Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-11

persuasive words and folio ging this up in a
 twinkling lead one after another to the altar
 to knsel and be prayed for, singing sweetiy
 as he walked hand in hand with his fair cap
 hyes He was so handsome, so graceful, so
 winning in his ways, there was no withstand
 ing his powers. Urcharitable tongues said he
 was sure to pick out the prettiest women,
 and, if so, we have no doubt it wss
 from the honest conviction that
 their salvation was the most important
 1 We have before us a book from his pen
 which illustrates the man. Its title is Hears
 of Contrition, or Sketches of the Life of
 John N. Mafit with Religious and Moral
 Reflections" !" to which are appended several
 poetic efusions. New London, printed by Samuel Green, 1S21." His intr oduction is as
 follows. To have full effect it should be re-
 cited slowly, with appropriate gestures, in pathetic tones to 8 room full of sympathetic listeners:
 ''From the romantic retreats of far-famed
 Erin, borne on the fickle winds of adverse fortune, 8 lonely stranger brings his mite of sorrow and lays the dim starred treasures at Coiumbia's feet The first emanations from
 his virgin pen, flowing from that vestal
 flame which feeds 8 heart panting to realize eternal fame in brighter worlds on high
 Ere the first rude, rough wave of fell mis- fortunes beat against his little bark and shat
 tered all his youthful hopes, g thought ne'er l crossed his bosom that on foreign strands I that bark would founder and himself be shipwrecked.
 Gay were his noontide hours nor did l flash of distant misery thwart his early bliss. | Home looked 50 sweet, with native grace and beauty dressed, and twined itself around his heart spell-bound, that it seemed sacreigious to tear him from it's soil, or transplace the l fragile plant to other climes, where, unknown
 and unlamented it might droop and whitening 1 cease to bloom. Silent in some hermit's grot and lulled to rest on messy carpets, ! nf ha
 might hava spent his truant hours but as he sped his trackless footsteps through the laby rinthian wastes of fancy's rich, enchanted landscapes, voice re- echoed from the vaulted palace of the sky, and in sounds seraphic dWelt and hung around his soul. Obe6ieut
 to the heavenly call, he bade long adieu to | fair Hibernia's hills and with his staff like 1 Bunyan's followed the guiding star till it shot l in sparkling gems and mingled with its mates
 around Oolumbie's banner then did the stranger raise his Ebenezer, and build an altar to the God of Jacob.'
 One of his illustrations of the late of the sinner was by the simile of ship drawn into the vortex of a whirlpool until by going rap 1 idly in diminishing circles it finally takes | the fatal plunge He was describing this scene to an eldiencs in Fhila ielphia when it is said that an old captain so wrought upon by the vividness of his descrip ton that just as Maffit came to the cuIminat- ] ing point he sprang up and throwing his arms aloft called out, My, she is gone! she's gone"
 The address which he delivered before the Brothers societies of Yale was given from the platform of the Center church on Com mencement week and was regarded as one of ! the special attractions of that week of orators ! The subject of Msffit's oration vas "GeniDs l in his youth while he vas yet in the clutches of the adversary he had a strong passion for 1 bali-rooms and theatres The practice of | q m n and at fha l theatres he had studied the peculiar monthing and gestures of the profession. His pronun- citation of the word "Genius' WAS as though | it was of two words. The first syllable wes l slowly drawled, while the second popped out l like the cork from champagne bottle, going up with rising infection of the voice and uplifted hand. ''GeDius,'' said he, lis like a cascade of molten gold fringed | with silver;" certainly a shiniDg simi!e. Among those cn the platform with him on this occasion was Dr. Eli Ives The doctor, 8 man of strong common sense stood it as l long as he well could, and then leaving was met by friend in the Vestibule who inquired why he had come away. The doctor, whose throat troubled him aome~hst, prepared his reply by giving the peculiar ''hem7," which all who remember him will recall-"Hem hem hem IT could'n understand him " Willie Mafdt was preaching here, little candy and peanut trader on Chapel street who had l just come from hearing him was all enthusi asn. s.Whet did ha say? inquii ed his lis tener. 70 1 can't tell, can't tell, but it was such beautiful words-all beautiful words When faffit wrote his 'tTe6rs of Contrition'' it was near ths beginning years of his minis try. He stodied hard and greatly improved in every respect, pruning his extravagances and giving more soldity to his utterRnces,
 To illustrate the danger of postpouing the salvation of their souls to the last moment Maffit WAS won't to draw the picture of young man in affiuence who had all the world to give, brought low by desperate illness As he laid weak and feeble on bed of suf- fering, he heard the curtain drawn gently aside and then looking up SAW standing by his bedside beautiful angel figure. It was the angel of mercy, and smiling sweetly she spoke in pleading tones, Young man, come with me" And he refused. Tears of com passion thereupon dropped from her eyes, and closing the curtains she disappeared. The next day he again heard the moving of ihe curtains, and on looking up again saw there the same beautiful angel and she said es before, Young man, come with mel" And he again refused. Tears of compassion started in her eyes, rolled down her cheeks, and in beseeching tones she ex , claimed. "O young man do come. I may nsver be able to seq your face morei" Still he remained obdurste, and faster and still faster rolled the tears, and then closing the curtains she disappeared, The third day found the young man still lying on his bed, 1 weak nigh unto death, and he then felt, 70, l but that the good angel might again coms and give him another chance, he would no longer refuse" " and then, Rs he was thas thinking, he saw the curtains were being drawn slowly aside and his heart leaped with joy, for he knew that 1t WAS the angel of mercy, for he heard the rustllng of her wings He looked up and there stood, not ] the angel of mercy, but an awful appalling form, a grinning skeleton figure It was the angel of death, and bending low he shrieked Young man, come with me !" and he went Maffit would occupy fifteen or twenty min utes in depicting these interviews, and with such miuuteness of detail and dramatic pow CT as to touch every heart of vast audience. l Poor Maffit! his end was sad. He was twice married, and while on his itinerating tours was accustomed to leave his wife be- hind bad thing After the death Of his first wife at Galveston, Texas, he married g young lady at Brooklyn, N. Y, nearly forty years younger than himself. '"Fhis." says a biographer of him, appears to hays been an unfortunsts step. Continuing his itinerating career, his young wife soon after died When preaching in Mobile his enemies of whom he had many, forwarded from Brock lyn many charges against his moral character. These were of su"h grave nature that bis brethren were obliged to suspend his preaching giving him but limited time to answer these allegations. He sunk under this last attack, and 1t is said that he literally died of broken heart. Upon 8 post.mortem examination the left wall of his heart was found to have been worn to the consistenoe of thin paper. His mental sufferiugs at times were terrible. That ne was guilty of what are called triaing impru- dences cannot be denied, but no overt act of immortality was ever proved against him. With his dying breath he declared himself
 caInmuiated man. He said that during his
 pastoral life he had been guilty of many
 frivolous, but no criminal acts, forRave his
 enemies. expressed an unalterabls trust in
 Jesus Christ and did not doubt but that all
 would be well. He died May 8, 1850, aged
 fifty six years.
 A daughter of Mafft married Govern or Lamar of Texas and his son John N. wss 1 lieutenant in our navy and at the outbreak | of the rebellion became commander in that | of the Confederates. He commanded the | privateer Florida, which made such horrible | havoc with our mercantile marine. Among | his feats was the destruction of the Jacob | Bill, one of our noblest ships and with car go valued at 8 million, while his brother pri- | vateers were running down and sinking our peaceful whalers in the icy seas of the Arctic.