The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1872-04-21

heaven, supported on the right by angels, on
the left by Truth herself The date-tree shall
serpent shall encircle it, Teaching from man on
| earth to the Blessed Virgin in heaven. BY the
| side of man will place the cheru BIN armed
with his flaming sword, and near Eye young
| and beautiful n hideous figure of Death.
Higher up shall be the divine infant, with one
foot on the head of the serpent; he shall
| stand by the side of his august mother, re-
angels, cherubs and seraphs. Yes, all this and
| more will I do. The very wood shall grow
into life under my hands, and ages yet unborn
The artist went at his work with all the en-
thusiasm of genius, and had completed the
body Of the pulpit without placing the
Evangelists according to his orig nal design,
when, in moment of malicious spite, he
imagined he would punish Martha by display
| ing near Eve various satirical emblems of her
sex's qualities.
On the branches, then. that entwine the
staircase leading up on the side of Eve, he
placed peacock, symbol OF pride; squirrel,
symbol OF destruction;. cock, symbol OF
which defects, poor Martha, as the angels we'll
knew, was IS innocent an infant.
Or the statue of Adam, Eerbrnggen made a
chef d@urre-a figure full of dignity and manly
beauty. The figure of Eve is inferior, and has
| less grace and animation.
| And now to complete his sculptured marital
spite, on Adams side he carved an eagle,
symbol of genius.
Thus far had he progressed when poor
Martha sickened and died In his motherless
household Verbruggen soon discovered the
extent of his misfortune, and learned, as
Shakespeare has so we'll told the world, that
ss we haze 1S we prize not to the worth
We then do know. its value
And now came the reaction. Verbruggen
deeply mourned Martha. Hesincerly deplored
her. Her admirable qualities came fresh upon
| his memory, and he bitterly reproached him.
self for his unkindness and neglect
Soon he fell into fits of dependency. Dis
| couragement took possession of him, and his
pulpit, begun with SO much energy, stood I'M
Accustomed to find his home in order, his
table spread, he soon discovered their loss, as
we'll as the want of thousand little atten-
lions and kindnesses which noEe could now
give him; and in short, as he was in the high
road for discoyeries, we may safely conclude
that he found out, with Ben Franklin, that q
Twelve months passed by. Verbrnggen's
friends ccunselled him to remarry. "You are
but thirty-six," said they. avon have sin.
ssTeiy moarneS d. Martins loss and have done
can yet do as we'll, if not better. There is
Cecily Van Eyck, talented, q painter, an artist.
like Yourself Your dispositions accord. and if
she consents to have you, she will be a mother
wife,"
Henry listened to his friends, thought over
what they said, and followed their advice. He
became Cecily's suitor, and was accepted.
| Now Cecily Van Eyck was. very smiling,
verv sweet, very charming; but Cecily had a
WI If her own.
Scarcely had the honeymoon gone by, when
she enlightened Henry with some new ideas,
and gave him several very distinct notions as
to the proper distribution of domestic power
in a household In q moro propitious age
Cicily would have made her mark in Sorosis,
and been aleader of the most advanced radical
wing Of woman,s rights party.
plete, and the poor artist even kissed his
| chains
One day she said to him. "what are you
doingf Your apathy is complained off, and I
am tainted with it. Remember, if you please,
that Van Eyck is a name not unknown. Let
me not lose, pray yon, by changing it for
that of Verbruggen. Where is the pulpit that
chef dGurre you so long since announcedi ''
In reply he led her to his studio. Cicily had
an artists eye, and more-a womans
the side Of Eve? 7"
The soul tor blnshed.
when made them" he answered, "I did
| not know Cecily Van Eyck."
"'Tis we'll. But after these emblems of de-
fects, which perhaps women have not, what
do you intend to bestow upon your own sex 7"
H., -! had already .y commenced" stammered Yer
somewhat vain"
"Vain! o, no: not at all. The eagle-a
bird Of prey and rapine, the symbol Of brutal
what further do you intendi"
Verbruggen could find no reply.
"Well, tden, listen," continued his wife, ''to
render full justice to yonr sex, near the eagle
you will place fox, emblem of deceit; q par
rot, emblem of noisy chatter; monkey eating
grapes, symbol of intoxication; and a jack.
daw, emblem of silly pride"
Verbruggen executed her orders with do
cility most edlfying. The pulpit was soon
finished, and, fortunately for us, has been pre-
served intact through years of war and revo-
luton. Higher teachin gs have been proclaim
ed from it, but to those who know it's story
even its dumb wood speaks a salutary lesson.
"Ah, sir!' ejacula the old sexton, when
he had finished the story of the pulpit elf l
had known the history of that pulpit before l
married second time, L"
} Just then l came away.