Marita
BONSOE PENIN’S INTERVIEW WITH QUAIBU
UPON THE SUBJECT OF HIS IMPENDING MARRIAGE
- Western Echo, 30th January 1886
‘So my dear friend, you have gone and done it; I am surprised and astonished at you, I certainly gave you more credit for a good share of common sense, and sufficient knowledge of the world. Is it possible, and can it be true that it was yours the banns, that was published in the chapel yesterday?’ This was uttered by a man of about forty five years, strong but slenderly built, and of middle stature; complexion sallow red, his eyes were keen but yet seldom look you twice in the face, and his features regular. His manners were grave, but a more jovial and sincere friend never lived. In his youth he had the advantage of the best English education; besides being a good Latin, Greek and Hebrew scholar. Mr Bonsoe Penin, the name of this gentleman, was not a bachelor, yet he was married, he had several wives; two he had living with him in his own house; the rest lived in their own houses, and it is strange to say that he lived happily with them all.
We must now leave these two gentlemen, and introduce the heroine of this tale to the reader. Miss Wissah, at the time that this tale commenced was a woman of about four and twenty years old; in stature she was short, but proportionably well built; she was neither stout nor thin, although she had a tendency towards stoutness. Her features were not very regular but extremely pleasing; her gait or steps were faultless, and she has a way of carrying herself among her own class — the uneducated women — that she is everywhere considered to be equal if not superior to any of her companions. It is only in company of educated ladies that she exhibits a consciousness of inferiority. Coupled with these natural advantages she has a strong and well regulated mind which wanted only education to have made her perfect. In fact she was a woman gifted by nature to adorn any (XP society if she had been cultured. Was it to be wondered at that Mr Quaibu became fascinated by her even in spite of her want of education, and the occasional burst of temper which she exhibited. Love is blind, and in the case of Mr Quaibu as well as Miss Wissah’s, Cupid never played a severer trick upon two fools.
Mr Quaibu and Miss Wissah had lived as man and wife for more than eight years, enjoying all the, blessings of married life. Mr Quaibu showed the same amount of respect for his lady as he would have shown had their marriage been solemnized in the Church. He stuck to her alone and would on no account take or keep any other woman. Every lady respected her as if a minister had joined them together in holy wedlock. Miss Wissah on her part honoured and above all obeyed Mr Quaibu in every thing and at all times.9 She felt great interest in her good man’s affairs, which she in every way considered as her own. In fact, no two persons that have been united together by the church could have lived more happily together than those two who were only married by country marriage,10 a marriage looked down upon as debasing and degrading.
I may add that although Mr Quaibu and his wife attended chapel and were Christians, nominally, since they were not class members,” yet the gentleman through reasons of his own would never be induced to attend class meetings. As for the lady she never knew what it was, until Mrs Pritzia the minister’s wife and her husband who was a friend of Mr Quaibu thought it a duty incumbent upon them to endeavour to convert her. They accordingly got her to enter her name in the class list, and in course of time was baptized and duly became a member of the Wesleyan body; Mr Quaibu seeing no fault in the step having given his consent thereto previously. From that day things began to wear a different aspect; Miss Wissah visibly changed. What delighted her before became k sin in her eyes. Those innocent and harmless pleasures that used to amuse her were considered by her as sinful; she became moody, discontented and restless. She would, for hours, go to the minister’s house and come home looking as if something was troubling her mind. To Mr Quaibu’s inquiries as to her change of conduct and behaviour, she would reply ‘nothing.’ In the meantime Rev: Mr Pritzia became assiduous in pressing Mr Quaibu to become a class member, as [Miss Wissah had been, and that it only wanted that to make Wissah and himself happy in their marriage life. Mr Quaibu could not well see through that, for had he not lived with his wife more than eight years happily and in the most agreeable manner? From that day he saw and deeply felt that the heart of his lady as well as her love and affections had been taken away from him, and by a certain mistaken notion of christian religion. Henceforward he must make up his mind to lead a miserable life with her he loved, unless he turned her away at once or became a class member himself. Things were in this state when a European minister arrived who took charge of the station and Mr Pritzia became his assistant. Rev Mr Powers and Mr Quaibu became friends, and in a short time their friendship developed into intimacy. Religion formed principally the subject of their conversation; and after a time Mr Quaibu was induced to promise and ultimately become a class member, having for leader his friend Mr Powers.
If his obstinacy to be a class member was the cause of the change of con- duct in Miss Wissah, Mr Quaibu had cause to rejoice when he enrolled his name as a member of the Wesleyan Society; for the same spirit of contentment, love and happiness that ruled in their domestic hearth before Miss Wissah became a member returned and they lived happily together again. But the two ministers had not finished with them yet. Quaibu must give to his wife a ring through a minister, before God and in the open chapel; in fine they must enter into the ‘Holy state of matrimony’ before they could be admitted as full members of the society. In for a penny, in for a pound. The lady was willing, her people were willing; Quaibu had to consult nobody, and there was ‘no just cause or impediment’ why he also should not be willing; for had he not lived for several years happily together with Miss Wissah? Before God, Mr Quaibu conscientiously considered Miss Wissah legally his wife although no minister had married them. He had not the least doubt that God, the searcher of hearts considered them as man and wife; and if it only wanted the mere putting on of a ring on the part of the woman to make their marriage legal in the eyes of men, well, he must conform to it: and the announcement of their banns was accordingly published in the Sunday previous to the day Bonsoe Pennin called on his friend Mr Quaibu in the great trepidation and astonishment mentioned at the opening of this chapter.
- Western Echo, 24th February 1886
‘Where is Wissah?’ inquired Bonsoe Penin of his friend. I seldom see her lately; she used to call very often at my house to see her friends; but it seems to me that she avoids the place now. What can be the matter, Quaibu?’
‘I really do not know;’ replied Quaibu; ‘unless because she is now a class member, and the duty attached to her spiritual concerns gives her no time to call. Mrs D your wife was here the day before yesterday, and remained several hours with her chatting together.’
‘Do you really mean,’ asked Bonsoe Penin in astonishment, ‘that Miss Wissah is now a class member? and who is her leader?’
‘I mean not only to tell you that Wissah is a member,’ returned Quaibu, ‘but I also am a member on trial; and when you heard somebody’s banns being published yesterday in chapel it was mine. Now you see my dear Bonsoe Penin that I HAVE GONE AND DONE IT.’
This news, true as it was, did not a little startle Mr Bonsoe Penin. For some minutes he could not open his mouth, but sat down in the utmost astonishment, looking at his friend. At last ne said:
‘Words fail me to express my sentiments; allow me to congratulate you. I must candidly say, however, that I would never, under the penalty of decapitation, sacrifice my happiness; all the gold of Ophir [sic] could not induce me to sell my liberty and happiness thus. What madness! what fetich could they have played on you so as to take such a step! Well, I am blessed, if I could make out the motives which could have prompted you to take a step of which I am sure, knowing what you are, you will soon repent. Chacun a son gout. I will promise you this much Quaibu; if you succeed in keeping your position as al class member, for three months, telling your real feelings to a frail man like yourself, and who is in no way better, I mean your class leader, 1 will also become a member. No, no, you can’t remain with them even a month I am sure. And this matrimonial project of yours, have you seriously thought over it? Have you thought of the consequences? Have you studied Miss Wissah so well . as she was, as she is; and as she will be in the state to which you are going to raise her? Certain it is that she has been to you, what any good woman could A well be. chaste, prudent, loving, and obedient. But are you sure that Miss Wissah, as a country-married woman will be the same Miss Wissah. as a church married lady, both of you living in enchained wedlock? Have you taken into”
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Deep consideration the similarity of feelings, or of mind, of education and training; the kind of love which binds two together, whether in prosperity or in adversity; and of the entire dependence on the part of the woman upon the man, which alone could make the new life into which you are drifting yourself and the lady happy?. Pause, ponder, and consider well the serious step you are about taking before its too late. These are not mere words prompted by a spirit of egotism; “once bit, twice shy” and experience teaches knowledge. The flames about which you are, moth-like fluttering, will certainly burn you, as it burnt me to my cost. As a young man, when I first came out from England, I was induced to marry in the church, the daughter of one of the highest gentlemen in the country. But oh! What a most miserable life we led I took the bull by the horns, and broke the ring that united us. I followed the fashion of my country, and I am as you find me, happy. Forgive the liberty 1 have taken in talking so freely to you. If I have gone beyond the limits of friendship know that it is pure nature that prompted me.’
deep consideration the similarity of feelings, or of mind, of education and training; the kind of love which binds two together, whether in prosperity or in adversity; and of the entire dependence on the part of the woman upon the man A which alone could make the new life into whicFFybu are drifting yourself and the lady happy? Pause, ponder, and consider well the serious step you are about taking before it is too late. These are not mere words prompted by a spirit of egotism; “once bit, twice shy,”14 and experience teaches knowledge. The J flames about which you are, moth-like fluttering, will certainly bum you, as it burnt me to my cost. – was induced to marr men in the country. But oh! what a most miserable life we led! I took the bull by the horns, and broke the ring that united us. I followed the fashion of my country, and I am as you find me, happy.
Mr Quaibu was, in the utmost degree, ‘perplexed; he saw that his darling structure was tottering; the axe which Mr Bonsoe Penin wielded so well was doing all possible mischief to his enchanted edifice, and unless he made some desperate stand he would find his sweet hopes of unalloyed happiness in the new marriage scattered to the winds. He would rather make a leap in the dark, probably he might not find it so bad as his friend had depicted, than to subject himself and his darling Wissah to the ridicule, and contempt of the people. As a man, determined to take the consequences of his act, however painful it may be, Mr Quaibu replied in the following manner: ‘My most esteemed friend; today you have shown me the real worth of friendship, and yourself more than a friend; you are indeed my mentor. I will not disguise from you that I have had myself forebodings of evil. Examples are not wanting to convince me of the frightful abyss into which I am plunging myself and Miss Wissah ln my own family, there is my own father, and my foster-uncle, both of who were living happily with their wives, until Christianity, which they afterwards embraced, compelled them to take unto themselves new wives and marry them according to the Church. In their hearts, they soon repented as was evident by the continuous bickerings and rows, as also the consequent illegal separation that ‘took place between them and their wives. Outside my own family, there are scores k of others who are living witnesses and examples. It is the knowledge I have of the step 1 am taking with my eyes open, which is the cause of my appreciating the sincerity of your friendship. Some sages say that man is a free agent; others say that he is others say that he is not. Whether man is or is not a free agent I am not in a position to say; but situated as I am now I cannot help saying that I am not a free agent. Defects in my wife which are dormant in our present life can plainly see will be roused up like a roaring lion to devour poor me; tempers and evil passions in her which are now varnished and glided with gold may turn a corroding iron to eat up my very soul know all these, and moreover I am not unaware that it is by far better to deal with certainties than with things the nature and the result of which is doubtful. If I were free to study my own as well as her future happiness I would certainly stop short and brave the ridicule and contempt of friends and neighbours: but as I said before I am not a free agent in this matter; there is something which is pressing me onwards; there is no retracing my steps, but I must submit to my fate. May God in his mercy help her and me also.’
‘I cannot but honour the feelings which prompt you to take such a suicidal step,’ returned Mr Bonsoe Penin. ‘As you are determined and cannot be persuaded, I can only pity you, and blame the parsons whose duty should have been to diffuse happiness, as ministers of God, amongst the people instead of blindly forcing them into certain misery and distress.’
‘There comes Wissah!’ exclaimed Quaibu; accompanied by Mrs Pritzia and escorted by the Reverend gentleman himself. Poor girl she does not know her position yet.’
‘Which of the parsons?’ inquired Mr Bonsoe Penin.
‘Mr Pritzia,’ replied Quaibu; then, continuing, he thus cautioned his friend. ‘Now old fellow, we must be careful what we say in the presence of this man. The subject which has been occupying our time is too serious, and at the same time delicate for us to resume it: so let us drop it, at all events for the present; for I know your temper and it will do no good but a great deal of harm to parties concerned.’
‘Leave me alone to myself,’ replied Mr Bonsoe Penin helping himself to a glass of Moselle. ‘His Reverence and lady are cousins of mine, and they know me too well to take umbrage at anything that I choose to say to them. How are you Miss Wissah?’ continued he, addressing himself to the lady. ‘It is sometime since I saw you. So you have been taken in hand by my dear cousins, and are being led by them to the place where you should go; and poor Quaibu too has ‘ cast behind him the world and all its vanity and is ready to follow you wither- soever my godly relatives will choose to lead you. Poor guileless girl! and poor Quaibu’s helpless.’
‘Why do you call Mr Quaibu poor, Bonsoe Penin?’ Mr Pritzia asked. ‘Is it because he was elected to forsake the world, the flesh and the devil, and join The people of God that he becomes poor?16 Know that he is richer by far now than what he could ever have been before he enlisted under the banner of the Lord. I wish I could get you also to enlist. What a bright example you too would set, and I would fain ask, nay beseech, you to follow this worthy step so nobly taken by your friend.’
‘Oh I see that the right hand has not lost its cunning yet!’17 exclaimed Mr Bonsoe Penin with a certain amount of sneer in his face, and in the way how he expressed the words. ‘Do you know what I was telling my friend Quaibu before you came? Now Quaibu,’ continued he, addressing himself to his friend, ‘What was it that I told you that I would do were you to continue three months a feeling telling Christian? Out with it.’
‘That you would follow me, and become a class member too,’ replied Mr Quaibu. ‘But I am afraid you will never become one, since you make your enlistment dependent upon my continuance in that body.’
‘Do I see Philip in himself again?’ exclaimed Mr Bonsoe Penin, ‘now that I have heard you.’
‘Say what you wished me to tell Mr Pritzia which I have truthfully told him, 1 sincerely hope you will put all joking aside,’ interrupted Mr Quaibu smiling. ‘What do you mean Bonsoe Penin’ joined in Rev Pritzia a little warmly. ‘Would you joke in a matter of such vital importance to such a man as this? Fie! 1 really — ’
‘Joking!’ interrupted Mr Bonsoe Penin. ‘Who talks about jokes when a fellow is talking to your Reverend self? I never was so serious in my life. But I must candidly say that if my friend here become wise during the three months, by being turned out of, or leaves, the body of his own free will and accord I certainly would not be a fool to join it, my honoured cousin.’
Here, Mrs Pritzia seeing that her cousin Bonsoe was making a fool of her husband, a habit which Mr Bonsoe Penin had got and used unmercifully when he got a chance, called upon that amiable cousin of hers to have done with it. She then inquired after his wives and children at home.
‘My wives are all well,’ replied Mr Bonsoe Penin good humouredly, ‘and the young ones stunning. But why do you enquire after my wives? Are they not abominations in your side, my sweet cousin?’
‘How very strange and wild you do talk to-day, cousin,’ replied Mrs Pritzia looking rather surprised. ‘Your wives abominations to me well I never. How long is it since stupid notions of this sort came into your mind?’
‘Only to-day my dear cousin, only to-day,’ replied he, not a little touched by Mrs Pritzia’s words. Then all of a sudden he assumed a serious tone, laying emphasis on each word he uttered; and looking at his two relatives with an intensity of gaze peculiar to persons who are not in the habit of looking at people twice in the face, continued; ‘If country marriages are abominations in the sight of God and consequently to you and your body, the wives whom, as you are-aware I married according to country fashion, could not but be an abomination. Am I right? Pritzia! Have I explained myself rightly?’
‘I really cannot say,’ the Revd gentleman replied. ‘But it looks to me and to all right minded men, that it is better and more respectable to have but one wife, married in the church. Is it not so mentioned in Holy Writ? Why is it only to-day that you talk about your wives? Have we ever found fault with either your- self or them to your knowledge?’ ‘You have certainly never found fault with me and with them, as you say, to my knowledge,’ replied Bonsoe Penin hotly; ‘and never will if I can help myself. But’, continued he rather complacently, ‘look at our mutual friend Quaibu and his amiable wife; is it because you find fault with them or that they have lived unhappily together, or that they were not looked upon by European gentlemen as well as native and even by men of “your cloth” as respectable in their native or country married state, that they are now made to exchange sub- stance – real happiness – for a shadow?’.
In the last chapter we mentioned that Wissah called over to see Mr & Mrs Pritzia and also mentioned somewhere that she had been of late in the habit of going there frequently. Mr Pritzia, as has been intimated before, was a – Wesleyan minister, a zealous man of the old school. He was one of the trained men Revd. Mr Fitzmaurice brought up in the ministry. If he was deficient in education and could barely read and write and with difficulty speak the English language, he was nevertheless a very good man, and able speaker, was successful in gaining souls in his ministrations, and moreover for a native he was| liberal in his religious tenets. As he made no ostentatious displays of religion in conversation, as some of his cloth did; and knew when and how to introduce religious matter in conversation and when to talk about other subjects, Mr Quaibu found great delight in the Rev. gentleman’s company, and from mere acquaintance they became very good friends. It was his habit to call upon Mr Quaibu frequently and on these occasions religion formed the principle topic of conversation, although other subjects were taken in hand too. As were the men so also became the women, and Mrs Pritzia, and Miss Wissah became also intimate.
‘Have you then decided,’ rejoined Mrs Pritzia, ‘to leave the poor man with Satan? It would be a pity were you to lose heart in the glorious and praise- worthy step you have taken to reclaim him. Persevere John, for I know that if you succeed with him his wife will also follow.
It is utterly impossible!’ cried Mr Pritzia despairingly; ‘but I can see a way of surmounting this difficulty. Through dear Miss Wissah we will doubtless succeed; so as early as you can manage to have time, pay her a visit to persuade her to come with you. Between the two of us we will, I am sure, be able to successfully lay siege to his religious prejudices through her and in the course of time convert him and his lady.
Obedient to her lord’s command Mrs Pritzia the next day repaired to Mr Quaibu’s house, and seeing Miss Wissah disengaged had some chat with her and when she was leaving managed to get her to accompany her. Mr Pritzia seeing them quietly went to his bedroom unperceived by the ladies and there waited till he found an opportune time to come arrayed in such abillment as became his position when he wanted to covert souls.
‘I have been rather busy in my study,’ began he when he joined them, up a sermon for Sunday, a most insinuating air, ‘I ‘getting By the bye,’ continued he, at the same time assuming am glad to see that you go to chapel occasionally, and to observe that you are a good and attentive listener. I have observed you often whilst preaching, and it did my heart good to see you so piously bent. May I ask, were you in the habit of going to chapel before you came to this place? I should like very much to know that.’
‘Very seldom Mr Pritzia,’ she replied. I had no wish.’ ‘That augurs well since now your attendance here is more frequent. Do you find the sermons interesting?’
‘Yes, some of them, not all,’ she replied, smiling.
‘That’s right; but do you find any difference between the speeches (sermons) made in chapel and the speeches made at any other place? You under- stand what I mean of course?’
‘Yes the difference is vast. I always fee1 glad and happy when I hear the word of God preached, and when it is talked about. There is something in it that I am unable to express.’
‘Would you not join the people of God then, when such are your feelings when you hear his word preached?’ demanded Mr Pritzia, his countenance radiant with smiles.
‘Certainly I would; but who do you mean are the people of God? are not all the people that go to chapel God’s people?’
‘Certainly not. The people of God are those who finding that they are sinners, enter their names as members of the society, and who regularly attend class meetings. Would you not wish to become a class member, and be one of God’s people?’
I should like it very much —’
‘But supposing Mr Quaibu,’ interrupted the Reverend gentleman intentionally, ‘were to tell you not to, what would you do? Would you obey him rather than keeping the promise you have just given me?’ ‘My husband never denies my anything which he considers good for me; and in this one I am sure he will allow me.’
‘You do very well to have such confidence in your husband – in Mr Quaibu; but supposing he prevents you?’
Do not press the point Mr Pritzia,’ replied Miss Wissah somewhat curtly; T I know that he will allow me. It is true that he does not wish to be one himself, but I never heard him speak ill against it.’
What he ‘When may I hear from you Miss Wissah?’ Mr Pritzia asked, not feeling alto- so her husband and have given such a promise from which she could not turn and by which he (could hold her.
‘As soon as I speak to my husband about it,’ she replied. ‘Now I must go home,’ added she, getting up, ‘I have stayed longer than I thought, and I may be wanted now.’
Stay one moment, dear Miss Wissah,’ besought the Rev gentleman, ‘only one moment! It appears to me that there is some coldness between you and my wife which must be made right before you leave. Will you shake hands together and be cordial friends again. That’s right. We will now kneel down and ask divine blessing upon our humble endeavours to gain more sheep and bring them into his fold.’
Miss Wissah left as soon as the prayer was over, leaving Mr Pritzia and his wife to deliberate on the probable result of their proceedings.
‘You very nearly spoilt the game my dear,’ said Mr Pritzia. ‘It was very fortunate that I was listening, and therefore was able to join in at the right moment or we don’t know what the result would have been. You women could never be tacticians, What a pity it would have been had we lost her, and, through her Mr Quaibu.’
‘It would have been a pity indeed,’ replied his better half, ‘but whoever thought that under a calm, quiet and placid exterior as she generally manifested, there lurked a spirit – a temper like that. I was really taken aback; and I am afraid, had you not dropped in at the right moment, there would have been a row, as I certainly could not bear such an insult from a person who is merely kept by a man.
I am very glad that I dropped in then,’ replied Mr Pritzia seriously, ‘for you would have got the worse of the conflict of words which you women generally delight in. Have you been so long intimate with Miss Wissah, and are ignorant of her natural disposition? Don’t talk nonsense my dear, but be thankful that I saved you and the great cause likewise.
Who talks of nonsense but you Mr Pritzia?’ asked his spouse, her temper getting up. ‘You men usually take the part of other women against your own wives, ministers not excepted.’
‘And you ladies generally take the part of other men against your own husbands, ministers’ wives not excepted,’ returned Mr Pritzia. ‘Would you despise your hand because you have inadvertently plunged it into something loathsome? Would you not rather wash it clean in lavender water and bring it to its former state? Well, is it because one woman, who is as much a creature of God as you are, happened not to be married according to Church rites that she is to be despised by other women because they are so married? Should we not rather persuade her to enter into Church marriage and thereby save her soul? If you don’t despise your hand, because it has touched an unclean thing, why should you despise a woman because she happened to live in a state of concubinage? Is that a spirit of charity? Don’t let me hear any more of such unchristian expressions from you again; and I hope you will assist me in my endeavours to convert these two precious souls, by continuing on the same terms of friendship with Miss Wissah.’
After this wholesome admonition from her husband Mrs Pritzia kept quiet for some time with her head bent down seemingly in deep cogitation; she then went to her bedroom where we will leave her to ponder over her husband’s words.
A few months subsequent to the proceedings related in the chapter immediately following [read: preceding, SN] this; and after Miss Wissah had been fairly admitted a member on trial in the. Wesleyan body for she could not be admitted into full membership since she was living, as was considered, in a state of concubinage, the Revd. Mr Hardy called to see Mr Quaibu, and demanded to have some talk with him in private. This being granted the missionary commenced: –
‘You really must excuse the liberty I am going to take with you. Don’t be offended at what I am going to say to you; but consider it as a word prompted by a spirit of friendship, and an ardent desire for your real happiness.’
‘Since I parge to this country, and became acquainted with you I have found in you all that one could desire or expect from or in a friend. You have doubtless found in my frequent visits to you more than to any body else, in the many rides and walks we have had together; and in the pleasure I always take in your company, that I hold you in great esteem. But there is one thing wanting to make our friendship more complete. As a missionary and a preacher of the Gospel, one whose business out here is to convert souls, I would be wanting in my duty were I not to speak to you on your spiritual concerns. It is true, and I am glad to say, that your attendance in chapel on Sundays is very regular; that speaks well for you. If you had been a professed Christian instead of nominal one you could not have paid more attention to the words that fall from the mouth of the preacher. I have watched you often whilst preaching. If therefore you could cast in your lot among us and become a professed Christian I shall be happy indeed and I need not say I shall be happier in your company.’
‘Being a professed Christian, I suppose you mean becoming a class member,’ inquired Mr Quaibu.
‘Certainly’ replied Mr Hardy. ‘And what could prevent you from being one? I have been told by Mr Pritzia, with whom I have on several occasions spoken about you that you have a strong antipathy to class meetings.
‘Your colleague is right in telling you so, dear Mr Hardy,’ replied Mr Quaibu. ‘As an individual I do not think it serves me a bit in my aspirations to act according to the dictates of conscience. Often have I done violence to the secret whisperings of that “little insect in my head,” conscience, and have become a class member and as often broken my resolutions to be one. Mr
Pritzia himself can tell you this. It is experience and not ignorance of the thing that makes me somewhat shy. I am afraid you will not find it an easy task to induce me to become one.
‘What is your real objection, Quaibu? tell me; I may probably find some arguments in its favour to make it all right; for I am determined on having you Nolens, Volens.”
‘Am I to understand that I am to speak freely, unconstrainedly, without giving offence by any words that I may have occasion to use, Hardy?’ asked Mr Quaibu.
‘Of course you can say anything you like, barring indecent words or unchristian expressions,’ replied the minister.
“There is no fear of that dear Hardy. I have too great a respect for myself to be guilty of such ill-breeding. As an institution among many that the great founder of the sect – Mr Wesley-brought about,’ continued Quaibu, class meeting deserves to be ranked among the best; but it, like many schemes originally established with the best of intentions has been frightfully abused. Now as to the objections – and there are many – that I have against it. First, I really can not find it in my conscience to confess my sins to a man who is by nature as frail and as sinful as myself; and to confess them too before several other persons. For instance, I am required at the meeting to tell my feelings and experience during the week. Well, suppose during the week I committed adultery; rabbed a neighbour of a very valuable property; or accused a man, whom I hated, of a crime of which he was innocent, whereby his good character or reputation was ruined. Who, but a mad man would go to the meeting, before a whole lot of people and tell his leader at their hearing the feelings which prompted him during the week to commit such crimes; and with the knowledge too that some of the parties present might be a friend, a relative, or the very party or parties against whom the crime was committed? Is it not beyond the pale of human nature to do so? My dear friend if you can prove to me and to my satisfaction that this is possible and that it is within those things which a human being can accomplish I must submit even if it is against my conviction.
‘That, what you have been describing is against human nature I must agree with you’ remarked Mr Hardy; ‘and therefore it is that members are not required to confess the sins or crimes they may have committed during the week. That would be preposterous.
‘What then are they required to do at the meeting’ demanded Quaibu?
“They have only to tell what God has done for them during the week, the temptations to which they have been subjected; praying to God to give them Jesus. grace and strength to resist the devil and to increase their faith in the Lord Jesus. ‘If this is the sole object of the meeting, I must acknowledge that I have nothing to say against it,’ replied Quaibu; ‘but I cannot help observing as I mentioned before, that the scheme has been frightfully abused. I have heard class members who at the meeting confess, nay, boast that their sins were forgiven; and say that if they died, there and then, they would go to heaven. Yet I have seen many turn out the poor and the needy from their doors; cheat the widow and the orphan out of their inheritance; many who would not assist an unfortunate but worthy man, to recover himself, because if they did, they would be helping him to raise himself to an independent position which they hate; who would run down and severely backbite their neighbour because they envy him; who w’ld pretend sincere friendship towards a fellow whilst they secretly hate him, and would do him an injury if they could. Have I not seen them seduce other people’s wives? Oh God! can a pious institution like this be made the instrument of such wickedness’ exclaimed Quaibu, not a little excited. Seeing that the minister was quiet and not immediately inclined to speak, he continued, ‘can you wonder that knowing all these, I should shew such great disinclination to join that meeting or be a member thereof? would it not be by far better for me to confess any sin or crime that I commit to my minister, who like a doctor, and a gentleman is bound to my secret and who could know the nature of my disease – the crime or sin committed – be able to give me wholesome advice, and pray with or for me; than going to class meetings and there saying that I am what I am not; have done that which I have never done, or ever thought of doing; and adding sin to sin, thus aggravating the commission of one sin, where other persons – say even the heathens – only commit it once. A man commits an unworthy act; that act is a sin against God for which he can repent and ask Him to forgive him. But instead of that he goes to the meeting, and either tells his leader that he is a sinner, which he has no occasion to do since by nature we are all sinners or on the other hand, brags that he stands square with God and has made his election sure. Does he not aggravate the one sin that he has committed by deceiving God, his leader, his fellow members and him- self, besides the lies that he tells or the cloak that he puts on by general confession of his sinful nature for which there is no necessity? This is the honest confession of my feelings against class meetings generally. If after this you still wish me to join it, and you shew me how, I shall be only too glad and happy to submit to your advice.’
I must say that when a man wilfully sets his heart against anything, however good and unexceptionable that thing may be, it were easier to remove the mountain than convince him,’ replied Mr Hardy. ‘However I am still bent on having you amongst us and will therefore do this with you. At the meetings you will not be asked to tell your feelings unless you particularly wish to do so yourself; and at any time you wish to tell me anything that troubles your mind or are desirous of having a religious talk with me I shall only be too glad to accord to the chance. Will this satisfy you? I do not think you will have anything to say against this.’
‘Perfectly,’ answered Mr Quaibu, ‘and you may consider me now as a member of the society.’
A little time after this as the two friends were talking about other matters I which need no record here. Miss Wissah passed. She was told by the Rev. gentleman of what had taken place and that she might consider her man as one of them; upon which she expressed her thankfulness and left. Before Mr Hardy left he told Mr Quaibu that the next important subject that he would talk to him about would be in reference to Miss Wissah; that he knew that was a delicate matter; but as Mr Pritzia had told him that the lady would not be averse to her being married to him in the church provided he also would like it and considering that he was now a member of this (ministers’) class, he would have some talk with him on the subject D.V.22 to-morrow. The friends then separated, Mr Hardy being satisfied with himself for having succeeded in gaining over Mr Quaibu to join the Society. As for Mr Quaibu himself it could not be made out whether he was pleased or not with the rash promise he had given, for he sat down for sometime cogitating deeply. He however got up afterwards and went to his wife’s apartment where he found her busy dressing her hair.
We recorded at the conclusion of the last chapter that Mr Quaibu went to his wife’s apartment after the minister had left and that he met her adjusting her hair. He waited until she had finished, then got her to dismiss the girl who had been assisting her with her hair, and in a most lively and interesting manner opened up a conversation.
‘My dear girl, you really must be uncommonly pleased with me to-day. Now tell the truth.’ ‘Why should I be satisfied Quaibu and with —’
‘Stop a bit’ he interrupted laughing, ‘and with yourself too prodigiously?’
‘How and why? you most wicked man,’ demanded Miss Wissah. ‘Curb your impatience a little, Madame,’ continued he tauntingly; ‘you will know it in due course of time. You are not only pleased with me and yourself, but I can see that you are moreover pleased with and thankful iu the minister for what he has done to-day.’
‘What has he done? and why should I be pleased with it? don’t be foolish,’ cried Miss Wissah. ‘If you have got anything to tell me be quick about it, for I have got no time to waste upon such a naughty man like you.’ Whilst talking she was all the time looking at his face to ascertain whether he was joking with her or was in real earnest.
‘You women are strange; your contradictions and denials are admissions and affirmations; your yes’s are no’s. Why, my good lady, I could see plainly in your countenance these words written in prominent characters – “The good minister has achieved a most praiseworthy act for which I must thank him. If it was not indelicate for a lady to kiss a gentleman, half a dozen kisses from me would not be enough, but I will make such a nice cake for him – and I know well how to make one – and send it. It will be a modest recognition of his kindness this day.” Now confess that I am right in my conjecture.’
‘Cease troubling me with your nonsense, Mr Incorrigible. Now that I think fit, and two persons can play the same game, I will confess this much to you. I heard the minister say that he will come over again tomorrow. I have made up my mind to give him double the number of kisses you say you can read on the forehead of my face; and as many more to Mr Pritzia for which purpose you found me busy adjusting my hair. I intended then to dress and call over to see him in order to effect this.”
‘A thousand thunders!’ exclaimed Quaibu, not a little taken back: ‘I would rather see the two worthy ministers further away from the scene! You really could not mean it!’
‘Now Mr Quaibu,’ continued she, teasingly, ‘are not the kisses my own and have I not the right to shower them upon any good man I please? They are not yours; what can you have to say about or against it, you good for nothing man!’ You are wrong, my dear girl, terribly wrong! It is true that the kisses are your own; but is it not equally true that I have bought a monopoly over them so far as you are concerned? and that nobody can share with me the gratification thereat? You can not give them away without tearing them one by one from my heart.”
‘From your heart; you say this? and do you feel it?’ she asked seriously enough ‘And yet you did not consider my heart when you showered upon, and literally smothered Miss with the kisses which are mine by monopoly also as you called it yesterday at Mr Fabrah’s. Don’t you think that women are endued with the same heart and sentiments as men? It was to pay you in your own coins that I was preparing to go Mr Pritzia’s to thank him with kisses for what he had done and the white minister for what he did yesterday.
‘Not too fast, my dear, not too fast,’ cried Mr Quaibu, not knowing how to take her words, whether to take them seriously or not. He however denied the charge of having kissed Miss – and ended by asking his wife whether she really meant what she said.
I mean every word I have told you; as also the number of kisses I intend for those two gentlemen. Mean it! Well it was told me by a person who was present when you kissed the young woman.’
And who was the person who told you?’ demanded he, perfectly bewildered.
‘Not so fast, my dear,’ said she exultingly, repeating her husband’s words, and then as silently as possible adding, ‘tit for tat, my precious boy. You are in an unusually teasing mood to-day, my girl,’ he cried.
It is a contagious disease my dear young man,’ she replied; ‘you see I am more polite than you are. I qualify the word man with the adjective young.
‘I am puzzled!’ exclaimed the unfortunate man gradually getting heated. ‘Have I known you for these long years and never found out the real stuff of which you are composed?’
‘Have I also known you for these many years,’ she replied, ‘without finding out that you are a pitiless teaser?’
‘Now let us do away with these profitless quibbles,’ he then exclaimed. Just give me the name of the party from whom you gleaned the information that I was free in another person’s company and who told such extraordinary lies about me and whether you
him.
‘Not until you pay for the information’ she answered, pitilessly interrupting
‘And whether you really mean to go out, and to Mr Pritzia’s too, with the intention of — well you know what I mean,’ continued the man in his anxiety to know her real feelings, and disregarding her demand for payment of the information.
‘Let it out man, let out the word,’ she said in a taunting manner, then added, ‘Yes I meant to kiss him, but now I wont do so if you will pay me for it.’
‘And the white person?’ continued he without taking notice of what his wife had said.
‘Him I will certainly kiss with double the number of kisses unless you pay me well for that also!’
‘Must I pay yea for the simple information, and for preventing you from doing that which it is base for a respectable woman to do? You really are to-day much disposed to make money, Wissah!’
‘Who said that I wanted money,’ interrupted the lady; ‘and your money too! as if I did not consider that what you have got is mine and mine yours. ’
‘But what is it you want? I would rather satisfy you than to continue this fruitless pass of words,’ humbly gave in Mr Quaibu.
‘Fruitless indeed! Acknowledge now honestly that you have had the worse of it, and that in future you will respect my sex, however illiterate I may be, and treat me better than you have treated me to-day. Women’s denials and contradictions, their affirmations, indeed! as if men are the only creatures that were made to tell exactly what they mean or feel. ’
‘By the powers! I have caught a Tartar to-day and no mistake! Well I shall now give in; tell me ‘the name of your informant! ’
‘Well I also will give in,’ she said, repeating her husband’s very words. ‘I shall have pity on you. Now tell me what it was that Mr Hardy told you which has brought on your poor head the nest of hornets?’
‘I have promised to be a member of his class; he told you so himself. Are you not glad my Wissah?’
I? No! Why should 1 be glad? You are rather wrong if you thought so. “The soul that sinneth it shall die.”231 have my own soul to think or take care of, my dear husband. I do not see why I should be so uncommonly glad.’
‘How unfeelingly you do talk to-day, Wissah,’ replied poor Quaibu, quite beside himself. I really thought you would rejoice at it, and so came in to have a chat with you about it and about another matter which he told me. But I see now that you never cared for me,’ said he getting up to go away.
Miss Wissah seeing her husband in the miserable plight she had put him into, got up hastily and encircled her plump arms round his neck and gave him the kisses which she intended for the two persons, but which she really never intended to give them, and submissively begged him to forgive her. Mr Quaibu reseated himself and was restored to the spirits in which he first went to his wife’s apartment, by her telling him that she merely assumed that attitude to punish him for daring to tease her, and treating her in a manner he never did before.
‘Then I must not believe a single word of what you said,’ said Mr Quaibu quite himself again. ‘No Mr Quaibu,’ she answered, feeling really proud of her success in teasing her liege Lord and bringing him to her feet.
‘ ‘Nor, my having kissed the young woman too?’ again asked he.
‘That also has no existence but in my brains,’ she replied.
And the kisses to the persons?’ he again asked looking keenly at her.
‘Fie! Did you really believe that I was really capable of committing such an unwomanly act? That shows me how very lightly you think of me and how very low you consider my morals to be. However let us forget what has passed and talk about the interesting subject which, I do not deny now, does occupy my mind, and at which I cannot help rejoicing. When I was a member and you were not, I felt, as it were, that we were separated by a deep chasm but now that you have become one, that wicked barrier is removed-and we are close to each other again.’
I see that you are yourself again, Wissah,’ returned her husband; ‘and as you know that I do not wish to be in debt I will pay you back the kisses you gave me.’
‘Have done, Quaibu,’ cried Miss Wissah. releasing herself at the same time from her spouse. ‘If you go on at this rate you will not have any more left with me to pay you for the other information you promised to give me.’
‘What information did I promise you, my dear?’ asked he. ‘I certainly do not recollect it. ’ ‘Do you wish to travel upon the same road again, my dear Quaibu? Have you so soon forgotten how grievously you missed your way? and but for me you would be still wandering, wandering until you got benighted?’
‘Honor bright, Wissah; I certainly do not recollect giving you promise of any information,’ replied he.
‘Nor do you know anything else besides joining the society, which you and the minister talked about to-day?’
‘I see it now, by the powers! Ah! you women as you sat here whilst the minister and myself were in the hall talking, of course you could not hear a word of what we were talking about. Could, you Wissah? Well, there is Bonsoe Penin and Miss Butah your friend sitting down in the hall talking and I can hear every word they utter, although they are not talking loud. Now acknowledge that you heard it whilst we were talking and that you did not hear it from me.
Acknowledge this and as soon as our visitors are gone we will have a quiet “confab” about it, and I will tell you also my views on the matter, which will place you in a position to judge.’
‘I shall give in Quaibu; but I sincerely wish your friend Mr Bonsoe Penin and his wife will not stay long so that we may resume our conversation. I am so impatient to know all about it.’
They joined Mr Bonsoe Penin and his companion who seemed on the pins to get away as the sun was getting too hot she said, and they had a long way to go. Miss Wissah was not a little pleased, but had the good grace to press her companion to wait until the cool of the evening. Quaibu however for obvious reasons was so pressing on Mr Bonsoe Penin that he at last consented to wait. He had to go to Nouveau Vue on a little business with the judge, but Mrs Bonsoe Penin (no 5) had to go a long way as she was going to Eksbury. ‘
What is the news of the day?’ enquired Quaibu of his friend.
‘There is no particular news that I am aware of,’ he at first answered, but subsequently added, ‘by the bye, Quaibu, have you received any note from Mr Cleighmore? I went over to see him this morning on business, and whilst there I saw a lot of notes addressed to a few friends. I took mine and found it an invitation to dinner at his house tomorrow evening.’
‘Another dinner party! exclaimed Quaibu rather sorrowful. ‘These repeated dinner parties don’t agree with me. I wish I could discover a plausible excuse with a view to be absent.’
‘What is up old fellow?’ demanded his friend. ‘Do you wish to withdraw from our clique? You will have a tough job to accomplish, I can assure you.’
‘Oh no, that was not my intention when I said that. But you must acknowledge that we had really too much of it lately, and I was never accustomed to such a dissipated course before I came here.’
‘Be off ‘with you,’ exclaimed Bonsoe Penin. ‘To talk of dissipation. Is there any place more “dissipated” than your Dobblesie?
‘Dobblesie is certainly a “dissipated” town, but it is quite a quiet place when compared to that town of yours. Gangacre is notoriously known to be the jolliest town in our part of the coast; you must acknowledge that, Bonsoe Penin.
‘There is a letter for you and another for my master Edward,’ interrupted Aghastone the head servant of Mr Quaibu, who handed the letters and with- drew. The very identical note of invitation from Cleighmore’ exclaimed Quaibu; ‘What a good job it is, it is for to-morrow. I have time to turn it over in my head whether I shall go or not.’
‘But you must go Quaibu, or we will know the reason why’ exclaimed Bonsoe Penin. ‘We don’t do things by halves here as you of Dobblesie. What a nuisance!’ he exclaimed after glancing at his letter. ‘I suppose I must go after all, and to the very place I was trying to avoid in this hot time. The judge wish- es to see me at once at his residence.’
‘Wont you take something cooling Bonsoe Penin before you leave?’ asked Quaibu.
‘No’ thanks. I must keep a clear head before His Honor. I don’t know what tough matter he is going to speak to me about, and I have not forgotten the wet- ting you gave me.
‘Good bye then for the present. Are you also going?’ addressing himself to Mrs Bonsoe Penin. ‘Can’t your friend persuade you to stay until the cool of the evening?’
‘I have done all I could,’ put in Miss Wissah, ‘to induce her to stay, but go she must, she says. She promises to come over to-morrow evening to spend the time with me whilst you are away.
‘Whilst I am away! where to?’ asked Quaibu.
‘Read that note in your hands again,’ replied Wissah.
‘Oh I have forgotten. But you seem to be very anxious for me to go to the dinner, Miss. Well good bye Mrs Bonsoe Penin; I hope to see you again to-mor- row evening??
‘You will not see her then, for you wont be at home,’ insisted Miss Wissah. ‘What a curious girl you are!’ Quaibu could only say.
As soon as the Bonsoe Penins left Miss Wissah insisted upon resuming their private talk, and to have it over, so to the old place they went. It certainly must be confessed that do whatever he would poor Quaibu could not make himself out, much less Miss Wissah. The lady had shown a change, or decided to change since she became a class member; and may not the contemplated Church marriage effect greater changes in her against his peace of mind? As man he thought if he did not assume his right position at the eve of the bond soon to be contracted between himself and her, he might as well cast his authority to the winds after the celebration of the marriage, and submit himself to be hen-pecked for life. He thought better therefore to make a resolute stand and refuse to discuss the subject until he thought fit and proper to do so. On the other hand he thought that if he refused to have it out then his chance of doing so before the promised interview with the minister on the next day would be lost and without having the talk over with her so as by it a result to know whether or not he would be studying his and her future happiness by consenting to the project, he would be leaping in the dark and plunging her and himself into life-long misery. He therefore chose the least of the two evils and quietly submitted with good grace to the discussion of their second marriage. Poor man! He was in a sad predicament. To have the talk there and then he would be giving in to his wife which he did not wish to do; and not to do so, he either must give the minister his promise to marry in the Church in which case he would be acting blindly in the affair or if he refused he felt that he must give him – the minister – good and sufficient reasons for refusing which he could not do without first having an interview with her. The lady therefore carried the day, and nothing loathe opened the ball by asking Quaibu to tell her what the minister told him.
‘Are you indeed very anxious to know it? ‘he asked, cautiously approaching the subject.
‘How provoking you are now Quaibu; you know very well that I am very anxious; what is the use of asking?’
‘To come again to the point Wissah. He showed me a superb ring which was said was a present from Her Majesty the Queen to her beloved subject, Wissah, of whom she had heard a great deal, and the knighthood to her subject, even your beloved husband, on condition that we perform a certain meritorious deed which he the minister mentioned.’
‘Although I find that you are joking with me, and that you would learn no lesson by what took place at our last interview, yet as I am really anxious to know what it was I will condescend to ask you what the conditions were by the performance of which I would be entitled to the ring, and you to the title of knighthood. ’
I am not joking, Wissah. I have told you exactly what he said. However if you don’t comprehend it I will be more explicit. The mystic ring is the emblem of marriage. I am to have the custody thereof for the present, until the time come when I shall have to give it to you in chapel, before the ordained minister and witnesses. The order of knighthood is an honourable title conferred upon nobody else but those who are of good reputation, high respectability and of good position. The fact of this title being conferred upon me does not only shew that I have hitherto been worthy of it but through our future life I must maintain its respectability by which alone I shall be considered by all classes of men as a respectable member of society This is the idea of Christians. Now, as women generally share the dignity of their husbands, so they also become F highly respectable as soon as ever the ring is transferred from the husband to the wife, and it is their bounden duty to help the man to keep it always respectable, and without whom it is utterly impossible. You may ask, how is it that the Queen of England has to do with marriages generally? Know that she is the head of the Protestant faith, represents God on earth, her name is only mentioned in this light; but as I am a creature of God who has made me What 1 am by implanting in me an earnest desire to acquire a position of worth and respectability among Christian communities in particular, and in this world generally, I consider that what I am and what I have, including the ring and the order or knighthood (emblem of respectability) are as it were presents from him and him only through his vicar on earth which is the Queen, Defender of the Faith. Are you satisfied that I was not joking? and do you understand now what it was that the minister was asking me?’
‘I understand you perfectly; but I must say, however, that I do not fully comprehend the part Her Majesty has to do in the matter. I do not think that you do understand yourself, although you have been trying hard to make the best of it. I am, however, satisfied there is an end of it. By the by, Bonsoe Kumah, do you intend going to Mr Cleighmore’s dinner?’
‘Away with dinners,’ cried Quaibu surprised. ‘Is it possible that you are ignorant of the seriousness of the matter into which we are plunging? I see by the light way you take it that your friend, the minister, and his wife have only shewn you its bright and pleasant side; and have kept from you either intentionally or not, its dark, hideous and most miserable side. I will not allow you to undertake an affair of such a nature with your eyes shut, and I will endeavour to explain it to you in the best way I can, leaving you to decide or take what course you please.
‘I cannot give you an elaborate elucidation of the thing, as I am not clever 1 enough to do so; but whatever I know about it I will endeavour to explain to N you so that you may be in a position to decide whether we are not happier as we are in our native marriage than we would be in the Church one.
‘We are going to stand before God, and each of us is to take a solemn Oath in the presence of the minister who is to marry us, and before witnesses. I have to swear, on my part, that I will keep you and you only as my legal wife, and that I will never take or keep another woman besides yourself as long as I live. I have to swear further, that I will support and protect you in sickness and everything in which by nature, women are specially weak to and respect you as well as I do myself and to cause others to respect you by my own conduct and behaviour towards you. As far as I am concerned I shall find the new state very easy enough; in fact I can see no difference between the way I have hitherto treated you and that which I shall be enjoined by the new tie. The only difference I can see is, as we are now situated you can leave me at any time. And I can send you away also at any time. This embraces the principle if not the entire duty towards you as a husband. You on your part will have to swear that you will honour, love and obey me in all lawful commands, and that you will respect me above all men excepting perhaps your father. This you will find easy enough to do since you have practised it during the 8 years of our connection. If this was all we would have nothing whatsoever to fear, and can have no apprehension as to the wreck of our mutual happiness. What we have now to be very anxious about and of which 1 have the great dread is the substitution o/ that with has hitherto proved efficacious in keeping us to our duty towards each other, for that which may not equally prove powerful enough to produce the same effect. That which has hitherto kept us together is our having been left alone to act as we choose or in other words, the liberty we have of ridding our- selves of each other at any time we mind to. This may seem strange not only to you but to a great many persons who may not have had serious thought about the matter; but it is nevertheless true according to my own individual convictions. The free-will implanted in us by God to act as we think proper, would be fraught with evil, in fact act banefully in our marriage life had it not been something else which is extremely strong in its nature to keep it within bound. For instance in our case. From the time that we lived as man and wife up to the present time, it is little more than eight years; during all this time option has been granted to either of us to live as we commenced, or to separate. I have elected’ to have you always with me, and have felt that if you leave me I shall feel very miserable. What must I do to have you always to live with me? It is nothing more or less than to love and cherish you, to treat you kindly and with the utmost consideration, to anticipate your very wants, and, in every way to treat you with the greatest respect and affection. If I did not behave in such a manner towards you could you have lived so long with me? Never. It is against human nature. Well, it is because I stand a chance of losing you therefore it is that I have been constrained to show you all these considerations; and I am sure if father, mother or any other persons, or influences were to rise up to break the connection between us, as we are now situated, you would not listen to them. You would rather, I am sure /eave your father and mother, and cleave unto me, for you have become bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh (Gen. Chap II verse 23-4). This is the real marriage, the grand DIVINE UNION – marriage – ordained by God, between a man and a woman. It is pure, unalloyed, and free from the contamination of all extraneous influences. On your part, it is just the same. If you did not show me all what I have already enumerated, if you did not behave towards me in a way in which a wife ought to behave towards her husband, we should have separated long ago. As in my case so have you been afraid of the power that I have of sending you away. This is the whole principle of country marriage, as far as monogamy goes, and I would, not give it up in exchange for another if I can help myself. But it may be asked what about the liberty that the man has” of taking unto himself more than one wife? The answer is simple; a man of religious principles and a gentleman who really and truly respects himself would rather have but one wife, provided that that wife is all that he desires in her, than to have more than one, which would be a source of discomfort and misery in his house.
‘You have seen, Wissah, the liberty, the freedom of action, enjoyed in country marriages. I will tell you now that for which we are going to sacrifice what has heretofore been a source of happiness and bliss to us.’ ‘Liberty is sweet, and natural laws are stronger than laws that any civil power can inaugurate. The marriage I have just described to you is full of liberty, because it is nature’s institution or something near it; whilst free will or liberty has no place in the one I am going to describe to you; because it is a civil institution opposed to nature. It is this: we swear before God and man that nothing but adultery committed by one or both of us could dissever the connection between us; otherwise we must live together through life whether or not I treat you kindly. In this one, the oath that we take to bind us together – a very sharp instrument for people living as we are, to handle – takes the place of liberty and free will or action of the other. In the country marriage the love is fed continually by the FEAR that at the least ill-treatment your wife or your husband might leave you, and marry another; in the church marriage there is no such incentive manages with us there. Whilst in the one (native marriage) we have every reason to be careful how we act, in the other, license is given to us to do whatever we like. The woman is at liberty to say “I can do whatever I like now, so long as my husband can not of his own wish and inclination divorce me unless he can prove adultery against me. Now love may go to the winds; I will enjoy myself the best way I can” [quotation marks added, SN]. With love, obedience, honor and respect far away the poor miserable dupe of a husband gets his eyes open when it is too late for him to retract. The man may lose the love he had for the wife for the like reasons, although he may show her respect for her own sake, and keep outward appearances. The man, besides other miseries that he has it in his power to inflict upon his wife, cannot help treating her differently from the kind of treatment he gave her before marriage. Then if he showed his true colours his lady love being unshackled could give him his congé; but now that she is enchained, for any act of his towards her barring brutal treatment and adultery, he may not care. In the church marriages, according to the state of our society license is given us to make each other miserable, while in the country one the license given is in the other way. Now Wissah you have heard all what I have told you about these two kinds of marriages; I will leave you now to think of it; let me know your decision before the minister makes his intended visit tomorrow.’
I really must thank you,’ replied Miss Wissah, ‘for the trouble at which you have been to explain the nature of the two marriages to me. But if church marriage is as bad as you have depicted it, how is it that all white men in their country go by it?’
You are right to ask me that question,’ replied Quaibu. ‘It would take me too long to explain all the reasons to you. Enough if I tell you that whilst it has taken more than a thousand years to make the white men what they are now, we, on our side cannot count even one hundred; so you will easily perceive that their ways so far as the present is concerned are not our ways, neither does that which suit them necessarily suit us. When I speak of church marriages I mean as they concern us in this country.
‘But I see many legally married couples who live happily together even in our country; why should not others?’ asked Miss Wissah. ‘As for instance who my dear girl?’ replied Quaibu.
‘As for instance, Rev Mr Pritzia and his wife, Hon Coontarmas, Mr Gandor and many others,’ she replied.
‘Allow me to know more about these gentlemen than yourself, my dear, but you do well to instance the few whom you consider to be the bright side of the picture; and now I will not go beyond our own family to bring out the dark side of your picture. What about your aunt and my daddy? Your aum Jemima and her husband; your uncle Quantamak and his wife; your uncle Mensah and —’
‘Enough!’ cried Miss Wissah suddenly, looking quite bewildered. ‘These are really sad instances you have named. To tell you the real truth you have thoroughly convinced me. But what am I to do? I have not only consented but 1iave also promised to use my influence, if I had any with you, to get you to join the class meetings, and the consummation of this second marriage.
‘Enough Wissah. If you are still willing after the explanation of the two kinds of marriages I have given you, to change the one for the other, I have nothing more to say. I am satisfied if you are. May God help us,’ replied Mr Quaibu sorrowfully.
At the meeting that took place between the minister and Mr Quaibu the next day, at which marriage formed the principal topic of conversation, I mean discussion, our hero not being inclined to give up the happiness which he enjoyed in his country marriage state without at least showing to the minister his opinion of the two kinds of marriages, used more forcible arguments than he used when he was with his wife. Mr Powers on his side used all the arguments he could in favour of church or Christian marriage; but he found that he might as well try to convince him that black was white. Finding however that he was going to lose Quaibu, since it was obvious to him that he could not admit him as a class member until he consummated his marriage in the church, Mr Powers said:
‘By the arguments you have urged forward in favour of country marriage a good portion of which I cannot help admitting to be convincing, I infer that you mean to live as you are with your lady. If such be the case, what about the promise you gave me yesterday of becoming a member of our Society? For you really, as you must be aware, cannot be admitted whilst you live with Miss Wissah in a state of concubinage – pardon the expression. ’
‘Dear Mr Powers’ returned Quaibu, ‘you must not consider me capable of giving a promise to day and breaking it tomorrow. Do not infer by the nature of my arguments that I have decided either the one or the other way. Custom or rather habit is second nature, and you cannot expect me to give up at once and without regret the marriage in which I have found such an unalloyed happiness during so many years, for one the consequences, or rather the operations of which, I really cannot tell. You say that 1 cannot be admitted as a member unless I conform to the rites of Christian marriage.’
‘That is the rule of the Society; of course you are aware of that,’ replied Mr Powers.
‘Even in spite of my having lived for so many years with Miss Wissah, sticking to her only, having conferred upon her all the respects that any church married woman can expect; a prey to no jealousies and heart burnings; one who has been able to command even your respect, strict methodist as you are? Even in spite of al! these which are no less than what could be expected in church marriages I must not be admitted into your society?’
‘Even so,’ the Rev gentleman replied.
‘Am I then to understand’ continued Quaibu, that the master is more liberal than his disciples in the line of conduct he prescribed for them to pursue?’
‘In what do you charge us with bigotry my dear fellow? wherein would our
‘In the very subject which forms the principal topic of our conversation,’ replied Quaibu. ‘Our Lord Jesus, although a God, yet conformed himself to the things of this world when he became incarnate. He would suit his divine precept and teachings to the condition of the people. Did he not command his disciples “to render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and unto God the things that are God’s”?” Did he not rebuke the Pharisees for charging his disciples with breach of the Sabbath and uphold his disciples? The Pharisees were astonished when he said the “Sabbath was made for man, but not man for the Sabbath.” He knew that his disciples were hungry and therefore considered that it was no sin to pluck the ears of corn on a sabbath day to satisfy the cravings of nature. Certain it is that he would have blamed them and upheld the conduct of the Pharisees had the disciples no hunger to satisfy, but only committed the act through wantonness and on the Sabbath too. He —
‘But my dear fellow,’ interrupted Mr Powers, ‘what has all this to do with the subject on hand?’
‘Great deal sir,’ replied he. ‘I was going to say when you interrupted me that He, that is our Lord Jesus, would in this instance say, as in the case of the sabbath, that marriage was made for man and not man for marriage.
‘How do you make this out? Where is the analogy? You are handling a subject you don’t understand sir,’ cried the parson very much excited.
‘Quietly, my dear friend,’ replied Quaibu, ‘quietly. Kindly hear me out and you can decide whether or not I understand the subject.’ He then continued. ‘I said that Christ would in this case have laid down the precept that ‘marriage was made for man, and not man for marriage.’ The analogy between the two is obvious. In the case of the disciples HUNGER was the reason of their being right in breaking the Sabbath to satisfy it. It was much better that, than for his disciples to suffer the inconvenience of hunger. Well, in the case of marriage you cannot deny that happiness is the chief end of it (marriage). Our Saviour would have seen that, since happiness would not result in christian marriages among half-barbarous people, pure monogamy, without the oath, would have been a happy substitute; he would have told the Pharisees that marriage was made for man instead of the man being made for it. It does not serve my purpose to enter fully into this part of the subject at present; I will leave it and then enter into the principal topic of our conversation.
‘You tell me that I cannot be admitted into your society because the relation between me and Miss Wissah is an obstacle in the way. To be admitted I must either marry her according to the Church or send her away in order to entitle myself to membership. To send her away, I find is impossible, in fact it would be wicked; it is not to be thought of; and to take her to Church I find I cannot: because we are not ripe enough for such a ceremony; the nature of our society would not admit of it yet I have assured you that if the object of the English . marriage be to ensure happiness, I am satisfied that peace and joy are sufficiently ensured by our country marriages too, however ridiculous they may appear in the eyes of the stranger, and that by forcing people into this kind of marriage, it would be placing a sharp instrument in the hands of ignorant people to cut their throat with, that is loss of their happiness. But you have no middle course; it must be “yea, yea, or nay, nay.” The same rule is applicable in a society which has taken centuries to perfect, in a community the most civilized, and where morality is at the highest pitch and as pure as it can be; you say the same rule must apply in a country the most degraded, in a society the most loose, and amongst a people just emerging from the shade of barbarism n whose I morals may be the lowest in the world. You say there is no middle course with l you. With the Saviour himself He would have found a way to suit existing circumstances and allowed time to do the work. I feel that I am rushing into a thing which will surely land me and the poor woman into a complete wreck of happiness. If my wife had not been completely made to take your view of the matter and had I been a complete master of the occasion, as it had been mine before she became a member and was stuffed with this precious marriage, I would most certainly use my right as a man; and refuse the thing point blank. But she is entirely for it; and as I myself cannot be admitted into the Wesleyan body as you tell me, without first entering into the church marriage, I cannot do anything else but give my consent thereto. Let it be done as speedily as possible.’
‘I must certainly say’, replied Mr Powers, ‘that you unnecessarily entertain a most gloomy view of the case. You will find that if happiness was ensured you in your native marriage, double happiness will be the result of this one. Be assured that it would conduce to your happiness.’
‘You have not been long in the country, Mr Powers, to know the state of its society. In this instance you in this part have taken the one from Mr Pritzia. We have known each other long enough, for you to know that, besides being a man of some education, I have had English principles ingrafted into me. You also know Miss Wissah to be a woman of no education and that her principles are purely native. How can you entertain the hope that you have just expressed to me? Being illiterate, and hardly understanding English, could you expect her to realize the seriousness of the step which she is now about to take. Let it be hoped however that you may be right and I wrong as to the result of the marriage. If during the discussion of this matter I have said anything out of the way kindly forgive me; for I really cannot help myself as I felt during the time and even now that I am rushing or being forced into an abyss where there is no way of getting out once in. Remember me in your prayers my dear friend for I am really miserable. May God help us.’
Nothing more was said about the matter, and the Rev gentleman left not feeling very happy about the result of the conversation he had with his friend. As for Mr Quaibu himself his position in the affair was then the same. He met the parson with a mind fully made up to enter into the new marriage, but he wished to let him know that he entered into it with his eyes wide open. It is true that to him the FUTURE was unfathomable a puzzle; but he found consolation in the thought that God could temper the wind for the shorn lamb. Quaibu therefore felt, when the person went away, rather glad than otherwise that the matter was settled, even if it was against his good judgment. Poor Quaibu! better it would have been by far for you and Miss Wissah had you made a resolute stand and refused to have anything to do with the marriage. Your after life would have been happier in the society of your lady love instead of the heart burnings, misery, inquietude and the life of annoyance and irritation you would have afterwards Let this be a lesson to those who are living in ‘single life’ or in the happy marriage of their country?”
It has been recorded somewhere that Bonsoe Penin at the meeting that took place between himself and Mr Quaibu exhibited such extreme disapproval of the step his friend was about to take, that he spoke in undisguised terms his sentiments or mind on the rashness of the act, and that he cautioned him before he left io think over the matter again before he plunged himself into it. The meeting of the friends took place shortly after the conference which has been related as having taken place between Mr Powers and Mr Quaibu. It was impossible, therefore for him to arrive at any other conclusion than that which resulted at the meeting. He consequently told his friend when they next met of his having made up his mind to take the leap in the dark and abide by the consequences. Bonsoe Penin had done all that a friend could do; he could not overstep the bounds of friendship and act the despotic master towards a refractory f slave; he therefore tendered Quaibu his services and even offered to act as his best man, which office he performed creditably when the marriage was solemnized shortly after. There were no cooings for Mr and Mrs Quaibu; they, as lovers, had done their cooings long, long ago; there was no honey-moon, nor any of the sweet nothings that newly married couples usually indulge in. To them nothing new was brought about by this new marriage. If anything was brought, it amounted to the two terms Mr and Mrs.
Dear Miss Wissah! Fain would I still call thee by thine own sweet name! May Mrs Quaibu never have occasion to regret the loss of her liberty, as she seems now not to regret the loss of her poetic name! Fare thee well sweet Wissah! may the name Quaibu which thou hast assumed be as propitious to thee as that was to thee which thou hast cast away. And now gentle Quaibu, to thee also I have aught to say of advice, give strict attention to it, and it will be of the greatest benefit to thee in the new life thou art going to lead. It is certain that thou art aware of the importance of the step thou hast taken, and that thy Wissah does not understand it. It would be thy duty therefore to be forbearing and to exercise greater patience with her now than thou ever didst before. If you wish to be happy, learn to lead her gently in the new path she has entered into with you. She has a great deal to learn and much to unlearn; be a willing preceptor, and in the end, as you are aware that she is quick to learn, success will Attend your endeavours and happiness will be your reward. I will tell you a ‘ story that was told me some years ago by an old man from which you will gain ”wholesome lessons and valuable advice.
I have been’, began the old man ‘a great traveller in my life. There is not country, a town of any note, in this vast continent of ours that I have not visited. The motives which first impelled me to be on the continual move I need no tell thee now; but for that motive I would not have travelled but certainly would have remained quiet at home, and lived among a people who honoured and respected me, as I was their chief. To look at me now you would not think that I could have been what I now represent myself to be, and yet such was truly the case. It happened one day as I was on my way to a certain town I fell in with a company of travellers who were going to the same place where I intended to rest for the night; we accordingly travelled together and from them I learnt that the great city for which I was bound – a city renowned for the splendour and magnificence of its buildings and for the great and prodigious amount of traffic carried on by its people with the adjacent as well as with the neighbouring countries as also for the great wisdom of its King was a three day journey from where I was. As I had heard much about this city and the wealth of its inhabitants, and as travellers were generally loud in their praises of that spot, 1 fully made up my mind to see it. This resolution was moreover the outcome of a desire to become acquainted with the superior manners, habits and customs of the inhabitants of the city. We reached a small town near it about dusk and having had a good rest during the night, I got up the next morning quite fresh and was in readiness to embrace the chance of a party of men who were going to that city with merchandize to sell. Although I had nothing in the shape of goods to sell yet my anxiety to reach the place as quickly as possible equalled that of the merchants; we therefore took two and a half instead of three days to accomplish the journey. I was fortunate enough to be conducted to good lodgings, the proprietor of which was very kind and civil to me. He took a great liking to me, and in course of time we became as thick friends as similarity of age – for we were about 30 years old then – temperament, and habits could make us. I am just turning to 65 years, so it is about 35 years since this happened. There was something in me which the man doubtless saw. He probably believed that if he cultivated an intimacy with me it would be to our mutual benefit. He subsequently engaged me in his business. As I had an aptitude for business, especially the kind of business in which he was engaged, he in course of time had occasion to thank his stars for having had my assistance, and I for having become acquainted with him, for his business increased and he soon had occasion to enlarge his establishment by adding new buildings to it, and engaging another one equally large to which he transferred me. In this situation I soon h contracted an acquaintance with people of note and good standing in the city. I J’ took to myself a tutor from whom I learnt a great deal of what I was before ignorant and acquired such habits as only highly civilized communities could impart. My business did not only increase but prospered. I became a man of note and associated with the highest personages in the city. Things went on smoothly with me for many years, when one day, being seized with a great inclination to visit my native country, I took leave of my friend the proprietor to whom I entrusted the management of my affairs during my absence and from whom I departed with a good portion of the riches I had acquired, carried by many men and women and accompanied by some of my friends, who were desirous of seeing my country and people. I need not trouble you with a description of the nature of the reception I received From my people; suffice it to say that I did not repent having made the journey and my friends for accompanying me. For some years I remained with my people, during which time I introduced many improvements, effected changes in the habits and customs of my country and made such laws which I considered suitable to its circum- stances. After I had done all that was possible to be done I went back to my adopted country and found my friend the proprietor, completely changed in disposition, although not from a worldly point of view. He received me very warmly, and not a little to my surprise introduced me to a lady whom he called his wife. I experienced feelings of chillness during the time I was with my friend and his lady. Instead of the jolly friend I left a few years ago I met him ‘ looking rather haggard and miserable and I saw moreover that his civil manners towards me were forced “left Mn very much surprised and perplexed. I did not know what to think of him. I felt somewhat grieved. His friendship and love for me I could perceive had not in any way abated, but yet I felt a coldness, a numbness, which I could not make out. In this situation I took my leave of them but determined to get at the cause of this extraordinary change, and in future to shape my conduct towards him.
As soon as I reached home, I wrote a letter inviting him to a quiet dinner with me and to have a friendly talk with him afterwards. But just as I was handing the letter to a servant for delivery my dear friend was announced and a moment after, he ran in and embraced me in the most rapturous manner. He was himself again. I squeezed him to my heart and lost in the long embrace the cold reception I received from him in his own house.
‘After dinner we withdrew to a room inaccessible to any body else in the house and where if I entered nobody was to be admitted by any servants. It was a room beautifully furnished according to the taste of the country. When we seated ourselves my friend thus commenced. “My dear friend!! I need not tell you how deeply I felt the manner in which I was obliged to receive you the other day after long years of separation. If I tell you that it was on account of the woman to whom I introduced you as my wife ’ I am sure you would not believe it. It is true nevertheless. If you expect to see me as the same open, frank and kind hearted friend and jovial fellow you will be sadly mistaken. Never was a man so completely transformed as I have been since the d—1 incarnate and his spouse darkened my door with their accursed presence:30 (excuse the expression) but I will be even with them yet, that is if I happen to meet them anywhere. I have determined to follow them even to the end of the world to be avenged, the accursed meddlers! Would you believe that I and my beautiful Abigail31 were having one of our usual rows when you were announced? ana do you now wonder at the nature of the reception I gave you? That moment I felt that I could kill that woman outright and be hung for jt. but your presence put a stop to the row thereby saving me. I must beg you to pardon me for the incoherent way in which I have expressed myself; I-really can- not help myself.” Here he stopped to collect his thoughts and cool his excited spirit, and then commenced thus: – “You must be aware that before you left me in order to proceed to your country I was living in single blissfulness; I was a happy man then. Shortly after your departure desiring to fill the vacancy which your absence occasioned I thought that I could do no better than to take to myself a companion; for a friend of less degree than that could not compensate me for the loss I had sustained by your being away from me. It was not long before I found in the woman who is now my wife all that I could desire. We were married according to our own custom which gives either of us liberty to disconnect ourselves from each other should we find that instead of the marriage creating happiness which is the chief aim of such unions it created misery. For more than two years neither of us had cause to repent the change we had made in our former lives. Neither of us would change the other for another companion, so perfect was our happiness. But no happiness in this world could be called perfect; none would last long without any alloy, and ours came from a source we the least expected. A man exceedingly prepossessing appearance and This wife’ came and took lodgings in our house as he looked very respectable we gave them the best apartments. The business that brought them to the city was to introduce a new kind of Religion. The doctrines they preached were such as it seemed the people were ripe to embrace. Among the customs which this worthy couple tried to introduce was the marriage rite. This found a great number of advocates in the ranks of our women: they must be married according to the rites this new religion contemplated; and among these female advocates my wife was the most zealous and no wonder, since she and the female lodger of mine had become firm friends. You know my dear friend that I hate every thing that has an innovating influence, and I need not tell you that I was the leader of those men who set up their hearts against this interference in our marriage custom, although in every other doctrine they introduced I was in accord with them especially polygamy. Mr Baptista” (my lodger’s name) had a great liking for me; he would make a proselyte of me he used to say; and but for his interference in our marriage custom I certainly would have been a strenuous discipline of his. To make a long story short my wife became unhappy; nothing short of the solemnization of our marriage to the new religion would satisfy her. Domestic infelicity is outrageous, and I caught it. Besides which, I was assisted every day by Mr and Mrs Baptista; ‘set an exam- le bright for others to follow and thou shalt be rewarded’, they used to tell me and they were right; for am I not rewarded!! Well, it is no use crying over spilt milk. In short with my eyes wide open, I suffered myself to be bamboozled and the marriage was again solemnized. Thus I woefully changed substance for a shadow, happiness for misery; and you return to meet your dear jovial friend the most wretched man living. My wife, the obedient loving girl, the pride of my life, the solace of my evil days is turned into the very incarnation of a curse in my own house and I cannot send her away on account of the oath I took at the ceremony. As the surviving twin-brother – whom nature had attached together – was obliged to carry about his poor dead brother with him wherever he went so I am doomed by my oath to carry this incubus, this woman about with me.
“”Can it be possible”, I asked, “that you cannot send her away in spite of all the misery which probably may result in your premature death?”
“”No,” my friend replied, “unless either she or I commit adultery which I will not do if I can help myself.”
“But I am afraid you have not told me about this new kind of marriage,” I asked my friend. “For I do not see how it could change the amiable disposition of a woman like your wife when she was living with you as a country wife, to one of so acrimonious or acidulous a nature, as you tell me, in her second or the new marriage?”
“”I thought it was not necessary,” my friend replied. “There were many advantages held out to them (the women) in this new marriage, but the greatest among these advantages which takes their fancy the most is in the fact that she and her children begotten by me or she alone in the absence of children become entitled to my property should she survive me, whilst she on the other hand has got nothing to leave me were I to survive her. This coupled with the fact that you cannot send her away and other advantages this marriage gives gives, has made her so proud and unbearably independent of the man who has made her what she is that at times I have even conceived a notion of killing her and myself to end my misery.” ‘
“My dearest friend, and benefactor,” rejoined I, cut to the very heart with grief and sorrow, “I would most willingly, if I could, share your grief with you, but that is impossible. If I could restore you the happiness which you have lost, by sacrificing all that I possess, I would most willingly throw it to the winds so that you might be what you were before, but it is utterly impossible as you lead me to understand. But you can learn to endure what you cannot help. In perplexity and distress both of mind and body, it is only the wise who. forbear and are patient, and in the very forbearance and patience that they exercise learn the way how to get out of the difficulty. Both of you I can see have not lost the love subsisting between you; in spite of her sour disposition and ill behaviour towards you, which is the offspring of the union of barbarous ideas with civilized notions; of imperfect knowledge of the new doctrines with the old customs. I can find that she loves you as ardently as ever she did before or else why should she wish to tie herself to you for life? It is in this very love that you can effect a reconciliation and bring her to the knowledge of her duty towards you.”
“In this your distress, will you be my Telemachus and I your Mentor.’4 That’s well. As soon as you leave me go direct home, and call upon your wife with those sweet smiles that were once your own and accost her. If she returns your smiles and meet you in the manner she ought, attempt to tell her something amusing. But if she meets your smiles with a scowls and your amicable advances with indifference and contempt go quietly to your own apartments and bolt or fasten the door which leads to hers and there seclude yourself from her. If possible take your meals alone; but you must prosecute your business without consulting her as I suppose you are in the habit of doing; in fact show her by your assumed manners that you intend in future to do without her altogether. In the meantime watch her narrowly; and if you find any sign of contrition and a wish to make advances towards you meet her halfway, observing at the same time whether she is sincere. If she is not yet what she ought to be, preserve your reserved manners, in addition to which you can go out frequently for strolls or come to me whenever you can afford the time. Entertain your friends as usual without taking any particular notice of her; in fact treat her as a perfect non entity when you are alone in the house; but when there is company treat her with distant and severe civility. This mode of treatment will excite in her a spirit of opposition if she is a passionate woman, and she may seek to kick up a row with you. To meet this effectually, and to prevent any more rows, be (contumelious/ and scornful in your treatment of her; in fact supreme contempt cannot fail to effect a cure. But if you still fail in your thus endeavouring to break her in, and bring to her a sense of her duty towards you, then I know of nothing more that could restore you to your happiness; and the sooner a judicious separation be obtained the better for both of you; for it is impossible that God who in creating us intended us to be happy with bin: in the other world should punish us, if we sought to restore a lost happiness which we cannot effect in any other way but by untying a knot which was made by human institution. On the other hand if she is contrite and appears to be desirous for a restitution of conjugal love and affection, cautiously meet her. To her ten advances make one; go in this way until you are sure that your wife is really yours again in disposition, and in general conduct. When you have brought her to such a condition speak to her thus:-
‘“Before we were united together as man and wife, each of us was happy; we were extremely happy too together when we were united as one, in our first – marriage status – country marriage – for you honoured, loved and obeyed me then; in our second marriage, happiness took to itself wings and flew away, and both of us became miserable; I say both of us because you could not be happy & when you made me unhappy. Well as it was impossible to undo what had been done for us, neither could we jointly find felicity therein, I mean in this second marriage, I sought to be happy alone and succeeded right well. In that state as you are fully aware 1 meant to remain had you not shown a spirit of contrition, and desired the restoration of conjugal rights and love. I may as well mention that after having lived separately in one house for some time without any prospect of our making up it was my intention to restore you to your former slate of happiness by sending you away to your people and to continue as I have already commenced in single blissfulness, since with you I could not be happy. But your contrition appears to me now to be sincere, and I therefore must give up what I resolved to do. Now I must tell you candidly that I wish immensely to be happy and I dare say you wish to be the same. Experience has taught both of us that before we knew ourselves and afterwards in our country marriage we were happy: but that it is only this untoward second marriage that has ruined our happiness. Do you wish to be happy? I know I wish to be! Well do you wish to be happy alone as we were before we knew each other? No? You wish to be happy with me then? Yes – Well you know which of these two kinds of marriage it was that brought us happiness. As you wish to be happy with me, do you intend to behave towards me in the second marriage which we cannot break on account of the oath that we took, in the same way as you did in the first? Yes – honour – bright? Yes. That you would strictly honour, love and obey me in everything as you did before? Yes? Now come and kiss me to seal our compact ‘
“This is the way, my dear friend, in which I would break in a shrew of a wife if I happen to have any such thing. Observe all what I have told you, and if you really love your wife you will soon have her at your feet; but if, on the other hand, she is unworthy of you, you will in this way get rid of her quickly. I will not go to your house until the one or the other of these contingencies is brought about.”
‘My friend left me in good spirits, and I am glad to have to record that in less than a month he called and took me to his house, and there I found his wife sitting in sweet loveliness waiting for her husband and his friend whom she also expected. As soon as we entered the room, and before I accosted her, she got up and advanced a few steps towards me and then said “this is my husband’s only friend of whom I have heard so much; accept the sincerest apology that only a contrite heart could give. I feel keenly the wrong (nay insult) that I offered you at our first introduction. I know that you felt the insult as keenly as I feel it now, because you have not called here since. Say that you forgive me, and I will even be grateful to you. My husband has forgiven me; wont you also forgive me?” I took the proffered hand with the greatest alacrity, knelt down and kissed it, like a gallant man and in doing so dropped a tear which was. caused by great happiness. I need not say in conclusion that Mr and Mrs —became the happiest married couple 1 ever knew barring myself.’
And now Quaibu, to you I leave the story of the old man a£ a legacy; read, learn and inwardly digest. Should you at any future time have occasion to repent of the step you have taken as the hero of this story have recourse to the same remedy and you will find it infallible.
We have recorded that Quaibu became a class member. His admittance into that Holy Society was hailed by every member thereof as the means by which many of the clique to which he belonged would be converted. At Dobblesie he was set up as a bright example for others to follow, and prayers were offered for him to persist and continue in the good path that he had taken. Whilst the holy men hailed the conversion as they called it of Quaibu, those of his own clique and status in the country ridiculed him. Some gave him three months others more illiberal gave him only one to renounce attendance at class. Mr John Brandebolt, his most intimate friend and companion in all circumstances, had written from Dobblesie about the impossibility of his remaining a class member long, and that if he continued in the society even one month he would consider it a prodigy, and he would forsake his aversion to the thing and join it too. Nothing daunted, Quaibu made up his mind fully to stick to his resolution. He said to himself that if he as an individual could not derive real benefit or advantage as to his faith in and duty towards his god, and to his fellow creatures he nevertheless would do some good, and certainly no harm; he was therefore sincere in the course he had taken. Weeks passed and he was a constant attendant at the meeting; he was unremitting in his performance of the duties connected with his new position; yet he narrowly watched the conduct of the members and the minister who was the leader, both in the meetings and in their general conduct. The result of his observation was not favourable to the cause. A man who scrupled not to commit any kind of sin so long as he was not seen by his fellow creatures became immediately a saint at the meetings. One member particularly who was more zealous than the rest since it devolved upon him to perform the duty of conducting the class at any time the leader was away was known to have maintained certain illicit relations with the wife of a friend of his although married himself. This intercourse he carried on as openly as he possibly could. Everybody believed the scandal; it was only the professed christians who would not believe it. The Husband of the woman felt the insult keenly and remonstrated with the wife, but she denied it stoutly; so also did the man. An open rupture broke out, and the woman in assumed innocence felt insulted and therefore removed her things, from her liege lord’s house to the house of her paramour A scandalous deed so openly acknowledged, at least on the part of the woman, and tacitly on the part of the man could not be believed by those who had assumed to themselves the garb of righteousness. It was impossible for a man of his position in the society to commit a crime so wicked and so openly too. A few days after, the woman removed her things to her own family house; shortly after she gave birth to a child; and that child was acknowledged not by the husband for he knew it was not his, but by the man of ‘reputed integrity’ who was then a class member. Shortly after this at a meeting the man in saying his feelings, exclaimed ‘How very hard it is for me without my wife to worship my God!’ ‘Yes’ returned the leader, ‘it is really hard, but per- sist in your prayers, so that God may give you grace to combat the world, the flesh, and the devil.’ That was all; no question was raised by him as to the part he took as a principal in the scandal, neither was he to my knowledge reprimanded and degraded. An act so glaringly hostile to the spirit in which that good society was first instituted by that godly man (Mr Wesley) did not fail to open the eyes of our hero; but when the conduct of the minister was added and still more a scandal of the same nature in high quarters was bruited about, Quaibu felt that instead of being benefited by his connection with the holy class, he would be only learning the art or sin of hypocrisy; an acquisition which would place him in a worse position with his Maker than he was in before he joined the Class; he made his mind to leave them. His attendance at the meetings became at first slack and finally he abandoned it altogether. He assigned no particular reason for his conduct when the minister asked him, only that it did not agree with him. Quaibu in consequence lost all confidence in the good faith of a good number of the class going gentlemen and ladies; he could not help knowing that many of them made a cloak of the sacred institution to hide crimes which non class members would not presume to commit if they could help themselves. There are certainly some very good and pious men amongst them, but they are few as compared with the hypocritical members Whose only object in joining class seems to be to find a garb of security Tor the sins they intend to commit. Quaibu separated himself from this society; but Mrs Quaibu strenuously adhered to it. Quaibu saw the dark side of this separate institution, class meetings – still darker; but his wife only saw its bright side still brighter; in fact the only path that could lead her to heaven our hero only saw hypocrisy written in large letters in the countenances of the forward members who for a put pose of their own make themselves conspicuous in the Society; but our heroine on her part saw only excessive piety, goodness and gentleness written in their faces, and so in their general habits. In fine, Quaibu would none of them, but those who wish to do good, and consider themselves sinners and as such do not turn up their noses against their fellow creatures who may be just as good if not better in the sight of the Great Searcher of hearts; but Mrs Quaibu has taken them all indiscriminately to be her brothers and sisters, and their people her people. Thus Mr and Mrs Quaibu became separate in their ideas, in the class of people they associated with; the lady taking her husband to be ungodly since he was not a class goer; and the man feeling daily that his wife was not to him the same as she was; and that they were being estranged in their low, in their habits, and in the pleasure they once had in each other’s society.
t was thus they were relatively situated when they removed to Dobblesie, among their own people. Quaibu had hoped that a change for the better would have taken place in their circumstances by the influence of the kind of society there was at Dobblesie, but it seemed to him afterwards that they had jumped from the frying pan into the fire. He felt that he must join class again in order to make his wife acknowledge him as a fit associate in a spiritual sense; but that was impossible; so they drifted asunder in the same way as when they were at Gangacre: the distance between them was widening a pace. Each found no pleasure in the society which delighted the other. Mrs Quaibu could not very well move in the society which her husband naturally kept, since English was the only language used; neither could the husband move in the society kept by the lady for reasons Already assigned. Can it be wondered at that their domestic intercourse became somewhat constrained and forced? There was no more welcome breathed out so softly and lovingly for Mr Quaibu when he returned home from an absence of some duration. Oh, how keenly did he feel his position! It would have been by far better if he had never met the woman; or when he did, that he had never bothered about church marriage, the sole cause of the ruin of their happiness, since if their union was purely native, which was just as legal, the woman would never dare act as she did; but he could not very well blame his wife. Positioned as she was, inexperienced as to civilized society, and uneducated so as to find out the right way herself, by reading the bible or other good books, she entirely depended upon what she was told or instructed by members of her society; she would not believe her husband when he attempted to elucidate parts of ‘the good book’ to her; so wicked had she been taught to consider her husband that nothing that he would tell her she would for a moment consider to be reliable if once the least of these worthies told her the contrary. In the midst of an interesting conversation with her husband if any of these brothers or sisters called in she would at once leave him and go to him or her. Scores of other evils too tedious to enumerate and sprung up between them. The woman had lost honour and respect for the man in some matters, even obedience, for no other reason but because, forsooth, he would not make a hypocrite out of himself. Poor Quaibu! how very much he regretted having allowed his wife to join a society which had brought nothing but misery to him and to the woman too. None of his friends would sympathize with him. ‘It serves him right,’ they would tell him. He really had sown the storm and was reaping the whirlwind with a vengeance. At home he felt no comfort; at the homes of his friends he felt the same; for did he not remember in their homes what he had lost in his!
At first good breeding and delicate feelings would prevent him from interfering with his wife, but the lady would not or rather could not see that it was through sheer respect for himself and for her which prevented him from taking active interference. Observance of punctiliousness any longer, he felt, would be an injury to himself and his dear but erring wife. He made up his mind therefore to speak to her seriously and to the point.
An opportunity soon offered itself. Mrs Quaibu had gone to ‘prayer meeting’ and came home a long time after the meeting had broken up. To suspect his wife of libidinous conduct it was impossible; but still he could not help thinking that she was going too far. He sat up late for her; and as soon as she came home, and after she had taken off her things he called her in and the following conversation took place between them.
I have sat for you long to-night Wissah,’ began Mr Quaibu. Where did you go to?’ ‘Why do you ask me?’ she replied. ‘You know that I could go no where else to night but to a prayer meeting. If you had gone there you would have seen me. But why did you sit up for me? You had no occasion to do so Mr Quaibu! I have every right to sit up even to the small hours of the morning, so as to question a wife who chooses to keep away from home without the husband s knowing her whereabouts. Where did you go to? I beg to repeat the question.
‘Have I not told you that I went to the prayer meeting?’
‘But you have just come home,’ he rejoined. ‘It is more than an hour since the meeting broke up.’
‘Yes, but what of that? Can I not go out without being suspected?’ asked she rather impertinently.
‘What of it you ask?’ cried Quaibu somewhat nettled. ‘It means this, my dear girl, that after the meeting was over, you went somewhere else and I mean to know where you went to. ’
‘Oh, you are jealous,’ said she tauntingly and at the same time smiling.
‘Jealous!’ he exclaimed, in no little degree surprised. ‘Have we lived for so many years and this is the first time you charge me with jealousy. What occasion have vou given me to night for jealousy? A truce with these batterings. When was it that you were in such a humour? Give me a plain answer to a plain question. Where did you go to after the meeting?’
‘We went to another gathering of a few members,’ she replied after a few moments hesitation; not knowing how her husband would take it.
‘In chapel? Oh no! I have forgotten for the lights in the chapel were extinguished some hours ago. It was not in chapel, was it?’
‘No, in the house of one of our brethren,’ she replied.
‘What brother is that?’ he demanded rather astonished.
‘Mr Elmore’s,’ she replied. Subsequently she commenced to explain herself. I did not go there alone; there were four ladies and four gentlemen besides Mr Elmore in the company. The gentlemen read the bible explained it to us in the native language.’
‘I have not the least objection to that which occupied your time,’ replied Mr Quaibu. ‘You could not employ your time better. If I have any objection at all it is the place and the kind of people you associate with. And now tell me, was Mrs Elsmore in the company?’
‘No, she was not,’ replied Mrs Quaibu.
‘This is not the first time you have been to the man’s house,’ continued Mr Quaibu, ‘did you always or at any time see Mrs Elsmore in the religious meetings held at her husband’s?’
‘Never to my recollection,’ replied she rather demurely.
‘Wherefore not?’ asked he. Is the state of her soul so well insured, that she can safely dispense with religious teachings? or could she read the bible herself that she could afford to do without these pious gatherings? or is she an atheist, and therefore the husband does not show concern for her future salvation as he seems to care for yours and others but not hers? Now you know’, continued he, ‘that Mrs Elsmore goes to chapel regularly and attends her class meetings the same as either you or any of the other members do, therefore she cannot be an atheist; and you know that she does not understand a word of English (but which you do) therefore she cannot read the bible herself. Why then is her exclusion from these pious and instructive gatherings which take place at her own house? Does not CHARITY commence at home? and is there no other motive but a pious one which makes him so unconcerned about his wife’s future salvation, but would show such a great and disinterested concern about other people’s wives and single women? A man that would do this can have no real piety; he only uses Religion as a cloak to ensure the way. If he is really the man which he makes himself out to be he would know that to God alone belongs the attribute of infallibility; and that man, however perfect he may be is liable to succumb to sin and therefore needs protection from temptation. If his motives are pure, he being infallible, would certainly want a protection and that protection should, in this instance, be his wife whose presence at these meetings would serve as a check upon his actions. But since his intentions are not pure he would have nothing to do with his wife in these gatherings thereby proving his wicked motives and those who are with him. Do you follow me, and do you understand the bent of my reasonings?’
Yes, but he dares not take undue liberties with me; be sure of that,’ she replied.
‘Dares not, my innocent?’ exclaimed Mr Quaibu, ‘rather say you would not give him the chance. Dares not indeed! He is not a misogynist, or else he would not have married. The wolf which puts on sheep’s clothing dares a good deal. What right has this man and those like him in the company of your sex day and night under that saintly cover but to catch some of you eventually if he could so work round?’
‘But I at least know how to guard and protect myself’ replied Mrs Quaibu confidently.
‘Pretty gatherings indeed to make it incumbent upon the women themselves to guard their chastity from indecent attacks,’ exclaimed he.
‘I have not said’ cried she ‘that any attempt has been made by any of them upon any of us during our meetings.
‘Neither have I said so,’ replied he calmly; ‘they certainly would be great fools were they not to act cautiously like the wolf their prototype; but like the wolf, they forget that their tails can tell tales to the shepherds at least, if not to the foolish sheep themselves. Now hear me Wissah. Single drops of water are nothing to speak of; but they are strong enough to bore a hole in a hard rock. Repeated gatherings at such a place, and at nights too, like the one you went to tonight, must breed familiarity amongst its members, male and female; familiarity in its turn must breed free conversation on other topics besides the ostensible object of the meeting; this also will lead to familiar jokes and small talk as man and woman only know how “to do;” thus from one step to another the wary are caught with their eyes wide open.
‘Surely Quaibu, these are the words or rather the reasonings of a jealous man,’ she replied mischievously.
‘Rather Wissah, they are the reasonings of a man who seeks to protect his wife from an impending danger’ cried Quaibu. ‘Our Lord Jesus was a god incarnate; he was severely tempted by Satan but having that in him which was innocuous or a proof against sin and temptation he came out a conqueror. Nevertheless, he saw that man was weak, that he was not like himself a god; therefore it was that he enjoined them to pray to God to lead them not into temptation! If you rush into temptation you must thank yourself only if you fall. He who would play with a sharp instrument must have himself to thank (to blame) if the instrument happens to cut him. These nocturnal gatherings of yours to places of temptation; these associations of men and women together in private dwellings cannot but engender sin or temptation to sin. It is this that pray and guard against. He knew the potency of temptation and therefore he cautioned you to guard against it. Real good Christians know its influence, and therein do nor rush into it they can help themselves. There is a proverb which truly says, “the Devil generally tempts men but men also sometimes tempt the Devil.” By your going to such places as these you tempt the Devil to tempt you. Live at home, and only content yourself with your class meetings and legitimate places of worship, and you will not tempt the Devil to tempt you.’
‘Live at home! and who is to read the bible to me and explain it!’ she asked.
‘Now Wissah, this is really too bad! How often have I taken up the Bible in order to read and explain it to you and how often have you not left me in the middle of my explanations in order to go about your business? Is it because you can explain it better than myself? No; but it is because you consider that my hands are dirty and therefore must not handle year valuable jewels, that I being ungodly, you lose the pleasure when I explain the secret to you.’
‘No, no, it is not that’ answered Mrs Quaibu hurriedly. I do not know how it is, but I feel more pleasure when there are many of us; when each one strives to beat the other.’
‘Perfectly right you are Wissah, I agree with you,’ returned Mr Quaibu. ‘If the company that you keep for this purpose is the right one, I would certainly have nothing to say against it; as it is, you must do without it, and be satisfied with what I can do for you.’
Do you wish me not to attend these gatherings again?’ demanded she; ‘why Mrs Allen, Mrs Ouainua. Mrs Sidonus, Miss Cornelius, and several others are members of this association; am I better than they? yet their husbands never object to their going there.
‘Their husbands don’t object for obvious reasons’ replied Quaibu. ‘Do you compare me to these men? in a worldly point of view 1 am their superior; all of them are mere servants. As I am, so you are. husbands are so are their wives; you are therefore superior to them. I married you, but many of these ladies married their husbands; therefore it is that the wives, instead of the husbands are having the control. Why! you know what Mrs Allen was before she got married, and what she is still? can her husband prevent her from going to Jidoblew any hour of the day or night? And could he prevent him from coming to her? Why, this Mr Jidoblew is more like the lord than Mr Allen. As for Mrs Sidonus, have not her sins found her out? Have you forgotten so soon her illicit connection with the Mission Agent? As for the rest, I need not bring their conduct to your remembrance, since you cannot have forgotten it. Let me not hear any more of these precious associations of yours. You must elect between me and them; choose them, and I will know what step to take to restore my lost happiness; elect me, and we will be happy together.’
‘What can I say to satisfy you?’ cried she. ‘You cannot doubt my love for you. Hundred times would I prefer you to these people, taking them individually; but as a class member I find it hard to separate myself from their associations. I will try to avoid all gatherings, but class-meetings and chapel. I am sorry that you could suppose for a moment that I would prefer any one to yourself.’
‘Nay Wissah, that is not my object,’ replied Quaibu. ‘You know that such respectable ladies as Mrs Saungers, Mrs Langley, Miss Andrews, and others of like position and respectability do not frequent the kind of gatherings we are talking about. It is with ladies of that kind that I wish you to associate, and ” whose examples I wish you to go by. Is one of them not your own class- leader, and the other a relation? Enough for to night. You see, I have talked with you about your welfare, as I very seldom do; profit by it, and I am sure our lost happiness will be restored to its pristine state.’
A marked change took place in Mrs Quaibu for some months after this conversation; they lived in peace and quietness until one day the evil spirit crossed their path.
One day, as Quaibu was returning home from a stroll, he met his wife walking together with Mr Elsmore towards their house, the gentleman talking seriously upon some subject which Mr Quaibu could not distinctly hear. In passing, he looked sternly at them and went in followed by the lady, but without her escort. As soon as she came up to her husband, she accosted him thus: ‘Where did you go to Mr Quaibu? Did you meet Miss Saminah in the way?’
‘And where is your spiritual adviser Mrs Quaibu, is he so impolite as not to escort you home? Would the man be nothing to the husband, but everything to the wife? Are the considerate words of the husband to be thought of as nought by the wife, whilst those of a hypocritical libertine are preferred by her? Fie! Wissah, I had thought better of you.’
‘Mr Elsmore is not a hypocritical libertine’ replied she hotly. ‘Now I must tell you Mr Quaibu that all the lectures you gave me a few months ago were not the outcome of any love for me, or solicitude for my spiritual and temporal welfare. They were only the emanations of sheer jealousy. As you care not for your spiritual concerns, allow me to care for mine. Am I not told that “the soul that sinneth it shall die”?’
‘A worthy pupil of a consummate master in fictitious religion.’ cried Mr Quaibu most bitterly. ‘A few months ago you decided in my favour; but now I perceive you declare for Mr Elsmore and his clique; be it so. Henceforth, have your own way, and I will have mine’ concluded the unhappy man getting up to go to bed.
‘Yes I will have my own way, and mean to have it too, so far as religion is concerned. I will have nobody, not even you, to stand between me and my God. So saying, Mrs Quaibu went to her room, banging the door violently after her.
The evil passions and violent temper inherently hers, which were completely dormant in her native marriage state were roused in the other, and by men pro- Tessing to be followers of Christ too. Poor Quaibu! it is no wonder that you cursed the day in which you were induced to take an oath which you would not break But for that oath could Mrs Quaibu dare act like that? but for that, could she’ have treated him so, and be let off scot free? He could not effect a separation, since neither of them could be charged with the crime of adultery. That night, Quaibu laid ir his bed, trying hard but in vain to find the benign influence of Somnus;39 long and restless did he lay, but his sleep forsook him; so to the hall he went, and in walking about to and fro, found a little rest. On his knees he knelt long, and in fervent prayer to God sought consolation and fortitude, and he found it. At last he rose up, and went to bed, but not to sleep. He spent the rest of the night in thinking as to the best course to take under the existing circumstances; arid he at last decided to give her the long rope or tether.40 For the first few days, Mrs Quaibu would go out and stay longer than usual, without poor Quaibu remonstrating with her about it. Then she would suddenly take to staying at home and would not even go to her class-meetings, or even to chapel. But all these Quaibu treated with perfect indifference. His behaviour towards her was a mere cold civility. He excluded himself entirely from her society, and in this treatment he found a most effectual weapon; for many a time would Mrs Quaibu come out of her room with weeping and traces of tears on her visage. On these occasions she would come out and sit by him; but Quaibu would get up pretending that he was going to fetch a book, and then sit down at some distance from her, pretending to read but narrowly watching her. Quaibu could not but be glad at the spirit of contrition exhibited by his wife but he thought better to continue the line of conduct he had intended to pursue. So matters went on, until one day Rev Langley came in whilst Mrs Quaibu was in her own room with her door ajar. After the usual civilities were gone through, and he had taken a seat, Mr Langley commenced by inquiring after the health of Mrs Quaibu, at the same time looking keenly at Mr Quaibu whose ‘so, so’ seemed not to surprise him in the least; he then said:
Dear Mr Quaibu, we are old friends, and I need not stand on ceremony with you. I came here for the purpose of having a long talk with you about certain strange things I have heard about you and your wife. I have heard that a misunderstanding has sprung up between you and her, which is said to have been brought about by your aversion to her frequenting places of worship, class, and other religious meetings. I could not believe my senses when I was told of it. knowing what your sentiments are in this matters.’
‘I am very glad,’ replied Quaibu, ‘that you particularly have called upon me about a quarrel which may eventually cause a separation between her and me. In spirit, we are already separated, although we are living in one house; but I am afraid it will not be long ere a total rupture takes place. She has elected to take her own course, and has told me to my face that she means in future to stand by herself, and that she would brook no interference from me in her spiritual matters. I also have decided to exact obedience from her in everything consistent with the station in which she as my wife moves. As her husband, I alone have a right to protect her; as my wife, it is to me alone that she owes obedience. Protection from the man, and obedience from the woman constitute the whole happiness in married life I consider. Where these two requisites are wanting there can be no true happiness. She has, without the least shadow of cause, and evidently without remorse, given me back my protection, and has refused me her obedience, and she is in consequence unhappy, and I am not the less so. By acting thus she has broken the oath she took at our marriage ceremony, and I have an indisputable right to compel her to keep the oath she took effect a dissolution of marriage.” before God; or, in order to restore a happiness which I cannot enjoy with her,
‘My dear Quaibu,’ replied Mr Langley, ‘I cannot help acknowledging the arduousness of the task I have taken upon myself. Nobody knows your determination better than myself, which you are once roused. I put into the scale, in my endeavours to drive impartiality into the matter, thereby to effect an amicable settlement, the weight of our friendship which is rendered more important by the fact of my having taught you your A. B. C. when you were a mere boy; for having taught you all that we know on this Coast of book-learning; and when as a young man, when you returned from England, the pupil and the master became friends, and most intimate friends too, we have been up to the pres my hands are very secure. ent time. Let nothing therefore that I may say, or in whatever spirit I may say it, offend you, knowing very well as you do, that your interest and happiness in
‘You say that your wife owes you obedience. You are right in certain respects. Obedience must come from the woman, but it must be qualified in a great measure. She really cannot be expected to, nay must decidedly not, obey you in everything; as when you tell her to go and steal another person’s property, or to do a thing repugnant to the feelings of a chaste woman; or to lay down her head, so that you may cut her throat with a knife. Do you think she would be breaking the oath taken at the altar were she to disobey you in things such as those I have instanced, Quaibu?’
‘Decidedly not,’ replied Quaibu, ‘neither could I find it in my heart to tell her to do that which is not right.’
‘Very well,’ rejoined the parson. ‘Suppose she disobeys you when you prohibit her from saying her prayers, attending places of worship, such as class and other meetings connected with your Society, do you think she would be breaking that oath?’
I would be acting against my religious teachings and beliefs,’ replied Mr Quaibu, ‘were I to prevent her from saying her prayers, attending ’chapel and class-meetings; and in fact religious meetings which Mrs Langley and other respectable religious ladies attend. But I certainly would be failing in my duty towards her as a husband, were I to allow her to resort to private places, and in the night too, where I hear of no respectable ladies, but those whose morals are not fixed, who could easily be made to succumb to temptation, only go to. You certainly would not allow Mrs Langley to go at nights to Mr Elsmore’s were he himself a man of not very strict morals; the men, young and unmarried, and the women, decidedly weak as far as morality is concerned, were the sole members constituting this association?’
‘I have not given that kind of religious association sufficient thought, so cannot say whether or not I would allow my wife to be a member thereof,’ replied Mr Langley cautiously.
‘I can gather from your reply that Mrs Langley does not attend these meetings of a really questionable character,’ returned Mr Quaibu; ‘neither do Mrs Saunders, Miss Andrews and other respectable ladies in the Society.’
‘But what particular objection have you got against it Quaibu?’ asked Mr Langley. ‘Has not that association the object of reading passages in the Bible and explaining them in the vernacular to those who don’t understand them?’
‘As to its object, dear Mr Langley, I have nothing whatsoever against it to say. My objection extends only to the place where it is held, and its apparently selected members.’
‘But why such great objection against the place?’ demanded Mr Langley. ‘Is the man not a class leader and a local preacher too? One who is trusted by all of us?’
‘There lies the contest Mr Langley. It is there that we are at issue. I resolutely object to the place for several reasons, but principally, the exclusion of the lady of the house from these pious gatherings. Mrs Elsmore was a heathen but a few years ago, so were these ladies we are talking about; she is imperfect, in fact, a novice in religious precepts, so are they; she is a class member and regularly frequents places of worship, so are these other ladies, and they also are as regular in their attendance; class meetings and such resorts are not sufficiently powerful to take the other ladies to their God; therefore it is that they require further religious instruction; but Mrs Elsmore being perfect does not of course need them. Answer Mr Langley! is there any man perfect in this world? Is Mrs Elsmore?’
‘Certainly not; how can Mrs Elsmore be perfect!’ exclaimed the man of God.
if Mrs Elsmore is not perfect as you rightly say, she must also need religious instruction; but why is she excluded Mr Langley? Kindly let me know that.’
‘1 really cannot see the reason why she should be excluded, unless she may prevented by her domestic duties. It looks strange though, any how. But are you sure that she is excluded?’
‘I know that she is not a member of that association. You say that it looks strange; yes, very strange that I have been compelled to dive into all possible motives which could give birth to such conduct, and I have arrived at a plausible one Mr Langley. ’ ‘Have you really?’ exclaimed he; I sincerely hope that the motives are not sinister.’
‘How otherwise Mr Langley? Have we talked so long about this matter and you can’t, or possibly will not see the real motives which prompt this conduct? Well listen, dear Langley, and decide whether I am right or wrong in my sur- mise. We all know that an action which is the offspring of pure motives, I may say, is as brave as a lion, and as immoveable as a mountain. It is only the off- spring of dishonest motives that is faint-hearted. It is because the motives which gave birth to these gatherings are dishonest and impure, therefore it is that the prime mover thereof will not have the only person, of all others, he fears at these gatherings, and that person is his own wife. Mrs Elsmore, as a maiden, must have known him very well; as a maiden, she must have known the kind of weapons with which Mr Elsmore laid siege to the citadel of her heart, and how and in what manner he managed before her citadel was reduced, and she fell prone at the feet of her conqueror. During their married life also, what opportunities would he not have given her to study him more thoroughly! The same weapons he used when he was courting her, and the able manner in which he made use of them against herself, are they not still his own? and does he not practise them, to her certain knowledge, against other persons, even against the remonstrances of his victim, for victim she is at his mercy. Perhaps another and another citadel have been assailed and by him reduced in addition to her own, which she is obliged to hush, for fear of ruining her good man’s good name in the church. Do you think Mr Elsmore would have a person who knows him so well to sit by, so as to be a watch over his action? Certainly not. Well, if his motives were pure there would have been no need of those weapons and their use, and therefore could he without fear admit or insist upon her also to attend the gatherings; but it is because he meant and still means to use them (the weapons), therefore it is that he will not have the only person to be present who very well knows when he is about using them.’
‘And how do you know, my dear diviner of motives, that the man still uses those weapons to the disquietude of his wife’s peace of mind, which, after the reduction of her heart, are rendered useless until after her death?’
‘Are you of yesterday, Mr Langley, and knoweth thou nothing! Ah! it is very true the saying that that it is the discerning eyes of the spectator, and not the actor, who can only be a true judge.’
‘What do you mean, Mr Quaibu?’ demanded Mr Langley hotly, somewhat taken aback.
‘Were you of yesterday, I again repeat, and did not hear the scandal about the same precious individual, this paragon of virtue in your church?
I heard of it but none of us had believed it, after he had explained himself to our satisfaction,’ replied the parson.
I suppose the none of us, means members of the Society?’
‘Yes, who else, my dear fellow?’ replied the parson. —
‘Hah!’ exclaimed Mr Quaibu, somewhat amused. ‘The members of the Society did not believe the scandal about the Rev Mr until his sins found him out, they would not believe those of Mrs Dalzeil, until hers found her out. The members of the Society would not believe Mr Fleighe’s crime until he was so wrought upon by a sense of guilt that he made a public confession, which reflected exceedingly well for him. Do you want any more instances?’
‘Go on,’ curtly replied Mr Langley.
‘The Gangacre members would not believe the scandal about Mr Yanson until the birth of a child proclaimed his wickedness; they would not credit that about the Rev Mr Puss.’
‘Stop! enough, interrupted his Reverence rather too vehemently, thus showing that the arrow of conviction had entered into his soul.
‘Enough!’ tauntingly cried Mr Quaibu. T should think it was enough, and I should think that it was high time that something were done by the leaders of the Society to put a stop to indiscriminate intercourse between the two sexes under the guise of religion. And would you in spite of these reasons advise me to allow my wife, a woman who is just emerging from heathenism and its vile practices, one whose morals are in no way better than the generality her sex, would you, I ask, advise me to allow her to go to an association the leader of which is a public scandal, a disgrace to the sacred cause? You say the scandal was not proved; say rather that it was hushed. I believe it, and that is quite enough for me. Now I must say in conclusion, for concluded I must consider a subject to me creative of heart burnings, and to you not a thankful one, that as far as my own wife is concerned, she does not go to that association any more, neither will I allow her to have any kind of intercourse with that type of hypocrisy. If she persists in the choice she has made, and I will ask her as soon as you leave me, this house will not lodge both of us from tonight. ’
‘I am really sorry, my dear friend, that I have failed in my purpose. I was made to understand that you were acting the despotic husband to your wife in that you stood between her and her God; but I see that you have reason on your side by trying to protect her against temptations.
I thank you for the manner you have explained the matter to me, and I must candidly confess that if the society, I mean this new association, is what is described to me I would certainly not allow my wife to attend it, even if she wished to. Can I see Mrs Quaibu so as to explain how matter stand now, and how she must for the future obey you?’
‘No thank you,1 replied Mr Ouaibu. laying emphasis or word yen. ‘She is my wife, and it is to me alone that she owes obedience. I will recognize no one between me and her. If she finds her fault, and promises not to do so again I will forgive her; if not, she leaves me, and there is an end of it. For what is life after all but a wink, a twinkle of the eye; and why should I spend it in misery simply because a woman would not allow me to enjoy it, by trampling upon myself respect, and peace of mind? a woman whom human institution only has attached to me indissolubly; but for which institution she would have been alright! I can assure you, dear Mr Langley, if I had a hundred wives, and they M all treated me as this woman is treating me, they would all go in spite of the I oath I have taken, I would stand my chance of going to heaven.’
Shortly after the parson had taken his departure, Mr Quaibu knocked at his wife’s door, and on being admitted, he went in, took a seat at some distance from her, and thus addressed her:
‘Mrs Quaibu,’ he began, ‘Rev Mr Langley has just left me. He spent some-time talking about you and the kind of company you choose to keep. It appears that it has been given out, by whom I do not care to know, that I have set my heart against your spiritual concern; that I would not allow you to attend to your class-meetings, chapels, and other places of worship, and that because you dis-obeyed me in this, a misunderstanding has sprung up between us. Nobody but yourself knows how utterly untrue this evil charge circulated against me is. I cannot find it in my heart to charge you with being the party that give birth to these evil reports, for you could not be so base as to misrepresent facts; I know who have done it to suit their purpose; but I do not care. Suffice it to say, that Rev Langley came in and went away the same as we have hitherto been, intimate friends. He went away fully discrediting the evil reports; and entirely believing in the explanation I gave him. At the end of our interview, he expressed a wish of seeing you so as to explain to you how matters stood, and to ask you for the future to obey me, but I spoke to him in such language that he will never dare to presume, at any future time, to come between you and I again, if he or any of his cloth ever did so before. Now, my lady, I must candidly tell you that it is impossible for us any longer to remain under one roof, disunited as we are now. Either we must be united under it, or separated as we are already, live asunder. My object in intruding myself upon you is to come toa final settlement with you. I give you the whole day to decide as to the adoption by you of either of these two courses; either you must declare for me as your husband, and obey me in all lawful commands; or declare for Mr Elsmore and his clique. Select him and his, and we are separated for life; select me, and you are separated for ever from him and his associations. Think calmly, consult your real happiness in the matter and let me know.’
Thus saying, Quaibu left his wife and went out to call upon Mr Brandeboult. When he returned home he found Mrs Quaibu in the deepest distress; but with-out taking the slightest notice of her, went io his own apartment where the lady shortly joined him. What took place between them, I need not trouble the reader with its relation. Enough if I mention that a complete reconciliation was established, she, promising lawful obedience to him, and, he promising her protection, and free scope to worship her Maker any where but at that place which had been a bone of contention between them which very nigh led to a separation.
We will now leave Mr and Mrs Quaibu in the enjoyment of their recently restored domestic felicity, and introduce the reader to another episode in another family which took place almost at the same time.
Mr James Allen, the hero of this tale as, when young, a domestic servant to Mr Bently, a gentleman of considerable influence in the country. Allen, by dint of perseverance, reflecting well for him, taught himself how to read and write. He is now a respectable member of society, and is reckoned to be among the elite of the town. Besides the acquisition of reading and writing he speaks tolerably good English, an advantage which he gained from his master. What is rather to his disadvantage is his inability to free himself from a certain amount of sycophancy habitual to people of his status in life.
Mrs Allen, on the other hand, is a woman of the first water in the town of Dobblesie as concerns position, natural qualities, and audacity. In the community in which she moves, she leads; but in that which is above her own, she isa decided fawner. If that woman had the advantages of education, she certainly would have been a prodigy, but she was illiterate. A tew years ago, Mrs Allen was a heathen, a great believer in fetish, although she was living” in a town where Christianity had taken root long before she was born: but a change came over the spirit of her dreams, and she got converted. Soon after this; she was led by Mr Allen to the hymeneal altar, but some people say that she led him instead, and that, on her part it was a marriage of convenience: but whether it was so or not, the sequel will prove. Allen, after the marriage was solemnized, removed to his wife’s house; who. also, it was reported, provided him with all the necessaries of life, even clothing, she used to say herself. It would seem that prior to their union, Mr and Mrs Allen did not know each other’s dispositions, nor had they the least knowledge of the weighty responsibility of the kind of marriage they understood, or I question whether the” woman’s money would have been sufficient incentive for the man; or the man’s good looks would have been equally the same to move either of them to take such a leap in the dark. Certain it is, their eyes were opened when it was too late for them to retract. At all events, a marriage contracted where the preponderance was on the side of the woman, and that woman too an illiterate one, can breed nothing else but discontentment and heart burnings on either side, but more particularly on the part of the man. Mr Allen was literally helpless. His was the part of a second fiddle player a nonentity in a position where as a man he should be the ‘boss’. Poor Allen! I pity you more than ever I pitied Quaibu, in as much as you never had nor ever will have the protecting power, the most essential quality in man, situated as you are, to ensure obedience from your wife – the sole thing that ensures happiness in married life. Bear up therefore man, and eat your humble-pie with good grace,41 for there is no retracting for you, except by ADULTERY, saving which DEATH. I wonder whether thou wouldst, if by any chance thou wert free tomorrow, be in a hurry to contract the same kind of marriage. With the woman what more did she care since she had got the honorable title of MRS prefixed to her adopted name – the husband’s name. Is she not called Mrs Allen? And could she not afford to look down upon those who, although they are very happy in their native marriages cannot be called by their husband’s name? What a sin! Mrs Allen sounds sweet; but like the rose it has its thorny parts, rows, bickerings, heart burnings, jealousies. Trim the rose tree of the thorns and you kill the flower Divest this kind of marriage of its indispensable adjuncts – bickerings, heart burnings and petty jealousies, and that marriage is dead, for the day that one does not hear any more of these rows, or the poor victims don’t feel the heart burnings, and annoyances would be the day that they obtained a divorce, or death removed them from their misery.
I trow if Mrs Allen was offered the chance, she would not sooner have her Allen as a native married husband, and Mr Allen, if the same chance was offered, he would not rather have his Junins Miminda 42 as a wife, and he happier, a hundred times happier than what they are now. It would be supposed that the lady in her converted state, and as a respectable married woman, for no other marriage can be considered respectable but the oath-taking one, would divest herself of certain proclivities which are essentially the heathen’s, and clothe her-self with those which Christianity alone engenders, but Allen to his cost found that it were easier for a leopard to change his spots than his spouse to change her nature. It was in this alone that he found the greatest cause to complain of in his wife.
Mr Allen had returned from business late one evening very tired and hungry; and found his wife absent from home, and no preparation made for dinner. On inquiry he was told that his wife had gone to Jiddoblew’s and that she had been away some time. To ascertain the truth of this information he sent his servant there, but not to call her. The boy returned confirming the information. People of Mr Allen’s position and education do not usually take things quietly and calmly, seeking in arguments and reasonings the strength to convince their wives of the danger into which they rush; their forte is in petulent altercations. So as soon as Mrs Allen came home he thus accosted her: –
So you care more for your sweetheart than your husband? It is close to ten o’clock and you are just come home from his wicked embrace to a husband whom you do not care a pin’s head for. It would have been somewhat considerate on your part, had you prepared my dinner first before you went to him.’
‘Whom do you mean’ returned Mrs Allen petulently. ‘If you mean Mr Jiddoblew, you are quite mistaken for I did not go there. I went to my friend Mrs —’
‘You are a liar, madam!’ cried he passionately, interrupting her. ‘If you had been in the hall with your man, you would have seen my boy when he called in there, and you would not have occasion to tell such fibs. Being in the bedroom I suppose, you could not see him there, hence the lies.’
‘But how could he know that I was there, when he did not see me in the hall? I repeat that I did not go there, but when to my friend Mrs Acquinas, whose daughter is dangerously sick.’
This adding falsehood upon falsehood would not serve you madam. Here is the boy, you can ask him.
‘You good-for-nothing boy!’ cried Mrs Allen in great rage, addressing her-self to the boy. ‘You mischief-maker! How could you tell such lies about me to your master. You did not go to Mr Jiddoblew’s and yet you tell your master that you saw me there.’
I did not tell my master that I saw you there myself,’ replied the boy; I told him that I did not see you in the hall myself, but that the servant told me that you and Mr Jiddoblew had just left the hall, and had gone to the bedroom.’
‘But you did not see me yourself going in?’ asked she desperately.
‘No!’ answered the boy; ‘hut I saw you coming out afterwards,.’
‘You” most wicked boy!5 cried she quite beside herself with rage, whilst Mr Allen stood there shaking like the very aspen. ‘Is this my thanks you wicked boy! Do I feed you, attend you when you are sick, and clothe you, in order to create mischief between me and your master? Mr Allen must decide between you and 1 to-night. You will leave this house, and that immediately, or I will know the reason why, you miserable spy, you! ’
‘Cofi,’ cried Mr Allen, ‘did you not say that you did not see her yourself, but that you were told that she was there? How is it now you tell us that you saw her coming out of Mr Jiddoblew’s?’
‘I went there again to watch whether Mammie was really there and I found her coming out together with Mr Jiddoblew. I followed them at a distance; Mr Jiddoblew only left her a few yards from the house, and she came in with out seeing me.’
Poor Mrs Allen was silenced at once. It was a regular ‘singer’; she could not in the face of such evidence deny any longer. She saw that her sins, do whatso-ever she would, had found her out; and that those lies she told did not serve her a bit, but only tended to aggravate her crimes. All the lessons she had learnt during so many years of her connection with the society was to commit sin first, and to try every artifice and dissimulation, afterwards to hide it. Success in this double sin constituted the saint on earth among a certain class in that really sacred society; the sinner, with them, is he who exhibits dexterity in an attempt to hide his or her crime. Oh Mrs Allen! how unenvious is thy position! What would you not give to induce Mrs Acquinus to corroborate your statement, so as to show to your clique what an adept you are in dissimulation and hypocrisy!
I stated that Mr Allen shook like the very aspen; it was not with fear but with pure rage, and what man would not be in his position? His rage found vent on the expression of these words by his wife: ‘Mr Allen must decide between you and I tonight; you will leave the house and that immediately, or I will know there a son why?’ ‘Cofi does not leave the house; where I am there he must be too. Is he not my own cousin? Queer boddom. l43 If the house were mine you would leave it this very moment to join your paramour, to get at whom even by scaling a fortress commanded Armstrong’s arms of the latest improvement441would certainly be even with him. But I am helpless, situated as I am; yet I must, and will bring him io book tomorrows‘
Bring who to book tomorrow, you say? You really do not mean Mr Jiddoblew I hope,’ cried Mrs Allen.
‘Who else should I mean? Have you any other paramour beside this man? and yet why do I ask! Does not rumour generally speak loud, when men but whisper! Have I not heard all your peccadilloes and other sinful doings; and do you not know it yourself that I have heard of them, only I could not get at the truth? If I have been quiet hitherto I have my reasons. But I will no longer betreated as a puppy, in a position where I ought to act like a man. ’
‘Act like a man?’ cried Mrs Allen with the greatest contempt. ‘You act like a man! In what house I pray? Not in this house certainly. You act like a man in deed! I should like to know what you were when I first picked you up. Fancy a man dependent for everything, even for the very coat on his back, upon another, acting like a man in a position! You forget yourself entirely, Mr Allen; you forget I am the mistress of this house; that 1 feed you and that in providing for you in everything I become the mistress of the position, and that if you do not take care I could send you out.’
‘Has it come to this!’ exclaimed poor Mr Allen. ‘Have the monies that I bring to you monthly no place in your memory? Is it not sufficient to buy clothes for half a dozen persons, feed any number of men in a household? and now I must look to you for even my clothes, and, I suppose, I must thank you for the very employment which yields me the money I foolishly hand to you every month. Oli God!’ exclaimed Allen entirely upset. Is it for this that I blindly rushed into this marriage? Is it for this that I swore before THEE, my Great Creator, that would never cause a dissolution until death us part! Did I sacrifice my manhood, did I sell my virile qualities, and to a woman too who does not scruple to make use of my helplessness in order to trample upon it! A hundred times, nav a thrice hundred times would I most willingly undo this, and enter into a marriage wherein freedom is allowed; for therein only would I find peace of mind to worship thee, oh my Great Maker! If I do commit sin now, O Lord, I commit it because human nature cannot withstand it any longer.’
That night Mr Allen fully resolved upon something; a few weeks rumour proclaimed that he had broken the oath he took at the altar: a few months after a child claimed him a father, but that child was not Mrs Allen’s. The man had given the woman a splendid chance to seek for a divorce, but she would not take a step to cause a separation. The woman wanted the title of Mrs, she had got it, and faith, she was not going to lose it so easily. Allen perjured himself in order to find consolation, rather than to be always the victim of circumstances over which he could have no control. Mr and Mrs Allen are still living together; the occasionally seeking consolation in the company of other women; and the other in no way the wiser, but still going on in the same way which her natural proclivity dictates; and yet they are all members of class and reputed zealous Christians. What dissimulation! what hypocrisy! Can anything or any situation be more anomalous than this is? and yet it is but too true!
Other instances of the like episode related in the previous chapter are not wanting to illustrate the evil influences of Christian Marriages in a community like that of Sickaman, and it would be within the province of this tale to relate a few.
Mr Littlemonie was a youngman 45 of education who, on leaving school, was engaged oy a merchant as a clerk or a store-keeper. He was looked up to by men of his own class, and was respected by his superiors; as young men of education were rare in those days. For some time Mr Littlemonie conducted himself honestly and uprightly in the store of which he had the principal management. His accounts were found correct whenever they were checked. His master’s confidence in him was unbounded; thus matters went on favourably with him for some time until one day his employer entered into a stricter account with. him, owing to a hint he had received of the youngman’s dishonesty. The result was that he was found to be in the habit of cheating, and a large deficit was dis-I covered. Inquiry and vigorous search was made and the result was his incarceration, and the infliction of a most ignoble public punish me”.
After his enlargement he was engaged by a merchant in the town of Birdstone, and there, after a few month’s residence, married to a young lady, the daughter of very respectable parents. Mrs Littlemonie was a spoiled child, and she grew up a spoiled woman. Had Mr Littlemonie exercised a certain amount of discretion, and had he studied the character and the natural disposition of Miss Peckdore before he had married her, a precaution generally taken by the wise people those custom we were mimicking, they would not have been man and wife, for dispositions more antagonistic to each other than Mr and Mrs Littlemonie’s were seldom known. However as the new rites of marriage was, so Littlemonie went by, and he truly suffered.
Shortly after their marriage Mr and Mrs Littlemonie removed to the town of Soldeterre, a rising trading port, which has since risen to a town of some eminence in sickman. They had not been long in this town when rumour ever so vigilant began to whisper that the domestic arrangements of this new couple were not always felicitous. People would not believe the rumour. Was it not only the other day that these persons were married? And could they be so soon experiencing the evil effects of this new kind of marriage? Impossible! Yet it was possible; for ill assorted marriages breed nothing else but weeds, and rancorous weeds are of spontaneous growth. Poor Mr Littlemonie! I cannot help pitying you whilst writing about you; for were we not friends? and were there not many occasions when we sat long together conversing about your domes-tic felicity, and occasions when you w’ld escape from a house rendered too hot for thee to remain in it any longer and to seek temporary asylum at mine? Rumours soon gave way to reality. One evening a great row took place which was a precursor of several others which happened between them afterwards. Several persons went there to allay the tempest; and what a sad scene was there presented to our eyes! There we found Mrs Littlemonie completely the mistress of the occasion, abusing her lord and master in the filthiest language she could think of and Neaping upon him all the worse epithets, cither true or false, that she Thought to which her husband was chargeable: whilst the man Was sitting down crying like the very child? It was the first time the couple publicly tried their mettle; and on such occasions the victor generally becomes for the rest of the lives, unless a divorce takes place, the master or the mistress of the house-hold. On his occasion we saw who the future ruler was to be. Mrs Littlemonie, by that first row, had publicly asserted her independence: her husband must be obedient to her caprice and whims. It really was a sad scene.’ When the woman should have exited commiseration, the man most pitifully did. We removed or rather took Mr Littlemonie from his house amidst volleys of small shots, hot and burning, which the shrew of a wife of his aimed at him: just as much to say:’ Go you transmuted man, henceforth I am the MASTER, and you the MISTRESS of this household. And what was the cause of the row? it may be asked. It Was utterly nothing to speak of. The woman was beating one of the servants without cany apparent cause, and because her husband remonstrated with her about it she turned upon himself instead. Bitter indeed is the tongue, of a woman generally, but from the tongue of a shrew, ‘Good Lord deliver Mrs Littlemonie was a pitiless shrew in the real sense; and as such she was not sparing in the use of its hateful effects upon her poor husband. From that day the natures of these two persons were changed, the woman became the master, and the man the mistress of the house; he was only a husband in name, his virile Quality having been entirely taken away from him by the woman; a quality which she unmercifully used to the detriment of not only those who were near and dear to him but to the poor man himself, no mother, no brother or sister, no ran uncle or aunt of the husband could find rest in the house, consequently none of them went to see him. In fact Mrs Littlemonie was the exact type of the heroine of the following tale I heard when 1 was at school in England.
A certain man in some part of England had by dint of perseverance, industry, and frugality saved or rather made a considerable fortune which he intended to leave to an only son after his death. He sent this son to School, and when the youth acquired all the learning which would fit him for the station in which he intended him to live, he made him a partner in his business, and eventually handed it over to him together with his other properties, including his house. All what the old man reserved for himself was an apartment in the house, a seat at his table, and certain comforts which, as an old man, he could not do with-out. In order the more to ensure the happiness of his son he married him to a young woman of his own selection and love. The management of the house-hold was of course given to the lady as soon as she arrived. This lady was brought up in the school of fashion, and consequently liked to see things according to her own ideas. She commenced therefore her housekeeping by changing the old furniture in the house, and replacing them with new ones, and by upsetting everything to which the old gentleman had long been accustomed, and rearranging them to suit her own comfort and style. Against all these innovations the old man said nothing although he keenly felt it. An ancient armchair, the property of his grandfather, or an old table, or some such other furniture to which he had been attached from his infancy, possibly the only thing remaining by which he remembered a father, or a mother long dead, or a beloved wife also dead, he was obliged to see removed and sold, and new one substituted which could afford no link between himself and persons who in their life time were so dear to him. He could not very well speak to hi* son’slady, but he could speak to nis own son about this conduct of his wife which was to him any thing but pleasing. So he did one day speak to him in his own apartments. In reply the young man said: T have already remonstrated with my wife, but she would not give in to me. I have sited bitter tears in private to see how acutely you feel these innovations, and the profane use by my wife of lungs which you have so long considered as sacred, but although she saw my distress she would not obey me. I have even told her how much you are wedded to these things and that possibly if they were removed it might hasten your death, but all to no purpose. I need not tell you how very much 1 am also wedded to the things which you and my grandfather before you have used, coupling my own inclinations and wish for their preservation with the pain and grief their removal would cause you. I can assure you, father, I did all that any man could to persuade her from pursuing a course as painful to you and me, but she would have her way. I have gone so far as to tell her that rather than that she should remove the old things I would remove to another house with her, where she could do whatever she liked, thus to enable you to live in peace and quiet-ness during the few days that you have to live, but nothing would make her leave the house. O how really grieved I am to have a wife who is so inconsiderate and selfish in her ideas, and so obstinate in her principles. I have only one course left me, and that is to use the prerogative of a husband and compel her to submit to me in this, if not in any thing else?
‘Let her alone my dear hoy; let God’s will be done!’ replied the poor oldman; ‘for I have not long to live!’ So the lady was left alone. The house thus splendidly furnished she only wanted company to complete her happiness; and company she accordingly had. The house which had heretofore been quiet became the resort of the elite of the town. The old man was in consequence driven from his usual place by the fireside, where he generally sat to enjoy the company of his son and daughter in law to find happiness in the solitude of his own apartments. But even this quietness he was not destined to enjoy long; the house had become too small for her, and she entertained the wicked idea of driving him out altogether. To proceed to the execution of this last measure, she would not have him sit at the same table with them when there was company, because she could not bear to see the antiquated man sitting at the same table with aristocratical friends; then she would not have him to at her ordinary table. In all this she succeeded not by going roughly to work, but in a gentle and lady like manner. For him at meals there would be something wanting, a knife or a fork, a spoon or even a plate sometimes, and the poor old man would be sitting at the table bought with his own hard-earned money, and meals which he could not taste for not having the requisites to eat it with. Poor old man! He would sometimes get up in the middle of dinner or breakfast, to go to his room there to shed bitter tears. He could not help diving into the motives of his mother-in-law [read: daughter-in-law, sn] and therefore made up his mind to absent himself altogether from her society and confine himself to his own room where occasionally his son would take his grandson, a little boy of about six years to see him.
The woman did not succeed in her wickedness without stout resistance from her husband. Many a night, many a day, the man and wife would set to in private and have it out in real earnest. These rows generally took place in the presence of their little son, a precocious boy, who was the darling of his parents, but particularly of his grandfather. This boy would quietly sit by with his primer in hand listening to the altercations. He would sometimes stand by his father and speak for his grandfather in a spirit which would often astonish his mother; but in-spite of all this the woman carried her point. At last the old gentleman made up his mind to leave a house the mistress of which had evidently determined to starve him out. He sent for his son to say good bye to him, and for his grandson whom he squeezed to his heart in long embrace, muttering a blessing upon him. The boy cried as if his little heart would break. A scene so pathetic as this, the son could not endure; his hurt was breaking to see his father, the kindest of fathers, turned out of house and home and sent adrift in the evening of his life among strangers and by his own wife too; but he was too proud to show his weakness before his father and son, so he took the latter away, and in his privacy gave vent to his feelings. Sometime after the man returned with his wife leading the boy between them, to bid a final good-bye. When they were leaving the boy took his grandfather s mat, and only thing he had saved out of all his furniture. This he intended to take with him, being only thing now left to put him in mind of AULD LANGSYNE. The old man looked at him sorrowfully but said nothing; whilst the father tried to take away the mat from him but the boy would not give it up. The mother was so shocked that she exclaimed, ‘What boy! would you be so wicked as to take away grand-pa’s mat?’ ‘Yes,’ replied the boy. I am not only going to take it, but I am going to cut it into two! ’ ‘Cut it into two! ’ exclaimed the good kind lady really horrified. ‘You good for nothing boy! Give me that mat instantly.’ ‘No, Mamma I wont’, replied the brave boy. ‘But suppose you cut it into two,’ asked the father, ‘what would you do with them?’ I WILL GIVE GRANDPA ONE HALF, AND KEEP THE OTHER HALF FOR YOU, PAPA.’ ‘For me you naughty little boy!’ cried the father quite astonished. ‘Yes’, replied he; ‘when you grow old as grandpa, and my wife turns away from the house,” our wife is turning him out now?! will men give you the other halt? – saying this he rushed to and nestled on the breast of the old gentleman with whose scalding tears he mingled his in deep lamentable wailing. His father stood as if struck by a thunderbolt, he looked vacantly as if demented. As for the woman – and what woman was not found ever ready on any emergency! – she flew to the old man knelt before him, and whilst mingling tears of contrition with his, asked his forgiveness. If ever a shrew a termagant was broken in that little chap turned the spirit of his mother; forever afterwards the old man was properly taken care of by her, and nothing which he wanted to make him happy did she deny him.
If this tale is not strictly analogous in some points to that of Mr and Mrs Littlemonie let it however serve to show the difference between the white virago and black scold. Whilst the lady, by highly civilian society in which she was brought up and moved, wholesome checks to or upon her natural wicked propensities, as in this instance; the black woman could never dream, at all events according to the present state of society, of being so fortunate, the society in which she moves being primitive, consequent! v-she could have no\ checks upon her way waywardness. If Mrs Littlemonie had amongst her some one whose natural good disposition had been shell shaped and corrected by such tuition only inculcated in civilized and enlightened families before they are sent to public Schools, she certainly would not have succeeded so well as she did, in tormenting her husband and those who were connected with him by blood. But the introduction of Christian marriages among us was a bane, coming as it did without those other requisites which alone could make it in some respects a happy institution. An iron vessel is very good, certainly very strong, but it is as liable to break as a clay vessel. Some people by education, trade, or professional know how to repair it so as to bring it to its pristine strength; but what can poor, ignorant, and semi barbarous creatures like us do? Shall we be taught the necessity of acquiring the use of these strong iron vessels — church marriage – in fact, compelled to use them by paying a very high price for them, the loss of our freedom, and yet having not the means to mend or repair them when they break? Can we repair them with mud or clay, the only materials in our possession now? No. Is it not better to be contented with our clay vessel which we can repair when it breaks until by education, trade, or profession and general habits or custom we could mend the iron vessel when it does break? I certainly would not thank a man who forces me to wash and be clean whilst I find myself helplessly in deep mud, with no power of myself to get out of it. Get me out, first and the ablution afterwards and I will be happy in my thankfulness to you.
Let us return from our and take up the string of our narrative. We left Mrs Littlemonie’ vomiting from her destructive mortar volleys of small shot, bombs, and shells after her discomfited husband. From that day Mr Littlemonie became in the strict sense a nonentity, whilst the wife became me entity in the house and over his very actions. She filled the house with continual brawls with everything and every body. Mr Littlemonie being steady, studious, and of a religious turn would for days shut up himself in his study, which was at the same time his office, and there either keep his books or study his ser-mons, for he was a local preacher. That sanctum also did not escape from their of the woman; she would occasionally compel him to admit her in and then challenge him to brawling combats but the man would invariably decline, and in order to avoid them altogether he would quietly walk out of the house to prose [read: continue, sn] onto his study somewhere else. Sometimes shew would on these occasions follow him out of the house and abuse him like a veritable pickpocket. It is generally said that extremes meet; but in Mr and Mrs Littlemonie’s case extremes never met. One would have thought that where the one was excessively weak, gentle, and in disposition, effeminate; and the woman wild, boisterous and cantankerous, that the two extreme tempers would have met, but it was not so for Joe. So matters stood with them, the chasm between them widening at all times.
One day Mr Littlemonie was asked by a friend how it was that he did not use discrimination in the selection of a wife? He replied: ‘I knew and liked her, and therefore married her.’ — ‘But why did you not study her disposition first before you plunged into a ceremony whose only way of retraction is through the commission of sin?’ he was again asked. ‘Because,’ he replied, ‘to prevent me from falling into temptation by the wiles of unprincipled women I was influenced by the Society to marry her.’ – ‘But why her and not any one else?’ rejoined his interrogator – ‘Because, they argued, being brought up by religious parents, and in a religious house, she must be a good girl,’ he replied. – ‘Had you no other guarantee,’ asked the man; ‘as to her disposition, except what the Society told you?’ ‘No —’ ‘But why did you not marry her according to our own fashion first?’ he was again asked. ‘That was perfectly impossible; I would have been excommunicated’ he answered – ‘Which would you prefer now excommunication with bliss and happiness at all events in this world and freedom to serve your God in secret and regular attendance in his sanctuaries, although not acknowledged by the members of the Society as a real Christian, or an acknowledged member of the Society with circumstances so eminently distressing?’ ‘I would,’ he replied, ‘sooner prefer my native marriage if Iwas1 not enjoined to believe that it was only Christian Marriage, if we would marry at all, that could take us to heaven.’ – ‘Is the dogma or tenet held by the Society4I here tenable? Can it hold its own in perfectly distilled water – water as clear as crystal? Can you find it in your heart of hearts to believe that heaven is debarred from a man because he did enter into a marriage ceremony instituted and sanctioned only by human society, although Christian? Now; think well of this and answer me.’ ‘I must acknowledge, dear friend, that I have not given this subject of Christian marriage a thought further than what we are taught to believe, so I cannot very well answer your question.’ – ‘My opinion,’ returned the friend, ‘may appeal io you paradoxical, but I certainly cannot find in my heart to believe that a God whose benignant influences are over all his works should make the future happiness of beings who are the lords of all His creation, dependent upon our present wretchedness and misery in marriage. However, CHACUN A SON GOUT; stick to your tenets and belief; you maybe right. The present is clear and is within the scope of the human intellect; but the future is misty and impenetrable! who can fathom it? who indeed? Not amortal erring creature at least? Enough has been related about Mr and Mrs Littlemonie; we have abused the one and pitied the other sufficiently long. We must now bring their career to a close,
The convolutions of a vulture in the air cannot but be observed by man. Human actions and dispositions, beside God, can be observed and judged only by rational beings. So this incompatibility of the natural inclination of mind, habit, and disposition exhibited by Mr and Mrs Littlemonie, their brawls, quarrels, and the miserable life they led, apparently gloried in by the woman and poignantly felt by the man, could not but excite the observation of the Argus-eyes of the public, whose opinion went forth in an unqualified manner AGAINST the inherent evil and the accursed propensity of the woman and for the man’s pitiful and compassionate position. Justice was done him at last. He obtained an easy divorce, and that without the woman being charged with adultery, the only crime, I believe, which entitles any of the contracting parties to a separation. Mr Littlemonie has given his name to another lady with whom he is living on terms of perfect peace if not in entire felicity. But Mis Littlemonie what became of her? A street brawler, a desperate tippler, a fit companion of profligates, a miserable deserter of the rank in which she was bom, an adept in the criminal society she now keeps, a most riotous hag; such is the end of this- unhappy couple. With the knowledge that the man could not send her away, the woman brought into play all her evil propensities but adulterous intercourse. If she had been married according to the native rites and ceremony, where the man and woman have indisputable right to part in such cases, as she loved her husband, so would she have curbed in her natural inclinations and evil habits, and they would have been happy together.
Be happy Littlemonie in the new companion thou hast found, and may that union be a blissful one to the end of thy days! But thou Mrs Littlemonie or rather Miss Beck doe; wouldst thou not see the wickedness of thy ways and return to a Saviour who sacrificed his previous life to save thee from eternal perdition? The hearts of those who knew thee when thou wert young bleed for thee, and nothing less than thy reclamation can heal their bleeding hearts.
We will now introduce the reader to a private confabulation of a few unfortunate women whose happiness had been wrecked upon the hymeneal rocks! How very much are you to be pitied in your shackled circumstances!
‘Dear Mrs Drumlett, how very glad I am to see you so well and happy today. It is this morning’s beautiful sermon, I suppose, that has produced such a delightful change in you.’
This was spoken by Mrs Sidonus, a woman of some respectability in town. She is the wife of a decent man, in the clothes, water and soap trade; a well-to-do man in his way and a professed Christian. Mrs Drumlett, on the other hand, is the wife of a young minister, an extremely eloquent preacher, and the favourite of a certain class of the FEMALE BAND.
Yes I am happy,’ replied Mrs Drumlett, ‘seemingly happy; but I carry still the corroding iron in my soul as usual. If you see me thus it is because Mr Drumlett is gone to see Miss Ekbinna. to whose house I saw many of the sisters and brothers going. I suppose they are going to hold their meeting there this morning. Oh, it is sad! Indeed it would be unbearable had we hui been taught to be patient under tribulations. Had he brought them here, as he sometimes does, you would not have found me so happy now as you say. Out of sight out of mind; and my mind had just drifted from contemplating the goodness of God to those happy days when I was living in single blissfulness among a people who, whatever they were, did not deceive me; whose yea was indeed yea, and nay, nay. ’
‘When we passed by Miss Ekbinna house,’ chimed in Mrs Elsmore, the wife of the lay brother, the leader of the celebrated association which we have written about, ‘we heard people laughing and talking. Mr Elsmore must be there also, for he was not at home when I left:’
‘Yes,’ replied Miss Grace Hamilton, a sharp little girl of about ten years old, the protege of Mrs Drumlett. ‘Mr Elsmore. Mr Littleton, Mr Acquanus. I saw every one of them when they went in, for 1 was behind them. There was papa Drumlett and two others whose faces I could not sec, consequently could not tell who they were. Then amongst the sisters there were Miss Ekbinna, Miss Smart, Miss Carbonns. and my sister Harriette. I wanted to go with them bm was hot allowed, so 1 came in. 1 did not like it when I was told to go home, for I wanted to be there so as to hear their conversation, and observe the doings of the meeting.’
‘What a pity,’ put in Mrs Ironside, an old lady whose husband had been dead long, long ago, and whose time of courtship had passed and gone, never to come back to her; ‘What a pity Mr Drumlett should associate so closely with these people. His motives may be pure, and his intentions religious; but proceedings of this kind of intimate relations between male and female members are being talked about by outsiders, and some of us who really cannot see the necessity of it, cannot defend them.’
Defend them!’ cried Mrs Drumlett. ‘How can you defend them, and the kind of association they have formed? However among thieves; we are talking amongst ourselves. So I hope we will keep within ourselves what passes here.’
‘Such sort of conduct,’ said Mrs Elsmore, ‘cannot fail to excite public scandal; and I have not the least pity for those women, who instead of going on, and being satisfied with what we are taught by our elders to observe, would encourage our husbands to desert their wives and homes and attend to meetings which are of very questionable character. It was only the other night at one of these meetings held at my husband’s that they were expressing their grief at the desertion of Mrs Quaibu. It appears that Mr Quaibu heard of her being a member of the association, and he having a decided antipathy against it prohibited his wife from joining it, and perfectly right he is too, for it is an association that I would not allow a wife of a brother of mine to join it if I had any.’
‘Has Mrs Quaibu indeed left them?’ inquired Mrs Drumlett. I am indeed glad to hear it. What could induce a woman of her position to join an association of that kind I could not make out; and I wondered her husband could permit-her.’
‘It. is true, Mrs Drumlett,’ returned Mrs Elsmore. ‘It appears from what I overheard at the meeting that Mr Quaibu strongly requested his wife not to go to my husband’s or to join any association of that sort. This they have put down as a command prompted by jealousy, and that Mr Quaibu was thereby opposing the spiritual interests of his wife. They therefore spoke to the superiors of the society who accordingly brought her to book and requested her to choose between her husband and her God; she of course chose God and joined the association again. Mr Quaibu hearing this called his wife to task also, and compelled her to choose between him and the members of the sect. She would not have her husband and matters were just drifting to a point when our superintendent, Revd. Langley, called upon Mr Quaibu to induce him to allow his wife free scope to worship her God, and to explain to him that the members of the association being pious and God-fearing young men it was impossible for any obscenity and lewdness to taken place between them and the chaste sisters. The result of Mr Langley’s interview with Mr Quaibu is, that Mrs Quaibu has given the association the conge. And is now in perfect accord with her husband. It would seem that Mr Langley was thoroughly convinced by Mr Quaibu, as I hear he intends taking steps in the matter and should he find it as it was represented, to abolish the association altogether or to reform it.
‘I cannot help expressing my gratitude to Mr Quaibu,’ replied Mrs Drumlett; ‘for having succeeded in convincing our minister of the impropriety of men and women meeting in private houses and calling themselves brothers and sisters under the guise of religion. I sincerely hope Mr Langley will act as he intends and break up an association which is the source of heart burnings to many a married woman. This resolution of Mr Langley’s must be a great blow to the members; I wonder how they took it and whether they will give it up with good grace.
‘I heard them expressing a great aversion and hatred to Mr Quaibu;’ continued Mrs Elsmore; ‘especially the sisters who consider themselves to have been insulted by him. They are not only determined to keep up the association, but that they will do all they can to get Mrs Quaibu back, or their sect will be I “up a gum tree.” ’
‘If I knew Mrs Quaibu intimately,’ rejoined Mrs Drumlett, I would soon get her to be disgusted with such meetings and to leave them forever, if she is the chaste woman I take her to be.’
‘But what could you have against it, Mrs Drumlett?’ asked Mrs Ironside; ‘you certainly cannot suppose that meetings honoured by the presence of good Mr Drumlett, and so well supported by him could be libidinous?’
‘Yet I am ashamed to say that it is,’ replied she. ‘Why it was only yesterday that Miss Ekbinna came here, and without accosting, or taking the least notice of me, went straight to my husband, who was then in the bedroom, laying down, being a little indisposed, and stayed with him some time. If you ask me what it was that occupied their time during her stay there, I cannot tell you, since I did not go in whilst she was there, neither would I, if I could, show any alacrity in believing that a person of my husband s status in the society would be so weak as to commit such a sin, or to expose himself to a temptation, over which I am sure he could never have, or can have the control; human nature being human nature – weak; but I suppose my husband and this lady are above such weak-ness. As far as I am concerned, I have never tried to dive into my husband’s proceedings, or to watch his actions; and I have always prayed to God for grace and patience in these my trials, trusting I think I can manage to carry the cross; and I have hitherto felt loathe to think that it was possible for my husband to act otherwise but honourably towards the SISTERS. But when the sisters think nothing of me now, when before I was everything to them, and when they treat me with contempt, and would not associate with me – their own sex – but would carry on their intimacy with my husband even to their visiting him in his bedroom, it is hard for human nature to bear. God only knows how I am suffering. Now, Mrs Ironside, is this conduct of my husband’s what it should be?’
‘Oh, no; it certainly is incomprehensible,’ replied she. ‘But I must consider the fault to be more on the side of the woman than on the side of the man.’
‘Nay,’ replied Mrs Elsmore: ‘if Mr Drumlett, in the instance of Miss Ekbinna’s visit had shown the respect due to his own wife, don’t you think that the rest would equally respect her? I do not uphold the conduct of the women, but the men are more to be blamed.’
‘You are right Mrs Elsmore, but I cannot conceive that a man of Mr Drumlett’s sacred position could entertain any other but pious and honourable motives by his connection with the sisters. It is his imperative duty to seek the sheep that have gone astray from the fold, and strengthen those within their faith. In doing this where is the wrong?’
‘Are the souls of only the women and not the men’s to be cared for?’ asked Mrs Drumlett. ‘Why, I have not seen one single man, who is out of the fold, and there are many hundreds of the them as you know in the town, being spoken to in respect of his soul by my husband in this house; whereas he would entice women, even seme of these who have got husbands into the house; when he finds that their natural protectors and husbands were out, [he would] speak to them about the subject of their souls.’
‘Is it not better,’ returned Mrs Ironside, ‘to seek the weak vessels first and bring them to the fold and then through them aim at the men?’
Is it not more commendable to seek the men first, and with their valuable assistance to reclaim the women? but why not try to convert the two sexes simultaneously? Is it not better,’ continued Mrs Drumlett getting warmer, I repeat, to seek the Lords of creation first? Would the disciple be wiser than his Lord? Did not our Saviour when on earth, solely seek his disciples among men? Do you not see that, by their activity in trying to seek proselytes among women, and indifferently among men, they tacitly disavow His proceedings as unwise, and theirs as the best? Now answer me Mrs Ironside.
‘I cannot help acknowledging that you are right,’ replied she, ‘But may not their misguided actions or conduct be prompted by pure motives? I cannot find it in my heart to believe otherwise. ’
‘Pure motives indeed!’ interposed Mrs Elsmore most bitterly, ‘say rather culpable motives, Mrs Ironside. Have you ever been to any of these meetings of theirs before? If you have not you have only to attend and realize its enormity. I will tell you what it is, I have been once and once only at their meetings, and that once was quite enough for me. After that my husband would not permit me to attend them, for I expressed my mind freely to him after the meeting was over on its impropriety.’ ‘Well religion is the ostensible object of the association. They take up a portion of the scriptures which they read and explain in the vernacular, but this takes them but little time. Then they talk on different subjects; calling each other brothers and sisters all the time. As the conversation gets warmer and warmer the above titles, brothers and sisters, give way to endearing expressions
such as, ‘my love.’ ‘my dear’, ‘0 how dearly I love you in Jesus!’, ‘We must learn to love each other dearly as enjoined by our blessed Lord and Saviour.’ Such are the exclamations of the men. Whilst the women, on their part, looked so pleased and took all in harmlessly, repeating the words taught them by their instructors. Confess, Mrs Ironside, whether this is what religion ought to be and whether it does not savour more like love-making in the ordinary way? A loose love match in which you must have played a part in your younger days before your were married and before you embraced Christianity. I knew I played my part before I got married. Can a sacred object be turned to a worse purpose than this? Does it not reflect badly against the women who go there to listen to such language and the men for converting religion to their own carnal purposes?’
‘You really astonish me Mrs Elsmore,’ replied the old lady. ‘If all what you have told me, and I cannot help believing you, is a true picture and not caricatured, I certainly will tell my daughter to discontinue her attendance at the meetings. Can wickedness be so hid under cloak of righteousness? and is it into hands like these that the tillage of the Lord’s vineyard is enthrusted? Oh where are the St Pauls and St Peters of our Church! It is high time for them to be up, if they are asleep, and be doing; or we will all be devoured.’
‘Are you so much surprised by the recital of this my dear Mrs Ironside?’ returned Mrs Elsmore. ‘But if I were to relate to you some which are of more heinous character what would you do then? You are fortunate that you have nota husband living who would join such an association like that. It is hard that we women must not have even innocent amusements with other men even when our husbands under the guise of religion act so ungodly.’
‘You do not insinuate by this that it has been possible for them to go further in this matter?’ demanded Mrs Ironside really shocked.
‘I have only told you when many of them meet,’ returned the incorrigible Mrs Elsmore: ‘but wait when you see a brother and a sister of them meet alone and you realize how far they do carry on their wicked pranks.
‘Mrs Ironside was silenced at once. She would take the part of the gentlemen, but failed signally; and who would not on the face of such evidence? All what she said was in the way of exclamation and a solicitude for her daughter’s safety. ‘Can nothing be done to save the Church! O, I will caution my daughter against them; she leaves them at once or she leaves me.’
It is high time that some steps were taken to nut a stop to these Associations of men and women,’ rejoined Mrs Sidonus, who had been a silent listener all the time THs only today that I have seen my friend Mrs Drumlett in good spirits and looking SEEMINGLY HAPPY as she calls it. Many a time have I called, and whilst she is sitting down stairs with hot tears streaming down her eyes, looking the very picture of misery, I would hear her husband enjoying himself in the company of ladies and gentlemen upstairs. To one of these gatherings Mr Drumlett invited me, but that one was quite enough for me; I have not been to another since. 1 preferred the company of my friend in her forlornness better than the kind of gathering I saw upstairs. If it came to this better it would be had we not been troubled with this church marriage wherein it seems we are bound hand and foot for the men.’
‘But how is it, Mrs Drumlett,’ inquired Mrs Ironside; ‘that your husband does not invite you to these gatherings?’
‘Mr Drumlett never invited me,’ replied Mrs Drumlett, ‘and for very good reasons too. Do you think he would have me there to spoil his pleasure, to be a spy over his actions? No, No. It pains me to say that I am but a cat’s paw,48 a mere blind blink bearing only the name of a wife in a house where I should be the mistress. Are not these sisters treated more like wives, more cared for, lovingly treated by my own husband than poor out-cast me? Have not some of these women taken the very duty of a wife from me by attending him whenever he is sick, when my presence would not be welcome to him; sending him gruel and other sweet nothings which he enjoys when mine would remain untasted? We all, men and women, have feelings. I am very unhappy Mrs Ironside, and but for the sacred knot which binds me to him, the oath that I took ai the altar, I certainly would have left him long ago in the enjoyment of his pleasure and happiness, and to seek my peace of mind in leading a single life, or to find happiness with one who would appreciate my services. It is hard to speak so of one who has become bone of your bone and flesh of flesh, but I really can’t help myself. Is it not comforting and relieving to give vent to feelings so over charged with grief and sorrow as mine are.’
‘Sad indeed is the condition of a church in whose members she deplores many hypocrites, backsliders and pretenders;’ soliloquized Mrs Ironside; ‘but sadder still is the condition of that one which finds amongst her very ministers delinquents of no less magnitude!
It is sometime since we lost sight of Mr Mrs Quaibu. We will now give them a look up. Mrs Quaibu, I am happy to say, has become reconciled to her position, has entirely given up the would-be religious association, was really attendance in chapel, and was perfectly contented with class meetings, attendance in chapel, and other legitimate places of worship. Matters of his lady love. Peace, love, and concord reigned in their domestic hearth; No couple could be pleased and at peace with themselves, and with their neighbours than they were.
One day as they were in the hall talking Mr Brandeboult came in to spend the evening with them; and a little after, three other gentlemen were announce . As they were not ordinary visitors Mr Quaibu met them on the steps and took them into the hall. They were the leaders of the celebrated Association, Mr Quaibu therefore had occasion to be on his mettle. After giving them seats he thus accosted them in the blandest manner.
To what do I have the pleasure of your visit? 1 suppose you came to me possibly on business. ’
No! Yes! in fact’ – stammered Mr Elsmore, not knowing what to say.‘
No! Yes!’ repeated Mr Quaibu interrogatively. ‘Then it is evident that you are not decided as to who it is to have the honour of your esteemed visit.’
‘Oh, yes, we called to see both of you,’ replied he, looking rather perplexed.
‘Both of you! ’ cried Mr Quaibu. ‘Why man, there are three of us here as you perceive. Mrs Quaibu, Mr Brandeboult, and myself. You certainly don’t mean to say that you called at my house to see Mr Brandeboult? You are all honorable men, I suppose; and as such please confess that you did not call here in order to see Mr Brandeboult, nor to see me.’
‘I must confess that you are right,’ replied Mr Elsmore somewhat relieved. ‘We were passing along, and as we were near here we thought better to call over to see our sister. ’
‘And who is our sister, pray? She could not be here certainly. Have you not taken the wrong house to seek for your sister gentlemen?’ interrogated Mr Quaibu calmly.
‘Mrs Quaibu, of course,’ replied he confidently, looking at the lady in question.
‘Do my senses deceive me?’ exclaimed Mr Quaibu indignantly. ‘Mrs Quaibu, your sister’. How became you to be her brothers? Pray enlighten me. Are you the son-in-law of the late Mr Waldemar and I as his son-in-law did not know of it?’
‘No, we are not the sons of Mr Waldemar, neither are we in any way connected with him,’ replied Mr Elsmore assuming a dignified air.
‘How then?’ rejoined Mr Quaibu. ‘Is it on the mother’s side?’
‘Oh, no,’ replied he demurely. ‘We are not in the slightest degree related to her. She is of the Fox tribe and we are not of that tribe.’
‘It is rather queer then, gentlemen, that you are neither late Waldemar’s nor my mother-in-law’s sons, yet you call a daughter of theirs your sister. Any how, if she is so related to you I also must be your brother since she is my wife. Brothers!’ continued he smiling mischievously. ‘What is your pleasure? For I supposed the business you have with her is not of a private nature.’
‘No, no, Mr Quaibu; we have nothing private with her. We only call Mrs Quaibu our sister, because she is a member of the society,’ replied the man in full confidence of nis position.
‘What society?’ asked he, ‘do you mean the Wesleyan society, or your own?’
‘Both,’ replied Elsmore standing on his dignity.
‘Both!’ exclaimed he. ‘That she is a member of the Wesleyan body I am aware, and am very glad of it too, but that she is still a member of your own institution, I am not aware, since I have told her to discontinue her connection there with.’
‘She is still a member notwithstanding, although she does not attend the meetings now.’
‘But why have you not struck oat her name from your list, I pray?’ interrogated Mr Quaibu, who with difficulty could curb his rising anger.
‘Because we know that she did not leave it of her own free will,’ replied he, thinking or rather looking as if he had said a brave thing, mistaking Mr Quaibu’s usual calm disposition for effeminacy or softness. Brave words indeed they were, and he meant them to be so in order to awe Mr Quaibu into a passive consent to his wife rejoining them.
Audacity like this, and from such a source, Mr Quaibu thought fit to treat with extreme contempt. Nevertheless he thought that having an opportunity like that afforded him, it would be a sin to ignore it, and he therefore made up his mind to teach his visitors such a lesson which they would not forget as longas they lived.
‘Now, Mr Elsmore,’ returned Mr Quaibu, restraining his growing wrath.
‘Which of us two ought this lady obey, you or me?’
‘You, of course, in everything else excepting when God comes between you and her,’ replied he, not having the least notion that the calm in Mr Quaibu was merely assumed, and that it might at any moment be replaced by something else.
‘Suppose I were to find it in my heart to call upon your wife occasionally in order to have private conversation with her for hours together, or she came to me at my own house, or at any other place, for the same purpose and the same duration or time, ignoring you altogether; would you think that I would be treating you rightly? You must understand Mr Elsmore that 1 seek the information for my own purpose and guidance.’
‘You must know, Mr Quaibu, that we are differently situated in respect of these ladies in question -1 am a member of the society, but you are not; hence the difference between us. Had you thought that it was no disgrace to carry the cross of our blessed Saviour publicly on your shoulders, and become a member, we two would have been placed in the same position,’ Mr Elsmore concluded looking round towards his companions for their approbation.
‘Which means, Mr Saint,’ returned Quaibu getting really hot, ‘that as you are a member of the society, and therefore infallible, you could associate with other people’s wives without being tempted to fall foul of them, but that I being a nun-class member, consequently wicked, you would not allow me to visit your wife, because, forsooth, a crime would, nay, must happen between us. Your proof against temptation therefore is in your being a member of the society, and my weakness in being a non-member?’
I really did not mean to insinuate that —’
‘Insinuate man!’ cried Mr Quaibu. ‘Insinuate, but you have expressed yourself pretty plainly; there is no insinuation in the case, my dear fellow. Here is a case of the blind leading the blind! Here is a fellow who evidently knows little or nothing about real or practical religion. and yet seeks to teach others!
I know as much about religion as any body else, Mr Quaibu,’ replied he looking offended.‘
Then you must be a great rogue, and a consummate hypocrite,’ replied Mr Quaibu with warmth, and then added, I beg your pardon however for using those words.’
‘I am not a rogue, neither am I a hypocrite, Mr Quaibu. You insult me grossly in your house.’
‘I have already begged your pardon, man,’ replied he. ‘But I am only showing you that two men can play the same game. You have been insulting me all along in my house, and you seem to glory in it; I use epithets to which you are entitled, and you look affronted. Do you not know, or have you forgotten the wise saying, that he who lives in a glass house must never throw stones; and that stones thus thrown recoil upon the thrower with greater force and destruction? I repeat that you either must be miserably deficient in practical religion, and therefore your zeal in leading these poor women in the manner you are doing is dictated by ignorant and mistaken knowledge of the Christian religion; in that case your conduct would not be very much blamed. But you say that you know as much about religion as any body else; you then ought to know that Christ is the Supreme Head and the great Originator of the Christian religion; that a disciple could never be greater than his master; and that, above all, Christ being God he was, on that account, invulnerable to sin, but that man being human, he must be weak, impotent, and extremely susceptible to temptation. Your religion ought to teach you to obey Christ, who knowing our nature exhorted his disciples to be careful, saying, “Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.”49 Did not Peter, the head of the disciples, swear that he would stand by his master through death – though the master, knowing his weak nature, foretold that he would deny Him thrice before cock-crow – and yet shortly afterwards succumb? I KNOW HIM NOT, he said. What a lie; yet he was THE ROCK, the one most worthy to take his master’s place after his death. As a man who is well versed in religion, and knows thy nature well, you should know that Peter failed his master not through want of love for him and willingness to desert him in that trying hour, but that he could not help his nature, which he afterwards confessed. Is your nature different from Peter’s, and are your principles based upon sounder foundation than his? You know that they are not; you would be a God then; and yet you would in your arrogance assume that which he assumed, and miserably failed; you would not obey Christ when he commands you to take heed. Where is your religion then? If you are ignorant of these you are less blameable; but if you are aware of them and yet persist in acting as you do, you are an imposter, a rogue, a consummate hypocrite, and therefore unworthy to be the associate of those who wish to seek through religion their future happiness in heaven. Do you understand now how it was that I called and still call you by those odious names?’
‘But I am not a hypocrite.’ returned he; ‘inasmuch I do not presume to be better than Peter; and obey Christ in all his commands.’
‘Can the fellow’s understanding be so opaque and yet would he be a leader of-Israel? Does he not know that if Peter had not trusted so much in his own strength, but had acted as the other disciples did, he would not have had occasion to deny his master? Peter rushed into danger, trusting in his own individual strength, and there he succumbed; the ten disciples did not deny him, because they were wise in that they did not trust in their strength, and rush into temptation as cautioned by their Lord, by assuming a position which the weak-ness of their nature could not support.’
‘But I do not rush into temptation,’ replied he. ‘You are always harping upon temptation; where is it in my instance?’
‘You said a few minutes ago that you would not consent to my paying your wife occasional visits.
You would undoubtedly allow me had I been of the same sex as hers. Why is this? It is because you think, and you are right too, that I would be running into temptation. You cannot but be aware that frequent inter-course breeds familiarity; and that familiarity between the two sexes breeds liking, love, and eventually an irresistible inclination to commit sin. This is the only reason why you would not allow me or any other man to visit your wife. Such being the case, do you not equally run into the same temptation when you invite other people’s wives to visit you, and you visit them? Wherein is your nature different from mine? Are you not as weak as myself, tempted by the same objects, a prey to the same weakness, trials and allurements? Let us end this disagreeable rencontre but before you leave know that my wife does not go to your house or you come to this house, whether I am at home or absent there must be no more street meetings and talks between you. The day that she goes to your house she never comes to me again; if you come here you will go out with a broken pate. Do you hear that?’
‘God knows my thoughts,’ said he; ‘my conscience is as clear as the noonday; my actions are above board. Being thus strong in my conscience I do not care what you or any body says to or about me. “Evil to him who evil thinks.” ’
‘Stop!’ cried Quaibu entirely out of temper. ‘Would you roughly handle the sharp knife by the blade, or rouse the lion when he is quiet in his lair! Hear then and judge.
‘A certain man, in this very town, was excessively zealous in the work of God. Paul-like he would go out of his way to convert the Gentiles – the unbelievers, and such praiseworthy conduct made him eminently prominent in the society. When the society was visited by one of those extraordinary events — a revival — it was this excellent man’s habit to invite younger women to his house to pray with them early in the mornings and late in the evenings. In this house there were young men who were living with him who emulated him in all his ways. Conduct like this could not but excite admiration and praise in the society. Has he not sent, by his assiduity and pious exertions, many souls convert-ed to join the holy body? You know, Mr Elsmore, what this good man and his followers did with those girls after prayers, for you cannot help knowing the circumstances of the case.
No! I don’t know,’ replied Mr Elsmore more sullenly.
‘No?’ returned Mr Quaibu. ‘Then I will tell you. These girls after prayers, in order to be initiated further into the mysteries of the body which they were desirous of joining, were led into private rooms and other places in the house. Do you know the man, Mr Elsmore, for you ought to know him and his associates in the laudable duty, as also the mystery?’
‘No,’ Mr Elsmore again replied.
‘No, I thought you did, as it was a talk all over the town,’ returned Mr Quaibu. ‘Well then, probably this other story about the same person may put you in mind of him ‘
‘The same excellent individual had an intimate friend who lived with a beloved wife, married according to the church rites. This precious man being very intimate with the husband he could not help being intimate also with the wife. The husband saw the intimacy but thought nothing of it, so perfect was his faith in this man’s honour. It was impossible that this friend of his could have any other motive but a pious one in his growing intimacy with his wife. In course of time, the woman was brought to bed and she, poor woman, died by child-birth; but before the poor young woman gave up the ghost she told a startling and most heart-rending story. Do you know the tale she told at her death-bed and the hero of it?’
‘No!’ gasped Mr Elsmore, quite overwhelmed with shame, although no name had been mentioned; but conscience ever so just was doing its work in the man.
‘Well,’ resumed Quaibu, who still rivetted the poor fellow with that kind of lock peculiar to persons who find strength more in their eyes than in their physical energy or force. T will tell you. The tale that the poor erring lady told was, that excellent man, that model of piety, the would-be saint, her husband’s inti-mate friend, had through artifice, wiles, and other tricks practised by men when they wish to ensnare innocent women, succeeded in seducing her into criminal intercourse with him, and that her untimely death was, to a great extent, brought about by her wicked conduct, as after her sinful behaviour she lived incontinual fear of her husband and of the great God before whom she swore that she would know no other man but her husband. Do you know that person now Mr Elsmore? If you do not know him I will mention his n—. Friends!’exclaimed Quaibu in a loud voice, addressing himself to Elsmore’s companions. ‘Attend to your precious comrade; he is taken suddenly ill poor man! had\ you not better take him away?’
‘How very nicely you handled that fellow,’ cried Mr Brandeboult, after Mr Elsmore and his friends had left. ‘Do you know, Quaibu, that you have done him and the society a world of good? If he were wise he would at once breakup this vile association which has become such a public scandal, and content himself with the acknowledged and legitimate institutions of the society. As a professional man, I know a good deal about the pranks of these men and their doings. I have something to tell you Quaibu, hear and be astonished.’
‘Mr Yansah who you know, is a member, a very candid man, and one who does not disguise the evil doings of-his brothers, came to see me this morning. Whilst he was with me a young woman passed by whose name must not be mentioned here, but you know her thoroughly well. I said in my usual way: “What a nice looking girl that is Yansah; do you know her?” “Of course 1 do,”he replied. “She was trying to become a member, but I do not know whether she will now” – “And why not now?” I inquired. “Because,” continued he, “she has met with discouragement. It appears that she called upon Mr — on business, and the treatment she received from him was not what she expected from a man of his position in the society. She called upon another gentleman, an old class leader of our acquaintance whom she very much respected, she said, but he also would lead her astray. Under these circumstances, she says, she is not decided whether she will join the society or not.” What do you think of it now?
Don’t you think it is very strange?’
‘You should not talk so Mr Brandeboult,’ replied Mrs Quaibu very shocked.
‘Quaibu is bad, but it appears to me that you are no better. True is the saying that birds of a feather flock together, and you two gentlemen have done much by your actions to exemplify that true saying.’
‘Certainly, my dear madam’ replied he jocosely. ‘Do you not prefer our feathers, feathers that could hide no filth nor any kind of vermin; or do you prefer birds which have them hidden in their splendid plumage, that you cannot caress them for fear of being troubled with them? No, no, madam, our motto is to do the best we can, but if we fail in well-doing to show our true colours and not disguise them. Is not that better?
’But I should like to know colours you have got, for you do not show them,’ demanded Mrs Quaibu.
‘What real colours we have got you ask, Mrs Inquisitive?’ returned Mr Brandeboult. ‘Well, we two were born in wickedness and in sin did our mothers conceive us.51 Well, wickedness and sin being in us inherent we strive to do all the good we can without ostentation, as the Pharisees did of old, and you know they are the hypocrites of our days; if we fail we strive to mend our ways by asking the grace of God to enable us to do better.’
‘It is certainly the best to allow one’s true colours or feathers,’ replied she.
‘The daw that would put on the peacock’s feathers became the laughing stock of her companions, and —’52‘True you are,’ interrupted Mr Brandeboult, laughing, ‘the position ci the jackdaw was indeed ridiculous, but that of Mr Elsmore was worse. By Jove, I could not even laugh at the man; much as I desired to do so. It serves him right though.’
‘How pitiless you gentlemen are’ returned Mrs Quaibu. ‘Quaibu did not show mercy in his dealings with the man; and you would speak spitefully of him too. It is bad of you. Have you too no pity in your nature?’
‘We have, madam, replied he. ‘But we exercise it upon those who are worthy of it. What commiseration has he got for the souls of those simple women whom he is misleading? Picture to yourself the terrible consequences of the future lives of those women after their death, if a stop is not put to his pranks. No, no, madam, you must acknowledge that the man deserved every bit of the thrashing he received from Quaibu. I am certain I could not have handled him better if I had tried. Oh how I enjoyed the fun!’
‘I will acknowledge nothing,’ replied she, pretending to look annoyed. ‘But after all what is the use of hiding one’s light under a bushel? Here is Quaibu now, he would say his prayers night and morning, I see him read his Bible regularly every day; is extremely conscientious in his dealings with every body.I have never seen him cheat any body, and he would give his last farthing to help the needy. If he commit any sin he would pray to God for forgiveness. In fact, his great fault appears to be, in being his own enemy; and yet he very seldom goes to chapel. Is it not bad?’
‘Yet he is looked down upon by persons like Elsmore, as the very devil incarnate. For us, and people like us, hell is made doubly tormenting to receive our souls at our death, whilst they, with all their hypocrisy, their wantonness, and their inward rottenness, have heaven prepared for them. What horror! My mouth runs down with “icy cold matter” to think of fellows like them,’ cried Mr Brandeboult very warmly, unusual to his general disposition or habits.
‘I have not joined the society long enough to be a judge,’ replied the lady. ‘But if you and Quaibu are so indignant at the presumption of the people whom you call hypocrites, why do you not show them by your example the right way. It is bad your continually hammering at a thing in which by your indifference you have made no figure whatsoever.’
‘It is certainly bad of us my “guid wife,” 53 replied Mr Quaibu laughing. I will try to mend my wicked ways. It is never to late to mend, is it? Wont you help me and my friend in this happy resolution, my dear?’
‘With all my heart if you really mean it. And you dear Mr Brandeboult, will l you leave your friend to go alone without you. May I not persuade yon too?’
‘How can I disobey you, dear Mrs Quaibu,’ replied he. ‘Besides we two are inseparable; if you lead one the other follows. What a stir we will create at our first entrance in chapel. By the powers! I am sure two devils entering any sacred place would not excite greater wonder. Do you think they will be delighted to have two great sinners like us to pollute their sanctuary by swelling their number? ’‘They will only be too glad to receive you I am sure. Do —,’ here Mrs Quaibu was interrupted by a servant who announced to his master that the Rev Mr Langley and a European gentleman were on their way to the house.
The last chapter with the arrival of Revd. Mr Langley and another gentleman. Mr Quaibu met them on the stairs and brought them to the hall. After the usual introductions were gone through and they had seated themselves a desultory conversation took place in which the Rev Mr Cranbrook, the white Minister, took the principal part. After which Mr Langley said: ‘Dear Mr Quaibu, Mr Cranbrook and myself have called upon you for two purposes; first and foremost to introduce Mr Cranbrook, our new Minister to you; and then to present to you this paper, which as soon as you sign your name, and the amount of subscription you will give, which I hope will be a liberal one, you will hand to Mr Brandeboult for the same purpose.’ Mr Quaibu, after Mr Brandeboult had done so, returned the subscription paper to Mr Langley, who thus addressed Mrs Quaibu, I am glad to find such a complete reconciliation between you and your dear husband. Do you miss the Association, that bone of contention at all?’’
‘Oh, no, Mr Langley,’ replied she. Tn fact I am now convinced that it is not of thing for women to go to; and I thank my husband for opening my eyes to its contaminating influence. I am sorry that I ever joined it.’
‘Bravely spoken, my dear lady,’ returned the Minister. ‘But I don’t agree with you in saying that it has a contaminating influence. I admire you for obeying your husband; let that and that alone be the ostensible cause of having left it.’ Mr Quaibu and his friend Mr Brandeboult exchanged looks of surprise, and-both as if moved by the same impulse looked at Mrs Quaibu who sat smiling.
‘It is true that obedience to my husband’s commands was the primary cause of my discontinuing attendance,’ she replied; ‘but since then I have found out that it is a reprehensible, if it is not a wicked association to allure unwary and innocent women to join it.’
‘You astonish me Mrs Quaibu,’ exclaimed the Minister. ‘How long since were you of this opinion, may I ask?’
‘Only today, Mr Langley,’ replied she. ‘If you had been here about an hour ago, you would have been disgusted with it altogether I am sure.’
‘May I ask you, Mrs Quaibu, to explain yourself?’
‘If I tell you that Mr Elsmore, Mr Abrands, and Mr Acquanus were here; and that a hot argument took place between the first gentleman and my husband; and that that gentleman went home perfectly ill; if not physically yet certainly mentally, for I never saw a man so unmercifully exposed as he was; you knowing my husband so well, will believe me if I say that I have had just cause to despise the Association.’
‘What is the nature of this Association you are talking about Mr Langley?’ inquired Mr Cranbrook. ‘I can so far see that it is connected with the Society, but what its nature is I do not know.’
‘It is an Association that has been formed by some of our leading members.
Its object is to read portions of the Scriptures and expound them in the vernacular to the illiterate members of the Society, to teach them how to sing proper-ty, and in effect to instruct them in their duty towards God and man. These I suppose are the principal objects of the Association.’
‘I do not see anything objectionable in the thing for any one to join it,’ replied the Revd. gentleman. ‘Since its object has such a sacred or religious tendency. ’
‘Mr Langley!’ cried Mr Quaibu. ‘You omitted to tell Mr Cranbrook that the illiterate of the society jou of are the women, the men not being io my knowledge admitted into die clique, at all events I do not hear of any illiterate male members among them. If there are men amongst them it would be different.’
‘There are men amongst them,’ returned Mr Langley. ‘Did not Mrs Quaibu mention the names of three of them just now as having visited you today?’ ‘These three men are teachers,’ returned Quaibu. ‘So are the remaining male members.’ ‘What difference does it make,’ asked Mr Cranbrook, ‘so long as there are men in the Association?’
‘It makes a vast difference, Mr Cranbrook,’ replied Mr Quaibu. ‘Mr Langley in explaining its object to you made u distinction between the literate and the illiterate members; the clique has for its object the benefit of the illiterate only; and we know that there are amongst these males as well as females who require spiritual teaching. Why should this Association seek only the women and neglect the men, who are equally in want of the benefit of this Association as the women. Can the object be the right one?’
I can see that it is not what it should be,’ replied Mr Cranbrook. ‘If it is for the benefit of the illiterate only, the leaders thereof ought to show an anxiety to get the men as well as the women. If it is true that there are no illiterate male members amongst them I must say that it is not the kind of clique that the soci-ety ought to tolerate. But, Mr Quaibu, is it against the injustice as well as the impropriety of the thing that you are contending, or have you any other reason?’
‘Besides the injustice as well as the impropriety of the thing I have other reasons,’ replied he; ‘and those reasons I consider are of more weight and importance than even its injustice. If you will permit me I will explain it to you, although I am not particularly anxious.’
‘Certainly Mr Quaibu; I should only be too glad to be enlightened in these matters as you perceive I have just arrived and need all information I can obtain about a people amongst whom I come to sojourn for some time.’‘
‘I regret, in fact, grieve to be obliged to have to speak disparagingly of an Association which has been formed by some of the leading members of the Society, and is evidently upheld by the very ministers. If they had not presumed to allure my wife to join it, and even advised her to refuse me obedience when I enjoined her to disconnect herself from them. I certainly would not have trou-bled myself about it. It was not my intention to proceed further in the matter since I have succeeded in opening the eyes of my wife against its evil influences. But since you wish me I will try to explain it to you, and if I succeed to convince you I shall be amply rewarded.
‘This Association has for its ostensible object exactly what Mr Langley has told you. If that was all it would have been well enough in its way, and in certain respects helpful to the good cause. But it has another object promoted by motives unworthy of a people who profess to be sincere Christians. It is against this object and its motives that I have a decided antipathy. As you are a stranger to the life and habits of the people, especially the women, before proceeding I will explain them to you as briefly as possible. That we are a people just emerging from a state barbarism; that we have not 6acf time or even opportunities, except what opportunities the Missionaries afford us, to correct our some what imperfect morals; that what appears in the eyes of strictly moral Europeans, loathsome, base and impure, to some of us is correct, and even our religious community cannot be said to be tree from the evil influences which it has failed to eradicate; so if I bring all these to your notice you will more readily under-stand how it is that I strongly set up my heart against an association the promoters of which were brought up by parents with surroundings of the nature I have described; and whose boastful advantage over the illiterate women whom they have elected io teach is io be found only in the partial education they have received, but whose morals are of the same standard as those upon whose morals and evil nature they pretend to pour the wholesome influence of religion. The greatest forte that Christianity has over the other religions is indisputably in its upright, just, and righteous teachings; and in its inculcating in the minds of its converts the practice of pure, wholesome, and holy morality. Morality therefore is of vital importance to the Christian religion, and its teachers must on that account, and in order to achieve that end, be strictly moral. If the teachers or leaders thereof be of indifferent morality they surely ought to be likened to the indifferent, ignorant, and indolent husbandman whose field produced nothing else but indifferent com, and a great deal of rank weeds and rancorous shrubs: and they should not be allowed to form associations of their own apart from the general body, wherein they have unbounded control, and of whose proceedings the elders of the Church cannot be expected to know much, if anything at all about it.’
‘Certainly, Mr Cranbrook; and also the unseemly time, and the reprehensible and really unfitting places in which it is held.’
‘May we not assume,’ asked the Minister, ‘that the promoters of whom we are talking would act contrary to your fears and conjectures, knowing so well as they ought the sacredness of the work they have in hand?’
‘It is decidedly impossible for them to act otherwise, Mr Cranbrook,’ replied Mr Quaibu. ‘Were the weakness on our side, say on the part of the men, the women being strong in morals, would act as a wholesome restraint or check upon the men. But in this case the weakness is on both sides. How could it be other wise, when both of them were brought up together in loose habits as I have already described to you?’
‘The condition of the people being at present unfit,’ replied the Minister; ‘it would not do then to form auxiliary bodies. Am I to understand that to be your meaning?’
‘Oh no!’ replied he; ‘that is not my meaning. In England where civilization has taken centuries to bring it to its present high standard, where the practice of pure morality is the aim and rule amongst all classes of society, where natural depravity has in a great measure received as it were a mortal wound, although not yet dead; even there the women have formed their own associations apart from the men. And why is that? Because, if the two sexes were to meet together indiscriminately in one place, even if in public buildings, the purity of its aim would soon be questioned. If in England where the women are in a position to hold their own against evil influences it has been found necessary to found ladies’ Associations and other societies separate from the gentlemen’s, how much more here when our condition is as I have described to you? Is it not placing the murderous weapon, say the revolver, in the hands of the inexperienced youth?’
I must acknowledge that your arguments are strong and weighty, Mr Quaibu,’ replied Mr Cranbrook. T am entirely in accord with you, and I will seek the first opportunity to enquire into the matter with my colleagues, and if possible to abolish the old and form new classes where the sexes would be separate. Mr Langley, have you ever been to any of these associations, and is Mrs Langley a member thereof?’
‘No, Mr Cranbrook,’ he replied. T have never been to any myself nor is my wife a member; but considering the character and position of those who are the leaders thereof, I do not think the association is really so bad as Mr Quaibu makes it out to be.’
‘Mr Langley,’ cried Mr Quaibu, ‘do you mean by this expression of yours, that you doubt the veracity of the statement I have made to Cranbrook? Do you wish me to make revelation s of a more startling nature to convince Mr Cranbrook of the truthfulness of what I have told him? As far as you are concerned I convinced you in this very hall a few months ago; do you wish me to repeat what I said, and before Mr Cranbrook? It were a hundred times better for the sick man to show the nature of his disease, and not to disguise it to the doc-tor, so that he may obtain a perfect cure; than to hide it as it is the habit of some of your people. The society ought to thank me for making these exposures, and I am fully convinced that if they don’t future generations will. It is the quality and not the quantity of a thing that shows its true worth or value.’
‘I cannot help expressing my astonishment at the state of things,’ cried Mr Cranbrook. ‘However this is not the time and place to discuss this matter. Mr Quaibu I find does not so much speak about the association itself as he does about the advisability of the two sexes having separate private gatherings; and I can see the necessity of it too.’
‘Mrs Quaibu goes to Sunday school regularly, and I have never objected to her going; and why? Because the school is held in a public building, it is accessible to both male and female, to literate and illiterate, and, what it should be, it takes place in the broad daylight.’
‘Bye the bye Mr Langley,’ inquired Mr Cranbrook, ‘where do these people principally hold their meetings? In the sacred edifices?’
‘Often times at the private dwelling places of the leaders or instructors,’ replied Mr Langley.
‘In the day time?’ again asked Mr Cranbrook of his colleague.
I am not sure as to that. In fact not suspecting anything wrong about it I have never given it a thought’, he replied.‘ Are these instructors married?
And are their wives members thereof, Mr Langley?’
‘Some of them are married, but others are still bachelors. As to their wives I think they are admitted,’ replied Mr Langley.
‘Mr Langley thinks the wives ought to be admitted and therefore supposes they are in reality admitted, cried Mr Quaibu. ‘But I have made enquiries, Mr Cranbrook, and I am sorry to state that they are not admitted; or at least their wives do not attend for obvious reasons.’
‘Is this a fact Mr Quaibu? Are you sure of it?’ cried Mr Cranbrook. ‘It is a fact Mr Cranbrook. It may appear strange to you that I, a perfect out-sider, should know so much about the matter, when those who are concerned in it do not. But it is a well known fact that spectators are better judges than the actors themselves. I was not an indifferent spectator, since my wife was an actress in it.’
‘This state of things will never do under any circumstances,’ exclaimed Mr Cranbrook, ‘and the sooner things are set to right the better, Mr Langley. Mr Quaibu, my colleague and myself must express our heartfelt thanks to you for the important information you have given us. It is by far better to my thinking to have a few in the fold and that are good healthy sheep, than to have many, that are sickly and miserable looking.’
‘I really must endorse your sentiment and opinion in this matter, and must sincerely thank Mr Quaibu for the honourable, fearless, and able manner in which he has brought the evil to your knowledge and mine. But before we bring this subject to a conclusion, I must express my candid opinion and firm belief in the godliness, piety, and the sacred character of the leaders of the society out of whose body the instructors or promoters of the association about which we have been talking sprung up. I have found them to be pious, God fearing, and well conducted, and in every respect as decent as any body holding positions like theirs in any country.
‘I have nothing whatever to say against the society, or against the leaders generally,’ replied Quaibu. ‘If I know any thing to the detriment of a few of them – and you Mr Langley know whom I mean – as concerns their sacred character, it is not my wish to talk about it, specially when the parties them-selves are not here. Three of them were here today, and they went away fully convinced that the public know more of them than they supposed. Mr Langley would do well to let allayed dust rest; if he would disturb it nothing good will come of it. I hope you will like the place Mr Cranbrook and that you will keep you health as to remain long with us.’
Thank you Mr Quaibu. I think my health will keep well, as I have been to many of the West India Islands and stayed some years. You know the climate there is not very different from this.’
‘This is your first visit to Africa I suppose?’ inquired Mr Brandeboult.
‘To this part, yes; but I have been to other parts. I have been to the Cape, Madagascar, Egypt, and other places; Sierra Leone was my last station.’
‘Not having been long here you cannot form of course an opinion of the place?’ returned Mr Brandeboult.
‘So far as I have seen it,’ replied he, I think I shall like it better than many places I have been to. But of course there is no place like home.’
‘Mr Cranbrook, we have exceeded the time we intended to stay here,’ cried Mr Langley, ‘and we have many places to call. Had we not better take our departure?’
‘Tempus fugit.’ exclaimed he.
‘I really did not think that we had stayed so long; what a pleasant time we have spent though. I must say goodbye to you Mrs Quaibu; I am glad to hear that you are one of us. You must try to induce your husband to join us.’
‘I have already done that,’ replied she proudly. I have got his and Mr Brandeboult’s promise to attend places of worship regularly in future.’
‘Have you really done so?’ exclaimed Mr Langley looking very astonished and pleased. ‘Then I must congratulate you Mrs Quaibu on your success.’
‘Are you two gentlemen such desperate characters,’ demanded Mr Cranbrook, in a jesting manner, ‘that Mrs Quaibu’s achievement should excite such wonder? Then I also must congratulate you Mrs Quaibu. Now, brethren the are to be shortly, I hope, I say good bye to you. I hope our acquaintance will improve, and that I will see you in the chapel next Sunday. I may inform you that I shall make my virgin sermon here on Sunday and your presence will be doubly glad to me. Will you come?’
‘Certainly they will,’ replied Mrs Quaibu, mischievously. ‘If they wont I will bring them up by the neck with a cable towed round each.’
‘Will you allow yourselves to be treated thus gentlemen?’ cried the Rev. gentleman laughing most good humouredly, a proceeding in which all the gentlemen present joined most heartily.
‘No, no, Mr Cranbrook,’ returned Mr Brandeboult, ‘be sure we wont be so degraded as to give Mrs Quaibu the hangman’s office. We have elected her to be our guardian angel instead of that odious office, and we will only be too glad to attend. If ministers were to put off their rigid exclusiveness and were to befree with such people as ourselves there would be no reason to complain of ill success.’
‘I understand your hidden meaning Mr Brandeboult,’ returned Mr Cranbrook ‘I don’t see the reason why ministers should net freely mix up with the people in order to be in a better position to convert them. Did not our Saviour go among all classes of men? Good bye Mrs Quaibu, good bye gentlemen; I hope “we will meet at Philippi” on next Sunday.’
‘What a very good man that Mr Cranbrook is!’ exclaimed Mr Quaibu. ‘If his life is spared to us he will do wonders. That is the kind of men we want. I am really taken up with him.’
I am indeed charmed with the man,’ replied Mr Brandeboult. ‘This is what a minister of God ought to be. Here is some inducement for one to go to chapel now; to hear a man who does not put himself forward as a saint, and looks down upon one because he considers him to be a sinner. But how very uncomfortably Mr Langley looked He ready cannot thank you in his heart, although he expressed it. You are a pitiless foe Quaibu. I saw your growing wrath, and Mr Langley saw it, or else he would not have allowed you to act the complete master of the occasion. He must know your disposition very well.’
‘Oh, yes, Horatio. He was the first to put the alphabet in my hands, and continued my school master until I went to England. He knows me well.’
‘That accounts for his caution, or else he would have rushed into the same danger as Elsmore did,’ continued Mr Brandeboult.
‘Honour bright, Horatio; I know nothing which could reflect ill against his good name. I respect him sincerely, but I determined not to spare him if he continued to take the part of these hypocrites. Strange that these ministers think that it is their duty to defend their brethren in sin and uphold them in it. This mistaken notion of theirs – it cannot be a wilful one – tends to shake the stability of the church.’
‘Any how Quaibu, you have done the Wesleyan ‘Society in this country a world of good, if Mr Cranbrook could but effect a reformation which I think he will do if they allow him.’‘[I have no doubt] that he will do so,’ [Quaibu replied.] I have however [need for my wife] and for that service she has offered to be our spiritual adviser.
And a veritable one I mean to be too to you two and no fear,’ replied Mrs Quaibu. ‘See whether you will not have time on Sundays to call about as you usually do.’
‘Even when I am sick Mrs Quaibu?’ asked Quaibu.
‘Yes, even when you pretend to be sick Mr Quaibu,’ replied she mischievously.
‘To your certain knowledge, am I in the habit of pretending sickness when I am really well Mrs TARTAR?’
‘What an odious name to call a woman! ’ cried Mrs Quaibu. ‘It is really bad of you to call me by another name when I am perfectly contented with my own. Well if I am Mrs Tartar you are Mr Tartar and no mistake. Did not somebody catch it today?’
‘Bravo! Mrs Tartar! ’ cried Mr Brandeboult; then correcting himself when he saw Mrs Quaibu looking at him askance. ‘I mean Mrs Quaibu; pardon me. But after all what is there bad in the name? Are there not ladies amongst the Tartars? ’
‘Whether there be women or no women amongst them, and they would be a strange race if there were not, it is no business of mine. I have got my own name, and I will be known only by that name, and none other Messrs Quaibu and Brandeboult of the old firm of TEASE & BUSY.
‘Messrs Ouaibu and Brandeboult of the old firm of TEASE & BUSY BODY are extremely obliged to Mrs Tar—, I beg a thousand pardons, I mean Mrs Quaibu,’ replied Mr Brandeboult pretending to be hurt; ‘and they will in future not tease her, and play the busy body over or with her affairs.’
‘Mrs Quaibu considers that Messrs Quaibu and Brandeboult are wrong to suppose that she is capable of giving such an odious name to the great and most respectable firm of Tease and Busy, of which business they are the indisputable owners now; and finding that her words are misconstrued by a firm and in a company where she has got no chance – there being two TEASES against one victim, she considers the company to be rather too hot for her, and must there-fore find safety in taking her leave.* So saying she left the two friends gaping at each other with wonder and surprise.’
‘We have caught a veritable Tartar and no mistake,’ cried Quaibu; ‘and unless we submit to her in this chapel scheme there will be no rest for us. Whoever thought this of her!
’I believe you Quaibu,’ replied Mr Brandeboult. ‘But we will not give her occasion to play the Tartar with or over us.’
The friends sat for some time talking about different subjects over their wine and afterwards Mr Brandeboult left, leaving Quaibu to brood over things in general, and over his encounters during the day in particular. We will leave him thus engaged for the present.
The town of Dobblesie like any other primitive places of similar condition can neither be called civilized, nor can it be called barbarous. It can not be called civilized because the mass or at least the greater number of the people or inhabitants are barbarous; neither can it be called barbarous because there are some, although few, educated and Christian people amongst them who are civilized. Being thus situated it is impossible to call its society a select one. Excepting the European portion of the community, the society is promiscuous in the extreme; the reason being the close relationship existing between the literate and the illiterate, the Christian and the heathen. It is no matter of wonder therefore to find people of all classes and conditions meeting at a respectable native gentleman’s house now and then to talk about the news of the day, and to converse about other subjects. It is one of these kind of sudden social gatherings, and the principal subject of conversation that took place that we are about-writing.
One day, as Mr Quaibu, his friend Mr H. Brandeboult, and another gentle-man, a friend of theirs, were taking a stroll, and being near Mr Dadibah’s house they thought it better to give him a look up, and found him sitting in his spacious hall with a few visitors chatting. Now Mr Dadibah is a man of great influ-ence, which means in Sickaman a wealthy man, a man of education, and respectability in the country. He is of a gossiping nature, is very fond of acquiring information, and has a habit of collecting news, either private public, peculiarly his own, from other people, whilst he is very careful not to impart any himself if he could possibly help himself. The topic of conversation in which he was engaged with his visitors when our hero and his friends called was about a dissolution of marriage which had taken place a few days ago between an unfortunate couple. After the conduct of the man and the woman had been well canvassed, the subject drifted into a general discussion about the inadaptability of church marriages to the present condition or circumstances of the people; and a question was raised as to whether native marriages could be considered as sinful in the sight of God. Mr Dadibah in his quiet, calm way addressed .Dr Dunhaussie. who had just been speaking thus:
‘My dear Doctor, what is your candid opinion about Christian or church marriages?’
‘My candid opinion about English marriage is that it is not a divine but civil institution legalized by an Act of Parliament,’ replied Dr Dunhaussie.
‘I differ from you there,’ cried Mr Prembroke, a zealous Christian and a local preacher of high pretensions in the connection and of some influence in the country. ‘Christian marriages are of divine origin adopted by all Christian nations. If such be not so, why should it be solemnized in God’s house only; and there solemnly sworn to be the contracting parties?’
‘Can you prove its divine nature Mr Prembroke?’ asked Dr Dunhaussie.
I am not at present in a position to prove it by the Bible, but I have been taught so, and no argument could make me believe otherwise.’
‘You are a constant reader of the Bible, I suppose?’ asked Quaibu.
Yes, I read my Bible every day,’ replied Mr Prembroke.
‘Did the great founder of the Christian religion institute the rites of marriage as performed in our English churches and chapels?’
‘I am not sure of that,’ replied he. ‘No, I do not think so, for I don’t find any mention made of it in the Scriptures.’
‘Did he, or any of his disciples, or St Paul recommend monogamy as the proper kind of marriage?’ continued Quaibu.
‘Yes, what else could they recommend?’ replied he.
‘Did they not recommend polygamy too?’ asked Quaibu, laughing.
‘Decidedly not; how could they?’ replied he looking astonished.
‘Well!, if they did net recommend polygamy, did they monogamy?’ demand-ed Quaibu, in a peculiar way which excited roars of laughter.
‘Yes, they did,’ he replied, showing a little displeasure. ‘It was made option-al for any man to marry or not as he chooses.’ ‘You say monogamy and not polygamy is expressly recommended in the Bible; but that the manner how it is to be performed in the church is not expressed therein. If such be the case, can you still call it a divine institution? For whatever is not in the Bible cannot be divine; and if it is not divine, it is human; and if it is human, what else can it be but a civil institution. You must acknowledge that the doctor is right, Mr Prembroke.’
‘I have never considered the matter in that light before,’ replied he, ‘and I must mildly confess that your arguments are convincing; and as far as I can see you are right.’
‘As you are a man of vast experience and knowledge, Mr Prembroke, besides being a man of the world, I would ask you: Is the swearing part of the ceremony right or wrong?’ asked Mr Quaibu.
‘You really must excuse my answering such a question,’ replied he.
I am merely asking the question for argument’s sake,’ returned Mr Quaibu. ‘When gentlemen meet as we have met they must employ their time in some useful discussion, should they not?’
‘Certainly Mr Quaibu,’ replied he. ‘But there are some subjects that must not be touched with impunity; and this is one of them.’
‘How is that Mr Prembroke?’ demanded Mr Quaibu. ‘Is the ardent desire in a man to acquire knowledge proscribed?’
‘Certainly not,’ replied he; ‘but there are some weapons that the inexperienced must not handle.’
‘Can a man be called inexperienced until he is proved to be?’ asked Mr Quaibu.
‘Oh, no,’ he replied; ‘yet it seems to me that it would be treading upon dangerous ground should we be drawn into discussion of this subject.’
‘Nothing venture, nothing win,’ chimed in Dadibah. ‘Mr Prembroke ought to answer Mr Quaibu’s question. Gentlemen, do you agree with me?’
All but three of the gentlemen present agreed, consequently Prembroke was drawn into the discussion. Mr Quaibu was called upon to put the question again, which he did.
‘It is decidedly right as far as I can see,’ replied Mr Prembroke, after due consideration; ‘to make it obligatory upon parties at the hymeneal altar to take the oath; without which it would be a farce.
It is in that and that only that the difference between the two kinds of marriage – Christian and native in so far as monogamy is concerned – lies.’
‘I, on the other hand, consider it is highly wrong, and an extreme assumption of power, which God himself never assumed,’ replied Quaibu. Mr Prembroke and several others in the company looked aghast. Can a man be so madly presumptuous? Opinions were divided pretty nearly equal but more inclined in favour of Mr Prembroke. He saw by the looks of the gentlemen present that he had not a small matter to overcome. Mr Quaibu perceived at a glance that he was really spreading a silken carpet – England’s ancient pet marriage laws – for muddy and filthy swine – ordinary men to play upon. Even some of those who were in his favour, were in his favour only to encourage him in order to go on with the discussion, but not that they thought that he or anybody else could revolutionize their own idea as to the most important part in Christian marriages. Prembroke cast his eyes round, and that was enough; he saw that the vantage ground was his. So emboldened he plunged into the controversy.
‘It is very strange,’ commenced he addressing Quaibu, ‘that you, a man of your social position, and of such religious principles, should so far forget your-self as to start a question of such difficult and dangerous tendency, and of such vast import. However since you have started it, it is your place to prove it. Upon what conceivable grounds do you base your arguments?’
‘I see by the jowering looks of the skies,’ began Quaibu somewhat diffidently, ‘that 1 have not an easy task to perform in order to bring my leaky vessel to the friendly haven.571 will try but if I don’t succeed, I shall have done my best, and it is all that human nature is required to do. ‘In stating this question for discussion, and taking the adverse side of it, let it not be thought that I wish to make a wilful attack upon an ancient and most revered law which has for several centuries received the cognizance of, and has so potently ruled, a nation the most civilized in the world. I do not know how I started this question and wherefore I took its conflicting or adverse side; but in for a penny in for a pound.
‘Before handling this properly I will consider first the nature of an oath. Well, an oath is a solemn affirmation, with an appeal to God for its truth. To my way of thinking an oath requires three parties to make it more complete or binding; namely, the party that gives it, the party who takes or receives it, and the divine party to whom the appeal or the oath is made. As in the taking of an oath it requires God to be a party to it, so it (the oath) becomes the most potent, nay, the most destructive weapon in the hands of man; and it therefore ought to be used rarely and judiciously. As poison, indiscriminately used upon our feeble nature, kills the body of the subject thereof, and the party who administers it becomes not the less a murderer. To make myself more intelligible, I must be allowed to explain myself more fully. Upon a man who is visited with a violent attack of colic or any violent disease, the doctor must necessarily use poison either in conjunction, or not, with other medicines in order to cure him, or in other words to produce health in the parts affected or diseased. So far the doctor acts humanely. But if the doctor use the same kind of medicine – poison -upon a person who is perfectly healthy, and who needs no remedy, do you not think that the same medicine which proved efficacious in the former case, must prove destructive, nay, fatal in the latter? And does it not make the doctor a murderer? I will try to prove the analogy between the two. Let us consider the oath as the poison, the person who takes it as the diseased person, and the minster or the judge as the doctor. It may be asked how is it that the man who takes the oath is the sick man, and the minister, the doctor? We will go out of our way to prove it.
‘The system of society is, in some respects, like the system of man. It has for its component parts the several number of persons who are united by agreement, or by one common bond or interest; and is incorporated by whole some laws; its system becomes endangered, if any one of the persons composing its body – the community – is affected with deeds such as robbery, burglary, adultery, murder, etc – inimical to its interest. In order to save society from corruptions and possibly death – disorganization – by the contaminating influences of the one crime committed by one or more of its component parts – members -the judge sits to sift the case, and the principal weapon he is empowered to make use of is an OATH.
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