Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

2 THE INDIAN HALL. BY THE AUTHOR OF FATHER ROWLAND. Chapter I. At the close of a delightful evening in spring, when the golden lustre of the set ting sun tinged the peak of the green decked mountain, and the last sweet day hour seemed to linger about its sum mits, Charles Clermont, the youngest son of Major Clermont, proposed to visit the “Indian Hall.” The Clermont fami ly had settled on the banks of St. Mary’s lliver, Maryland, and was one of that magnanimous colony who, for conscience sake, had emigrated from their native land to settle on those uncultivated shores. With a principle which noth ing could subdue, and a fortitude which stood the test of many a revolution, the descendants of that respectable family, cherished, with primeval attachment, the doctrines and customs of the Roman Catholic Church. Major Clermont had married f' Catholic lady in Wales, by wlion he was blessed with a numerous offspring; of wh om three were female, and the rest male. The ladies had re ceived an education suited to their stand ing and fortune, and could figure, lyith unafected elegance and dignified flbfc jflicity, in the proudest circles of Eu rope!. The boys, too, had been educated in England, under the care of a venera ble ecolesiastic; and had grounded them selves not only in science, but likewise in the knowledge of their religion. Charles was highly gifted by nature, and his natural endowments were graced and perfected by a splendid education. The names of the ladies were Paulina,Emilie, and Constantin. The “Indian Hah” was an ancient mansion situatod on the Virginia shore, and belonged to the Preston family, staunch Unitarians, who, with the excep tion of the Clermonts, diligently avoided any correspondence with Roman Catho lics. Col. Preston, however, was inti mate with the-Major; and their families were in the, habit of mutually spending some weeks of the year at each ofh t’s houses. Their beautiful pleasure boats, which glided like the inmates of the water over the surface of the dark-green bay, facilitated their visits and their correspondence. Mrs. Preston was of high English blood, and her daughters, Caroline and Elizabeth, had been deeply imbued with English prejudices—par ticularly against popery. There was every inducement, this evening, for his sisters to accept the proposal of Charles to pay a visit to the Indian Hall. The evening was bland and delicious, the the bay! where the solitary nsn leaped from thel spariding brine, as hushed and silent as I the grave. The boat was immediately I got in readiness; four stout oars-men wore r,t their stations, the ladies took their seats, Charles seized the rudder, and they dashed forward towards the Virginia shores. “You perhaps are not aware, dear sisters, why 1 was in so great a hurry to get off this eveuiug,” said Charles. “Why Charles, it is 5 your manner,” answorod Paulina: “when you deoide on a thing, you are not at rest till you accomplish what you have in view.” “Just like Papa,” added Emilie.— You know it is a common observation, Emilie, among our good neighbors, “that the Clermonts are slow to decide, but quick to execute,” remarked Constan tia. “This is giving us a noble char actor,” remarked Paulina.— “Avery desirable one, indeed,” added Charles—“but really you are construing my manner," he continued with an em phasis, “rather too favorably.” “How so, Charles ?” asked Emilie. “Why, sisters, this is what caused my hurry,” taking a letter from his pocket, “it is a very curious tlv’ng, but will afford extraordinary joy to our family when mode public.” “From whom is it, Charles ? and what is the nature of it ?” asked Constantia. “It :'s from Elizabeth Preston —the subject will bo best communicated by reading it to you.” “Dear Mr. Clermont, “It will surprise you, not a little, I am i sure, when you peruse the contents of j this page. The subject of it is not ac cording to my usual strain, a description of what has happened in our circle, since we last had the pleasure of seeing you, but one of a momentous and invaluable nature—Religion At the pronun ciation of this word, Charles fixed his eyes upon his sisters. They, on their part, evinced an expression which no pen has ever yet succeeded in describing, no pencil, however skilful, has been able to portray. The mingled expressions of astonishment, joy, and gratitude to God, all blending into one deep glance of the speaking eye. “Religionexclaimed Paulina, “I oould have imagined anything else from Elizabeth —what does she mean,Charles?” “She surely does not intimate that she wishes to know more about the Catholic Religion,” observed Emilie. The Catholic Church !” cried Paulina, the Prestons despise the very name of what they ignorantly term “Popery.” v. i, “as you w .11 know, in a school sys tematically opposed to your church. I was taught, from my cradle, to look upon it as a mass of absurdities and a heap of superstitions; my parents strengthened my prejudices as my years increased j all that I read was written either directly against it, or tended to impress on my mind erroneous opinions. But within the past year, I have been communicating by letter with Virginia Wolbum, who has become a strict and enlightened Christian, under the guid ance of Rev. Father Rowland, and the arguments and books which she has put before me, are such as leave no trifling doubts, on my mind. This is all a secret. —Neither Papa nor the family have the most distant idea of any such change, and on no account, would I wish it to be hinted to them. I should be delighted if you would visit the Hall as soon as pos sible, and be good enough to pray Paul ina, Emilie, and Constantia, to accom pany you. I intend to put to advant age the opportunity I shall have of con versing with you and them, on the fun damental points of religion. , “With great respect, &c., E. Preston.” The perusal of this note, whilst it seemed to electrify with amazement the ladies, filled them with delight which they could not but give ft lit to in terms of deep emotion. “I trust, Charles, you have had the precaution to provide yourself with books for the occasion,” said Constantia. “All her questions must be solidly an swered.” “Avery necessary precaution, indeed; for your own divinity, I fear, might give out,” added Emilie with a smile. “I should be very loath, to confide, in my own resources -with so well educated a lady as Elizabeth,” said Charles: “I have brought with me an erudite trea tise on religion, commencing from the first great truth, the existence of God, and comprising all the disputed points of religion.” “It will be unnecessary, surely, Charles, to investigate the existence of a Su preme Being,” said Paulina. “To investigate- it would be useless, Paulina, or even as far as Elizabeth is concerned, to examine that doctrine which all nations and ages ' have ad mitted.” “The author of the work I alluded to,” returned ‘Charles, “here it is,” opening it to his sisters —“examines the subject, not as a point of natural rdig' on, but discusses the peculiar manner in which it has been revealed by the Almighty Himself. But of this we shall see more ito-morrow.” JL V Ivagjfc ‘.VihvVs 'cleavffig the Twilight waters — the heaven’s bright firmament, like a lovely arch of jasper, circled over their heads, and here and there a dim star ap peared twinkling above, like some glorious spirit looking down in peace on the dusky vale of sorrow. “Oh !” exclaimed Paulina, pointing to the skies,“there Charles, there is the best and most eloquent treatise on the exist ence of God. There His Power is manifested—there His majesty is in scribed in everlasting light.” “Beyond those lovely heavens are the regions of pure spirits, where we shall one day meet in bliss,” said Paulina. “Those dimly discovered stars are like beacons of hope lighting our wayward passage across the waters of time.” “True, true,” rejoined Charles, “and they are beauteous emblems of Her— the ever blessed Mary—who is styled by the Church the star of the ocean.” “Apropos, Constantia, you have your guitar with you—music is sweet at any time—but doubly so on the calm bright waters,” added Emilie. A hymn to the star of the ocean, would at once delight and edify us,” said Charles, “and Constantia will not de prive us of this two-fold advantage.” “With pleasure shall I hail the Virgin Mary -she is the patroness of all Chris tians—the refuge of nil sinners.” She then adjusted her instrument, and rais ing her expressive eyes to the firmament, with a deep gush of feeling and devo tion, broke forth into the following strain: mar is stella, hail ! Btaming from the sky; Light, by which in peace we sail Towards eternity. While our frail bark cleaves tl*e waters. Virgin, smile upon thy daughters. “How sweet it is to invoke the patron age of the Blessed Virgin,” said Charles —My dear Constantia, you feel it as you siug her hymn.” “Oh ! dearest brother,” she eturned, “tender should be the devotion of every Christian, •to her who is so full of com passion for poor mortal, and so power ful to assist him in his wants.” “Strange it has always appeared to me, how our dissenting friends should refuse to call upon her,” said Emilie; “especially since they read in the Script ure, that the first miracle which our Saviour wrought, was through her in tercession.” “Very just, indeed, is your remark, Emilie,” returned Paulina; “at the mar riage of Cana, in Galilee, our divine Redeemer changed the water into wine, at the instance of His holy Mother.* And though, as I have somowhere read, He evinced an appirent reluctance to THE SO U # CROS S,T comply with His as His time could not refuse as it were, , and performed a miracle, proves the power of the motherland the divinity of the “For my oilji part,” said Charles, “let it appear credafaiy, or even superstition to my Proteswflt friends, I attribute much of my prosperity in life, and the little piety I still possess, to my devotion towards the Mother of God, which was instilled into iW-boybood, in my college years, and which I can truly say, I have ever since wara^*,cherished.” “Persevere good sentiments, my dear brotbipßsaid Constantia, “they have an exception to the men, and you will be.” “I Constantia that nothing shalpßlwiter them. They are too deeply laid V> in my heart.” * The interests* conversation between Charles and hijj sisters, beguiled the length of theirßoyage, and shortened the time requia® to pass from Mary land to Virginal The abrupt shores of the latter were ®rrw near; upon their craggy heights ttie (■fiadss of the night were collects juid they frowned in darkness upoft Asjte rs which rippled incessant against the strand. The oars-men ceased their tugging; and the boat, with a Mteady motion cut its way into a which a beacon shone, to guid&JLem where to land. Col. Preston’s farriage was near the beach, awaiting' their arrival. They entered, and the coachman, cracking his whip with great glee, drove away from the “Indian jTWdI ” Ctt'lri’KK 11. The mansion Jw Col. Preston, I re marked above, y m called the “Indian Hall,” from the ekcrimstance of its be ing situated on ij|*S%ot, where, tradi tion told, had once been established a settlement of jjpjhns. Those aborigi nal children of the forest, had long since been driven from these parts, into the interior of onr continent. The rude and shapeless graves of their fathers, were still, however, occasionally discovered in the fields, or near some quiet stream of water; and the Sturdy ploughman not unfrequently disclosed, as he turned up the earth, the blunted arrow and rusty tomahawk. that once wield ed these bloody weapons, have long mouldered beneath the clod, and the ghosts of the warrior* seem to shriek in the night windSjjSmt houl in winter in- On their tUe cottage, the visitors were heartily welcomed by the Colonel, Mrs. Preston/and Caroline, and especially by Elizabeth, whose eye most eloquently indicated the fullness of her heart. “Your passage across the bay was pleasant, I hope, Mr. Clermont,” sJtd Mrs. Preston. “Perfectly so, dear madam,” replied Charles. “You come over comfortably, and quickly, too, nci doubt,” added the Colonel. “A more lovely night I hardly ever beheld, rep'.i. and Paulina,” the waters were calm, and scarcely a zephyr breathed upon heir surface. “How gratified we all are to see you and your sisters with us to-night, Pau lina,’’exclaimed Elizabeth, taking her by both her hands. “And her brother, too, I hope, Elizabeth,” added the Colonel in good humor. “Oh, Papa, in addressing Paulina, you well know that I mean to include all.” “Upon my word, Elizabeth, you give me no chance,” said Caroline in mirth; “well Constantia, I will express my pleasure in seeifig you on this shore, this beautiful night.” “Beautiful as istheuigkt, anew charm was added to its delightfulness, by Con stantina’s guitar,” said Emilie. “Sweet plaintive music; oh! it melts the heart, “Devotion wakes, and tears unbidden start," Exclaimed Mrs. Preston. An hospitable repast was spread out before the welcome guests, of which they partook with healthful appetite; and a sprightly conversation was kept up until the hour for retiring to repose, when the Colopel withdrawing, wished them a good night's rest and golden dreams. ♦John, ch. 2. [>TO BE CONTINUED.] A couple of weeks since a terrible tragedy was enacted at Venice, near Auburn, New York. Harrison Andrews, a man of ungovernable temper, went to his son’s sleeping room and gave him a murder (jus blow on the head with a hatchet, crushing the skull. He then aroused his tw daughters and shot one of them, but fhey both ran out of the house. He next poured oil on the car pets, and, setting fire to the house, com mitted suicide by shooting himself through the head. The son and daugh ter are serfiwsly injured, but may re cover. The neighbors extinguished the fire. 1 1 ' [For the Southern Croee. TRI MONEY FORKS No. 2. A few thousand men own all the bonds of the Government of the United States, all the stocks and bonds of the National Banking Companies, the Rail road Companies, the Manufacturing Companies, the Mining Companies, and the Telegraph Companies, in the United States. Being few in number and being attracted by the cohesive power of pub lic plunder, they naturally combine for the purpose of controling the legislation of the country. This combination constitutes the Money Power. By the magic power of money, this combination is able to command the ser vices of a host of accomplished writers and eloquent public speakers, men skilled in the art of making the worse appear to be the better cause. By the same means it controls the most extensivelycirculated newspapers through which they are able to spread their so phistical arguments in support of their political heresies broadcast all over the country, and, by the same means, it is represented in the political conventions of ever}' party, by the most ingenious and unscrupulous wire-pullers; and in legislative halls of Congress and of every State in the Union, by men of talent, who are ready at all times and on all oc casions to use every means which cun ning and duplicity can suggest, to so shape the action of political parties in their nominating conventions and in the leg islative halls, as to promote fiheir own selfish interests, and to defeat every ef fort made by the opposition to break down and destroy their cunningly devis id sys tem of public plunder. It is a notorious fact that a large majority of the legal voters of the coun try are opposed to the favorite financial system of the Money Power, and that concert of action is only required on the part of the opposition to secure the elec tion to office of men who would wipe out the entire system of class legislation, which now disgraces our statute books, and substitute a system of finance which would only require the laboring and producing classes to pay the expense? of an honest and economical administration of the government, and not force them to replenish the coffers of a sordid mon ied aristocracy, to the amount of hun dreds of millions per annum; hence the motto of the Money Power is “Divide and Conquer!” Acting upon this prin ciple, the Money Power finds a wky to secure influential positions for its rep ing conventions, wKeaMtibewabOT ously, and too often to create a division of sentiment, both as to the platfor mof principles to be adopted, and the candidates for office, to be supported by the party. Newspapers of large circulation, claiming to be intensely Democratic and edited with skill and ability, have used their influence to secure the adoption of platforms and the nomination of candidates for office, neither of which, it was well known, could be conscientiously endorsed by the great mass of the Democratic party, with a deliberate design to create discord and divisions in the Democratic party, and secure the success of the Money Power. The hundreds of thousands of employees of the railroad, manufacturing, mining, telegraph, and express companies, who are dependent upon their daily labor for the support of themselves and families, are threatened with want of employment and starvation of themselves and families, in case of failure to support the favorite candidates of the Money Power for office; and furthermore, the telegraph is used for the purpose of disseminating false and slanderous charges against the can didates of the Democratic party. These are some of the appliances used by which the Money Power expect to perpetuate the existence of a financial system which is destructive of the dearest interests of the laboring and producing classes. If I may be allowed to use a slang phrase, “the nigger” and “the bloody shirt,” have both “played out,” and it now be comes necessary for the Money Power to resort to some other “dodge” to avoid, as far as possible, placing the real issue be fore the people for their decision, in the approaching Presidential election. In stead of taking issue upon the entire financial system of the Radical party, the Money Power seeks to limit the issue, to the “greenback,” question, and know ing the influence which has heretofore been exerted upon the public mind by “catch” words the term “inflationists” is sought to be affixed to the Democratic party. This is a mere “dodge” to avoid a discussion of the enormities of the tariff system, which is so vulnerable at every point. The money power proposes to enforce the redemption of the greenbacks in gold and place the privilege of issuing paper money exclusively in the hands of the National Banks, thus forcing the people to pay interest on the entire national debt, and giving the National Banks the control of the entire issue of paper money, and investing them with the power of contracting or expanding the volume of currency,or,in other words,making money plenty or scarce, as may be required, to gratify the sordid interests of the Money Power. On the other hand, it is pro posed to compel the so-called Na tional Banks, which have no legal exist ence, to wind up their affairs and redeem their issues, amounttng to three hundred million dollars, ($300,000,000) in greenbacks, and to allow the gov ernment to substitute therefor, three hundred million dollars ($300,000,000) in greenbacks, making the issue of “greenbacks,” or Treasury notes, seven hundred million dollars, ($700,000,000), instead of four hundred million dollars, ($400,000,000), as at present, thus saving the payment of interest on seven hun dred million dollars ($700,000,000) of the public debt, amounting to thirty-five million dollars ($35,000,000) per annum. It is also proposed to repeal the law which indirectly prohibits the existence of State Banks, and takes away from each State the power to control and regulate the issue of paper money within its own jurisdiction. This is what the representa tives of the Money Power call “expansion of currency.” „ I propose to continue the discussiH of this question next week. N. H. S.R THE FIRST FRUITS FROM OHIO. 1 The official count of the vote in Ohio has not yet been made public, indeed, it is doubtful if an official cc£it has yet been had, when the country is treated to the first fruits of the disaster in that State. Grant puts Zach Chandler in his Cabinet in the plsqeof Delano, removed. This change, occurring some months since, would have not occasioned com ment, but it comes now with peculiar force and is pregnant with meaning. As between Delano and Chandler, person ally , there is but little margin of choice. The first is avaricious, corrupt and a most pliant tool of the party in power. The other is ignorant, brutal and drunk en. Both have been disgraced in the eyes of all honest men, and if the one had any advantage over the other, that advantage lay with Chandler, whose deep seated ijrahgrnity and hatred of the South, far surpasses that of Delano. The meaning to be gathered from the change is double. The country is given to understand that Grant rightly appre ciates the result in Ohio as a Radical victory and an endorsement of himself and his administration. So secure does he feel of this that he changes front and ihaavYws os ij, lib eral policy whuff Pieri^po&TT a Cabinet portfolio. Until again checked by popular remonstrance, too powerful to be disregarded, the administration will he run in its old groove—persecution of the South. Further, the candidacy of Grant for a third term may now be considered fixed beyond the chance of change. With Chandler in the Cabinet, from the West, the pretensions of Morton are to be squelched as rapidly and as completely as the Maine election carried Mr. Blaine out of sight. In a surprisingly short time the Re publicans have turned the tide which set strongly against them from the elections of last year. They have displayed a wonderful capacity for politi cal straegy, and, at present, seem to hold the vant age ground. Another mistake upon the part of the Democrats,and Grant’s re-election and a third term loom up from out the possi bilities of the future into dangerous and unpleasant probabilitiea [For the Southern Cross.] IRELAND—HER PEOPLE. No. ± We have thus shown to Mr. Field’s constituency, greatly, no doubt, to their astonishment, that Ireland has been as productive of ™en celebrated for the achievements of m*re brain greatness, if one may so express it, as the whole outer world beside; but there are sub limer things recorded in the world’s his tory than we have yet illustrated; there are nobler attributes pertaining to hu- I inanity, Among them love of country and fidelity to principle, and these are, in an eminent degree, characteristic of the Irish people. Something over four teen hundred years ago, Patrick, chant ing at JPG* his magnificent Lorica, im plored the divine inspiration for his speech, the divine protection in his labors for the salvation of the Irish people, and in response belief was speedily granted them. From that time they have clung to the Gospel of Christ the crucified with a fidelity unparall eled. They clung to the Faith when, in the tenth and eleventh centu ries, the Norsemen, seeking to sup plement their conquests in Britain and Northern Gaul, endeavored to im pose upon the green island, in place of Bio religion of God and love, the dread