The voice of freedom. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1839-1848, 1847-02-25
SEED TIME AND HARVEST.
FOUNDED ON FACT.


mcr's barn, climbed upon a haymow, anc
threw myself down, thoroughly wet, weary
and sleepess. What an awful visitor it is
thought /, at the poor cottager's fire-side !
How forcible and true are the words of Holy
Writ Irvine be a {" mocker," in the castles
of the rich,-among the habitatons of the
poor, strong drink is raging" There was
ut the age of sixteen, turning my back upor
my birthplace, upon my home, upon mother
and sister, whom l tenderly loved. AS the
recollection of all they had endured already
and the anticipation of their future sufferings
rushed upon my mind, | had almost resolved
to return but, alas what could l oppose to
the ungovernable fury of an unkind husband
and an apostatc father No, thought /, | will
fly from that which can neither prevent nor
endure. will seek my bread among stran-
gers. BY the kind providence of Him, who
hath promised to be the Father of the father
less, and such, in reality, am, may win, by
honest industry, the means Of bringing com
fort to her, who bore me, when my fathers
havoc of all that remains and when the last
acre of the homestead shall have passed into
the rumselcr's hands. My resolution was fix
ed Sleep was gathering over my eye-lids.-
1 got upon my knees to commit myself to God
in prayer | could scarcely give form to my
scattered thoughts 1T seemed, under the
condition of high excitement, in which | then
was, that my father was before me, enraged
at my departure, and demanding who had
taught me to pray.
Rum and ruin, hand in hand, had entered
our dwelling together The peace of our
fre-side was gone. The rum-sellar had laid
my poor misguided father, under the bonds
of an unrelenting and fatal appetite he had
won away the little childrcn's bread and con-
verted our once happy home into an earthly
bell, whose only portal OF exit was the silent
grave.
1t was very evident to me that we were
going to destruction. My fathers interest in
the welfare of us all was at an end. Debts
were accommodating fast. His farm was heavily |
mortgaged. His habits, long before, had COM
PEELED the church to exclude him from the |
communion ; and the severest abuse was the |
certain consequence, whenever my poor, old |
mother went sngly to the table of her Lord.
/ could have borne my fathers harsh treat
ment Of myself and ofmy poor sister Rachael
but he returned home, at last, constantly in
toxcated and, when opposed in any thing,
proceeded to swear and rave and break the
furniture, and abuse my old mother who
bore it ALL with the patience of a saint
/ made up my mind that could stand it no
longer.
Twatcd cautiously, for favorable oppor-
tunity, and asked my fathers permission to 90
to sea He flew into a terrible rage, The
next morning he seemed to be in a better
frame of mind and as / was chopping wood
before the door, he asked me- Of his own ac-
cord, what had induced me to wish to leave
home and 20 to sea. l hesitatcd for some s
time but, as he urged me to speak out, and, {
at the same time appeared to be much calmer {
than usual, Father" said /, " it kills me to
see and hear you talk and act so badly to poor {
mother" He flew into greater rage than
BEFORE, and babe me never open my mouth
upon the subject again.
Thus matters continued to progress from
bad to worse. Love is said not to stand STILL S
This saying is manifestly true in regard to
the love of strong drink.
In such an example of domestic wretched-
ness as ours, the operation of cause and effect |
was perfectly ineligible. Rum excited into
action all that was contentious, in the nature q
of my parent. A keen perception of his own I
ameworJhiness, Notwithstanding the stupe- |
flying tendency of the liquor he had drunken /
the irritability of his temper. A f
word. look. or gesture from any member of a
the household, which indicated the slightest !
knowledge of his unhappy condition, when he 5
at nirht, under the influence Of L
strong drink, was surely interpreted into an y
intentional ah'ront. He would often anticipate &
reproof; and as it were, repay it beforehand, l
by the harshness Of his manners, L
One evening, my mother and sister had t
been busily engaged, as usual, in such house Q
wifery, as might best contribute to keep our d
poor wreck Of q domicil together as long as V
possible. had learned to write Il fair hand J
and was engaged in copying some papers, for /
our squire; who paid me by the sheet 1t had |
gotten to be near ten o'clock. My mother c
put on her spectaces, and opening the Bible, a
began to read. Rachael and sat by the fire, '
listening to the words of truth and soberness. r
My poor mother had fallen upon portion Of y
Scripture, which, from its applicability to her l
own situation and that her children, had at- n
fected her feelings, and the tears were in her i
eyes, when the loud tramp upon the door step S
the return of my father. His +
whole appearance was unusually omlnous OF a
evil Ny mother stirred the fire, and plac- t
ell him a chair which he kicked OVER and
threw himself down upon the bed, and called Il
for supper. Mother told him in gentle man a
ner, that there was nothing in the house but e
some bread. He told her she lied, and swore V
terribly She sat silently by the fire 81 look
ed up in be: face She wept, but said moth v
ing. "Dont't cry so, dear mother" said Ra- +,
chacl "Wife" said my father, sitting upon +,
the edge of the bed, when will you leave off t
crying p " Whenever you leave off drinking, t
husband" replied my mother in the kindest n
manner My father sprang up in hurricane I
Of wrath, and with a dreadful oath, hurled
chair at my mothers head. sprang forward {.
AMI received its full force upon my shoulder. Il
Rachael and my mother fled to neighbours v
house, and my father struck me several blows a
with his feet and fists ; and, as ! made my es- Q
cape, left him dashing the furniture top;ec- f
es with the fury off mailman. | rushed forth I
tn seek shelter amid the driving storm-from q