Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1843-10-12

She died OF consumption, after an lime s OF man,
months, wasting away like some sweet Tower de-
prived Of the fresh devs Of henfen Day BY day
aud hour by hour, the Grim Phantom hsapted ",
gentle victim, aud every dzy and every hour hzstdn
ed his approach, for every moment that winged H.
way 10 eternity, bore with & some portion Of The A
| cord which bound her TO life The shruhken form
the hollow eye, growing brighter and still more beau
tiful the spirit became less numbered with ,hs
fesi, and that bright spol UPON the sunkcn check
how surely and how RAPIDLY she was fading from
4 earth.
The young Spring relurned with rs birds and
aoxsrs, but its genial breath could not call back IA
her faded cheek the HUGS which the first SHOWS 81
winter had brushed away. I he song Of The wild
blcs aud the scent o. the ssect floweE failed 10 Fe-
Estofe It's wontrd vseur 20 her wasted fiAnie and
when the Summer had departed, the low windso
Autumn sung her rtdqielm- =.
| ~oulJ that you could have stood with me by lhe
slde Of this lovely being ~hen Deslh came to SIatm
his victim. cannot thuk, had you dole So Vbu
could longer have maintained your dark and ehrSf,
4 less Rei,t Had you seen, did, the Immortal.
ity besining from the eyes Of that fair being AID
fradiaieg her, whole couhtenance with light which
not OF this earth think you could never az Aiu
have persuaded ourself to believe that The Spirit Il
born 10 die. but lel me convey 10 your hind SON,
imperfect idea Of whar you might have scent had you
stood with me there.
! When she found that tn. hand Of Deathvas u,lor
her, She exhibited no alarm, regret, sstonISh-
neiIt, but With infinitely more calmnesssthan sle
bad 5xh biled brief year before when she stood
al the altar and plighled her to the husbando lot
her choice, she prepared 10 meet tile King Of Ter
rors She took the most stfectionste leave Of hel
pareiits aud such her friends were present snd
fhtd she been preparing for brief excursion to The
country, she could not haye exhibited
ness 20 depart. When lie tered the room, She w.
reclining 10 large easy ehairand at her feet klae
Der distracted husbsnd. whose grief she endeayofed
| % soothe. She raised her small wan hand toward,
Heaven, and gaZed ufpwsrds.wth couutenances 81
radiant with the light OF joyous hope, so hlled with
the rays OF unel6uded faith, it seemed as thou
to her rspt vision the glores oil an immortal wolld
we're Disc rnable.
/ She chanIed for some moments in All low svec
voice, the words Of : faiorIle ymn, And wbens al
length her voice could 20 longer be beard her In.
moved asif continuing the same sweet melody
! For some moments she continued thus, with her
hand raised and countenanee turned towards IIEa
yen--at length her arm sunk gradually down, And
wiIh}a slight effort she -articulaled II am dying,
am going 10 Heaven"-her head sunk on her hus-
bands shoulder, and she breathed no more
| have given you, 10 this poor aud imperfect Us.
serplIon but faint idea Of the most touching AID
deeply affecting SCENE have ever Witnessed In Iny
llie-nor should expect that my poor description
viii sifeet you much only know that The effdcts
OF That scene upon my self were such can never
describe and can never forget l had seen others
die, but never had seen Death approach ia form
so gentle aud unfor bidding. The 1yrsnt seemed 10
haye lane aside his cr0Ts Invested himself Of every
Thing that WAS hideous or fearful, and approached
not az d he would snatch hisAetim from HE, but
u he would win eralfeelionsto death There was
no contest no struggle, withing Of The form, no
contotton Of Ains features but softly anil gently as
Tie hand OF beauty shakes OF from the lilly he dw-
Drops beneath which il bends, so did tie handSef
sasKs S aSS@ hs % edd sqq s sweet
ARA now, my dear----, what will you say Ito
tms VIII you tell me that the soul OF that eiiI
whith one moment before had besmed ia her eyes
aud lighted her countenanee, ceased exist when
she cSasedto breathe Will vol say thai that soul
went down 10 the grave and TO annihilation and Will
ne'erexist again VIII you tell me that that sru.g
hope, that mistaken confidence that thorough con.
Slctlon-unshakenb by asins lie doubt-in future aid
glorious existence, which sustained her initbe hohr
OF DEATH lending brighter lustre to her eve more
heavenly expression 70 her face, and making Her
whole frame appear radiant and lovely growing
stronger aud stronger brighter and still more bra
As the brief sands Of life ebbed away-wiil YOU Nv
that tbs was not the JOY Of an immortal soul at the
glorious prospect Il permitted 10 behold and ihe
Longing Of that soul TO be released from earth A.
VIII you contend that all this was but the effects OF
education, the consequence Of mistaken conviction
OF future state, created ia her mind byIthe infu-
enee Of other minds upon her'sl Will you say she
had been taught to believe in Heaven, and there
lore she did belieye-and that as Death approachei
she chung las it was natural she shouIdl The more
closely 10 that conviction And that bad she hecn
taught 10 believe that perfect happiness consisted
only 10 annihilaon she would have believed So aud
haf iaith would have been equally cheering in the
hour OF death Willyou answer me thus n /
know you will, for you have done me SO before
and yet how strangely inconsistent is your argu-
ment You say that the soul and the mind are ay-
nonirpousor rather, that We have no souls strictly
speaking, but have minds That the mind, with
all us aJoutes, is portion OF the body attached
In 1Kslift e1N
stence and opelaton;-in Short that il Is the mSre
working Of the brain that keeps ia existence Hat
We term mind, just as the circulation of the bloud
Keeps the pulse m full play and that consequent
E,Nhen dissolution seizesupon the body 1.-The mind,
being portion Of the body is necessarily lissoJ0A
WIN y. But q this be so-if the mind be rs dou
~pald have q, mere machine operated upon By The
pts sical organization Of the body-~or ID use ydur
own words. .'the working Of The beam -if il IL
material portion Of the body created anddying NIth
~ VIII loa tell me how i Is that the death ordisso-
luton OF the mind always in INSTRUMENTATION
to that OF The bods Why ii il Often times te .se
ill6 when The body is fast sinking into Dissolution.
when Us organs, faculties, aud powers, are becoming
one BY oae Paraly zed BY the hand OF desth-N Aeh
The blood has ceased to circulate hen The pulse
1es'sao more,' and the lungs no longer piAy-wlSrn
The palor Of death oversress The face and the heaff
has almost ceased 10 rob Why is that IN that dread
hour tAe soul. wilya its faculties still unipairee
SITS eAim aud mistaken upon her throne. growEKE
anu more powerful aud beau
THU Hr u least becoming distinct aud perefp-
u6leto us1 Sthe body decays, beamins ID The ewes
lighting VI the palId counteoance aid shed,iSne
over ItheI features halo which even the hand III
death xsnnot dispei
~ you Why is this WHY does not lie so;,l
@lyal die IS The oody dies Why are not its4fa-
edlies arsl, zed in proportion with tie bos !
fdes1 Why, hen the ply sieaI strength Of Me
bodyis gone, whcr the step reels the frame 10 trs
and Heakeps, and debility has taken the MACE Of
strength and yigor, why docs not The mind rTbw
sesk in ths same proportion-aad why do ,oS M
iacnlties fsii Why do Reason, and HcI,e. ma
Love, 50 often lingerie The very last, unshakenbv
The struggles 3etween life and death We are NM,
sble that The mind Rotten exists, as in The case IA
described, ia III its majesty, strength and he,,
~ % the very moment in which lie yital sI3rl ~
eruhguisied shcn the body BY which ron say N i
Eustatped, and Of which il is = mart hAs h,.n,,,.
pafals zed By the hand Of DEATH why sh3nlI sIl;,
bucnstli, and all IFS faculties which ip ID IN, ~.
bthad Al least seemed 20 increase rather tl,,n
minish. become suddenly annlhilated and ,lesf1o.l
forever with the leeting breath Of the body1 No.
believe me our reasoning is fallseious, yonr arau-
meui unsonIid. II is but The DOCTRINE ~
lhe Maleriaiis which eAnnot siandlhe test 81 -
son and truth.
But for he present, enough Shall more A M,
te.ssfe, take up yenr last letter and answer i Dr,
July --1 =
4 FIVE FAcrs.-A firm faith 3 The bsst
divinity; . good life the best phiIosonhk .