Letters From The People

Chicago, Nov. 2!th, 188& To Ihe Editor of the Coiinrr : In your pape r of the 17th inst., under the head of "An Early Reminiscence," is published wliiit purport to be a part of a response to an address of weleome at the National (Jonvention of the W. F. M. Society, by Mrs. Mary [nsham, of Cleyeland, Ohio. Among otlicr tilines she sald this was " Mother'a home, and in the villaje of Aun Arbor, Hannah B. Brown united her fortunes with thOM OÍ Kev. Jolin Janes, for this she was disinherittd bv her father, Squire Daniel Brown." This last statement is a verbatim repetition from ;the obituary she wrote on lier mother's death, thfl authorship of which she got the Ilev. Dr. Goodiii k ii to fatlier. Thl obituary she had publislied in the 8t. Louis Christian Advocate, circnliiting wliere nobody knew eitherfamlly, and would be of no earthly interest anyway, if seen and read. For this reason alone, I let it pass unnotlced at the time. But wheii she comes to the home of tliat family, and in sight of the oíd house, and under the very shadow ot the. cemetery, where repose tlie mortal remalns of tliat grand oíd man, whose greatness. of soul, exiiltatlon of sentiment and nobility of nature eballenged the admiration and won tlie lve of all who had the honor of hi acqaintance, to defame the dead and her grandfather, and viólate the truth and outruge public decency from a public platform, it is due to the families of bolh and an indifcnant community, tliat the truth of hlstory be vindicated, the cast iron facts in the premises be published, and the alanderous tonsrue silence at once and forever. This Squire Brown, thatshe mentioned, is my fatlier, and the father of the lady she calis "mother." This is my reason for asking space in your paper, notslmply to correct, hut refute and prevent the repetition ot any such statement in the future First. I was a little boy eleven years of ae, and cou-equently unnoticed, when Rev. Mr. Janes, In my presence, asked my father's consent to raurry hls dauufhter. Hannah. He replied instantly, "Yes, most certainly, and may Ood ble-s yon both." They shook Imnds and both shed tears of joy. Marriage at tliat time being considered a somewhat Important and serious matter. And this is the father who ischarged with disinheritin; his daughter for marrying a man who was the choice of both. Seeond. At the marriage he Riive a graud festival and prepared the most magnificent dinuer ever seen in that county, at which the most prominent citizens were present as guests. And this is the father who disinherited bis favorite daughter for marrying the man he him 8elf preferred. Third. He both composed and ftinsr the Epithalanium or nuptial song at the mrriage, he being more than an ordinary poet and a beautlful singer even at hls asre, at the time verKing on sixty. And tliia is the father who disinherited duiirlitrr at whose niurriage he did everylhinjr possible to honor the husband of her cholee and was himself proud to cali hini liis son-in-law. Fourth. My fatlier had tlve (.ï) ters and my sister Hannah was the only one to whom he ever gave any marrmge portion, and continued to g'ive tor years aa means, opportunities or neeessity required. And if this is called disinheiiting, every daughter in the land would Iike tobe disinherited every day. Fifth. Mrs. Ingham, deelring it tobe inferred tliat my fatlier disinherited lier mntlier beenuse she married a Methodist prenclier, I would 8tnte that he had twelve (12) children, seven (7) ons and flve (ó) dans-liters- of the foriner four (4) were Methodists and of the latter ttiree (3), seven out of the twelve Methodist, a pretty good Methodist faunly- and the whole twelve with both my parents were in favor of Mr. Janes. The Methodist preaehers In those days were (riant, and ir their mantles had fallen on those who had omnfl after thent, the milleniuui would have been reaolieil years ago. Rev. Mr. and Mrs Janes vtsted father's house many times after marriage, Dot3 withstanding the great distanc, several hundred miles, and the slight mea"? of transportatton as there were no railpmds n those duys, and were received and entertained in the most affectionate and liospitable manner. And my sister, after Mr. Janes' death, whicb occuned forty-four (44) years ago, often visited her brothers and the last year ot her life, i-pent several montha with thein and returned home lomled with present8 and more than a thousand dollars in cash richer tlian when she came. So it appears, that her brothere dislnberited her very much in the saine fashion that her father did, whicb fashion cvery good girl in the country would he glad to have universal. And now, who was this "Squire Brown" that she charles with dlftlobtliting his daughter, because she married a Methodist preacher? He was bom at the time and in the place where the Krat blood of' the Revolution was spilt. The tirat sound that ever feil upon his car was the musketry at Lexington and the second was the thunder of the guns at Bunker HUI. His nartery tales were the stories of patriotism and his evunini.' liyinns were the tong of Libei ty. Thirteen times consecntively, was he honored with a seat in the leiri-lature of his state, a gallant soldier ot the war of 1812, filling positions of honor :md trust throughout. a loiijr and eventful life, out-livlno; God's statule of limitatlons, and dying amid the tears and benedictions of hundreds who had been saved trom poverty by his hospitality, liberality, penerosity and charity, at the age of eifflity-two (82). And who was his fathei A lienteuant-colonel at the battle of Bennington and laid down bis life for his country on that jrlorious field at the age of sixty-nine (69). And who wus his father? The founder and flrst president of Cambridge College, whose name and person were a castle tower among the theologlans of his day and a beacon light to illuminate the continent; roundtDK up and finishing a uceful and illiistrious career at the age of nlnetythree (93). It will add nothing to the respectability and dignity of these men to say, that in their veins run the blood of four kings, Charles I. and II., and James and Robert I,. The Bruce of Scotlaud. If Mrs. Inham had the visión of her profes8ed faith once opened, ahe would percuive around "The great white throne and the Jasper Sea," a shining gioup, composed of her father and grandfiither, her motber and grandmother who have entered tlie glory land, on whose bodies the loving Saviour has placed robes, in their hands golden harp, and on their heads unfading crowns, either singing the sonr of Moses and the Lamh together, or listening in "rapturous awe" to the melody of heaven, in the music of the raraphim and the cherubim. And should she ever desire to reitérate that statement again, one thouglit of the brightness of that glory which would [laz.leto blinduess even the angels themselves did they not veil their faces, would cause her tongue to "cleave to the roof of lier mouth," and her palded hand to Irop the pen forever.