Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1860-06-13

| by some halfbrutal woman-when We can see
some poor child, whose face never was lit up
with SMILE with no covering to his ulcered
feet shivering in the blast, and covering like
culprlt to some low bar, with a bottle in his
faded hand, to buy the drink which consigns
the parent to his last, long home. Oh, vota-
rleS OF fashion how dare ye spend the time
and the faculties and the wealth, which God
mas gwen ye, while these scenes around are
IKE the roll of the Prophet, written without
ana within, lamentation, mourning and woe
| HOW mistaken, too, are men in their at
tempts to reform the poor drunkard Oh, if
man did not hate the drunkard-for, indeed,
! he hates himself!--if they did not despise him,
Tor no lower can the inebriate sink than in his
own estimation! Hatred and contempt hope
lessly rivet the chains that bind him to this
| helllsh vice; they never can rend the shackles.
Oh! If they would only crush to atoms the
dellrious bowl, and remove the temptations
that he cannot resist, although he hates them,
they would strike at the roots and wither the
Tree Would that man would tremble at and
aDhor the drunkard sin, and rouse themselves
from the indifferent slurr1belr in which heshas
fallen, and ask the question: What is to- be
doneY The reformation of the drunkard
needs resolutions high and holy. and sus
tanned and self-denying efforts. But, alasl
for the poor stricken victim, he must break
the bowl himself, or drown himself in the
awful deep of perditioni
But, thank God, have recovered. Yes.
l am once more free, but it was not nv own
acVons and not my own deeds that assisted
me TO secure my independence from the in
satable monarch of mine Twas an angel
Wlie that rebuked me with perhaps more eff
fect than if glorious angel, fresh from the
gardens OF Light, and bearing upon her ce-
lestial lace the radiance of the smile of Gods
approval, had descended and touched my heart.
linen providence, in his inscrutable WAYS,
tola me IN the separation of my child and the
degradatIon OF my name, that must reform.
Oh, now well it was for me that did Then
TOO, was there not divine graciousness in
sending me to that sweet woman who led nv
errlng footsteps to the throne of God, and
oade me worship and be thankful for his mer-
cles. Ever blessed be thy name, o, Lord of
hosts, for thy mercifui works to the children
OF men? Day and night may my soul praise
thee, y God of Absalom, hourly NAV | lnedi-
tate upon thy goodness and thy surprising
mercy.
"Oh how long to throw off that great
sin which oftentimes possesses me. How can
| hate Aubrey Belton and be consistent with
that faith | have embraced? How dare I
cherish revenge against my fellow man, and
rob God of that vengeance which is Justly and
truly His? [ must cool this ardent spirit of
mine, and quell these rising passions. All
will yet be well. The wicked never shall
prosper, and the time will soon come when
this terrible deed shall be accounted for, and
my darling wife rightly established in her
possessions
I" And my daughter! Oh! with nv happy
reform, with my restoration to the blessed Re-
deemer, and the restoration of nv daughter.
all my Joy Will be complete. | shall ask no
Ilore' but Il heaven; s and viii eyer pray as. I
OF God for promoting christian 5cnevoIeTIce
and earthly kindnessto my fellow-man."
1t was thus the reformed inebriate mused
as he lay beneath that spreading tree upon
the banks of the majestic Schuylkill, and
listened to the merry notes which its ripplets
were sounding at his feet. Lullabied by their
sweet song, and by the warblings of the beauti-
full spring birds, he gradually fell asleep, and
in his sleep he dreamed.
Angels seemed to descend from Heaven and
minister to his soul. The gate of paradise
was open and he could see far beyond the star
lit canopy. Oh, how ravishing the sight!
| Waited on zephyry wings came sounds of
blissful melody and music, that the planets
themselves stopped in their revolutions
amazed and entraced And there appeared
such shining beings that the great solar fur
mace of our system was totally eclipsed, they
were Of such radiant beauty; and they played
on harps of amber chords, and they Wore
great crowns Of shining metal, while their
garments were as white as the snow just fall
en-. Their faces OH how happy and how
smiling they hovered Ger the sleeper! While
one came to him, and bending gently over
whispered in his cntranced soul, "Peace
peace to thy troubled breast, all is we'll !"
I Gradually this Heavenly vision faded away
! and he thought he saw dark room, where 6
feeble and moaning girl lay bound in chains
! He saw her cOuntenance, and, great heavens
! he recognized his daughter. Yes, pale Alice
n beautiful and delicate as the marble lily whel
o the summers winds WOO tit was her, in
q deed; and she lay in loathsome chains Sud
o denly a ruffian of diabolical aspect appeared
!. and seemed to taunt her. The dreamer say
him produce a deadly weapon, and the gil
& shrink in terror from him-when the chain
# fell off, and the rufian was struck to the eartt
q while startling crash was heard upon all
d and the sleeper awoke.
r He rubbed his eyes, and it was dark. I'll
,s night, black indeed, was dotted with the pa
70 lamps set in the network of that everlastn
10 arch 1t was late, for the lights of the gre
ID city were being extinguished With cry
m astonishment Rowand leaped to his feet, al
a well picking his way walked briskly off
s. wards the city 1t was one of those s ram
4 indications of Gods finger over the affairs
at men that caused that long sleep to fall up'
no the philosopher