The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1853-02-10


aMy dearest mother, your comfort and con-
yenience shall be my first object in life. Not
even India, my loved India, shall cause me to
| forget all owe to you.
Words, Mark words! This project OF
yours will reduce me to beggary."
mo dear madam, it shall not Me it will
reduce tony own exertions for livelihood,
but not YOU. When all my slaves are freed,
| and ON their way to Africa at my cost there
will still remain, from the sale OF the land,
| some thirty thousand dollars. That money,
mother. with the homestead here, | intend to
settle upon yourself -
"Oh. nv son You break my heart Do you
think. then, that will suffer you to beggar
Yourself to enrich me? No. dear Mark no
Since you do not forget me-since you remem-
her me with affectionate interest it is sufficient
&c reproached you just now, it was only be-
cause felt as if you did not care for me and
that is sorrowful feeling in a parent, Mark. "
81 never for an instant forgot your interests,
dear mother How could II | had settled
the plan have named to you, in my mind, be-
fore | left the North
II cannot bear the name Of that quarter OF
our country! the word strikes like bullet
Mark y exclaimed the lady, with an impulsive
start, and shrunk as if indeed she were shot
Mr.. Sutherland looked down, mortified and
troubled
"And as for this plan, Mark, proceeded the
lady, it must not be carried out Under no
circumstances can | consent that you beggar
yourself for me-"
Dearest mother, do not think it possible
for mere loss of fortune to beggar a man of
good health and good morals shall 20 to the
West. 1t is broad field for enterprise
studied law for my amusement, having had a
strong natural attraction for it, ! shall COM
mence the practice of that profession in some
Western village, and grow up with the town.
| shall succeed Indeed methinks new life
and energy runs through my veins and fires
my heart at the very thought of difficulties to
meet and overcome!" said Mr. Sutherland,
smiling gaily, stretching his arms and rubbing
his hands together.
"Alas you do not know what you are talk
ing about Marx What project! And your
approaching marriage with lndia-is it pos
sible in this connection that you do not think
of that J"
Not think of that d" echoed Mr.. Suther-
land, rs a strange beautiful smile fitted over
his face. "Mother, | dreaded this interview
with you but look forward to an explanation
with my loved India as the first reward of
right-doing-if what ! have done is rght--a
toretaste of what the rewards of Heaven will
be! My India | know her generosity, her
magnanimity, her high-souled enthusiasm !!
How many times | have experienced it How
many times, when reading with her of some
high heroism of the olden time, when there
were heroes, have seen her pause, her bosom
heave, her cheek flush, her eye kindle and gaze
upon me, expressing unspeakable admiration of
those lofty deeds And now, when in her own
life an opportunity occurs of practicing those
very same great yirtues-when she has the
power, by simply sacrificing wealth and luxury,
to free hundreds of her fellow-b beings, and not
them only, but their children and children's
chldren--do not know that high-soued girl
will aspire to do it! Madam, it is majestic,
aGod-hke power, to be able to confer the bless
ing of liberty upon hundreds of beings and
their descendants to numberless generations
power would not now exchange for a small,
limited monarchy. And, oh do ! not know
that my lndia-soul of my soul will think as
that she will go beyond me Mother, when |
have doubted or struggled against my better
{ elings, | have SEEN as in a vision, her eyes
sutfused with generous tears, her cheek kindie,
and felt the warm pressure of her hand encour-
aging inspiring me
"Oh, Mark Mark romance! nothing more
And even should India approve your project,
which | think quite impossible what is your
farther purpose To leave her here bound by
an engagement to wear ont her youth in ex-
pectation Of your making fortune and coming
back to claim her hand ~
mo dearest mother, that were too hard u
trial to both of us. No, mean to take her
with me to the West, to encourage and assist
me while | make her rs happy rs ! possibly
can ~
Here, again, the lady's feelings arose to so
high pitch of excitement that she had to put
| n violent constraint upon herself while she an
swered quietly, And how do you think Mis-
Sutherland will like to lay aside all the pres
tge of her rank, and wealth, and bridehood,
and, instead of splendid wedding and bridal
tour, and voyage to Europe, take an igno-
minous departure from her fathers house, for
a life of poverty and privation in the West !"
81 told you, dearest mother, that my India
was of high heroic nature. That does not
mean welded to ease and worldly honor in
deed it more frequently means the loss of both"
"And so you deliberately mean to take that
| girl--if she will 60 with yOu-to some msera-
| Die Western village to endure all the mseries
of poverty
What miseries of poverty, dearest mother
If you were a European talking of Europeans
| could understand your prudence; but an
American matron talking TO an American
youth, and advising him not to marry the girl
he loves if he has not fortune to support her
IL seems to me- mother that in our country the
man or woman who refuses to marry for such
q reason wants faith, love, hope, enterprise
energy, and everything they ought to have;
and under such circumstances, 1t seems but
right, indeed that they should stay single
"You do not know what you are. talking
about But should India be 30 imprudent,
do you think her father will consent to such a
mad project ~
His consent to our union was long ago OBJ
tanned and it, under present circumstances, he
should withdraw it-ludia is of age, you know J"
Mark, tell me if you have ever had any
experimental knowledge of udnt" The young
man looked up with questioning glance.
Because if you do not know, ! can tell you,
Mark know how young people think Of pow
erty and talk of poverty when any strong mo
tive like love, or any other passion, urges them
to embrace 1T; and people who are older, and
should know better, talk pretty much in the
same way. They will tell you that poverty de-
prves you of none Of the real essential bless
iDgs Of life; that the riches of nature and Of
natures God are free alike to the rich and the
poor that the blessings Of health, of well do
ing, of sunshine and the face of nature, are
open alike to both 1t is 50 with the rich,
doubtless and it may be 50 with the poor who
were born in this poverty; but to the we'll
born and wel-edacated, to the refined and in
tellectual povertyis dreadful, dreadful thing
1t is not only t. suffer the privation of proper
and sufficient food, and comfortable clothing,
aud dweling--it is to he shut out of all enjoy
ment Of the blessings of nature and of society,
and at the same time be exposed to all the evils
that nature and society can infct upon you
You have no leisure, or if you have, you have
| no resrectaLle clothing in which 70 20 out and