New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-10-16
STUDIES IN AUTOBIOGRAPHY:
BY CHARLES t. CoNGDON.
REV. JOHN MURRAY.

ooltu murray Is usually spoken OF rs iHc ldtuNh,
at least in America, OF that religious belief which is
called" UnversaSm y; but l should not on that ac-
count have gwen his autobiography place in this
series if has not found it entertaining apart from
its religions character. Mr.. Allibone says that
Murray died in 1915. and published his auto
biography in 1c16; but whatever may have been
his views of the future state he claimed that
a man could publish books after death. If Mr..
Allibone had looked into the volume he would have
found that it was copyrighted by Judith Sargent
Murray and that Murray left it III an imprinted
state The truth is, the autobiography comes down
only to 1875. The remainder of the volume is
biography " By a Friend This deficiency of per-
sOnal narrative is to be regretted. for Murray who
was enc Of tie chaplains of the Revolt ioEary
Army, saw Washington familiarity and might have
given us specially interesting account of him.
well as of General Greene with whom his friendship
was warm and unhroken.
Murray Not Scotchman. as his namc might
suggest The name indeed a to him
of vexation for he born only four years before
the Rebellion of 40. and shared in early life the
prejudice against Scotchmen which that event
aroused in England. His birth place Alton. in
Hampshire bis father of the Established
Church his mother was a Presbyterian. The first
word which he uttered was " Amen " when he
carried to church to be received" as he had been
privately baptized. He was then two years old, but
his " gift OF utterance had been postponed" He
ucSCllpcS MS Nlbn IlucH sweet SllnpClJV,
and assures us that he was neither querulous
quarresome.' He portrays his paternal grand
mother with enthusiasm, and says: " She in
the morning and meridian of her life celebrated
beauty the remains of a fine face were visible
when knew her, and never behed more beau
tifu old lady She a Frenchwoman, and
one of the noblesse"; her maiden uame
Barroux; and she had been by her father to be
educated in England, where she became a Jealous
Protestant Her fathers love was aenated, and
being a widower he vowed to marry the first woman
he met. provided she would have hin. The woman
happened 10 he his chambermaid, but he held fast
by his resolution and espoused her. No children
of the union. but the grandm other refused to
recant her Protestant faith. and somehow lost her
inheritance for that reason Murray's father as a
disciplinarian was memorable, and apparently did
much to fog his son int the doctrine OF earthly
retrbuticn, frequently repeating the language Cf
Solomon: Ii thou beat him with rod, he shall
not die" lie be, anne Methodist at Cork TO which
city he had removed. and afterward bastinadoed
little Murray fercely than ever supjecting
him constantly 70 a succession Of wkippings ad
mOntions and prayers AiT. John Wesley" says
Murray, " was a great admrer of my father, and he
distinguished him beyond any individual in the
society," established in that neichhorhood
Murray HIM. elf became a Methodist, and Wesley
appointed him leader of class of forty boys. HIS
father interdicted novels. but himself read Tom
Jones' and "Clarissa Harlowe." Murray glanced
at them over his fathers shoulder. and longed for
them in vain. He was confined, poor fellow to
Harvey's calculations" and to Youngs might
Thoughts" lie also tried Milton but could not read
blank verse" lie tells here an amusing story illus
trative of the propensity of boys to fall in love- He
had read in friends library, addison, Pope
Parnel, Thomson and Shakespeare" so that it was
not strange that he became desperately enamored of
Miss Dupee who was twenty-five years of age
under the common stature, of a very sallow COM
pleXon, large features, and with disagreeable
cast of her eye" For this paragon of loveliness,
Murray AID his friend both conceived "the
strongest and most tender passion" 1t must be
admitted that the friend behaved very nObly for
when he learned the exact situation of things he
clasped MurTav's hand aad said: No one else
shall hear of my infant love. | will not allow my
self to see her hut when seated by your side and
although love her more than anybody ever have
seen. or as believe. shall see Will be
the cause OF your unhappiness.' Murray was so
affected by his generosity that he began 10 cry and
to offer to resign the divine Dupee. Finally, they
magnanimously arranged that the winner should
have her. l am Obliged to say that this large
featured woman behaved very unhandsomelv
When she met Murray she pressed his hand
switch pressure almost suf1ocated him with tran
sport" He sent her written declaration of his
passion my very first lcve-letter" he SAYS and
this she maci0usly transmitted to his stern mex
orable father. The of ca vi CATION had gone
ny; the 1alhef was tCo feeble 10 hog but he called
the poor loyo-sicil boy to him, and producing the
letter, said 80, you foolish child you write
love-eters, do your" The lad began to cry like a
great baby. But he longer enamored of
Miss Dupee: hatred for her grew in his soul ";
while his friend when he heard of the ady's con-
duct, was indignant that he also became conva-
descent. It's pretty story, although alas there
is about little of novelty 'Tis like the episode of
Miss Fotherinray in "Pendennis" III, like in
Vulnerable episodes in young and tender lives
Men laugh at such amorous agonies when they get
older and harder, but how real they have been to
countless littio wretches with beardless chins and
bursting hear;si
Murray, after his conversion to Methodsm was
an occasional preacher John Wesley's congrega-
tion IN Cork; but he to have lost the entire
appreciation of that stern discipllnaran He adj
mits that he had disposition to wander. and at
this time he hal particular desire to go to Eng
land BEFORE lie left Cork he saw aud heard Mr..
Whitfield, Z" the first Calvinistic Methodist to
whom he had listened and for him Murray con-
ceived str0ns passion" lie mentions u crcum.
stance which Is characteristic Of Wesley-that " he
marked Whitfield with jealous eye and had dis.
patched. by way of escort two preachers in whom
heparticulary conhded, who diligently followed
the great man from place to place" Whit6eld's
facetious observations aud frequent gaetes were
duly reported He took no pleasure in "collect-
irg, building and repairing churches" he was fond
of good eating and it the pride of his friends
TO procure for him every possible luxury" Going 70
England Murray visited on his way to the metropolis
Stratford-upon Avon, and there. doubtless remen.
bered the pleasure With which in his boyhood he
had read Shakespeare, when the reading was q
forbidden luxury. He met two laborers at STRAIT