Chapter II
Hen Frank was about five years old, a dear friend of his father’s died, leaving a widow with four little children. We took one of them home with us for a visit, to relieve the delicate mother for a time of some of her numerous cares, a little girl named Sally, of just about Frank’s age. She proved to be a dear good little girl and nice company for Frank, and after her mother’s death, which occurred within a year or two of her father’s, we concluded to keep her altogether, and she grew up with our boy, a bright pleasant companion for him, adding very much to the pleasures of his life.
At about the age of eight years, a very grave danger threatened Frank, and he was committed to the Lord in a most especial manner. A very wicked man, whom we had been obliged to thwart in some of his
wicked purposes in reference to a child in the
of which institution we were at the time
managers, wrote us a most abusive threatening letter. In it he declared his intention of taking his revenge on us through our son, by leading him into wickedness and making him as bad as himself. As 1 read the letter, my heart sank within me. I thought of the
thousand ways in which such a threat could b*” ful-MioX. 8.] THE RECORD OF A HAPPY LIFE. 2^
filled, and how powerless we were to prevent it. I was afraid to have my boy out of my sight for a moment, and felt as if we would have to move out of Philadelphia, away to the ends of the earth, anywhere to get out of the reach of this wicked man. But then I realized that even this might not be effectual; and in my despair I fled to the Lord for help. At once there came to me, as a voice from heaven, that blessed promise — “The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them;” with the assurance that so would the angels encamp around our boy and deliver him from this and every danger. My hear-t leapt up in happy confidence, as I gave him at once into this blessed guardianship; every fear vanished; and as I saw him leave the house for school the next morning, I could almost see the cohorts of angels surrounding him on every side. I believe I never again feared any danger for him, so sure was I that the Lord was his defence and his shield on every hand. Who can doubt that God did then and there, according to His word, take the charge of the child thus committed to Him, in an especial manner; and that from henceforth He encamped round about him continually, leading him safely through all the dangers of life, and landing him now at last unharmed in his heavenly home?
At the age of ten years Frank had a fresh awakening in his religious life, and, under the influence of some meetings he was attending, for the first time made a public confession of his faith in Christ. He grew up a noble, pure boy, recoiling from intimacies
28 THE RECORD OF A HAPPY LIFE. [^Etat. lO.
with Other boys whom he found to be persisting in wrong courses; and breaking off of his own accord two or three friendships, begun when he was very young, because he found his friends were developing wrong propensities. About one or two of these I remonstrated, seeing only the fair exterior of his childhood’s friends; but he said, with a look of such dignified purity, “Mother, if thee knew those boys, thee would be only thankful that I cannot like them.”
Just about this age of ten years a great joy came to Frank. His little sister Mary was added to the family, and she was destined to be to him a source of untold delight during the eight years they were together, and to receive from him the tenderest and sweetest love and care that ever a big brother gave to a little sister. His ways with her were lovely, a perfect combination of brother, and father, and playmate all in one; and it was a great joy to us to see them together. As a little baby, Mariechen, as her German nurse called her, soon learned to read the story of love out of her brother’s eyes, and would go to him from any one, even her mother. And as she grew older, their talks and plays together were among her chiefest delights. He called her ‘’ Rogey-pogey,” because of her mischief, and she called him “Longlank,” because he was so tall; and the very words, as I write them, bring up visions of many a merry ride i and walk, and evening romp. After Frank left home for college, they kept up quite a correspondence, and i a letter from “Bubba” was always hailed with a shout of joy. One of his letters I will insert as a re- Jj cord of their happy intercourse. k
fat. lo.] THE RECORD OF A HAPPY LIFE. 29
“Hav. Coll. 3mo. 19, 1871.
“My own Darling Little Sister:
“As I was walking up to my desk the other day, somebody said, * Frank, there is a little three-cornered letter in thy desk for thee.’ And then I thought, * Who can have written me a letter in a three-cornered envelope?’ But when I saw mother’s handwriting on it, and a letter ‘M. ’ on the back, then I knew a young one they call Mary Whitall Smith had sent it. And then I tried to think how much 1 loved that young ‘un, but I couldn’t remember, it was so much. Then I opened the letter and read it, and now I am answering it. What did thee draw that picture for, thee scamp? Look out for a spanking when I come home! Thee knows it don’t look like me. Does thee know thee called me Tumblebug? What can I do to punish thee? Something awful, I guess.
“Who taught thee to write so well? I didn’t know I had a sister who was such a good writer. Thee can write almost as well as I can.
“... But, thee sweet one, I must stop. With ever so much love, I remain thy very affectionate ‘bubba,’ Frank!”
To this sister, as well as to the three younger children born afterwards, the loss of such an older brother is greater than we can express. But we must believe that He who gave, and who has taken away, will Himself be to them more than even the tenderest brothei.
In the fall of the year 1864, Frank’s father took charge of the glass factories at Millville, New Jersey, belonging to the firm of Whitall, Tatum & Co., of which he had become a member. And we moved there, taking up our abode in the Mansion House situated in the factory grounds, on a high bluff overlooking the Maurice River, and surrounded by old oak-trees. It was in this free country life that Frank developed the fondness for manly pursuits, which added so much to his pleasures and to the force of his character. We felt so unwilling to send him to boarding-school, that we had tutors for him at home for three years, and they largely made up to him for his isolation from other companionship, joining in his riding and gunning, and sailing and skating, and rousing him to energy and manliness. The wild nature of the country around Millville afforded many opportunities for hunting and exploring expeditions; and I was continually being called on to put up lunches overnight, for a start on some such excursion before the dawn of the next day.
I love to think of our boy at this time, in his free joyous country life, and I am so glad we lavished upon him every innocent gratification that could make his life brighter. I remember the great epoch when he became the owner of a gun. A rash indulgence I thought it, but could not find it in my heart to make a single objection, when I found his father was willing, and saw how the boy’s heart was set upon it. And he has often told us since that nothing ever gave him such exquisite pleasure as the arrival of that gun, with its brown paper wrappings and powdery smell.
I remember a sweet little incident connected with
/Etat. II.] THE RECORD OF A HAPPY LIFE. 3 1
this gun which I must insert here, because it so beautifully illustrates the effect of grace on the heart. Frank’s father never hesitated to let his boy know when he was gratified with his conduct, and one day, soon after the arrival of the gun, he said to him, on the occasion of some fresh instance of obedience:
‘’Frank, I want thee to know how I appreciate thy ready instantaneous obedience to my wishes, and how fully thy father’s love is satisfied with his son.”
Dear Frank smiled and said,” Has thee noticed any difference since thee gave me that gun, father?”
‘’No,” was the reply; “thee has always been so good that I do not know that I have noticed any especial change.”
“Well,” said Frank, “I think there has been some, anyhow, for I felt as if thee must love me so much to give me that gun, that I have wanted more than ever since then, to do just everything thee wishes.”
It is thus grace always acts on a true heart; and the lesson which Frank learned in the tender love of his earthly father, was beautifully repeated when he came fully to understand the love of his Heavenly Father.
It never seemed to us that religion was intended to make a boy unnatural, or to turn him into a premature old man. And we encouraged his amusements as heartily as we did his religion, sure that his Father, in heaven had given him richly all things to enjoy, and that we were the appointed channels through which I these good things were to be handed forth to him. Through his whole life this was our feeling; and it is anspeakably comforting now, in looking back, to remember that he always had our hearty sympathy and help in every project of pleasure he proposed. It was very seldom that we found any need of objecting to any of his wishes, but on the few occasions when this did occur, he was so sure of our earnest desire always to gratify him where it was possible, that he found no difficulty in yielding. And there never was a shade upon the most perfect openness and freedom of our mutual intercourse, Frank knew all of our secrets, and we knew his, and I am sure no father and son ever more thoroughly delighted in each other than did our boy and his father.
In the spring of 1866, when Frank was twelve years old, some of his cousins and friends of about his own age came down to Millville to spend the Easter holidays. They were a happy young party, and made the house, and woods, and river ring again with their joyous merriment. Among other things they formed a society called the “S. S. S.,” which was from that time the centre of a great deal of interest to all its members, and the source of much happiness to our boy.
Its object was to bear a protest against the tendency of the age towards making boys and girls into premature young ladies and gentlemen, and for the promotion of healthy, hearty, youthful fun. They had a regular Constitution, with rules and regulations, some of which were very amusing, and yet perhaps truly sensil)le also. Article I. read as follows:
“Be it enacted, that we, the members of this society, do one and all pledge ourselves to unite together in an unbroken phalanx to resist the fearful assaults being made upon fun’ in the present age of the world.”
Article II. ‘’Be it enacted, that each member of this society be required to plan and carry out all sorts and manner of fun, upon every possible occasion, and to join in it wherever it may be going on. Also to laugh, shout, climb, race, leap, and tumble whenever moved thereto.”
Article III. “Be it enacted, that our members, when together, shall only wear such garments as shall be able to stand the wear and tear of fun; garments that can scale rocks, wade streams, climb trees, walk fences, and run races. Further, be it enacted, that our garments shall never be in the height of the fashion.”
Article VIII. “Be it enacted, that fun, according to our meaning of the word, includes the play of the intellect, as well as the play of the body; that a race of wits is as legitimate as a race of feet, or a leap of the fancy as a leap over fences, and that to climb means as well to scale the hills of knowledge as the hills of nature. Be it enacted, therefore, that we keep each other stirred up to all sorts of mental activity, as well as bodily; and that to further this, debates, essays, epistles, and skirmishes of the wits generally, shall be continually carried on among us, by letter and otherwise.”
Article IX. “Be it enacted, that we have as free]uent meetings as possible, and that we always meet,
whenever practicable, at ‘Liberty Hall,’ kept by
( c
R. P. & H. W. S., and that between our meetings we keep up a vigorous correspondence.”
Article X. “Be it enacted, finally, that we never grow old in feeling ourselves, nor ever permit anyone else to do so.”
The hearty innocent associations and interests of this S. S. S. Society, we felt to be very valuable to our boy; and we are sure they contributed not a little to the healthy development of his character, preserving him in a large measure from the sentimental unreality of the age, and inciting him to all that was truly natural and manly.
In the fall of 1867, Frank’s cousin, Whitall Nicholson, the next to him in age of the large family of grandpa Whitall’s grandchildren, came to Millville to spend the winter, studying and playing with Frank. It was a merry, happy winter, filled with quite as much play as study, and one that we all enjoyed very much. I find in one of my old letters to Whitall’s mother the following reference to it: — “The two boys are so happy together that it is a pleasure to have them about. Their rifles have come, and they are full of excitement about them, cleaning, and greasing, and getting the very blackest hands that ever adorned the ends of any boy’s arms. They have a great deal of fun modelling the clay used for the glass pots into mock battlesv and Whitall’s figures are really capital. They do this in the evening, while Mr. F. or I read to them out of ‘Queens of England.’ They are making scrap books too. And their workshop is always a resource for rainy days; and altogether, they are a busy and happy pair of chaps.”