Oak Openings

by James Fenimore Cooper

  CHAPTER XXVI.

  Behold, O Lord! the heathen tread The branches of thy fruitful vine, That its luxurious tendrils spread O'er all the hills of Palestine. And now the wild boar comes to waste Even us, the greenest boughs and last. That, drinking of its choicest dew, On Zion's hill in beauty grew. --MILMAN.

  The change in Peter had been gradually making itself apparent, eversince he joined the party of the bee-hunter. When he entered theKalamazoo, in the company of the two men who had now fallen the victimsof his own designs, his heart was full of the fell intention of cuttingoff the whole white race. Margery had first induced him to think ofexceptions. He had early half-decided that she should be spared, to becarried to his own lodge, as an adopted daughter. When he became awareof the state of things between his favorite and her lover, there was asevere struggle in his breast on the subject of sparing the last. Hesaw how strongly the girl was attached to him, and something like humansentiments forced their way among his savage plans. The mysteriouscommunication of le Bourdon with the bees, however, had far moreinfluence in determining him to spare so great a medicine-man, thanMargery's claims; and he had endeavored to avail himself of a marriageas a means of saving the bride, instead of saving the bridegroom.All the Indians entertained a species of awe for le Bourdon, and allhesitated about laying hands on one who appeared so gifted. It was,therefore, the expectation of this extraordinary being that the wifemight be permitted to escape with the husband. The effect of TheWeasel's cunning has been described. Such was the state of Peter's mindwhen he met the band in the scenes last described. There he had been allattention to the demeanor of the missionary. A hundred times had he seenwarriors die uttering maledictions on their enemies; but this was thefirst occasion on which he had ever known a man to use his latest breathin asking for blessings on those "who persecuted him." At first, Peterwas astounded. Then the sublime principles had their effect, and hisheart was deeply touched with what he heard. How far the Holy Spiritaided these better feelings, it might be presumptuous, on the one hand,to say; while, on the other, it will be equally presuming to think ofdenying the possibility--nay, the probability--that the great changewhich so suddenly came over the heart of Peter was produced by more thanmere human agencies. We know that this blessed Spirit is often pouredout, in especial cases, with affluent benevolence, and there can be nosufficient reason for supposing this savage might not have been thussignally favored, as soon as the avenues of his heart opened to theimpulses of a generous humanity. The very qualities that would inducesuch a being to attempt the wild and visionary scheme of vengeance andretribution, that had now occupied his sleeping and waking thoughts foryears, might, under a better direction, render him eminently fit to bethe subject of divine grace. A latent sense of right lay behind all hisseeming barbarity, and that which to us appears as a fell ferocity, was,in his own eyes, no less than a severe justice.

  The words, the principles, the prayers, and, more than all, the EXAMPLEof the missionary, wrought this great change, so far as human agencieswere employed; but the power of God was necessary to carry out andcomplete this renewal of the inner man. We do not mean that a miraclewas used in the sudden conversion of this Indian to better feelings, forthat which is of hourly occurrence, and which may happen to all, comeswithin the ordinary workings of a Divine Providence, and cannot thus bedesignated with propriety; but we do wish to be understood as saying,that no purely human power could have cleared the moral vision, changedall the views, and softened the heart of such a man, as was so promptlydone in the case of Peter. The way had been gradually preparing,perhaps, by the means already described, but the great transformationcame so suddenly and so powerfully as to render him a different being,as it might almost be, in the twinkling of an eye! Such changes oftenoccur, and though it may suit the self-sufficiency of the worldlingto deride them, he is the wisest who submits in the meekest spirit topowers that exceed his comprehension.

  In this state of mind, then, Peter left the band as soon as the fate ofthe missionary was decided. His immediate object was to save thewhites who remained, Gershom and Dorothy now having a place in hisgood intentions, as well as le Bourdon and Margery. Although he movedswiftly, and nearly by an air-line, his thoughts scarce kept companywith his feet. During that rapid walk, he was haunted with the image ofa man, dying while he pronounced benedictions on his enemies!

  There was little in common between the natural objects of that placidand rural scene and the fell passions that were so actively at workamong the savages. The whole of the landscape was bathed in the lightof a clear, warm summer's day. These are the times when the earth trulyseems a sanctuary, in spots remote from the haunts of men, and leastexposed to his abuses. The bees hum around the flowers, the birds carolon the boughs and from amid their leafy arbors, while even the leapingand shining waters appear to be instinct with the life that extols theglory of God.

  As for the family near the palisaded hut, happiness had not, for manya month, been so seated among them, as on this very occasion. Dorothysympathized truly in the feelings of the youthful and charming bride,while Gershom had many of the kind and affectionate wishes of a brotherin her behalf. The last was in his best attire, as indeed were thefemales, who were neatly though modestly clad, and Gershom had that airof decent repose and of quiet enjoyment, which is so common of a Sabbathwith the men of his class, among the people from whom he sprung. Thefears lately excited were momentarily forgotten. Everything around themwore an air so placid; the vault above them was so profoundly tranquil;the light of day was so soft and yet so bright; the Openings seemed sorural and so much like pictures of civilization, that apprehension hadbeen entirely forgotten in present enjoyment. Such was the moment whenPeter suddenly stood before le Bourdon and Margery, as the young couplesat beneath the shade of the oaks, near the spring. One instant theIndian regarded this picture of young wedded life with a gleam ofpleasure on his dark face; then he announced his presence by speaking.

  "Can't sit here lookin' at young squaw," said this literal being."Get up, and put thing in canoe. Time come to go on path dat lead topale-face country."

  "What has happened, Peter?" demanded the bee-hunter, springing to hisfeet. "You come like a runner rushing in with his bad tidings. Hasanything happened to give an alarm?"

  "Up, and off, tell you. No use talkin' now. Put all he can in canoe,and paddle away fast as can." There was no mistaking Peter's manner. Thebee-hunter saw the uselessness of questioning such a man, at a time likethat, and he called to Gershom to join him.

  "Here is the chief, to warn us to move," said the bee-hunter,endeavoring to appear calm, in order that he might not needlessly alarmthe females, "and what he advises, we had better do. I know there isdanger, by what has fallen from Pigeonswing as well as from himself; solet us lose no time, but stow the canoes, and do as he tells us."

  As Gershom assented, it was not two minutes ere all were at work. Forseveral days, each canoe had been furnished with provisions for a hastyflight. It remained only to add such of the effects as were too valuableand necessary to be abandoned, and which had not been previously exposedwithout the palisades. For half an hour le Bourdon and Gershom workedas for life. No questions were asked, nor was a single moment lost, ina desire to learn more. The manner in which Peter bore himself satisfiedBoden that the emergency was pressing, and it is seldom that more wasdone by so few hands in so short a period. Fortunately, the previouspreparation greatly aided the present object, and nearly everything ofany value was placed in the canoes within the brief space mentioned. Itthen became necessary to decide concerning the condition in which CastleMeal was to be left. Peter advised closing every aperture, shuttingthe gate, and leaving the dog within. There is no doubt that theseexpedients prevented the parties falling early into the hands of theirenemies; for the time lost by the savages in making their approaches tothe hut was very precious to the fugitives.

  Just as the canoes were loaded, Pigeonswing came in. He
announced thatthe whole band was in motion, and might be expected to reach the grovein ten minutes. Placing an arm around the slender waist of Margery, leBourdon almost carried her to his own canoe, Gershom soon had Dorothy inhis little bark, while Peter entered that to the ownership of which hemay be said to have justly succeeded by the deaths of the corporal andthe missionary. Pigeonswing remained behind, in order to act as a scout,having first communicated to Peter the course the last ought to steer.Before the Chippewa plunged into the cover in which it was his intentionto conceal himself, he made a sign that the band was already in sight.

  The heart of le Bourdon sunk within him, when he learned how near werethe enemy. To him, escape seemed impossible; and he now regretted havingabandoned the defences of his late residence. The river was sluggish formore than a mile at that spot, and then occurred a rift, which couldnot be passed without partly unloading the canoes, and where there mustnecessarily be a detention of more than an hour. Thus, it was scarcelypossible for canoes descending that stream to escape from so large aband of pursuers. The sinuosities, themselves, would enable the lastto gain fifty points ahead of them, where ambushes, or even openresistance, must place them altogether at the mercy of the savages.

  Peter knew all this, as well as the bee-hunter, and he had no intentionof trusting his new friends in a flight down the river. Pigeonswing,with the sententious brevity of an Indian, had made an importantcommunication to him, while they were moving, for the last time, towardthe canoes, and he now determined to profit by it. Taking the lead,therefore, with his own canoe, Peter paddled UP, instead of DOWN thestream, going in a direction opposite to that which it would naturallybe supposed the fugitives had taken. In doing this, also, he keptclose under the bank which would most conceal the canoes from those whoapproached it on its southern side.

  It will be remembered that the trees for the palisades had been cut froma swamp, a short distance above the bee-hunter's residence. They hadgrown on the margin of the river, which had been found serviceable infloating the logs to their point of destination. The tops of many ofthese trees, resinuous, and suited by their nature to preserve theirleaves for a considerable time, lay partly in the stream and partly onits banks; and Pigeonswing, foreseeing the necessity of having a placeof refuge, had made so artful a disposition of several of them, that,while they preserved all the appearance of still lying where they hadfallen, it was possible to haul canoes up beneath them, between thebranches and the bank, in a way to form a place of perfect concealment.No Indian would have trusted to such a hiding-place, had it not beenmatter of notoriety that the trees had been felled for a particularpurpose, or had their accidental disposition along the bank beendiscernibly deranged. But such was not the case, the hand of Pigeonswinghaving been so skilfully employed that what he had done could notbe detected. He might be said to have assisted nature, instead ofdisturbing her.

  The canoes were actually paddling close under the bank, in the CastleMeal reach of the river, when the band arrived at the grove, andcommenced what might be called the investment of the place. Had not allthe attention of the savages been drawn toward the hut, it is probablethat some wandering eye might have caught a glimpse of some one of them,as inequalities in the bank momentarily exposed each, in succession,to view. This danger, however, passed away, and by turning a point,the fugitives were effectually concealed from all who did not actuallyapproach the river at that particular point. Here it was, however, thatthe swamp commenced, and the ground being wet and difficult, no onewould be likely to do this. The stream flowed through this swamp, havinga dense wood on each side, though one of no great extent. The reach,moreover, was short, making a completely sheltered haven of theKalamazoo, within its limits.

  Once in this wooded reach, Peter tossed an arm, and assumed an air ofgreater security. He felt infinitely relieved, and knew that they weresafe, for a time, unless some wanderer should have taken to the swamp--amost improbable thing of itself. When high enough, he led the way acrossthe stream, and entering below, he soon had all the canoes in theirplace of concealment.

  "Dis good place," observed the great chief, as soon as all were fast;"bess take care, dough. Bess not make track too much on land; Injin gotsharp eye, and see ebbery t'ing. Now, I go and talk wid chief. Come backby-'em-by. You stay here. Good-bye."

  "Stop, Peter--one word before we part. If you see Parson Amen, or thecorporal, it might be well to tell THEM where we are to be found. Theywould be glad to know."

  Peter looked grave; even sad. He did not answer for fully a minute. Whenhe did, it was in a low, suppressed voice, such as one is apt to usewhen there is a weight felt on his mind.

  "Nebber know any t'ing ag'in," returned the chief. "Both dem pale-facedead."

  "Dead!" echoed all within hearing.

  "Juss so; Injin kill him. Mean to kill you, too--dat why I run away.Saw medicine-priest die. What you t'ink, Blossom?--What you t'ink,Bourdon?--Dat man die asking Great Spirit to do good to Injin!"

  "I can believe it, Peter, for he was a good man, and such are ourChristian laws, though few of us obey them. I can easily believe thatParson Amen was an exception, however."

  "Yes, Peter, such are our Christian laws," put in Margery, earnestly."When Christ, the Son of God, came on earth to redeem lost men, hecommanded his followers to do good to them that did evil to us, and topray for them that tried to harm us. We have his very words, written inour bibles."

  "You got him?" said Peter, with interest. "See you read him, of'en. Gotdat book here?"

  "To be sure I have--it is the last thing I should have forgotten. Dollyhas one, and I have another; we read in them every day, and we hopethat, before long, brother and Bourdon will read in them, too."

  "Why, I'm no great scholar, Margery," returned her husband, scratchinghis full, curling head of hair, out of pure awkwardness; "to please YOU,however, I'd undertake even a harder job. It was so with the bees, whenI began; I thought I should never succeed in lining the first bee to hishive; but, since that time, I think I've lined a thousand!"

  "It's easy, it's easy, dear Benjamin, if you will only make abeginning," returned the much interested young wife. "When we get to aplace of safety, if it be God's will that we ever shall, I hope to haveyou join me in reading the good book, daily. See, Peter, I keep it inthis little bag, where it is safe, and always at hand."

  "You read dem word for me, Blossom: I want to hear him, out of dis book,himself."

  Margery did as he desired. She was very familiar with the New Testament,and, turning to the well-known and God-like passage, she read severalverses, in a steady, earnest voice. Perhaps the danger they were in,and the recent communication of the death of their late companions,increased her earnestness and solemnity of manner, for the effectproduced on Peter was scarcely less than that he had felt when hewitnessed a practical obedience to these sublime principles, in thedeath of the missionary. Tears actually started to this stern savage'seyes, and he looked back on his late projects and endeavors to immolatea whole race with a shudder. Taking Margery's hand, he courteouslythanked her, and prepared to quit the place. Previously to leavinghis friends, however, Peter gave a brief account of the manner of themissionary's death, and of the state in which he had left the corporal.Pigeonswing had told him of the fate of the last, as well as of theeagerness with which the band had set out in quest of more white scalps.

  "Peter, we can count on you for a friend, I hope?" said the bee-hunter,as the two were about to part, on the bank of the river. "I fear youwere, once, our enemy!"

  "Bourdon," said Peter, with dignity, and speaking in the language of hisown people, "listen. There are Good Spirits, and there are Bad Spirits.Our traditions tell us this. Our own minds tell us this, too. For twentywinters a Bad Spirit has been whispering in my ear. I listened tohim; and did what he told me to do. I believed what he said. His wordswere--'Kill your enemies--scalp all the pale-faces--do not leave asquaw, or a pappoose. Make all their hearts heavy. This is what an Injinshould do.' So has the Bad Spirit been whispering
to me, for twentywinters. I listened to him. What he said, I did. It was pleasant to meto take the scalps of the pale-faces. It was pleasant to think that nomore scalps would be left among them, to take. I was Scalping Peter.

  "Bourdon, the Good Spirit has, at last, made himself heard. His whisperis so low, that at first my ears did not hear him. They hear him now.When he spoke loudest, it was with the tongue of the medicine-priest ofyour people. He was about to die. When we are about to die, our voicesbecome strong and clear. So do our eyes. We see what is before, and wesee what is behind. We feel joy for what is before--we feel sorrow forwhat is behind. Your medicine-priest spoke well. It sounded in my earsas if the Great Spirit, himself, was talking. They say it was his Son.I believe them. Blossom has read to me out of the good book of yourpeople, and I find it is so. I feel like a child, and could sit down, inmy wigwam, and weep.

  "Bourdon, you are a pale-face, and I am an Injin. You are strong, andI am weak. This is because the Son of the Great Spirit has talked withyour people, and has not talked with mine. I now see why the pale-facesoverrun the earth and take the hunting-grounds. They know most, and havebeen told to come here, and to tell what they know to the poor ignorantInjins. I hope my people will listen. What the Son of the Great Spiritsays must be true. He does not know how to do wrong.

  "Bourdon, once it seemed sweet to me to take the scalps of my enemies.When an Injin did me harm, I took his scalp. This was my way. I couldnot help it, then. The Wicked Spirit told me to do this. The Son of theManitou has now told me better. I have lived under a cloud. The breathof the dying medicine-priest of your people has blown away that cloud.I see clearer. I hear him telling the Manitou to do me good, thoughI wanted his scalp. He was answered in my heart. Then my ears openedwider, and I heard what the Good Spirit whispered. The ear in which theBad Spirit had been talking for twenty winters shut, and was deaf. Ihear him no more. I do not want to hear him again. The whisper of theSon of the Manitou is very pleasant to me. It sounds like the wrensinging his sweetest song. I hope he will always whisper so. My earshall never again be shut to his words.

  "Bourdon, it is pleasant to me to look forward. It is not pleasant to meto look back. I see how many things I have done in one way, that oughtto have been done in another way. I feel sorry, and wish it had not beenso. Then I hear the Son of the Manitou asking His Father, who livethabove the clouds, to do good to the Jews who took his life. I do notthink Injins are Jews. In this, my brother was wrong. It was his ownnotion, and it is easy for a man to think wrong. It is not so with theSon of the Manitou. He thinketh always as His Father thinketh, which isright.

  "Bourdon, I am no longer Peter--I must be another Injin. I do not feelthe same. A scalp is a terrible thing in my eyes--I wish never to takeanother--never to see another--a scalp is a bad thing. I now LOVE theYankees. I wish to do them good, and not to do them harm. I lovemost the Great Spirit, that let his own Son die for all men. Themedicine-priest said he died for Injins, as well as for pale-faces. Thiswe did not know, or we should have talked of him more in our traditions.We love to talk of good acts. But we are such ignorant Injins! The Sonof the Manitou will have pity on us, and tell us oftener what we oughtto do. In time, we shall learn. Now, I feel like a child: I hope I shallone day be a man."

  Having made this "confession of faith," one that would have done creditto a Christian church, Peter shook the bee-hunter kindly by the hand,and took his departure. He did not walk into the swamp, though it waspracticable with sufficient care, but he stepped into the river, andfollowed its margin, knowing that "water leaves no trail." Nor did Peterfollow the direct route toward the now blazing hut, the smoke fromwhich was rising high above the trees, but he ascended the stream, untilreaching a favorable spot, he threw aside all of his light dress, madeit into a bundle, and swam across the Kalamazoo, holding his clothesabove the element with one hand. On reaching the opposite shore, hemoved on to the upper margin of the swamp, where he resumed his clothes.Then he issued into the Openings, carrying neither rifle, bow, tomahawk,nor knife. All his weapons he had left in his canoe, fearful that theymight tempt him to do evil, instead of good, to his enemies. NeitherBear's Meat, nor Bough of the Oak, was yet regarded by Peter with theeye of love. He tried not to hate them, and this he found sufficientlydifficult; conscious of this difficulty, he had laid aside his arms,accordingly. This mighty change had been gradually in progress, eversince the chief's close communication with Margery, but it had receivedits consummation in the last acts, and last words, of the missionary!

  Having got out into the Openings, it was not difficult for Peter to joinhis late companions without attracting observation from whence he came.He kept as much under cover as was convenient, and reached the kitchen,just as the band broke into the defences, and burst open the door of theblazing and already roofless hut. Here Peter paused, unwilling toseem inactive in such a scene, yet averse to doing anything that asensitively tender conscience might tell him was wrong. He knew therewas no human being there to save, and cared little for the few effectsthat might be destroyed. He did not join the crowd, therefore, until itwas ascertained that the bee-hunter and his companions had escaped.

  "The pale-faces have fled," said Bear's Meat to the great chief, whenthe last did approach him. "We have looked for their bones among theashes, but there are none. That medicine-bee-hunter has told them thattheir scalps were wanted, and they have gone off!"

  "Have any of the young men been down to the river, to look for theircanoes?" quietly demanded Peter. "If the canoes are gone, too, they havetaken the route toward the Great Lake."

  This was so obvious and probable, that a search was immediately set onfoot. The report was soon made, and great was the eagerness to pursue.The Kalamazoo was so crooked, that no one there doubted of overtakingthe fugitives, and parties were immediately organized for the chase.This was done with the customary intelligence and shrewdness of Indians.The canoes that belonged to Crowsfeather and his band had been broughtup the river, and they lay concealed in rushes, not a mile from the hut.A party of warriors brought them to the landing, and they carried onedivision of the party to the opposite shore, it being the plan to followeach bank of the river, keeping close to the stream, even to its mouth,should it prove necessary. Two other parties were sent in direct lines,one on each side of the river, also, to lay in ambush at such distantpoints, ahead, as would be almost certain to anticipate the arrival ofthe fugitives. The canoes were sent down the stream, to close the netagainst return, while Bear's Meat, Bough of the Oak, Crowsfeather, andseveral others of the leading chiefs, remained near the still burninghut, with a strong party, to examine the surrounding Openings forfoot-prints and trails. It was possible that the canoes had been sentadrift, in order to mislead them, while the pale-faces had fled by land.

  It has been stated that the Openings had a beautiful sward, near CastleMeal, This was true of that particular spot, and was the reason whyle Bourdon had selected it for his principal place of residence. Theabundance of flowers drew the bees there, a reason of itself why heshould like the vicinity. Lest the reader should be misled, however,it may be well to explain that an absence of sward is characteristic ofthese Openings, rather than the reverse, it being, to a certain degree,a cause of complaint, now that the country is settled, that the lands ofthe Oak Openings are apt to be so light that the grasses do not readilyform as firm a turf as is desirable for meadows and pastures. Weapprehend this is true, however, less as a rule than as exceptions;there being variety in the soils of these Openings, as well as in otherquarters.

  Nevertheless, the savages were aware that the country around the burnedhut, for a considerable extent, differed, in this particular, from mostof that which lay farther east, or more inland. On the last a trailwould be much more easily detected than on the first, and a party,under the direction of a particularly experienced leader, was dispatchedseveral miles to the eastward, to look for the usual signs of thepassage of any toward Detroit, taking that route. This last expedienttroubled Peter exceedingly, since i
t placed a body of enemies in therear of the fugitives; thereby rendering their position doubly perilous.There was no help for the difficulty, however; and the great chief sawthe party depart without venturing on remonstrance, advice, or anyother expedient to arrest the movement. Bear's Meat now called the headchiefs, who remained, into a circle, and asked for opinions concerningthe course that ought next to be taken.

  "What does my brother, the tribeless chief, say?" he asked, looking atPeter, in a way to denote the expectation which all felt, that he oughtto be able to give useful counsel in such a strait. "We have got buttwo scalps from six heads; and one of THEM is buried with themedicine-priest."

  "Scalps cannot be taken from them that get off," returned Peter,evasively. "We must first catch these pale-faces. When they are foundit will be easy to scalp them. If the canoes are gone, I think themedicine-bee-hunter and his squaws have gone in them. We may find thewhole down the river."

  To this opinion most of the chiefs assented, though the course ofexamining for a trail farther east was still approved. The band was sostrong, while the pale-faces were so few, that a distribution of theirown force was of no consequence, and it was clearly the most prudent tosend out young men in all directions. Every one, however, expected thatthe fugitives would be overtaken on, or near, the river, and Bear's Meatsuggested the propriety of their moving down stream, themselves, veryshortly.

  "When did my brother last see the pale-faces?" asked Crowsfeather. "Thisbee-hunter knows the river well, and may have started yesterday; or evenafter he came from the Great Council of the Prairie."

  This was a new idea, but one that seemed probable enough. All eyesturned toward Peter, who saw, at once, that such a notion must greatlyfavor the security of the fugitives, and felt a strong desire toencourage it. He found evasion difficult, however, and well knew thedanger of committing himself. Instead of giving a straightforwardanswer, therefore, he had recourse to circumlocution and subterfuge.

  "My brother is right," he answered. "The pale-faces HAVE had time toget far down the stream. As my brothers know, I slept among them at theRound Prairie. To-day, they know I was with them at the council of thespring of gushing waters."

  All this was true, as far as it went, although the omissions were verymaterial. No one seemed to suspect the great chief, whose fidelityto his own principles was believed to be of a character amounting toenthusiasm. Little did any there know of the power of the unseen Spiritof God to alter the heart, producing what religionists term the newbirth. We do not wish, however, to be understood that Peter had, asyet, fully experienced this vast change. It is not often the work of amoment, though well-authenticated modern instances do exist, in which wehave every reason to believe that men have been made to see and feelthe truth almost as miraculously as was St. Paul himself. As for thisextraordinary savage, he had entered into the strait and narrow way,though he was not far advanced on its difficult path.

  When men tell us of the great progress that the race is making towardperfection, and point to the acts which denote its wisdom, its power tocontrol its own affairs, its tendencies toward good when most leftto its own self-control, our minds are filled with scepticism. Theevery-day experience of a life now fast verging toward threescore,contradicts the theory and the facts. We believe not in the possibilityof man's becoming even a strictly rational being, unaided by a powerfrom on high; and all that we have seen and read goes to convince usthat HE is most of a philosopher, the most accurate judge of his realstate, the most truly learned, who most vividly sees the necessity offalling back on the precepts of revelation for all his higher principlesand practice. We conceive that this mighty truth furnishes unanswerableproof of the unceasing agency of a Providence, and when we once admitthis, we concede that our own powers are insufficient for our own wants.

  That the world, as a whole, is advancing toward a better state ofthings, we as firmly believe as we do that it is by ways that have notbeen foreseen by man; and that, whenever the last has been made theagent of producing portions of this improvement, it has oftener beenwithout design, or calculation, than with it. Who, for instance,supposes that the institutions of this country, of which we boast somuch, could have stood as long as they have, without the conservativeprinciples that are to be found in the Union; and who is there so vainas to ascribe the overshadowing influence of this last great power toany wisdom in man? We all know that perfectly fortuitous circumstances,or what appear to us to be such, produced the Federal Government, andthat its strongest and least exceptionable features are precisely thosewhich could not be withstood, much less invented, as parts of the theoryof a polity.

  A great and spasmodic political movement is, at this moment, convulsingChristendom. That good will come of it, we think is beyond a question;but we greatly doubt whether it will come in the particular form, or bythe specified agencies, that human calculations would lead us to expect.It must be admitted that the previous preparations, which have inducedthe present effort, are rather in opposition to, than the consequencesof, calculated agencies; overturning in their progress the verysafeguards which the sagacity of men had interposed to the advance ofthose very opinions that have been silently, and by means that wouldperhaps baffle inquiry, preparing the way for the results that have beenso suddenly and unexpectedly obtained. If the course is onward, it ismore as the will of God, than from any calculations of man; and it iswhen the last are the most active, that there is the greatest reason toapprehend the consequences.

  Of such a dispensation of the Providence of Almighty God, do we believePeter to have been the subject. Among the thousand ways that areemployed to touch the heart, he had been most affected by the sight ofa dying man's asking benedictions on his enemies! It was assailing hisbesetting sin; attacking the very citadel of his savage character, andthrowing open, at once, an approach into the deepest recesses of hishabits and dispositions. It was like placing a master-key in the handsof him who would go through the whole tenement, for the purpose ofpurifying it.