The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-05-19

| teemed him on the whole, very heartily-more
heartily still few months later, when he stood
by his death bed, and saw how nobly and man.
| fully his faith and trust supported him, under
more than the common angonies of death-ad-
mired the courage and enterprise with which,
under circumstances so depressing, he attacked
the strongholds of sin in the hearts of the
sneering and scoffing criminals about him, and
believed that he did great deal of good among
rough spirits upon whom his own difiident and
retiring piety was powerless. Perhaps he I'M
dervalued himself in this respect; for genuine
superiority of character, however unobtrusive,
can scarcely fail, sooner or later, to tell upon
those closely associated with its possessor, In
most cases ; and, in Hermans, it is certain
that, shy as his fellow-prisoners might be, in
their more careless and reckless moments, OF
one whose life was constant, though modest,
and generally silent, reproof to theirs, he had
not been in the penitentiary half year, before,
4" | want to speak to Arden" "Oh, for pity 3
sake get Arden here /" began to be the cry of
those in any mental or physical straits. S1ll,
there is room for, and need of, all sorts of good
people in this naughty world and the Wellbe-
| loveds have their use.
One Sunday morning. Herman was enjoying
one of his seasons Of comparative luxury. All
things are comparative and relatire. He had
had his weekly shaving the night before. Clam s
favorite, his n,oustoche, had long ago fallen a
victim to the ruthless razor of the jail-barber
and cheek and lip were left in most inelegant
and stubbly state six days in the week.
| Fondling his unusually smooth chin, with much
appreciation and comfort, with the long slender
fingers of one hand, he was lying, for warmth,
in his mean cot-bed. Spur, to his secret
though certainly uni ustifable satisfaction, had
| been detailed for extra service at brick kiln.
/ Kane, who in his shy shrinking way had be-
come very fond of him. had by permission
drawn the other bed up 4, his side, and, in it,
was listening eagerly Will Herman read aloud,
and explained to him art of Locke's para
phrase of the Epistles, WITCH Mr.. Halifax had
/ lent to the former. Kanecoul not read easily,
even if he had had anS books and Herman,
rather than neglect him, Or lose his few oppor-
tunities for continuing his own studies, often
continued, in this manner, to share them with
him. This poor man had twofold interest
for his mind and heart. He could never forget
Kanes kindness to him on the miserable morn
ing after his arrival and, on the other hand, it
was moral riddle to him, which he longed to
read, that creature so timid and mild could
ever willfully-as Kane, he understood, did not
deny that he had done-have taken the life of
fellow creature.
! Their quiet was, before long, interrupted by
Rodrick's voice, raised in loud threats. The
answers to these, Herman could not distin-
guish; but his patron, the overseer, soon came
along; and he asked him what the matter was.
"Wall, Wellbeloved says it's sin carry
around the mush on the Sabbath"
! Herman smiled. In his Judgment, the fourth
commandment, in its strict and literal sense,
was a rule to regulate the observance of Satur-
day among the Jews, not that of Sunday among
Christians. He thought that Saturday was the
/ Sabbath not Sunday. He had found no
scriptual precedent for calling the latter two
days by the same name. This was one OF the
chief points at issue between and his worthy
friend. He had never looked into it as far as
he now wished that he had done /; but he had a
strong impression that the Jewish observance
of the seventh day-the Sabbath of the Old
Testamonu--had been as a schoolmaster to led
| men to the Christian observance Of the first
day of the week." the Lords day" of the
New-not SO much as a period of rigorous
physical inaction as ofspiritual progress.
Notwithstanding, he looked with great dislike
and distrust upon all approaches towards ma
king it a mere holiday, sn the modern sense OF
the word He believed that if this change was
| effected, even our annual /" Fast day" would
| soon cease to be the fastest day in the year.
/ To his thinking, what Christendom needed, at
the present stage of its development, was less
to secularize Sunday, than to spirtuaiize Mon
| day, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday,
and Saturday. BY the very instinct OF his poet
| zeal temperament and reverent nature, he was
prompted TO have a ready and affectionate re-
| spect TO all times and places consecrated by the
time -honored habit of the church; and, to the
celebration of this day in particular, he had
| been accustomed at home to make free-will
offering of more Difference than is usual in men
of his or perhaps of any class. The noise OF
ID ~. l. ~
absolute necessity allowed to break the holy
weekly Stiffness Of the streets of Boston, nor to
catter rudely in among the chimes OF the
church going bells nor were opera hairs pealed
out from Herman's chamber on that day, as on
Others to drive out of the ears or hearts of pass
ers-by the lingering echoes of the hymns from
| church or chapel. 1t was to him a season of
especial convenience and leisure, for prayer, re-
! lgious study, selfexamination, and preparation
| for duty AS such he observed it at home ;
and as such he observed it away from home.
| But-so that the less important was not suffered
/ to encroach upon the more, In himself or his
neghbors-he saw no harm, after the souls
due refreshment had been secured, in refresh
ing the body likewise with little gentle and
decorous motion. And as to walking through
the wards of a Sunday, with kettle of smoking
hot mush and pitcher of molasses, to give his
fellow prisoners the chief treat they had during
one quarter of the year, he thought it rather
benevolent and praiseworthy exercise of ones
arms legs, and social qualities, and saw little
more sin it it than in the apostles rubbing the
ears of corn in their hands as they walked
through the fields of a Saturday.
But he soon found that the case was serious.
Luncheon, which was allowed only on this one
day of the week, was always carried about to
the different cells by few of the more trust
worthy convicts in rotation, the number of the
turnkeys being diminished by leaves of absence,
and only enough of them kept on duty to guard
the pententiary. Captain Rodrick was very
angry at Wellbeloved's refusal to serve this ex-
ira meal, from quite complex mixture of
causes. First because he had intended it as
an indulgence, to put the prisoners in good
humor, and was disappointed to find it i'll re-
ceived in any quarter. Secondly, because he
himself suspected it to be sinful indulgence;
and did not like to have his suspicious con-
frmed by one of his subjects Thirdly, because
he owed Wellbeloyed grudge, for not thinking
we'll of his, Rodrick's, spiritual condition.
Fourthly, because he envied Wellbeloyed his
spiritual condition.
1T seems to me that Webeloved is mis-
TAKEN" said Herman. q hope he won't get
| himself into scrape. Can | speak to him ?"
swell, | reckon not. He's in the dark cell,
a-keepin his Sabbath"
Herman saw him the next morning, heavily
chained, and with one side of his head shaved.
He found an opportunity to speak to him, but,
as he feared, he was unable to shake his con,
victions and he therefore, of course, made no
attempt to shake his determination. He could
not, indeed, help admiring the latter, as much
as he regretted the former. He was still so
anxious for the consequences, that he took the