The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-05-24
From the New York Tribune
SLOW NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..

increased his dependency, that he left the min
istry, and removed to New York, and bagan
| work as Daguerreotyist. This infrmity lade
him unsuccessful in his business, and his wife,
| who had previously obtained situation as
teacher in an industrial school, with a salary of
Sl00 year, resigned this school into the
charge of their Oldest daughter, while she her
self stayed in the Daguerrean room all day,
and then sat mp till midnight, sewing. But, for
all this, she found it extremely difficult to sup
port a family of seven children, during the hard
times of last winter. An energetic and well
| educated woman, she could not bear to acknowl-
edge their poverty, and accept of charity so,
mother-like, she toiled, and endured slow
starvation.
! In the Spanish Inquisition there was mode
of torture, called the WATERPROOF" The
victim was placed in an immovable position.
A single drop of water fell upon his1head from
far above, then another, and another slowly,
steadily, drop, drop, drop. At first, the sensa-
ton was rather agreeable then it grew pain
ful-that steady dropping in one spot, til it
seemed to fall upon the very quick Of the
brain-producing the intensest agony, the most
excruciating death.
So it was that suffering came down on that
woman's head. 1t was little at first, and she
bore it bravely; but it fell steadily, steedily,
till it become agonizing, and her brain was
| literally crushed with the torture. Yet the
family could not realize this.
| Then the daughter sickened beneath her
burden Of cares. She left the school, and came
home, to be fresh sorrow for her poor mother.
She was pretty, gentle girl, of seventeen
wasting away with pulmonary disease, super
induced by hard labor and privation. OF course
| the father grew more and more melancholy.
One day man called at the house, stating
that he was physician, and member of the
Board of Health, sent to make inquiries about
the young girls condition. After terturing the
invalid with impertinent questions, he insisted
upon making an indecent examination, which
so wrought upon her already shattered nerves,
that he left her in confirmed depression and
delrium. This was the last drop falling on
the brain of the poor mother; and her insanity
assumed so wild type, as to arrest the atten-
ton of all. Mother and daughter were both
taken to the Lunatic Asylum on Blackwell's
Island. / saw them a few days after. The
girl complained of no pain, though unable to
rise from the bed; but constantly bemeaned
her own wickedness, and the eternal punish
ment to which she was doomed.
You are not bad girl" said a lady, who
had befrieEded them in their need.
"Oh l am bad" she responded, looking up
most imploringly. ~ never did anything good
| In my hte."
"Why, yes" said the lady, soothingly, "you
have done a great many things. Don't you
know how well you taught in our Industrial
| School, and how much the children all liked
you? That was good"
"Yes, and what did do it for?" she replied,
in an earnest despair. at wasn't to doegood ;
/ Das thinking all the schile Of the money
Just the money"
WE'LL that was good. They needed the
money at home; you gave it to them when
you might have kept it yourself Was no. that
good2"
"No, it wasn't. didn't care anything shout
them. Just did it because ] wanted to and /
wasn't sick, but i went home, and sat there all
day, and made mother wait upon me wh6a she
had so much to do-and l didn't care am
not sick now, and haven't a bit of pain; but l
just lie here because will"
"But you are sick, very sick, if you are not
in pain; and then no one can look in your face,
and feel that you are bad girl"
"Yes, know" she replied, quickly; otis
just like an apple-very beautiful outside, but
rotten all through. Sometimes / wish l ,oas
insane for then it wouldn't be true thatI am
so wicked, and that shall have to suffer so
much"
"But 1 think, my child, you are insane on
this point-not on any other"
"Oh, no oh, dear /! " moaned the poor girl ;
you think so; but no one but God car read
the heart"
At the suggestion that God could forgive,
she answered, "No, he can't forgive me.
committed sins enough before l was three years
old, to make it impossible for me ever to be
forgiven"
@Why, what did you do?"
"I used to muss in the food when mother
1 e. Nd II hiatt oil
but didn't care. And it's Just so now don't
want to be any better, and that's just the trouble
| about it,"
1t was useless to talk with her. She seemed
rational about everything else; but on this point
| she was fixed From her babyhood she had
| been taught that child of three years might
| commit sin enough to merit eternal punish
ment; and in her present state, her own guilt
magnifed till it seemed too great to be forgiven.
1t was terrible despair-one that made the
soul heavy to witness it and we Joined N the
feeling of thankfulness that it was only iasa1s-
ity.
The mother was far more wild and Eighty
bat there was method even in her madness.
Ska felt that she was doing some great work
for others, by moving about restlessly, and con-
tinualy unpinning the sleeves of her dress and
that it was her solemn duty to finish this
she would finally be happy.
"Why," said she, "isnti going to benefit oar
sex?"
ooh certainly" we said.
~ thought So" she replied, with eager de-
light. " else / don't think ] could have gone
any further; but thought zoe should be bene-
fited-scon,en would be-"
Had this thought found its way to her heart,
when she was toiling to earn a scanty sutsist-
ence for her dependent family, making shirts
for shilling, or teaching for paltry hundred
dollars a year, in benerolentx school" and
had it fingered through all her madness--min-
Cling with the ruling motive of her life-~that
rigid, Orthodox sense of duty-when every
thing else had gone, when she had forgotten
her friends, and was not sure even of hes own
notwithstanding whether she was among the
living or the dead? 1t was strange and passing
sad. A few days after, when / saw them again,
the mother was more at rest; but the hectic
was burning brightly on the daughters cheek.
She could not eat and, at my kindly goodbye
at parting, she repeated phrase she had used
before: "Oh it is goodbye to you, but it
amt to me. There is nothing good to me-"
The father and younger children have now
separated, and gone to different friends IN the
country the mother may yet recover; but her
child must sleep soon, and awaken to learn
that God can forgive.
And this is me fruit of toll and starvation
wasting toll, tlsas could not buy food enough
for all those beloved ones from its pitiable
wages. Nature, was memorable. She never
forgives. When lier laws are broken, her child
rem always suffer. ANroINETTE l.. BROWN.
is cheering be able that this school has
since raised the wages of Of other teachers upon
the strength of the above facts