Jeffersonian Republican. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1840-1853, 1846-07-30
The Last Parting.
BY JOSEPH R. CHANDLER.


On the litlle cross-cul, called Pear street
running down from Third 10 Dock street, there
) is large lugubrious building, which in the
course of the last twenty years, has been used
'or almost every conceivable purpose, from a
turner's shop to meeting house, and even a
Jewish synagogue.
The character Of The building is not inaplly
set forth by scrip,ural quotation, which our
Hebrew brethren placed on the outer wall,
while they were tenants and worshippers with
IN:
How dreadful is this place"
The rear Of this ancient building extends to-
wards our establishment, and its back windows
are within few feet of the windows of our
sancium.
/ Last Autumn, the Directors of the Public
Schools hired the lower part of the building for
a Primary School, and placed within its walls
host OF little children. With their windows
and ours closed. we could hear their noise, the
lumull of hundred Tiny voices; and we tn ought
here was weight in the monilion of friend
that next spring We should be finely annoyed
with their clatier when the windows of both
buildings, and The lhroats Of the youngsters
should be wide open"
Late in the spring the windows were opened.
and occasionally. the mulirudinous voices Of
this host reached across The short distance
They were singing their morning hymn, or
closing the day with their evening song. But
neither martins or vespers disturbed US; our pen
slid easily over the paper, and our thoughts
moved as regularly in The small noise of these
songsters, as if silence ard night, twin sis
lers," had sat at our elbows, with finger on lip,
gazing into lha, distance which suggests no
words aud asks no voice for the thought that il
inspires.
Occasionally we would pause in our busi-
ness, as the anthem rose, and feel our heart
rise with gratitude TO Him that had perfected
praise from such mouths.
We rarely saw he lille folks A high brick
wall cut of all sighl from our lower windows,
and there was much harmony in the singing
that we never learned 10 Distinguish one voice
from another Ii was perfect whole, made,
perhaps from the perfection Of paris, but more
likely from the skillul combination OF liue vol
ces.
Ii was rare indeed that We could understand
word of The hymn which the liule chorislers
gave forth Their low delicate uuerance was
breahed out so gently that we could only guess
al The music.
short time since we were struck with
sounds from the room at an unusual hour for
music We listened and the school was appa-
renlly in full song. We could catch few
words. Apparently the burden Of the hymn
was, Shall meet 10 part no more" And as
the singers reached this "relrain," there was
peculiar dslnciness in their uuerance AS
cending towards the composing room of the Of
fec, we cast our eye OUT Of the window of The
stairway and saw single scholar leaning from
The back window Of the school room, listening
10, but no, Joining in, the music Of her males.
She was thin, pale girl, with cleanly, plain
babianen,s She could scarcely be more than
ten years OF age; and her eyes wonderfully ex-
pressiye; and as the scholars reached The cho-
rus of their song, we though, her upiurned eye
denoted peculiar depth of thought; its black
conrrasled strongly with the paeness Of her
cheek, and its inactivity seemed scarcely nI
harmony with her fral. bony form. When The
lile band had concluded their anthem by the
double repea, Of the words, We meet to part
no more" one of them came TO the window,
and calling the child by her name, nlimaled
that she was needed at the other end Of the
room Elizabeth" chat was the name used
turned away with severe coughing spell, and
We prosecuted our errand upwards. The next
morning missed our musical neghbors-
There was no hum of studies, no loud ultefance
Of lessons by classes. that took with them our
hesri; all was still and quiet, And The song
We had listened 10 with much delight. was
he ll,lc ones yaledicoty for the season The
holiday had commenced, SO pleasant to item.