Richland beacon., 1873-02-08
An Everyday Story Graphically Told.

An Everyday Story Grapfically Aoiu'
Well nigh half a century ago llcwly
married couple settled in one OF the west
e1n counties of Pennsylvania. They had
what their neiyhborS deemed Il fair capl-
tai with which to begin li1r-a well
stocked though small farm. sound health,
good common sense. and a more than aV-
crauc amount OF shrewd intelligence and
culture. Under all this WAS "A sincere
trust in God and a Jealous. sensitive love
for each other. neither Of which their
neighbOrS knew muc; about. American
back-woolS farmers take pride III covering
their emotions under hide rs tough ~
that of their own bccveS. They had three
or four children, and night aitcr night
over the kitchen fire, the problem they
set themselves to answer was, what Is the
best thing we can do With them. and tor
them. the question asked daily with suci,
a wrcnchin0 of heart in my ra!S OF homes.
and answered 80 differently. The fear of
God seemed to Jacob and his vile the best
heritage to give them; the next best,
plenty of money. 70 give them the first,
they began by hedging the children
lives with Il system OF rules, borrowed
half from the Jewish laws, half from the
theory Cf their sect. Strict morality. the
keeping of Sunday as periodical day OF
dllu NititiNNtIs~. NhO ''.''
under penalty of dark closets and thrash
ing of the chief duty OF man. therein was
I their religion. Life they were shown "a
straight and hard path through dark
valley with the terrorS of Sinai behind,
and the traps and pitfalls of flaming
/ hell on either side. Even Jacobs wife,
! Mary. holding her darlings To her breast,
| than which no mothers ever ached or
throbbed with more tenderness, had no
other sermon to preach To them. IL new
cr occurred to her or her huSbard that it
was into just such fields Of grain as those
about them. under just such towering cc-
darS. that Jesus led his disciples and
Taught them, by the sunShiLc and the
rain. the tender ncrcics d God. The
world grew green around them, faded
again and wrapped itself in snow, year
after wear; the river sang its mysterious
song to the woods at their very door; ana
overhead the stars that had declared 10
the patriarchs OF the old world The INFINITE
secrets of Jehovah. blazOnc:l them forth
still unregarded. Day unto day uttered
speech. and night unto night showed forth
knowledge of Him. bnt both farmer anu
wife were deaf and blind. God was to be
approached only through adog cared cat
echism, and fields and river were worth
oulv so much fish and wheat per year.
, The childryi'S salvation being thus pro
yided for, the next thing to be insured
was money. Husband and wife worked
and stinted as only a ScOtch-lrish family
| can work or stint. All produce that was
saleable went to the market; the children
| were reared on the refuse. the sklm-nliL.,
, poorest bacon, and watcry potatoes.
Their clothes were coarse and patched,
their feet bare and chilblained. The house
: grew barer year by year, the fathers back
: more bent. his face harder, but the bal
! ance in bank increatcd dollar by dollar.
As for the plump. bonny Mary. she had
long ago Joined that siSterhoOd OF lean,
! vcl,ow-sl inned. toothless women who,
: with dirty cS;,,ico Greec"; aid Ti>ps Of
, hair twisted up behind, are sometimes
4 found IT, farm-houseS, ike ghastly meg
: rims, or daylight specters OF wasted life.
When churning aud scrubbing were done
I she would sit up until nearly morning
washing and darning their clothes, that
! they might look more ''genteel' than she,
e dragging her aching body to look at them
/. when they slept. praying for them with
e fierce longing to have power to be God
e himself-tO be able to protect and care
K for them. The boys had certain strong
animal prOpcnsitieS and p'""' f"n'iel-
cies which required skill s-.4 <nowledge
to guide or restrain. One hau a morbid
imagination: another a tendency to alco-
le hOlc poisoning, against which his dit'
Of and training from infancy should have de-
j. Tended him. The girls, left to themselves
" were filling their breins with sickly, falst
Fl fancies of life and their work in it. Bu
a what time had Mary 10 read or acquire III
10 any way the power to comprehend OI
il help her children? There was the scrub
1t binc and churnng to be done, the money
n. to be saved. Boys and girls were sent tt
I. colleges and seminaries every advantage
re that education could give them was theirs
ne the only mistake that Jacob and his VIII,
IN made i'm this respect was not TO educate
o. themselves IS well. The children wen
iy forward: they sat down and grubbed.
ut .What is the end of il all? The daughter
ly grew up dyspeptic and sickly for the l;'ci
of early proper food; they married an'
c. died before middle age. brilliant, har'
o. women, and neither of them in any sens
al religious. One son went into pollt'cs, wa
ht successful, is now member of Congress
he one of the most influential of his party
e Jacob and his mother read of his lie Il
IN Washington. his wifc's receptions, hi
re popularity. But long ago he was strang
es er to them. 1t is years since he crosses
)ff the old threshold. What is there in com
er mon between him and the ignorant, booI
Up il farmer and his wife? A few week
ed a o the last of the sons came hcmc to die
ns the one of all the children who had rts
he power of intellect; the only one VII
re was not ashamed to talk of ''mother
fondly to the last. He died in her arms
he drunken, worthless sOt. The thin, hae
,y gard woman closed his eyes without
sn tear. IL have lost all my children" sll
10 said, Unjust have made u mistake some
m where i'm the beginning. God knows.
ch Is no other mother making this mi:
yh take?.-N. Y. TTibhne.