New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-07-31

The tragedy of Madeleine Smith, abhOrrent as is
it's outline IL yet full OF wholesome instruction and
admonitOn. How this mere school girl, 80 ten.
derly nurtured and carefully guarded, became ca
pable of the deeds which have given her nOtO-
riety 90 vide and dreadful, is a problem of the
deepest general interest. Hers is not one of the
many cases in which want Of religious nurture is
Justly assigned as the source Of depravity. Her
parents were strict Presbyterians, and she was
reared and taught as became their child; she was
a arest favorite with the venerable clergyman on
wbo.e ministrations the family attended, had
been accustomed from childhood to read for him
alternate evenings in bis study and was just on the
point Of being admtteda full member of the church
when arrested for murder. There is very much
wholesome counsel as to the training of the young
which her history is not calculated to enforce.
Yet every effect has its cause; and an intelligent
letter from Edinburgh to The Liverpool ADioS
gives the following instructive exposes
"Of tie central figure, Miss Smith, much has been
told but the greater pant of her fe-stOry remains to
be written. The eldest member of q family which
che has driven from home and happiness she was nur-
tured amid all the reinemeps Of life like house
paIt Her father resoired that she should be kept
01Qrf from me roffd as MUCH az PosstOe, VufWy
ae,nne that sertre system Of seclasion from ats erHs
,rouN preserre has fore, Madeleine, from eontamina
tom She ras permitted to knor Of era only as Tas
,noIeu Of in the catechism. While she girl, he
thought he could mold her into spotess being By de-
nvine her eren so much acquaintance ruA the oMsde
,rorH as is rereaied in the columns Of a negsPaPer
The London Times might be his daily monitor, but
Madeleine was too delicate to make acquaintance with
ire details of life. The result was even worse than
might have been expected from system 80 false and
50 Thoroughly opposed to tho healthy development VI
humanity in q world where moral beauty is reached
through knowledge Of the bad that hiss to be resisted
An d overcome. When she came into eOciety, Made
lepe Smith plunged hesdlong into verte1 OF the eI-
istence of which che had been previously unaware.
The dollhouse plant not fitted for the rough stmos-
phere Of the world, and il perifhed. The easeehtsm
nas Exchanged for Lueret,a,' and norels Of that
a,s ph,ck trers dsrovred nth unrholesome aridify.
The fast literature Of the day took the place OF those
good books which che had been set to read by good
ola DIR. Beattie. the venerable pastor OF the United
Presbyterian Church. Of which hsr parents were men,
ber Sac became faster in her pace than those 81 Aer
female ocquo. fanc,s rho had been accustomed to rhaf
Isaac Toyiors oid-iddy friend called "a little rAote-
rome nfgeef She had before been 20 we'll taken care
Of that sbs now took no care Of herseI And so Il
came about, in the coupe Of Q few shor yesn, that
she met in the poor jersey youth with her ats sae
led two lives; THE was the terrible necessity OF tho
petition into which shs had been preGpifsted; and
later in the night n which the had been down 10 ths
ministers house. perhaps to read 70 this vese!sb!e
man, whose eyesight was growing dim she wou'd q!
down 70 the construction Of Letter 70 LApgsoes, q