The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1873-03-08
GkeGtteIigenGNr:
AN INDOOR TRAGEDY.

married cOuplu so'"NN rr, l..
n'n counties Of Pennsylvania. They hac
what their neigbbors deemed a lair capl
,oIwi,b which 10 begin liIe-a well stock
ed though small farm, sound health gooc
common sense, and more than average
noun, of shrewd intelligence and cul
a,no s,ro Under all this was u sincere uus'
~ NC, Cod and Jealous, sensitive love ior
III ny 49, o,b"r neither of which their neigh
.L SnCn ,'"oy U," much about. American back.
%nojs uglo III farmers take q pride In covering
their emotions under hide as to9g9 as
that Of their own beeves; They had three
or fovr children, and night after night,
Over y, , tho kitchen fire, the problem they
an, themselves TO answer was, what Is the
bost thing we can do with them, and toI
,bem. The question asked daily with such
a wrenchi1g Of heart in mYrlads Of
homes and answered so different
~ The fear of God seemed TO Jacob
sDI his wife the best heritage TO give
them; the next best, plenty Ofmoney. To
ciye them the first, they began by hedg-
ipr the children's lives with o system oi
rn7es borrowed half from the Jewish
laws. half from the theory Of their sect
Strict morality, the keeping OF Sunday a!
periodical day oI penitence and
wretchedness, the learning under penalty
Of dark closets and thrashings ofthe CHIEF
du,y of man, therein was their religion.
Lie they were shown as q straight and
hard path through dark valley, with the
terrors Of Sinai behind, and the traps and
nitIalls Of flaming hell on either side.
Even Jacobs wife, Mary, holding her
dsrlings to her breast, than which no
mothers ever ached or throbbed with
more tenderness, had no other sermon 10
nreach 10 them. 1t never occurred 10 her
rr her husband that 1t was into Just such
Gelds of grain as those about them,
under lust such towering cedars, that
.Ipsus led his disciples and taught them,
nv the sunshine and the rain the tender
mcrcies Of God The world grew green
around them, faded again and wrapped
itself in snow, year atter year; the river
sang its mysterious song TO the woods ut
their very door; and overhead the stars
mat had declared to the patriarChs ot the
old world the infinite secrets of Jehovah
blszoncd them forth still, unregarded.
Day unto day uttered speech, and night
unto night showed forth knowledge Of
Him, but both farmer and wife were deaf
and blind. God was to be approached
only through dogeared catechism, and
aelds and river were worth only as much
fish and wheat per year.
The Children's salvation being thus pro-
vided for, the next thing to be insured
was money. Husband and wife worked
and slinted as only q Scotch.Irlsh farmers
family can work or stint. All produce
that was salable went to the market; the
children were reared on the refuse, the
skim,miIk, poorest bacon, and watery
potatoes. Their clothes were coarse and
patched, their leet barO and Chilblained
The house grew barer year by year, the
fathers back more bent, his face harder,
but the balance in the bank increased
dollar by dollar. AS for the plump, bon.
ny Mary, she had long ago Joined that
sisterhood Of lean, yellow.skinned, tooth
lcss women, who, with dirty calico
dresses and wisps OF hair twisted up
behind, arc sometimes found in
farmhouse like ghastly megrims, or day
light speCters Of a. wasted lie. WAer
cIurning and scrubbing were done sht
would sit up until near morning washing
and darning their clothes, that they NIGH
look more "genteel" than she, dragging
her aching body to look at them when
they slept, praying Tor them with fierce
longing 10 hav0 power to be God himself
Ito bo able to protect and care for them.
The boys had certain strong animal pro-
peusities, and physical tendencies which
required skill and knowledge to guide or
restrain. One had morbid Imagination;
another tendency to alcoholic poisoning
against which his diet and training
from infancy should have Defend
ed him. Tho girls, left to them
selves, were filling their brains with sick
" false lancies oflile and their work in II.
But what time had Mary to read or &C.
Quire in any way the power TO compre.
bend or help her children ? There was
the sCrubbng and churning to be done,
the money TO be saved. Boys and girls
were sent to colleges and seminaries; every
advantage that education could givethem
was theirs; tho only mistake Jacob and
his wilC made in this respect was not to
educate themselves as well. Tho children
wentlorward; they sat down and grubbed.
What Is tae end Oft all 2 The dauGh-
ters'grew up dyspeptic and sickly, for the
lack Of early proper food; they married
and died before middle age, brilliant,
hard women, and neither OF them in my
sense religious, One son went into poll
tics, was successful, Is now a member Of
Congress, one Of the most influential Of
his party. Jacob and his mother read OF
his life in Washington, his wile's recep'
lions, his popularity. But long ago he
was a stranger to them. 1t is years since
he crossed the old Threshold. What
Is there in common between him and
the ignorant boorish farmer and his wife
A few weeks ago, the last Of the sons
came home 10 die; the ono Of all the
children who had real power Of intellect
the only one who was not ashamed tC
talk Of mother" fondly TO the last. Ht
died in her arms, drunken, worthless
so'. The thin, haggard woman CLOSED
his eyes without tear. II have lost al
my children" she said, II must havC
made a mistake somewhere In the be
ginning, God knows" ..H
Is no other mother making this mis-
take?