Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-03-07
THE DEAD STATESMAN.
His Secret Sorrow and Simnle Fat,


HIS secret Sorrow and Simple Faith
AHaHta Special to LOaisDule Courier-Jouy.aqt
Among Mr.. Stephens pupils at Madison
was girl OF great beauty and gentleness
with all the sincerity and earnestness n
a passionate and refined nature he loyeC
that girl. But he was poOr-poor almost
10 penury. The curse of i'll health which
had followed him from his birth, clung r.
him still. He had a great mind, but he
was puny and insignificant in body. He
was assured by medical advisers. and be.
lleved, that death might come to him al
any moment He loved with an earnest.
ness, loyalty and unselfish devotion
which few men knOw-loVed with
love Which in its tender in
tenslty was almost womanish. But
1 Tor more than score of wears
he kent his secret to himself. No human
l'belng Anew the cause of his ever-present
meancholy. Day by day and night by
night during that time at Madison. ha
pondered over the affection which he knew
could bring him nothing but sorrow. and
at last he determined to resign his posi-
! tlon and leave the place. He departed in
the night, and to his faithful jOurnal-his
only confidant-he impaired the fact that
ION that night drove all the way to Craw-
f0rdyille. had terrible headache-a
most horrible headache" Ofhis wretched
heartache, of his despair and misery, the
poor boy, even to his confidential Journal
said never a word.
YEARS AFTERwARD.
in writing to his brother, he half drew the
curtain that had concealed his sorrow.
and telling something of those days at
Madison, said further:
Il am tempted to tell you a secret, 1t
is secret Of my life, and have never
told It to any one, but | will tell it to YOU.
and fear you will not believe it. But it
is true, and if you have never suspected
IT, that SHOWS now true | have been to
| myselfin in keeping it, The secret of NV
life has been revenge reversed-that is. to
rise superior TO the neglect or contumely
| OF the mean OF mankind by trying to do
/ them good instead of harm-a de-
termination to war even against fate.
to meet the world in all its forces. to
master evil with good, and to leave
no foe standing in my rear, My greatest
courage has been drawn from my deepest
despair, and the greatest efforts of my
| life have been the fruits of determina-
tlOn and firm resolve excited by so slight
! a thing as look. This feeling this prin-
clple-call it what you willis the main-
spring of my action. When have looked
| upon the world and seen it filled with
knayes and fools, and have seen in the
whole waste not one well of water from
which ! could draw drop to slake nv
thlrsting, parched sOul-with all hopes
6lighted-when | have been ready to lie
down and die under the weight of that
grief which is greater than all other
grieis-
"a young heart desolate
In the wide world
have often had my whole soul aroused
with the fury of. a lion and the ambition
of Caesar by, | repeat, so slight thing
as look. What have not suffered from
a look! What have ] not suffered from
the tone of a remark, from a sense of neg
lect, from supposed injury, an intended
injury? But every such pang was fric-
tiOn that brought out the latent fires, NV
spirit of warning against the world. how
ever, never held IN it anything of a desire
to crush or trample on those who did me
wrong; no, only a desire to get above
them-tO excel them, to enjoy the gratif-
cation OF seeing them feel that they were
wrong, to compel their admiratiOn-this
Is the extent of my ambition; this is the
length, breadth and depth of my revenge"
SIMPE FAITH.
Some time ago, during long CONVEX
satiOn which | had with Mr.. Stephens, not
only in regard to the principal incidents
in his public career, but upon some of the
events ofhis private life, he touched upon
the fact that during all his sickness. his
many trials and great suffering, he has
been sustained by simple faith-a faith
which does not come from church going.
and about which there is no cant, A
knowledge of the precise nature of this
faith or belief-it is difficult to ind the
proper WOrd-gives a very clear insight
into the motives which have controlled
many of Mr.. Stephens acts. To give
such knowledge cannot do better than
quote the following passage from letter
written by him to very near and dear
friend:
II have had much to make me melan.
cl0ly, Indeed, | should have been vic.
tim of melancholy long ago if had not
resisted 1t with all my might. now feel
as if had conquered in the conflict. II
was not, however, without great danger
from another source, which | perceived,
and had to guard against with equal vigi-
lance and energy-that was misanthropv.
These have been the Scylla and Charybdis
ofmy life. Melancholy and dmisanthrOpy-
the rocks and the whirlpool. | have, |
think, escaped both. This, l do not think,
have accomplished by myself, | feel
within that | have been sustained by am
unseen Power, Oh whom | have relied
and to whom have looked in my worst
trials-often in the darkest hours-with
the hope and assurance that all would be
we'll under His guidance and protection.
do not feel justified before Him, but |
de feel that with His long suffering and
loving kindness my frailties will be gra-
clOusly pardoned, my weakness strength |
ened, and
PATIENCE AND FoRTITUnE
impaired sufficient to enable me to bear
all the ills of this life, and that by dis |
charging my duties fully and to the best |
of my ability during this probationary |
existence | shall be fitted for that higher |
sphere hereafter, where there will be no |
more pain and no more suffering, no more |
trouble and no more sin. These are the |
principles and convictions on which act; |
haYe for years made il my business to |
devote portion of each day to PRAYER
in communing with this unseen, ali per-
yading pOwer-with God. | was in early
life deeply impressed with what is called |
religious feeling, but after i grew up and
entered the world these feelings greatly |
subsided. ! at one time became skep-
tical-callOus. The world was a mys-
terry. could see nothing good
in it. was miserable, and that contin-
ually. But, coming to the conclusion af-
ter close self-eXamination, that the er-
ror might be in myself, / determined to
adopt new line OF policy for my conduct.
The first resolution was to cease finding
fault with, or thinking about, what could /
not understand. The second was to nur- |
ture and cultivate assiduously the kind.
lier affections of the heart, and with this.
every day at some hour to put myself in
communion with God, to the best of my
ability, asking Him to aid, assist, direct
and protect me in doing right. The effect
of this upon my mind and feelings
and general views of things was soon
felt by me. The exercises. which /
had at first seemed meaningless and
senseless, soon seemed to bring certain
ineXplicable satisfaction to the spirit
The earlier impressions of life soon re-
vived. ! felt better, a much more CON
tented and happier man. The feeling grew
with its culture. 1t softened the temper,
awakened deeper emotions of reverence,
gratitude and love. 1t gave consolation
in grief, strength in resisting temptation.
1t impressed the mind with mans weak
ness and frailties and his dependence ON
God: 1t seemed to elevate the soul and
put it in communion with its Maker. This
is what sustains me. Such is the charac-
ter Of my religion, | make no boast of it,
and perhaps very few people who know me
have any ide of its existence, even to this
extent. l have always had such an aver
sion to what is considered the cant of re-
ligiOn that / have been rather inclined to
suppress than to exhibit to others what
really think and feel in such matters.2
Jute Culture.
The South seems well disposed toward
the cultivation of jute, and many farmers
in various sections are preparing to give
it trial. Efforts are being made to sup
nlV them with seed and IL is not imnroh