The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1854-07-06
For the National Era.
RECOGNITION.
BY MARTHA RUSSELL

~~N~0~~A~'
"The body of an unknown female was takes from
the river, in the vicinity of the Fitchburg road
bridge this morning" &c.-COmmon,oea1M
Unknown Yes, they drew it from the
water-they arranged the dripping garI snts
over the rigid limbs with decency, if NOT ten
derness, for they were men-they had taves
sisters, mothers, daughters; they put baG the
long, wet hair from the forehead, and .9zed
on the contracted features with sadness land
many an exclamation of pity as they prom inc
ed that word, and turned away. u
Unknown What falsehood Goo lwho
made her knew it. Christ who redeemet her
knew it--and the mother who bore her. .She
who had for years leaned over the bastic . OF
the celestial city, watching with such in snse
yearning for the coming of her child, saink
you that she knew her not !? Or tina the
angel faces, looking downward through the
blue ether, they who had watched owe her
orphan childhood and filled her innocent girl
hood with happy dreams, who had strivep with
the spirits of evil for her sake-think you they
did not recognise their charge?
Unknown! What e mockery! WIZ, al
most within the hearing of that word, q the
library of one of the most aristocratic < nan
sions of the city, sits q man who is evetS now
musing on her face. Books statues, pie lures,
manuscripts, are before and around hir.a but
that face is the only thing he sees-that + se as
it was few hours since warm with life He
is poet, philosopher, traveller, GOSH poll
tan next week he will start for the woI. trous
region of old Egypt and the Nile; for 'eeks
his imagination has revelled in the got seous
loneliness of the East but, now, this face this
young girls face takes precedence of the q all,
and half angry with himself, he murmut r
Strange that women cannot be NOR rea-
sonable; strange that she, OF all women, Should
not have known that change is the wv OF
life, as well in the affectional world the
physical. She ought to have been prt Dared
for this. | am as much the slave of tn law
as herself; but recognise it, while she ashes
herself against it, Poor little fool an sorry
for her! never saw her look as she d last
night; but when she saw | was in e' rnest
she soon grew quiet. That is the wa with
women they soon get used to thing.
"Heighol that poem ought to be copn ]; and
sent off. IL will do. C liked it, esp sially
the lines
The newborn star, with light as tremuf Be
AS the first CLEAN of love in maiden's e.
Poor Helen remember with what s}sange
slow surprise she looked up to me that t,ight
How slowly, like the coming of beautiful
day, the light broke, and trembled in h. , eyes
until the tears fell, like happy dew, ut, n my
breast How strange, she thought it, fhet
should love her! Just as if men, like ayself
were not the heirs of all beauty and grace
But it is time for me to call on Mrs. -
How exquisitely she played Juliet last ght y
and with Tennyson's lines
/" The poet in golden cline was born,
With golden stars above,
Dower'd with the hate Of hate the scorn OF corn,
The love of love -
he leaves the room.
This man kne,g her Knew her, as re- other
on earth could know her Would to leaven
he had not He had met her at his' listers
whittier he had repaired, summer n two
since, when worn out with the weariD So and
unrest of fashionable life.
She was a seamstress in the family, 5eauti-
full and fresh as morning. He clair ed all
beauty, by divine right end she-he v IS as a
god to her-Gke the morning to the IN, she
opened her heart to his influence he lfolded
every leaf and found only freshness, g ileless-
ness innocence, purity, originality, strength,
yearnings for all that was good and NOBLE and
true, and on every leaf he wrote a mighty
word-LoUe-love for him. =
Hitherto, everything that had come "a Miles
Wallingford's way had been made suEservient
to one end-that of self culture but the fresh
ness and strength of Helen Winnings nature
magnetized him, and, in teaching her 10 forget
all for his sake, he forgot himself, and for a
few months he fingered in the country, dream.
ing over again, under the blue vault of heaven
the short dream of his boyhood, which his cold
ambition and still colder philosophy had long
since taught him to discard as the idlest of all
phantoms.
But he could not remain there always Mrs
Harrison was returning to town; buslaess en-
gagements recalled him also; and Ellen vi
ning-if she was lone and friendless be ore she
knew him, how much more 80 would she be
now, when the world of thought and feeling
he had opened to her made her thoussnd fold
more alone ?-she had nothing to lose but the
love and trust centred in him-was IL strange
that she went with him, that she gave her
whole being into his keeping, doubsrlg moth
ing, only sorrowipg that she was not 4 Z richer,
more beautiful, more gifted, more grs 'eful, for
his sake!
Her nature was so rich and exube- ant, she
lavished its gifts upon him with such delight
fol abandon, that he remained capt e to the
magnetism much longer than he hifi self had
deemed possible; and when the char n began
to wax old, she became to him psyir biological
study. With him, the end of life we self-cul,
ture-everything that tended to that every ex.
nerience that deepened his selfconf siousness
or in any way aided in his develops lent, was
lawful. His character must becon perfect
harmonious, and symmetrical, even = the ex.
pense of the life-blood of others. yoman-
Loye-these were but means to tbs end /; SO
he studied, thought, criticized, analysed, wrote
and men spoke of him as an accomplished
scholar, q true poet; and women got his verses
by heart sang them, praised their pathos, Their
tenderness, and said how pure and noble, how
true and humble, must be the soul that could
give utterance to such things of beauty and oil
joy.
Helen was not ignorant of the coldsnature Of
his philosophical creed. Had she heard the
same sentiments from the lips of anQher, they
would have startled her; but, did sEe not pos
sess his love? and, in the light Of thstpertainty
they were to her as mere sbstractens She
Judged his heart by her own-or, rather, she
did not Judge him at all; for whey woman
loves, she has already judged and she
thought, poor foolish girl, that Lheir love
could only greater with time
Therefore, when he grew weary ST her, or,
as he expressed il, when the la. of their
being demanded separation, he 1aving won
from her all that could aid in his lture, and
passed her on the path of life, and, IN his even
gentle unsteady modulated tones, 10 set the
subject before her, she could not mprehend
him. It was rs if q night Of year had shut