Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-05-11
North Clarendon.

Mrs. Fanny Davis Smith was prevented by
sickness from fulfilling her engagement to lecture
in this place. Sunday. 23d ut. Her place was sup
piled by Mrs. Helen NJ. Slocum, !herself so feeble
that it was with great difficulty she went through
/ with the exercises Of the occasion. The school
house was well filled with an audience composed
mostly of adults matured men and women VINO
have besn accustomed to think and investigate
to draw their own conclusions-and who are not
easily alarmed at the utterance of radical ideas.
| Mrs. Slocum said before commencing her re-
marks, she would read poem which she Ipenned
several years ago, from her own experience, and
which she entitled
THE TERROR OF HELL!
| " Oh mother, dearest m other must die must
| die?"
Burst forth in anguish, ia that wild and piercing
| cry;
''Aud, oh, mother, darling mother, you tell,
can you tell
If this poor aching spirit goas forever down to
hell
Oh, mother, they have told me that such weary
hearts as mine,
Can never rest with Jesus where the glorious an
gels shine.
Oh, they tell me, mother, tell me that me very
heart must change,
And that something I must do, mother oh,
tits so strange!
''For could never understand what strange thing
I must do!
Oh, have ever wicked been, and is their story
true?
Oh, love you all so much, mother! yet they say
that will not do,
But I must love an angry God far more than
love you.
"And have tried so hard, mother oh, my head
is turning wild,
Oh my mother. dearest mother, have mercy on
your child!
Do, do not let me di, now; oh can not go to
hell,
But the mother could not answer, she could not
saveh her child,
For her spirit CROPPED in darkness, and her brain
was almost wild.
She, too, had learned this sory of an awful God
on High,
And how he said in Holy Writ the SHINING soul
shall die.
And the mothers heart was breaking, for her
But on the sweet, pale face was wrote, in lines of
anguish deep,
That horrid fear and agony her words before had |
told;
But very soon she passed away, ard the little
form was cold.
And how the little face had changed, he lvenly
smile was there,
And that lovely little corpse spoke words which
burned with living fire.
The smile upon the dfrling's face went to the
mothers heart,
She that all this demon fear ca ne from a
priestly mart.
Her little angel spirit child had left its signet
there,
And in it's happy. heavenly home, had found no
burning fire.
But the living JOY which on it broke, as it left its
earthly clod,
First stamped its impress on the clay, and then
went home TO God.
And then that mother looked within, AMI read
the truthful tale,
That naught but fear, through all this world
had made this spirit quail,
That the fear of death and the fear Of hell gets
rooted in the soul,
Aud causes most of agony that spreads from pol e
to pole.
How can it be that men believe such poison deal
irg creeds,
And SOW within the infant heart, their miasmat-
ic seeds!
Dur Heavenly Father spreads around his boun- -,
ties profuse
That every living thing may say, twas given Us
to use.
And beauties which no words can tell are spre I'd
to feed the eye, ,
And then, soul within that speaks of joys be-
yond the sky.
dark and drear, E
md then hath made some horrid thing to take
His children there!
f we but list to the inner voice so false twill
show all this, r
md teach of our Fathers love- which leads us \
all to bliss;
md shows US that beyond the vale, are slories
never dreamed, 6
Where little chileren brighter shine than bright
est suns e'er CLEANED.
hat God hath said in ages gone, These little p
heir angels always do behold the face of Him
Divine"
nd ye who kill in early years their hope their
Joy, their life, b
hall know of anguish and remorse through, n
eternal years Of strife.
After reading the poem Mrs. slocum remarked.
substance, follows:
feel deep interest in the welfare of children n
o duty seems to me of such importance as their y,
cper training, and believe nothing is so delete
GUS to their peace of mind and health of body az III
influence OF fear, and particularly the fear of b'
ernal punishment, as sometimes taught, /
low from my own experience how children suf-
r from this cause. used to lie awake night af-
r night trembling from head to foot in cold al
aspiration, in terror lest I might die before a,
orning and go to hell. I had been taught that =,
e only way to avoid this fate was to experience
change of heart; and this change I could not pl
ID, though prayed as earnestly for 1t as nv tie
III was capable for years. And 1 fully believe q
at the effect upon my nervous system, Of those n
asons Of agony and dread have caused me ysars
physical suffering, and will continue so while
ive
Fear benumbs childs perceptions of right and
ong, cramps his intellect and deprives him Of 81
Prospect. In short, ruins multtudes and caves th
ne, Parents should realize more fully their ps