Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1863-04-16
ST. ANTHONY AND HIS TEMPTATION.

P"o'ee~' "iAsNhG AVN uoeVohS Aoo enS
following:
More than half thousand years ago,
at Padua, lived, died and was canonized
Anthony, Franciscan monk; and the
Romish church has erected statues and or
dained genufexions to him ever since.
st. Anthony preached to the heather with
success; but his most memorable act was
resistance at home, when Satan came to
him in the shape of beautiful woman,
and St. Anthony would not look at her;
but counting his beads, gasped "Begone!"
Among the Jarvis collection of old paint
ings lately exhibited here was a grotesque
representation of this saint in his day of
temptation and triumph. In the fore
ground Of dreary landscape, near sort
of sentry-box' stood the monk, resolutely
counting his beads; Il don't see you"
written on every rigid fold of countenance
and dress, as there fitted by, casting
glances at him, woman whom no one
would have doubted to be the very dell.
If the Saint had dared look up, he would
have seen there was not the least danger
of being tempted. It's our way in this
world We make science and virtue diff
cult, by prejudging and acting on precon-
ceived plans. Our life is not fluent enough
We wear ourselves out with trying to live
comfortably, and make ourselves wicked
trying to do good. "Be careful for moth
ing" he said who knew the hearts Of men,
Is it not easy for birds and brooks to
warble their roundelays, and lilies to robe
their fragrant souls in white ?
AS stood moralizing thus before the
picture in the quiet little exhibition room
at Williams g. Everett's, some one looked
over my shoulder; and turning to give
him room, recognized an old accquaint-
ance from Springfield, who told this Ia
test temptation of St. Anthony. You lie.
member Dwight H., bright, shy, gene
rous boy. Hardly changed as a man, be
stood beside me. Il come now and then on
purpose to look at tnis painting. I'd buy
if it were not so bad as work of art. Il
tells a bit of my own biography" OF
course l was curious. "You will moi
laugh at me (but he blushed,) if I own tt
a fancy for philanthropic young ladies
There is something sublime in woman
taking her life in her hand, and ventur
ing forth to suhdue the world by the spell
of her gentleness~ Not long after Cover
nor Slade had exported his host of lady
teachers from New England, business call
: ed me West, and l will not deny dream
ing what if should meet one of these ce
t lestial Unas and Margarets, and what i
0 fate were kind, and so on! There wer
three of US, jolly bacnelors, all abroad OIL
4 railroad business. We had reached tn
0 falls of St. Anthony, they quizzing mt
me now and then about my Una who hac
t not appeared. She was coming, lion ant
g all, but did not know it, r. was inter
' ested in the cause of education in the West
: we could not get him past school-hous
t without entering. One day we came up
e on little building of the kind at the edg
+ ofa wilderness; and nothing would do bu
t we must go in with him: bare walls say
. blackboard, buzzing children, little tea
a cher, woman looking on,--you know wha
: country school is. R. mentlonid tha
i we were from New England and about re
r turning; up rose the woman in the back
0 ground--I thought she never would bcu
$ Il never saw such being long, slil
slope, with scrawny neck and o littl
= head like nut at top,-yellow skin, som
d kind of incongruous dress. "Why. s
n was she going to New England, only wa
e ting for an escort. She would like to az
# company us. She would bo ready 1
r. once. She was one of Governor Slade
k young ladies, perhaps we had heard
D them 2" What could we do but bow, an
It be Every happy Next morning we sta
Q ted. She in o sky-scraping bonnet th
= made her taller than ever. We b
t- gan with long stage ride, and Of cour
is Una was seated next my unlucky SCI
d She introduced the subject of religion;-
Il "Was | prepared ?" did l reflect
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