Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1872-03-16
4allas @erala.
ROBERT .JOSSELYN,
EDITOR.
What L Know About Ben. EC-
Cles.


By the AUTHOR 5f Abratam Pcge.-J. B
Lippincoh & Co., Philadelphia.
An admirer of the Life and Opinions o.
Abraham Page, Esq, will read this booS
with equal if not greater delight lti'
distinguished by the same easy clear and
graceful style, the same trulhfuness o'
description both of scenery and charac
tcrs, the same quaint humor and touching
pnthos, with here and there an exposition
.5f some point in christian or moral doc
trine, showing much reflection and q deep
er insight than usual into human nature.
The only particular fault, that we can find
with it, is it's name. There is scarcely any
thing more about Ben. Ecces than about
his friends and associates. 1t should have
been called, Sketches Of Southern Life and
Manners, for such the book is, and of this
life and manners, before the late civil war
and its terrible; changes, it is.a most truth
ful and admirable deliniatl0u. The char
acters seem not at all fictitious. They are
real living beings, such as we, ourself,
have seen and known and talked to and
with, and we meet them here again as old
acquaintance White and black, in na-
ture, manners and language, are given
with equal fidelity. Northern writer, (for
instance, Mrs. Stowe,) when they under
take TO draw negro characters and give
negro language, make lamen.allc failures
for want Of knowledge about what they
are attempting to do. Their descriptions
may afford amusement to others as ignppri
an. rs themselves, but to native Of the
South they are repulsive from their false
hood or gross caricature. The author of
the volume before he gives the negro as he
! is or rather scas before the war, and the
real language he talks. As specimen of
his naturalness and accuracy in descrip'
tion, we extract the follow ing picture of
country church aid its attendants,
"a visit 10 country church is always
| novel, however well one may be accustOm-
cd lb it. The large frame building, perch
on blocks and situated on a hill near the
big road away from habit~tions, and sur
rounded by the great trees of tie primeSal
forest the neighing horses htched hero
AID there, in the %cods; the little groups
| of persons Fear the doors and about under
the trees the horscmen as, they arrive,
turning aside to some favorite hi'ching
tree, dismounlng, and advanc to the
group in which they see some friend, and
wtching rs they 60 the dust from their
lisordered dress; the variey of vehicles,
from the huge family carriage to the gig
hung high on wooden springs, and the one
horse car. with chairs in il for seats the
buxom country damsels with their short
riding skirts of yellow nnnkin riding up
| to the horse. block, and shaking nll over as
they nimbly dismOunt the boys in their
Sunday .go.to meetings, and new brogans
with the store shine sill upon them, strut
ting about from group to group, and insa
tiably visiting the spring in the bo tom
the graces of .the young men as the think
themselves, remarked by some fair arrival
as she passes into the church, er go TO as-
sisi some other to dismount, or alight from
| her vehicle; the business mir of the preach
err when he arrives and enters .he church
without turning to the right or left to sa-
lutte the crowd which then streams in af
ter him. all is still novel; ho wever often
one may see it, ani once seen is never for
gotten"
Ant one, who has ever lived n Georgia
Alabama or Mississippi, out Midway from
the towns and villages therein, will at once
admit the graphic faithfulness of these out.
lines. So in everything else, it is truth,
itself, which we see Before us face to face. D.,
We shopld Ike TO give 5opious samples
+ four authors style and peculiar treat
ment of Subjects, in illustration of wha,
we have said. but we shall have to content
oarsclf with single o.her extract, in ref
erence to matter of universal interest 10
young and old The author, supposed to
be the excellent old MIR. Abraham Page,
has been describing the sweetheart of his
hero, Ben, when he breaks JFf into the fol.
lowing: ...
"Psbaw one. would think that had got
leaf from Bel Eccles diary.
sand yet, can anything be more be witch
ing even to an old man, than pure, beau
tiful, and gentle girl? The sweetest dream
| have of heaven is that sh II there meet
just such a one, pure, beautiful, and gen
tie girl, my Mary; the superior here Of
Susan Garthwsife 10. beauty and in the
brigh, Intelligence which almost rivalcd
light in its quickness and clearness; but,
above all, her superior, in my estimation
b-cause she loved me. Size loved me
Blessed he the God of Love for making man
in his own image, and MI nature in nc
cord 1t is love which adds brightness 10
the sunbeam beauty and fragrance to the
nuweT, sYmmctry to form, and harmony 10
sound; which deprlves The thunder cloud
cf it's ieIr6-S, turns. despair to hope aud
takes the sting away from death 1t gives
pleasure to the tolls of life, and always
stands as the crown of their reward Man
aspires to be wise, admires just ice.and no
illness. seeks after knowledge, and strives
for power over nature, but ne feels Love;
it alone can completely fill his nature, il
alone Of all his attributes is always pres
ent, and il. alone can be made nearly per-
feet here on earth His wisdom ma, prove
folly; his justice, cruelty ;his holiness, sin
ful weakness his knowledge, n vain boast;
and Of his p5Ser he may despair, but his
Love knows neither. fssS3.ir, cruelty, sin
fulness, folly, nor vain boasting. it is al
ways the very perfection of perfect ion ;
makes crooked things straight; rough pla
ces smooth; ngliuess, beautiful stupidity,
intelligent; and even vice il often trans
forms 10 virtue. Man could peuher bear
10 live nor living bear TO die without il,
And when in addition 10 his own exquisite I
feeling Of that perfect sslse he knows
that all of it with which another is endow-
ed, and she one of the most lovely and low
ing Of Gods loving creatures, lie bestowed
upon him as it's object, he feels pride Of
his own dignity and an appreciation Of
his own blessedness as man, which no
other contemplation Of his nature can i'm
part. My Mary loved me, and felt proud
and blessed in her love. Ola "a. LapsI
still feel the pride, and throughout e.erni-
ty hope to feel the blessedness."