Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1849-12-17
THEhoTfERAND BABE
sy GEORGE LlrpARD.

The angels of God look down from the
sly nswila,ess llIe deep tenderness of I
.nothefs sleye. The angelssof God Iool
Gown q witness that sight which ungel'
ioyeto ,ee-a mother watching her sleep
dng babs. - =
Yes, H even these awful intelligences
which are bot little above man, and ye
next TO God, Sirciing their deep after deep
Tar through 9the homes of. eternity, bene
from the SIX kyi;o witness a scene of human
biiss and VIC, that sight is the deep agony
OF asmother's love as she watches Ger hel
sleeping child.
The deep agony of mothers love?
fes! For in that moment, when gazing
: spon lhe cl,ild=z=sm,ling uponits asai.5sleeps
does not deep agony seize the mothers
soul, as she tries to picture the future life
OF her babe? hether that child will rise in
honor and 60 down to death in glory, or
whether The dishonored life and unwept
death, will be its heii age? .-.
All, the subli,nity Of the heart is there,
in that mothers love, which even angels
bend down to look upon. -
One hundred years ago, in a far New
England town, mother, with her babe in
her arms, stole softly through the opened
doors Of a quaint old village church, and
knelt beside the aller. ..:.s- Z
Yes, while the stlllness cf the Sabbath
evening gathered like calm from heaven
around her-while q glimpse Of the green
graveyard came through the unclosed
windows, and the last beam Of the setting
sun played over the rustic sleeple, that
mother knelt alone, and placed her Sleep
Ing boy upon the sacramental alter.
That mothers face was not beautiful
care had been too busy there-ye ct there
was beauty in that uplilted countenance,
in those upraised eyes of dark deep blue.
in that kneeliag form, with the clasped
hnrds pressed against the agitated bosom
"a beauty holier5 than earth, like that Of
Mary, the Virgin Mother. .-ssa
And why comes this mother to this lonely
church, in this twilight hour, to lay her
babe on the alter, and kneel in silence
there? ...zg.zz...a -ae .-asfs5s..- =
Lstento her prayer.
She prays the Father, yonder to guide
the boy through life, to make him man Of
e.
While these fal.ering accents fall from
her tongue, behold! There, on the vacan-
cy Of the twilight air, she beholds vision
Of that boys life, act crowding on act, scene
on scene, until her eyes burn in their
sockets, and the thick.:sweat stands in beads
upon her brow. ss..s..y sz.s 90 s =
First, her pale face is stamped with fear.
She beholds her boy, now grown to young
manhood, standing upon vessels deck,
far out Upon the deep waters. The waves
heaye around the mast, and yet that boy is
firm. The red lightning from yon dark
cloud, comes qniyering down the main-mast,
and yei his cheek does not shrink. Yes,
while the stout sailors fall covering upon
the deck. that boy stands firm, and laughs
at the storm -as though his spirit rose 10
meet the lightning in its coming and Crap
pied with the thunderbolt in its way.
:, This vision passes. s.
The mother, knee'fng there. beside the
sacramental altar, beholds another scene of
her. boys life, another and another. At
last, with eyes in tears Of joy, she beholds
a.scene 80 glorious drawn there upon the
twilight air-her boy grown to hardy man
hood, riding amid embattled legions, with
yictors laurels upon his brow-the praises
Of 9 nation ringing in his ears-a scene so
glorious that her heart is filled to bursting,
and that deep 81 thank thee, oh my God!'
falls TREMENDOUSLY from her lips.
The next scene, right after the scene Of
glory-it is dark, crushing, horrible! The
mother starts appalled, to her feet-her
shrek quiyers through the4 lonely church
she spreads forth her hands over the sleep
ing babe--she calls to God!
es"Father in sheayeni O take this child
while he is yet innocence! Let him not
live to be a mana demon in human
shape-d curse to his race!"