The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1854-09-06

enjoyed the freest use of their reason,
this same infrmity appeared among 9th
er forms; so that some men took up the
notion that the human mind might act
independently of sense, and see without
eyes, and know intuitiyely what existed
at distance Other parties among the
professors of religion, allowed nothing
in religion that they allowed daily to
the evidence of other matters. They
gave no weighs tasresearch and thought
about religious facts and dreamed that
each among them gained kind of
knowledge by inspiration. It was a
time of conceits and quackery, but there
was better spirit abroad of which this
good man Host was the representative
He began in the pestilence, and went
to all houses indiffercntly, whether they
were princes or peasants: and there was
common-sense in what he did and said,
universal character IN his religion,
which struck men in those evil days
They drew nearer to each other under
his influence and recollect this great
building thronged in one of the last
months that men continued here, with
a congregation of all orders and all di-
visions of opinion, who met to pray
together and listen to Host. He
stood yonder, Charles, as near there, |
think, as I can tell from the ruins; he
was wrapt by his own discourse, and his
face was as the face of an angel. And
truly, three days after, he was dead !;
and here they buried him-tae last
sound of the organ, the last service of
Al. Il
name still on the tombstone
&c Host.
Pho. dilecto beato.
17-iir Pop1ius miserrimus."
Charles memory was deeply impress
ed with this history, and he followed his
father, much engrossed and animated by
what he had heard Not SO with Pau
lett; for the ruins of London occupied
his mind, and filled him with deep pity
and regret for the fair world destroyed
and SO they returned to their tempora-
ry habitation, the father sorrowful, the
son exulting one full of the old world,
one dreaming great actions for the new.
After another days rest, the sole sur
viving family of mankind set forth on
their pilgrimage. Paulett again car
ried his Alice, and Ellen and Charles
walked hand in hand, with such bas-
ket of necessaries as they could support.
Paulett secured about his person a
large packet of diamonds, collected in
palaces and noble dwellings near Lon
don, and the apparatus he required for
transmitting them into water; And
searching for and finding the remains of
the railroad toethe coast at Dover, they
kept on in that track, which, from its
evenness offered facility to their jour-
ney. But in several places it had been
purposely broken up during the commo-
tions which had preceded the final tri-
umph of the drought, and the tunnel
near Folkston had fallen in the middle
from want of necessary attention to the
masonry. These difficulties seemed
harder to bear than those which they
had met with in the beginning of their
pilgrimage, when their hopes of reach
ing certain bourne were more secure
The destruction of London had thrown
deep gloom over all their expectations
and besides that help was removed to
much greater distance, they could not
but consider it very probable that sim
liar fate might have befalleh the other
palaces they looked to. Nevertheless,
none of them murmured They went
steadfastly though sadly on, and the
two children. with less knowledge of
what was to be feared, were encouraged
by their parents whenever they broke
into merrier strain. Alice was the
happiest of the party, for she knew.
least. She was the one who suffered
least also; for every one spared her
suffering. and contriYed that what re-
manned on earth of luxury should be
hers. She had the first draught of wa
ter she was carried on her fathers
shoulder; She ran to find pebbles, and
whatever shone and glittered on their
they heard with joy her infant voice
singing, without words like bird, In
covered tone, as they got wearlly over
mile by mile of their way. Ellen suf-
fered most, though Paulett tried by all
means that remained, to Tighten her ia
tigue and cheer her spirit. She bore
up steadfastly; but her frame was slight,
and her feelings were oppressed by the
fearful aspect of things around her
They made deep and deeper impress
sion, and she was fain to look steadfastly
on the faces of the few living, to recover
from the effects of such universal death.
Paulett himself was shaken more than
he knew, though he was energetic as ev-
er; but Charles was vigorous and ad
vanced beyond his years, and took more
than his share in aiding and comforting
They came ct last to what had been the
seaeoast, and to that part of the road
which ran along the cliff overlooking
the sea, here they paused, and gazed up
on the wild and strange view before
them Where the sea had stretched ALI
glorious in motion, expanse, and color,
there was now deep valley, the bot
tom of which was rough with rocks,
black for the most part, but in places
glittering with the white salt from which
the water had evaporated, and which
the winds had rolled together. Fur
ther out from the coast, where the
sea had been deepest, there seemed
tracts of sand and far away over this
newly exposed desert, rose other hills,
clearly seen through the unclouded at
and which they knew to
be the rocks of France And if
they should arrive there, what was
the hope they offered? Scarce any,
Nothing but more pilgrimage, further
wandering. Poulett and Ellen set
apart, while the children sleeping side
by side, for an hour or two, at this point
of their journey, and talked over the
desolation before them.
"Yet," said Paulett, " the more ter
rible is the appearance which material