burned up or purified by the holy flame
of his discourse" l asked him how he man
aged to get a seat there, and he replied "W alter
Bovine has given me a seat in his pew for years,
and the recollection of his kindness to me, is sweet
to my memory, and it will gladden. his heart too, as
he goes lettering down the hill Of life it will soft.
en- his pillow in death, and he will leave it, associa-
ted with his name, as a rich legacy for. his children"
l asked him a few weeks ago, if he had any money,
and he replied, that he had a little, but at the same
time, said he could not keep it, for, said he,
whenever | leave home with a few ~shillings in
nay pocket | Inn sure to see somebody who needs it
mere than | do, and | give it away" "There has
been, said he, " almost every pleasant day for 4
house near Murray street, and Thave never passed
her without giving her a shilling, il l had one."-
One OF the pleasantest days last week" said he,
81 went up to her, and one of her trembling hands
held her staff, and the other, like a brown and with
cred leaf Of autumn, lay upon her knee, and | said
90 her Aunty, has any body this lovely morni, &
dropped anything into your lap! and she answer
ed ne, and / said to myself, what would Christ,
did do-he rest0red 10 life the widows son, and in
that way comferted her, he gave to the afflicted sis
tiers their only brother. and in that way comfortet
them-he told the story CT the good Samaritan, aud
commanded his disciples to acl like him, and if he
were here IN person, he would do something to
somfort this poor woman, and so will !, and / divi-
ded with her what l had. and went on my way ie-
joicing;" and then, said he, " there is the old blind
man, and the old woman who sells apples at the
corner Of a street away up Broadway. l have to
look after them too, and they always speak to me
so sweetly about the Bible, and are so contented in
their lowly lot, that their words are worth more to
me than all that ! can give to them" After read:
ing to me 4 piece of poetry, in which he several
times spoke Of woman, he said, you may think it
1911
man, but they have always been true and faithful
friends 10 me. l have sometimes been deceived
and unkiadly treated by men, and they have occa-
sionally frowned and turned away from me in scorn,
but l have never received aught bat kindness from
any woman In years that are past and gone, when
l had no home, they gave me shelter and food, and
money ard smiles, and what was better to me than
all, kind words, and | delight in thinking Of Them
now, and in reading in The Bible, the history
of Hannah, and Deborah and Ruth, and LILA
beth and Mary, and hose other holy women
whose names and virtues adOrn the sacred page,
as The early flowers bsautify the landscape Of
spring. He told me q few days before his death,
that be went home the night before, At a late hour,
aud carelessly undressed himself, and put out the
light, and went to bed, but could not sleep, and af-
ter turning from side to side; rolling about in the
bed for a long time, he r~emembered that he had laid
himself down without reading his bible, or bow
ing before his God, and he said he was frightened,
for he had not been guilty Of such thoughtlcssness
and neglect for a long time; aAd he got up and took
the bible, and opened the window, and laid the
book on the window sill and read by the light of
the moon, the fifth chapter Of the gospel by Mat
thew, and then closed the window, and clasped the
book in his hands, and kselt by his little table, and
prayed most fervently for himself, and for all the
world, and then returned to his bed, and slepta as
soundly aud sweetly as a child in its mothers arms:
In one OF the last conversations that | ever had
with him, l asked him, how he had been able, du-
ring the many years of his loneliness and poverty,
to keep himself from bad company. frsm intoxica-
ting drinks, and from falling into the many temPta-
tinns and viras vhieh had been constantly around
him in this large city; and he came very near tome,
and sitting down in a chair by my side, SAID +"
will tell you my friend, the whole secret OF that
matter-l was the child OF a pious mother and she
lived until was twelve years old, and every night
she knelt dUwrN 18th me, and after laying her hands
gently upon my head, she asked God to bless her
boy, and TO keep him from temptation and sin, and
| often felt her tears drop upon my hands, and cav
where they had wet the leaves OF her bible; ana
whenever / have At any time, or In any. place been
tempted, or have in any degree yielded to tempta,
ton, | have f. on my head the warm pressure OF
those hands, and have heard the sweet tones OF
that voice; and ! have been afraid to stain with
blood, or to cover with crime the hands, or to DISC
hey the book which had been so often wet with a
mothers tears al intend" said he, "to make
this public, for the encouragement of Christian no-
thers." From the time he was taken to the asylum
until the day previous to his death, he was,a great
portion Of the time, a raving maniac Occasionally,
he had lucid intervals, and during those intervals Of
reason, he talked much Of his friends, and especially
of those who had shown him kindness during the
darkened years Of his dreary and desolate life. He
frequently asked for the bible, and evinced the most
heartfelt and devoted feeling when speaking of
that, or engaged in prayer. The day previous to
his death, at an early hour in the morning, the
physician If the Institution, Doctor Mcclellan, on
speaking to him, found that his reason was perfect
ly restored; but his voice was exceedingly. weak,
and his strength nearly exhausted, and when, IN
great kiudness,t the Doctor told him that he could
not live twenty-four hours, he received the an
no~uncement with perfect calmness and resignation.
He wished to know where he was, and how long he
frie,ds. ard smoke OF II EN- with the deepest ceiling
Of affection and gratitude, frequently mentioning
their names, and his last and only wish expressed
to the doctor, was, that he might be kindly treated;
and. ou being assured tina, il should be so. he was
sarisfed: and then as long a. he was able to make
srticnlatc sounds, his strength was employed in
expressing his thankfulness for the kindness he
had received, and repeating the prayer Of his Divine
| Master. with whom he had the fallest hope Of find