Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1855-07-13

o. The wise man has said that s'all is vanity"
and every day but brings the testimony of experience
into more perfect agreement with the maxim of in.
spired wisdom. All appears to be vanity-not mere
holowness and vacuity as was meant by the transla
tors of the Bible, but positive vanity under
sood-vain osentaon, mere show-afectation of
something other.
Some weeks ago a young man and woman were
found dead upon piazza in Brooklyn, evidently
suicides. They had even died theatrically. They
presented tableau but not vicant. Here was
chance for sensation. Here was glorious opening
for display on considerable scale. No one knew
tn woman but SO much the better-she was one of
loves martyr's"-she was evidently lady," and
forthwith all the spnsters, matrons, dowagers and
ladies' men, with or without white cravss, bestrred
themselves, and the poor suicide, from whom in life
that vain crowd would have turned in disgust. was
hurled with all the pride, pomp and circumstance of
vanity and "fashon.'' She was ''the unknown" a
splendid inscription upon her splendid coffin testified
A fancy preacher made fancy speech over her in
fancy church; and the thing was so far a complete
success pleasant sensaton-an agreeable amuse
mens. The ladies had been enabled to exhibit them
selves in interesting fashionable preach
er had obtained chance to make stump speech,
and all were in pleasant twiter when, 10 and
behold, it turned out that the interesting unknown
was neither more nor less than one Sarah Williams
| wel-known woman of the town. So all the ro-
nance of the thing gone, and as there had never
been .&y genuine feeling in the matter, but only
vanity, the fancy preachers and the fancy spnsers
and the fancy dowagers repented then of what they
ha done and were exceeding sorrowfu. The
OF, er sections OF New York and BROOKLYN society,
WHO. to speak in flash language, are on the puri-
tanical ay"-whose pet vanity consists in proving
| their own virtue by condemning the sins of their
neghbors, turned ercely upon the performers in the
first little piece of stage play. The vanity OF the
first crowd took somewhat ridiculous form, and,
but for its bad effects in creating morbid sympathy
for crime, would have been innocent enough-that
OF the second crowd OF ferocious and unchris-
tian character One paper of this Glass; edited by The
Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, brother of the notorious
Harriet Beecher Stowe, would have the remains of
the poor, erFng sinners, buried at the Cross Roads,
with stake driven through them.
Now, there was not single spark of genuine feel
ing, or true christianity in either crowd-no love for
virtue, no sympathy with erring humanity. Moth
ing but selhshexating pharisee -ism. That poor, de-
based errng lost suicide had still been made in Gods
image, had beel fondled on some loving breast
had pratled on some fathers knee in happy child
hoe l. Since then who can tell what she had suffered
- ow the hopes of her young heart had been crushed
Il Ell fOndest affections trifed wthher best and pu
rest feelings made the instruments of her undo
ing Who tell what stern remorse, what bitter
shame had driven her to that lst fatal alternative
But there she lay, no more responsible TO man or
mans judgment--her account with earth closed. A
poor perishing thing of clay it no longer remained
for her fellow worms to pass judgment upon her. It
was only for them to carry her quietly and gently to
her last home in the spirit of him who would not
condemn even the woman caught in adultery, but
told her TO 90 and sin more. 1t not for them
to hlaZen her shame and her sin, by the mockery of
an idle parade, il the spirit of hyenas to make fe
rocious meals over her Iowly grave. Yet the faun-
ing worldlings must have their trumpery show, and
the fanacal bigor raise his hypOcr1tca howl
in defiance of the sanctly of death and the privile-
ges of the grave.
We feel almost like sermonizing on human vanity
ON the prevailing love of humbug and cant, which
is net confined TO matters Of religion, but pervades
the whole body Of modern life We would like 10
max upon {" shams,'' but see not the slightest
use in ouI doing. We have no idea of attempting
10 deprive the world of one of its cherished in
stuons, that of humbug, lest in revenge the said
world might take it into its wise head to vote lis
humhug also.