The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1852-03-04
CHaPTrR XXXVII.

Thanks DO unto God, who gvesh rs the victory
Have not many Of us 10 the weary say Of
life felt in some hours how far easier it were to
die than 70 live
The martyr, when faced even by death Of
bodily anguish and horror, finds in the very
terrors Of his doom strong stimulant and ton
10 There is vivid excitement, thrill and
ierrOr, which may carry through any crisis Of
suffering that is the biFth-hour Of eternal glO-
~ aud rest
But to Bye-to wear on day after day Of
ssSs, bitter, a9W, .s.scrst ssfVitade-eYery
nerve dampOped and aapeessed--egery power
Of feeling gradually smOthered this long aud
wasting heaTt-martyrdom, this slow daily
bleeding away Of the inward life, drop by drop
hour after hour--this Is the true searching test
Of what there may be in man or woman
When Tom stood face 10 face with his per-
secutor, and heard bis threats, and thought in
his very soul that bis hour was come, his heart
swelied bravely in him, and he thought he
could bear torture and Gre, bear anything,
with the vision Of Jesus and heaven bat iust a
step beyond but when be was gone, and the
present excitement passed Of came back the
pain Of bis bruised and weary limbs, came
back the sense Of his utterly degraded hope
less, forlorn estate, and the day passed weari-
" enough
Long before his wounds were healed, Legree
insisted that he should be put b the regular
field work and then came day after day Of
pain aud WEAKNESS, aggravated by every kind
Of injustice and indsgnity that the ill-will Of
mean and malicious mind coeld devise. Who
ever in our circumstances has made trial Of
pain, even with all the alleyiations which Cor
us usually attend It, must know the irritation
that comes with IT, Tom no longer wondered
at the habitual surliness Of his associates nay,
he found the placid, sunny temper which had
been the habitude of his life broken in on, and
sorely strained and tried by the inroads Of the
same thing. He had fatteged himself in leis-
ure to read his Bible, but there was no such
thing as leisure there In the height of the
season, Legree did not hesitate 10 press all his
hands through Sundays and week days alike.
Why shonldnt he The made more cotton by
t. and gained his wager and if Il wore out a
few more hands he could buy better ones. At
| first, Tom used 10 read q verse or TIVE OF hia
Bible by the flicker OF tho fire after he had re-
turned from bis daily tod bus after the
cruel treatment he received, he used TO come
home SO exhausted that his head swan and
his eyes failed when he tried to read, and h'
was lain to stretch himself down with the 9th
era, ia utter exhaustion
Il il strange that the religious peace ant
trust which had upborne him hitherto should
| give way 10 tossings Of soul and despondeni
| darkness The glOomiest problem Of this mys.
/ teriOas life was constantly before his eyes
! souls crushed and ruined, eyl tria>aphant, and
| God silent II was weeks and months that
| Tom wrestled 10 his own soul in darkness and
sorrow He thought of Miss Opheiia's letter
10 his Kentucky friends, and w0uld pray ear
nestly that God would send him deliyersnce (;
| and then he would watch day after day Ia
vague hope of seeing somebody sent to redeem
him and when nobody came, be would crush
back to his soul bitter thouEhts--that il was
vain 10 serve God--that God had forgotten
him. He somstimes saw Classy, and sometimes,
when summoned 10 the house caught glimpse
of the detected form Of Emmeline, bat held
very htte communion with either; IN fact
there was no time for him to commune with
anybody.
0ne evening. he was sitting IN utter dejec-
ton and prostratiOn by few decaying brands,
where bis coarse supper was baking. He put
a few bits Of brushwood on the fire, and slroye
10 raise the light and then drew his worn b.
bic from bis pocket There were all the marked
passages which had thrilled his soul 10 often---
words Of patriarchs and seers poets and cages,
who from early time had spoken courage TO
man--yoices from the great cloud Of witnesses
who ever surround us in the race Of life, He'd
the word lost It's power, or could the failing
eye and weary sense no longer answer TO the
touch Of that mighty inspiration Heavily
signing he put il IN his pocket. A coarse
laugh reused him he looked up--Legree was
standing opposite 10 him
"a IA % II 8.stix
sigion don't work. IL seems Ith0ught I should
get that throagh your wool at last
The cruel taunt was more than hunger and
cold and nakedness Tom was silent
You were a fool, p said Legree, Cor meant
10 Do we'll by y0a whom bought you. You
might have been better of than Sanbo or
Qainsbo either, and had easy times and instead
of getting cut 40 and thrashea every day or two.
We might have bad Liberty 20 lord Il round ead
cut up the other niggers and ye might base
had now and then q good warming Of whiskey
punch Come, Tom, don't you think you'd
better be easOaable--he4ye thet az old pack
OF sfaah in the fire and JOIN my church,
@Ths Lord forbid said Tom, feryently
aYoG see che Lord aint going 90 help yoa
If he had heen. he wouldn'f have les s.s get
YOU. This yer religioa Is AL a f8ess Of lying
trumpery, Tom know all about t. ye'd
better hold % me I'm somebody, and can do
something"
No mass'Y, said Tom; III hold %. The
Lord may help me or not help butp hold 10
him. add believe him 10 the lastn
a. The more fool yau," said Legree splitting
scornfulIy OF him, and spurning him With bis
soot Never mind III ehaee you down yet
and bring you unaeF--yoail see 2 and Legree
tnraed aUay.
When heevy weight pfesaes ilae nggl 10 the
lowest lsycl at which endaranes ~ possible
there IL ga insfamt and lssps4ske effort o. every
physical and moral nsrYe ~ throw on the
weight aud hence the heaviest anguish often
preoeaes a return tide Of Joy and courage So
was Il now with Tom The AEheissic taanls Of
bis cruel nasssF sank his begswe-dsiscted soul
10 The lowest abb; eud taoagh the band Of faith
atsll held HI tAa eternal Epck, ID was with q
nalnb, despaixiag grasp. xom sat like one
stuunod at the are; suddenly egegything around
him seemed 10 fade and = vision rose before
him q Que crowped with thcras bpfeted and
bleeding Tosa g@zed Ia aws and wossAeF sc
kl.e ssagsatiE patience OF she face, the deep pa
shs&se eyes shssed hins 10 hl@ infssoas heart he
xaSs #oA a. sn with sseNiant snsas0n lAe stretched
oss hAs bands end saIl ppen hls kaes~ ~hen
gradually the visson changed sste sharp thoros
became says Of giwy Dad 10 splendor lacon-
eeiyable he saw shat s@sps kaee boDdlnE ocas-
passioaasely towards hisa aud Is s0ies aak1,
sso chat oyefe@pa@tn she'll ST. down milh nna