Windham County Democrat. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1836-1853, 1845-10-02

worse, drinking most Of YOU are in debts and
difficulties; and, being ldIc you occupy your
selves ia speaking evil Of your neighbors. Our
village has lost els good character, and Is now
known as one ofthe nostinicmperate and badly
behaved places 10 the county, and when people
wish 10 call auy one gpdl-iot-nothing wretch
they say he is Goldeniltaler Z"
5 At these plain words tLe1e vas q muiterina.of
s'ispicusuro surror -f'e SElxshE and every bRcw
looked thrcateningly on Oswald. Elizabeth the
miller's daughter who stood listening on the
bench before the house, trembled for the perilous
situation of the too faithful exposition. But he
went on-"Men Of Golden,hall if there is still
drop of honorable blood ID your veins, Join
your hands and say--rhe village shall be mend
edp Whence comes your ruinl From your
taverns There your LIANT mel,s away in liquor,
and your cattle lost in gambling. | ask your
parish officers where is he public money, or
where is your strict account of what you have
done with it Why is it that you had rather eat
at the public cost than drain the parish land, or
mend your Woodworking roads ~
Here two or three of The official men called
out" Hold your tongue, you vagabond If
you thus 60 on speaking cyl OF the constituted
authorities, we will sendlyo TO the lookup,
with bread and wafer for elght-and-lorty hours J"
Oswald however, went on-"You can put
me in your prison no doubt but can also bring
you before your superiors And when | tell
them little of your management you will per-
haps be less comfortable than | could be with
bread and water. But turn TO you all my fell
low-villagers; show me if have spoken falsely,
g sts asEsq sS% Ask your
you have enriched or impoverished yourselves,
whether YOU are notablefor honesty and piely, or
for Incidence, fraud, and selhshness. Or, if
your conscences have lost their tongues, look
round you and behold YER tumbng houses and
Sheds your barren fields and gardens, your emp
ty purses and chests, yolr ragged coats and tat
tered shirts, your destitute looking children
these are my witnesses against you"
The preacher would have. said more, but he
was hurled from the stope BY Tie @gry crowd
Some would have proceeded ~to8volence; but
Oswald thrust himself through the throng, and,
having armed himsefIwith weghy cudgel,
threatened severe punishment 10 the first who
should dare TO lay hands upon hun. Loud out
cries of vengeance pursued him homewards, and
stones were hurled, One Of which inflicted a
wound upon his brow, Buthe reached his house
without further injury andsSthere washed away
the blood from his face, boundqp the wound, and
was soon composed and quietf Elizabeth pale
and alarmed, came tof5qure Of his wound but
he assured her it was.triHing, and babe her dis
'''' So " ended osws'1 m 7spl affeorufaroH
but he was not to be defeated. From the day on
which he delivered his address, he continued to
be the object Of many petty prosecutions. One
night the boys threw stones at his windows; a.
mother night they barked six young fruit trees II
his garden When he complained to the parish
officers of these offenses, they only told him hi
had brought i-wl upon himself and that he de
served worse than he got
Not damned with want OF success IN his eX
hortation, and possessing the ardor Of man con
WINGED of the truthlulness of his cause he nov
determined on trying 70 rouse the clergyman Il
adopt his views. Perhaps, thought he, ne re
quires a little coaxing he has probably beef
dishear,ened without proper reason Oswald
accordingly waited on the pastor, and as tender
ly as possibly laid before him the condition @
the parish waxing holder, however, as he pro
ceeded
Having stated what he considered his case th
old man repled-"You are quite in mistak
in coming TO me. | have nothing TO do with tn
concerns you mention, nor can lmlx myself u
in ynnr business. AL the unhappiness of hi
village is owing to- TIE -sInruIness or the peopi
q They disregard the word of God. They d.
fraud me of my dues in every possible way In
: long-suffering of Heaven cannot endure tn
+ much longer; and there must surely come he;
d Wy Judgment upon them"
y "But, reverend SIR said Oswald, ''you can d
something towards the reformation of these PEI
r. ple. Their lives are vicious, because their mln'
4 are dark and ignorant. If you would encouraG
better regulation of the school, the your
! might grow up well-aformed and with good ha
q its, aud we should doubtless reap good fruit iro
n such labor !"
70 The clergyman answered--"That is Il
~ schoolmaster's business, not mine; l have
No time for it. have enough to do to study n
H. sermons"
Oswald still urged his petiion-"Re
10 sir, am sorry to have to remind you, that, as
. good shepherd, you are bound TO care for eve
Il. one of your flock. If you did but visit their
ID bodies, and see how they have Infatuated the
al selves 10 vice, incidence, and misery; if y
vet could see the neglected children who are gro
9 ing up in the midst Of so many bad example
Id if you could -
No Here the old cfe4ssaan, who had been liste
mr. ing impaliently to tfNharongue of his visitor,
.at terrupted him by esclaming, "'fhis is lntole
ler BILE. You, an unIetered man, come here TO Il
i'd tire me on my duties Pray, what do YOU ia
IRE me icri Do you think | am police-otficer'
I've nokino about eveywhere1 The flock sho