New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-05-18

Peagan; he said there folks thet he'd taken notes
O. his for two years back m they could show
thet hednt preached the real doctrine of total de-
pravty nor rgina SIM an thet he'd got the plan sal
walton tint intirely he all kind o. nattin out
onter morality An Parson Perry he sed he "a presence
Jest he alters he'd. Tween you m me- know he must
ha done that cause these ere ministers tibet hey 70 20
preachin' round N round like a boss a cider-ml-w
they must preach the sermons over
they kind o trim em up with new collars N WITS o"u'
There is quiet, good-natured satire IN the iono"-
ing account of pastoral visit made by goou ai'oh
Lothrop to dying man. 1t is the patient 9on VIM
tells the story
I was for NV mart. strong in faith. wanted to DO
something for INV father and felt certain that the min
ister would know what was the Ig uiuE on" ana r,ie
set forth with him, in his fun pauoI! "I NV
and gold headed cancI felt somehow rs II te Urn VI 'uo
covenant was moving down tho street to our mouse.
'tf,wc thcTe was Of intense yearnng and inquiry
,r Tho 6rst nee no threw the minister ana then II
@ nets of that last dying hour, he had seen into tho
soul OF the mauthat there was hOJhhR there Ior nm.
Evsn Inc goIdhcaded not the rod and stall for
mn TbnTe was in fact something in the tranquil calm nm
pathetic nature OF that good man. which rendered nm
REGULARLY napt enter into the secret chamber Of souls
mat struggle and suffer and donbt He had nature so
evenly balanced his course in life had been SO quiet ana
unrued bis speculaOns and doubts had been OF so phi
losopcal and tranquil kind, that he was not in the
least lifted TO become father confessor TO SICK ana
His nature was one that Inclined to certain stately for
maes and prophecies and although he had in accord
with his station the congregational Church. put
from him the forms of the Church OF England ana was
supposed 10 rely on me eXemporaneOus movements oi
the hour his devotional exercises, neyerthe-
less, had as much stereotype form as If they
knew when tho time for certain familiar
phrases ana expressions would occur in his Sunday
morning prayer, ana exactly the welcome words when
heralded the close of the afternoon exercise
Iremember now as he knelt 10y my fathers bedslGe,
how far of and distant the usual opening formula OF ms
prayer made the Great Helper 10 appear. "Snpremey
great, INFINITELY GLORIOUS 1Iu & ~. a. 49, 5et91
grant that We may suitably realize tne 5nnlte usItc0
between US worms Of the dust aud thy divine majesty
was gazing earnestly at my father rs he lay win MS
bright, yearng, troubled eyes looking OUT INTO he missy
shadows OF the eternal world, and saw INN close lhC
endurance. The infinite distance was ihng lnt nc o
allied only WELL hut who should tell him OF an IN
finite HedNesS by which those who are FAR OIL are maze
after the prayer the minister expressed the hope that
my father would he resigned TO the decress or hlue
wisdom, and my father auguidly assented; aud then
with ministerial bencdcton, the Whole stately apparl
one thing az all events, had been ganed,-lny father
had had the minister and been prayed WITH and nobody
i'm OdtoWn could say that everything had not been prop
ery done, according TO the code OF spiritual etiquette
generally established.
The slender thread Of narrative upon which these
scenes of life and sketches of character are
strung hardly deserves to be called a story
and certainly has none of the art of the novel
1t meanders sluggishly along, like a brook
through swampy meadows, now spreading ont
into great pools of essay and Renaissance, so broad
and still that the current seems to be at rest forever
now issuing forth again and losing itself in theo-
logical mOTasscs; yet ever and anon purling gaily
and freely onward though il never gets much Of a
Roadway Yet even as a story the book has some
decided merits-mcrits not of construction but in
detached scenes. There is terrible force and
earnestness in the chapters which tell the life Of
the fascinating little orphan Tina under the
iron hand of Miss Asphyxia Smith, and a
charming narrative of baby adventure when the
child runs away from iutoerable hardships and, IN
company with her brother, wanders for days in the
tangled woods and about the desolate halls of a
deserted house. The conclusion, though hurried, is
not destitute of poetical effect and the impression
left by the book as a whole is agreeable, though
do not think it will rank with the authors best.
The introduction of the supernatural element is not
happy. The hero has occasional visions, but they
exercise 30 influence upon the story, and certainly
were not characteristic incidents Of seminal New
England life.