Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1851-06-06

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evening unexpectedly called upon me to
watch by the bedside of sick brother
Sick brother, indeed Would it not
have been as well for you to have been at
tending to your own family
They did not need any assistance, or
surely would have laid aside every thing else
to conduce to their comfort
'Tis wrong for you to desert me in this
way, for in fulfilling pledges or oaths or OBJ
legations to them, you prove unworthy to
others aye, Mr.. Herbert, even perfdious.
Hold J; do not be too hasty you are an
cry let us reason, but keep down rising
emotions, until we have fairly examined the
object ofyour condemnation. / am not thus
called out every evening, or even weekly,
and it may not happen againin whole year.
We help one another in distress our aim is
the promotion of universal good our acts
speak for themselves; widows and orphans
can tell you what has been done for them !;
our aim is for anoble purpose, and every
day is helping to promote its object.
"A very few months ago, said Mrs. Her
bert, and you were all kindness. Your
evenings were all spent at home,. and | was
contented and happy. If you wish to hold
yourself in my esteem, and would have me
continue happy in that love lbear you, sure
ly SO small an object can be easily removed
as never to mar the peace of your family
But see no cause why you should contin-
ne member of society that exacts duties
you can never fulfil without creating rebuke
in your own conscience.
i Misfortune may fall upon me-siekness
may PROSTATE me, and those who bask
4 in the sunshine of our wealth will desert us;
l yet there are those who will never leave OF
forsake me. whose duty it is to stand by me,
and bestow all in their power to comfort and
relieve mo-
Yes, sickness may visit you and would
[ you ask truer hand to bathe the fevered
: brow and smooth your pillow-would YOU
) ask more willing hand to attend you in the
dark hour ofyour afiiction, or kinder words
: to soothe your mind, racked by disease p
Nay, Harvey, be mine the task to bind NJ
by words oflove the broken spirits of hin
| whom have promised to love. Be mine
? the duty to watch the vigil of any i'll tha
may befall you, for upon the altar of my
r heart VOW was consecrated to you, anC
| registered in heaven and come what will,
t will never deviate an iota from that solemn
' promise. But you are bound by VOWS equal
: ly sacred, and you deyiate from them, ant
! until you desert the Order to which you be
long. | can never be happy; for It is,deyotin!
$ to others that which justly is my own
Blanche, own / cannot think as 20,
: do. The time was when a secret societ,
. was some thing unpopular, and its member
: looked upon as almost dishonest. But tn,
!, time has come when their acts have show
d that their object was benevolcntly Just on
+ and people no longer question the honor 0
a purity of the institution, and if could pre-
r sent you with sufficient proof of this
r doubt not your objections would cease
d You can never give me proof satisfac
g tory
IS If do not convince you of their mora
= worth, will leave the Order, for proof ha
d never been wanting. You have been misle
lie and your mind has been prejudieed but 20
Of have deep feeling, and love the kind ofic
.pl Of relief, and woman may become an auxil
ID airy for the aid which we would carry ont
er and in belonging to their Order | feel thi
in ] am not deviating from any path Of duty
m love my family, and will ever consider the
e, benefit first, for if sickness or misfortut
n should ever visit me, ! feel my wife woul
id stand by me with love and affection, and
or should find in her ministering angel wi
be would hover around my couch with Bor,
er more dear than any brother of my Division
'ss We must now pass over several month
ng during which time little had been said abo
IL secret societies. She seemed satisfied SO lol
re- as his evenings were spent at home, and
Of waited with kind ofWonder what kind
a proof her husband would give as reason
IN watching at the bedside of others so long
he he required nothing of them in return.
no Harvey Herbert had attended his Divisi
his meetings regularly, but little business call
his theis attention, and he was not detained Ia
but was at home in good season. He h
Of at length found out the weak points of
md w1fe's character, and he determined to tea
Dus her such lesson as would overcome pre-
md dice and prove lasting benefit.
mad Such case was at length brought un,
ace his observation. A man, his wife and ch
en- residing in an eastern city, who had by
and dint of years Of toll accumulated eonsidt
we, Bile sum Of money, determined to find he
his in the far west, where he would purchas,
af- farm and spend the remnant of his days. ]
we halftheir journey was barely completed W
ten sickness postrated the head of the fam
Ised and for many days he lay in a very crit
ide, situation. But he recovered to find
,uld funds greatly diminished, yet anxious to P
re- ecute his journey, he disposed Of every |
ting Gle in their possession not absolutely in
Iow- pensable to procure means for their far
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