Delaware Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1843-1874, 1874-02-09
shout hallelujah and live In the skies.

A FAMILY HIsToRY.-One winters evening
was accosted bv name upon the street, by a
young man shabbily dressed, aud half intoxi-
Gated. On my regarding him with look of
surprise, he exclaimed
Don't you know your old scholar Tom
is it possiblep 1 replied is this indeed
Tom W."
Yes said he, u am Tom. knew you as
soon as saw you.' And then, as IL to stop
further inquiries, he added In low tone, Give
me quarter
what forP' l asked, sto buy more whiskeys'
mo, sirP he exclaimed; but have had
nothing TO eat to-day, and am very cold and
hungry
Il took him by the arm, led him into the
hotel and paid for his supper, lodging and
breakfast, promising 10 see him In the morn
ing. called, but he had given me the slip
and gone, no one knew whittier.
few weeks after, crossing a neighboring
river, l met ut the Terry a crowd gathered
around dead body, which bad just been found
amid The broken ice. II was that Of poor Tom
w., who had been drowned while skat-
| lug a few miles above, Oh the preceding Sab
| bath.
My former pupil Yes. reader, 1t Is true; and
\ his sad end brought vivdly to nay mind visit
\ had paid to his fathers house, on a Christ
| mas morning, fifteen years before. was en-
gagged in circulating by sale or gift, lot of re-
1 llgious tracts and books, and calling at Mr.
l NJ "a. asked him to purchase some for his boys
then threw fhern back into my basket, exciaim.
| ing:
mo, sir no such trash shall come into my
| house,
On my expressing some surprise and regret
he became very angry aud said
| Sir, l send my boys to you to learn arithms
tic geography, &c; not religion. They tell me
that you open your school with prayer, read to
them the Bible, and make them read it, rLi'
| must stop, sir; or / will take them away, for
have no idaa oil having their heads stuffed W i'll
its foollshness and lies. You must stop 1t
SIR
Not so' l replied. Remove them if you
will but, believing the Bible to be the Wort
of God, and that without His blessing, can
not teach or my pupils learn Alright, must con
tinue to read it and pray as heretofore
} We'll, take away your trash aud leave lie
he exclaimed. Il must find some school for m,
! boys, where they will not he contaminated b.
such influences.
Rising to leave, 1 took from my basket
pocket Bible, and said
Mr., W., there is one verse In this took
| which 1t becomes you to read. In Prov. 3: 3j
/ it is written, 'rhe curse OF the Lord Is In tn
7 house of the wicked Beware, sir, lest yo
) | provoke God and bring down Ills curse upo
Y your household
. He removed his boys. l changed my res
$ deuce, and saw nothing Of them afterwaro
+ until accosled by poor Tom. But was no,
l. led to make inquiries about Mr.. w. and tn
}, other members OF his family, and TO watc
= their course Alas the story is a sad one.
The second son, Henry, another pupil b,
l. came unruly, protane aud disslpated; was turI
y ed out of doors by his father for defying bi
Q | authority and abusing his mother went TO Il
r. West, waa sent to the penitentiary, aud at La
}, killed 10 drunken Ievel. A third son, and Il
/. only remaining child, WAS dlowned ichiie slDi,
+ ming on the Sabbath. MIR. W. Tesorted ii
n comfort aud to silence conscience, to the bOttl
II became a vagabond and died sot. Aud Il
/ wife and mother, who had Joined her husbar
a 10 setting at naught the counsel OF God, tOuI
her way to the alIns-house, where she has sim
y died of broken heart.
l. Reader, this Is not fiction nor exaggeratior
,t but sad history briefly told. When repes
re ed to Mr.. W. that awful passage OF GoC
rs Word, 1 little thought that l should live TO 5
u and record Its terrible fulhllment. 'The Gu,
ts of the Lordn What eau blast and destroy Ii
y this? But how different the second clause
g, the same verse: He blesseth tho habitation
ly the just, Fathers and mothers, which ha
a You chosen for yourselves and for your ct
IT. dren - Christian Obsercer.