The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1851-11-15
gnE FEARruL FUNERAL.
-lt -. henetAs AunnAr. b. ).

lnr Who waists 10 see y0u." On enierlnR lAe
roam, NY eye " upou a man who wps queer
Locking Indeed beeause bis dress, face, and
Wholeappearanoe proclaimed him adFunkard.
lIo.nlse on my entering ths room and with
H,Ht constrained sud awakened poliieness, a.
mounting to pbsequiousnefs which the half
intoA6Atsd Gheh assume, he thus addressed
ticf .-..
II come ~, 20 ask you to attend funeral
ih,s afternoon"
"Who," said rs dead -
- friend Of niue, be replied by the name
OF S., aud ~ he has no particular frlendi
here, thought would come and ask you"
"Whsre did be- lyoY" ! again asked
why" said bee, she lived 10 no'place in
particular, except At the grocery Of Mr. H."
This Mr II, was the keeper Of q groggery Of
the ,pTy lowest character who're blacks and
whites freely mingled iu'iheir royels, and
which Ia, oneu been presented asa nuI'-
ancs,
/ again asked, "of what disease dIl ho
die
"Why," said he, dropping hi' counienance,
aud loyyTng ri, yoice almost 10 shsper
II hardly know but between you and ], he
vas apreuy hard ddnher"
ANcr icw more inquiries, 10 Nhicbsi re-
rciyed answers n keeping with those given
,boye, dismissed him, pSoIniiing 10 attend
the funeral al Eve O'Clock,
At tho hour appointed went 10 the house
Of ieaih, There were ten or twelve present
anil With tao exceptions, they were all drum
lnrit ! went IN tothc coarse pine coffin,
NnI gazeI upon a iacc not pale and haggarl,
hut bldalod, and almost az black a. the raw
en's wing. There were two brothers present
10th inebriatcs-a ~ uufcelinR as IL the
holy Or lcaat lay before them. From the
undoaaler gained the following narrative
~ 10 tho deceased;
lie Wla the son Of very respectable, but ir-
rsbgion. parents who, instead Of Snsu'liuR
thu sabbath IN the house Of God either spent
itin Rllche,,, or in doing 'thcir own WORK "
When deHeeratcd, the Sabbath l. usually a
day OF fearful temptation. Sabbath sins make
deep impressions or the soul, Whilst yet
young no became a Sabbath yOgrant--joincd
rroeno ompanions-acquircd the habit OF
ddakmsiA and 50 rapidly grew theloyc Of
dffk idt5n ruling pa'-iun, that az ntntnrc
year, Ge,W@ a coodcpcd drrhhard, Ills pa
rents died, md the portion Of property that
fell 70 his 10. WAS squNnderrd. "And for
Years" said my informant, "hc has been drunk
every day"
hut how" asked, odid lac got the money
t. pay for his liquor p
"lIc ha. been employed" ho replied, "by
Sir IIoto shoot squirrels in rine woods, and 10
catch watcr.rais in the marshes; and for the
rkins Of these he had been paid in wliskcy
Nobody would see him Starve and he usual
" slcpt in a garrct over the rroggcry. Yes
trrlay he was taken sick, very sick, in ia,
grocery Mr. II instead of giving him a bed
Il turned him uut-uf the house, He was tiFi
in dying state and,at short distance irou
che Ionsc, fell in the street He was takei
Into a ncgrohut, aud laid on the Goor. whcr,
lac lied IN less tl,an an hour. The ncgroc
were very ignorant and supersttious, an'
Nero atruid 70 have the corpse in their house
IL was carried TO barn. Thispoor but piou
family, hearing the circumstances, took tn,
corpse TO their house and have made thea
preparations for is burial" esc,
| read a portion ortho scriptures, and for
few moments discourscd 70 them on the effect
ofau-I dwelt on the hardening and fearful
effects Of intemperancc. But there was n,
feeling. Iprayed with them; but there wa
no reverence. They all gazed with n vacan
stare, as if their minds had evnporatcd, ant
as tthe fiery liquid had burned out their con
sciences, They were obviously past feeling
y tie rviiiu was riosed and placed in the hoarse
We proceeded with slow and solemn pace tc
the house appointed for all the living; and :
feeling of shame came over me as passed
long tho street, to be followed by halfa dog
en- pair of ihveterate topcrs. Tire coffin wa,
placed upon the bier, and was carried by four
drupkarls who were actually reclng under
rheir load, TO n secluded spot in the grave
yard, where, without tear being shed, with.
out q sigh being uttered it was covered up
under abe cold elods OF the valley; and the
two brothers went back to the house of death
(the og-Shop,) to drink and to die similar
DEATH aud to go early down to the same ig.
noble grave. The others, after lingering for
hfuw moments, as il arrested by the thought
that the grave would soon be their house, fol-
lowed. ! stood for short tirhe over the
grave, after all had retired, bordering the
deeply impressive scenes through which !
ha,Fso rapidly passed. "And is this" said
to myself, "the grave of tho drunkard p
Aud the prayer almost unconsciously, rose
from my heart to heaven, 80, God save my
ehildrens children to their latest generation
from making such contribution as this tc
the congregation of the dcadl"
~ retired from the graveyard, the fol.
lowing Lessons, suggested and illustrated by
this narrative, were deeply impressed on my
mind:
l. How great is the responsibility of par.
ents A-Nith what moral certainty tbev firm,