The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-01-10
CHAPTER II.

CHAPTER II.
Perhaps there is nothing more indicative OF
the character of people than their architecture
| This was peculiarly true Of the Puritans
| Strength and endurance were among their CHIEF
characteristics, and o. these qualities their build
| ings largely partook There was none of that
jumbing together of different ideas and orders
which makes many of our modern buildings
especially those in country towns look so much
J Gke the cob-bppses NO were wont 10 build in our
| childhood but there was that same significant,
independent, self-sustained air about them that
We see looking out from the portraits Of the old
worthless of that day
The house Of Mr. Moody, that "godly man,
who for many years illuminated the church OF
| Portsmouth, was an illustration Of these remarks
1t stood in AN ample yard, the rear of which was
planted with young fruit trees, bearing names
whose very sound brought with them the memory OF
Old England. Over this yard the white snow
| lay in broad unbroken sheet, save where three
or four paths, in the direction Of he barn, crossed
and recrossed each other, like dark threads, and
where one several feet broad led from the front
door to the gate, near which rose an oak of enor-
nous girtb, one of the primeval children of the
forest for even the oldest settler did not remem-
| Der the time when the lightning had blighted its
top and raised those wide dark seams in its trunk.
| But the heart of the old giant was still sound,
and from the huge bole had risen limbs of girth
and height that might well shame the growth OF
our own days. On each side of this brave old
tree stood a noble specimen Owe were about to
say, the American plane-tree; but let us call
them by the good old names by which we have
known them from infancy-buttonwood. Tall,
erees, n3 symmetrical tl<ig seSsSSS ss ..otttt,S
coats giving evidence of many wild struggle
81 no oil faW
withered leaves like banner of defiance in the
wind, meet supporters of the hoary monarch.
| We have been somewhat particular in describing
these trees, because In the out-ofdocr life which,
partly from necessity and partly from kind OF
natural vagabondism, we have led among the New
England hills we have learned to love their whole
race, and many kindly deed have they done for
US, both in sunshine and in storm; and aside from
these we cannot say much for the embellishments
of Parson Moody's yard. Doubtless the turf was
thickly sown with buttercups dandelions, and
daisies through the golden summer; and even in
that bleak December of which we speak, there
were some faint indications there that went to
show that somehow in that roomy old mansion
the spirit Of Beauty had found shelter, for the
gnarled branches of a native grape were twisted
like serpents around and above the uncouth porch
and the withered tendris of the morning-glory
that most home-ike of all flowers still hung sway
ing from the strings that had trained them over
the windows. And surely no more fitting home
could it have found than in the heart Of gentle
Sybil Moody. She was the minister's only child
for one sorrowful night the Angels Of Life and
Death had met beneath his roof, and within the
same hour, the one took from him beloved wife,
and the other laid in his arms a motherless in
FAINT.
Mr. Moody had been sternly educated in a
stern school The tenets of his faith Rotwith--
standing their high, spiritual aims WERE as gener
ally understood and taught little calculated to
develop the gentler qualities of the heart their
manifestation being looked upon by those men of
iron natures as n weakness little betting those
who had "a great work in handp Therefore, If
he manifested in his younger days more of the
zeal of Peter than the gentleness of John, it is
not surprising Late in life he had married
gentle woman many years younger than himself
She was one of that class of women with whom to
love seems a necessity of their natures; whose
affections spontaneously, as it were, cling round
some one or some thing, without any very clear
recognition Of that stern law Of reciprocity go
binding upon most of u.s. With her, it was, in
deed, more blessed to give than to receive )" and
for few short years she walked by his side, look
ing up to him with mingled love and awe, happy
in the thought that she was permitted to minister
to the comfort of so worthy man, dreaming little
of the wealth of deep, earnest feeling that slept
beneath his calm, severe exterior. But it is not
TO his victims alone that Death unveils mysteries,
He has lessons for the living also aud when his
shadowy presence darkened so suddenly the min
isters dwelling, the miracle Of the desert was re-
peated-from that hitherto calm, self-sustained
heart weled up to the light fountain Of pure
and earnest love Then it was that his dead wife
became truly united to him, heart and soul, and
from ont her grave sprang joy and hope, mex
pressibly tender, such as he had never known
before and which he felt were for eternity. From
that hour, the zeal of the Puritan became tenn
pered by the divine spirit Of love.
In this atmosphere of chastened love and faith,
Sybil Moody had grown up to early womanhood.
Her father had watched over her with mothers
care and love; she had been his constant COM
panion, and he had developed guided, and train
ed her rich genial nature, until it had the free
grace and symmetry Of young tree Of the forest
Her face was one of those which in a crowd might
easily be overlooked or set down passing fair !;
but to childhood and old age it was exceedingly
beautiful possibly, because the one was still
blessed with faint recollectons and the other with
dim forsshadowiBgs of the bright denizens of their
eternal home
One man servant and Lament Collins, or Aunt
Menta as she was usually called made up the
minister's household the latter being housekeeper
as well as maid of all work, and we might add,
nurse, watcher, and doctress general for the
whole settlement Moreover, we take this occa-
sion to say that her name like great many others,
was decided misnomer, for never was more
cheerful, contened being, than this same herb
gathering, srup-making salve-concocting, old
woman.
Like great many other excellent souls of her
day, she had great horror of any leaning to the
forms of Episcopaoy, and firmly believing that
Ii L
"c'ea le PRIMER pas qm cowe," she had Piled her
wheel to such good purpose on the aforesaid
Christmas day, that nearly twice the number Of
knots allotted as days work had been reeled, long
before night and added to the goody bunch Of
yarn that graced the wall of the old sitting room
Whether Sybil had meant to give the old dame
a quiet lesson in Christian tolerance, or TactheT
she had been day dreaming for no one can con
vince us that those fair shapes that blessed our
fathers household were not sometimes dreamers
like ourselves for woman's heart beat under those
prim bodices and woman's love looked forth from
beneath those Puritanic caps and bonnets) we can
not say, but for some reason, Aunt Mentas last
spool was reeled, while hers still lacked many
notches of being full With her clear eyes glanc-
ing occasionally from her thread to the hour-glass
on the table, and from thence toward the declin-
ing SUM- she busily piled her wheel, while Aunt
Menta glded here and there, with the velocity
and something of the look Of blue dragon fly for
night was approaching Puritan Saturday night,
when all secular business instead of being crowd
ed into the last hours Of the week, and perchance
Sunday morning, is often the case now, was laid
aside long before sunset, and each soul left free
to commune with itself and its God, .
Perhaps, of all the customs that have had an
influence in the formation of that peculiar char
acter that makes us New Englanders marked
people wherever we 60, none has been more last
ing or important than this same habit OF keep
ing Saturday night
Though no watcher among the tombs-no wor-
shipper of linen grave clothes, rather than the
risen glori6ed spirit-we confess that we see with
regret this old custom yielding to the innovations
of n new age Not that we consider one night