Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1860-12-15
FROM Harriet Beechor stowe, in The Independent.
THE DEAC0E'S DILEMMA, OR THE USE
Or. OF THE BEAUTIFUL.

$500 law - $4,000. 80 AZ 49, ~
OF THE BEAUTIFUL.
Deacon Tilden had the squarest, neatest white
house that ever showed its keen angels from the
dusky clumps of old lilac bushes. In front of it
stood, on each side of the doorway, two thrifty
cherry trees, which bore a bushel each every sea-
son. Excepting the aforementioned lilac trees,
there was not a flower or shrub round the place.
Rose bushes the Deacon thought rotted the house,
and the honeysuckle which his wife tried to train
over The porch WITS torn down when the
painters came, and, on the whole, the Deacon
'aid, What was tbeuse of putting it up so.Iong as
1t did not bear anything7
BY The side Of the house was q thrifty, we'll
kept garden, with plenty Of current bushes, goose
berry bushes and ounce trees-ard the beets
and carrots and onions were the pride of the
Deacon's heart; but, as he often proudly said,
Everything was for use"-there was nothing
fancy about it. His wife put 10 timorously one
season for a flower border-Mrs. Jenkyns had
given her a petunis, and Mrs. Simpkins had
brought her q package Of flower seeds from New
York-nnds so q bed was laid out. But the thrift
~ Deacon soon found that the wedding of it took
time that Mrs. Tilden might give to her dairy, or
10 making shirts and knitting stockings, and so it
really troubled his conscience. The next spring
he turned it into his ~corpfeld; and, when bis wife
mildly intimated her disappointment, said placid
ly, after all. twas a thing of 10 use, and took
timo"-and Mrs. Tilden, being a meek woman,
and ons Of The kind of saints who always suppose
themselves miserable sinners, specially confessed
her sin of being inwardly vexed about the Incl
dent in her prayers that night, and prayed that
L. - L. N r
~, and that she might be quiCkened in the Nay Of
minding her work.
The front parlor Of the Deacon's house was the
most frigid asylum Of neatness that ever discour-
aged the eyes and heart of a visitor. The four
blank walls were guiltless of any engraving or
painting, or of any e%dornment but an ordinary
wall paper and a framed copy of the Declaration
OF Independence. On each Of the three sides
stood four chairs-urdeT the looking-giass was q
shining mahogany table, with a largo Bible and
an almanac on it-and a pair of cold, ~glitterine
brass andirons illustrated the fireplace. The
mantelshelf above had a pair of bright brass can.
dle-st;cks with a pair of shutters between-and
that wos all. The Deacon liked tit was plair
and simple-no nonsense about it-everything
for use and nothing for show suited him. Hit
SA6HSN ~ - ANHhN iI II
she was sewing, as if she wanted something, ant
then sung in the good old psalm
From vanity turn off my eyes;
Let no corrupt design
Or ~covetous desires arise
Within this heart Of NINE"
The corrupt design to which this estimable mat
ron had been tempted had been the purchase of
pair Of Parian flower vases, whose beauty had
struck to her heart when she went with her butter
and eggs to the neighboring city-but recollectine
herself 10 time, she had resolutely shut her eve,
20 the ailurement, and speut the money usetaHy il
buying loaf sugar.
b For il is to be remarked that the Deacon wa,
foad Of good eating, and prided himself on tn,
bounties of his wife's table. Few women knew
bsttor how TO set One-and the qnowy bread, gol
den butter. clear preserves and jellies, were
themes Of admiration at all the tea tables in the
land. The Deacon didE' mind a few cents in q
pound more for q nicer ham, and would now and
then bring in a treat Of oysters from the city when
they were dearest. These were comforts, he said
-One must stretch q point for the comforts Of
life.
The Deacon must not be mistaken for a tyranni-
cal man or q bad husband. When be quietly put
his wife's flower patch into bic corn field, be
thought be had done her a service by curing her
OF an absurd notion for things that took time and
made trouble, and were of no use: and she, dear
soul. never had brea,hed a dissent to any course
of his loud enough TO let him know she had one.
lie laughed in bis sleeve often when be saw her
so TRANQUILITY knitting or shirt making at those
times she had been wont to give to her poor little
oontraband nleasures. As for the hower yaaas the
were rspented Of-apd Mrs. Tilden put a handful
Of spring mon into a cracked pitcher and
set il on her kitchen table, till The Deacon tossed
them out Of the window-"he couldn't bear to see
weeds growing round"
The poor little woman had q kind Of chrome
hsurt-siskDess, like the piniDg of a teethiug child,
but shs never knew exactly what il was she want