ABSENCE OF RELIGION IN CHILDREN OF RELIGIOUS PARENTS. In the Christian Observer for March last, we find the following just remarks, on the groundless allegation that the children of religious parents are worse than others.

"We do not believe that the children of religious parents do turn out worse than others, in any respect, moral, religious, or literary. On the contrary, we think that God is pleased in a very visible manner to fulfil his promises made to those who bring up their offspring in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Taking any number of the sons and daughters of religious parents, and the same number of young persons from families similarly circumstanced in other respects, but in which the fear of God is not inculcated, we have not the slightest apprehension as to what would be the result. To suppose it otherwise than highly favourable to the Christian side of the balance, would be contrary to theory, to Scripture, and, we are persuaded, to fact.

"But, still, the children of religious parents have by nature the same evil hearts as others, and there are many circumstances which may lead to a popular exaggeration of the alleged failures in their education. In the first place, the world expect, and justly, more from them than from others; so that their faults are more noticed and commented upon than those of the children of irreligious parents. It is much to the honour of religion that a higher standard is thus set up; but it greatly influences the results of the comparison. Then, again, because men by nature hate the purity of the Gospel, they are glad of every argument to disparage it: so that if here and there the son of an exemplary Christian turns out ill, the good conduct of a score of others is passed by, and the whole vicinity is deafened with irreligious triumph respecting this individual, while hundreds of other young persons are following the very same evil course unscathed. To this we may add, that religious exercises and restraints, however judiciously enforced, will be displeasing to an ungodly youth: so that the reaction may be stronger than where such checks did not exist; more especially as the very guardedness of a Christian education may often cause temptations to evil to appear more seductive, on account of their novelty; and a young man who throws off the restraints of religious discipline is sometimes induced to go beyond his fellows in what is wrong, just to show that he does not retain his early scruples. We may further remark, that all good men are not judicious, and none are perfect; so that it were more correct to say, not that religious education or example, but what is defective in either of those particulars, or misjudged in the application of theory to practice, causes the evils complained of. But, even after every exception, we fall back upon our general position, that among a thousand young persons, or persons of riper years, taken indiscriminately, the balance of good in every respect is clearly in favour of those who have been religiously trained. We only wonder that any man can for a moment doubt it."

THE LAST DAYS OF WILLIAM WIRT, ESQ.
Late Attorney General of the United States.

BY HIS DAUGHTER.

Our readers, we are confident, will not complain that we fill several pages of the present number of our work with the following letter; although our last No. contained a short memorial of the distinguished

man, to whom the letter relates-This is a production which we might insert merely as a specimen of literary talent of a high order, employed on an interesting subject. But it has far higher merit-it is calculated to make every reader adopt with earnestness, and possibly lead some, under the divine blessing, to realize the wish, of one who never obtained what he wished-"Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his."

The writer of the letter has certainly inherited no small portion of the talent of her father; and what is better, she seems to have received what she could not inherit-much of that renovating and sanctifying grace, which she so admirably describes, as having marked the closing scenes of her illustrious parent's life. We have heard that Mr. Wirt carefully superintended, amidst all his public duties, the education of his own children. Behold his rich reward!

We are indebted for this article to the "States' Rights Sentinel," of Georgia; and we insert the well written introduction of the editor.

The following interesting and deeply affecting letter, is from the pen of the third daughter of the late lamented Mr. Wirt. In consenting to give it to the public, she has reluctantly and tremblingly yielded to the urgent solicitations of her friends, enforced by the resistless argument, that it would be read with interest by all; and by the church, would be received as an invaluable treasure. We need not remind the reader, in excuse for the minuteness of its details, and the freedom with which the amiable writer speaks of the virtues of her deceased parent, that it is a confidential communication between relatives suffering from a common loss, and feeling a deep and heart-pervading interest in every incident connected with their common bereavement. The relation which Mr. Wirt sustained to the community in which he lived, was nearly enough allied to that which subsisted between him and the sister to whom the letter is addressed, to awaken her feelings and interests, in the heart of every reader. His name is in every family in the vast republic; his honour is reflected upon his country; his countrymen enjoy the fruits of his labours, and his death is a national affliction.

And yet, without this letter, his country had never known him. We have seen him, the enlivening social companion-we have listened with pleasure and improvement, to his sober instructions in the character of "The Old Bachelor"'-we have followed him with delight through the varied and eventful scenes of Henry's life-we have hung with admiration upon the compass and richness of his forensic eloquence, and we have kindled into holy rapture at his sublime description of the august and venerable Waddel; but it is the character in which we here behold him that he appears in his true majesty. All his worldly honours are unwelcome intrusions upon our minds, contemplating him weeping in the sanctuary at the story of redeeming love, bowing with his loved ones around him, in lowly devotion at the family altar, receiving in a dying hour from the lips of his children and his bosom-friend, the consolations of the religion which he taught them, and calmly reposing upon the Redeemer's bosom amidst the ruins of his earthly hopes, and in the immediate presence of the King of Terrors. Welcome be his own daughter to the honour of such a picture of the lamented Wirt. It will be viewed with admiration when the genius of the original shall be forgotten: a moral will be deduced from it which shall tell upon the hearts of his countrymen when the precepts of Wirt shall have lost their weight with the American people.

And what shall we say of the unpractised hand to which we are indebted for this masterly delineation?-what of those tender years, which can sketch with such dignity and grace?-what of that heaven-born piety which blends its winning adornments with every line?-The father's mantle hath descended upon the daughter.

Washington, Feb. 22, 1834. Saturday morning. My dear Aunt,-This is the first time my pen has ever traced this endearing appellation in reference to yourself; but, believe me, it is not the first time, by very many, that my heart has felt drawn towards you, with the yearnings which it would naturally feel towards the only near surviving relative of my precious and sainted father; and now,

there is a sacredness in this feeling, which no other tie can give, and which will be enshrined in my heart until it shall cease to beat.

Your dear son, Judge C., who has indeed been to us the kindest of friends in this season of our deep affliction, interested us all very much, some few weeks ago, in an evening visit to my father, by narrating with how much care you treasured up every thing relating to your much loved brother, particularly every thing which threw light on his religious views and sentiments-and it is in the hope of affording you gratification and comfort, under this irreparable loss, that I sit down to give you as minute and detailed an account of the last illness and death of our dear departed one, as the present confused and collapsed state of my mind will permit.

I cannot, dare not, dwell on the loss which his family has sustained in their head, husband, father, and household priest; for when my thoughts revert to this aspect of the case, I feel as if my heart would break; and I press my hand on it to still its rebellious risings, and raise my eyes and soul to the hills whence cometh all our help, and indeed, my dear aunt, this help has been extended to us almost miraculously; for had I been told two short weeks ago, that he who was the dearest and most absorbing object of our earthly affections, was so soon, so very soon, to be taken from us, methinks the sudden shock would have made us quit our hold of our Almighty Refuge, and driven us into wailing and despair. And yet, when the fiat came, and we knew it to be inevitable and irrevocable, God held us up, and dried our tears, and hushed our lamentations, and enabled us to stand around the dying bed, to speak and to receive, words of consolation.

He whom we loved, and whom the Lord loved, (precious thought) was a picture of renovated health on the morning of Sunday, the 9th inst.-so much so, that dear mother, at the breakfast table, said to him playfully-"You are looking so much more like yourself, my dear husband, than I have seen you for years, that I really think you ought to have your picture taken." On the previous evening, Saturday, he had been preparing himself for an argument on the following Monday, in a very important case, and had been in the Capitol library examining authorities, in addition to those of his own office: and altogether, expressed himself better satisfied with his preparations, than he had been for a long time; for in this, as in every thing else, his humility often made him undervalue himself so as to distress us.

Directly after breakfast, Sabbath morning, 9th inst., he assembled us, as usual, in his chamber, at family prayers; and never did I hear a more solemn and fervent outpouring of the soul at the footstool of the Mercy Seat. He prayed "for the extension of the Redeemer's kingdom with a holy earnestness; for his children present and absent; for his enemies, if he had any; and for all his friends, every where; especially for those who had not yet been brought to know, and love, and serve the Saviour; finally, he prayed that his own soul, and that of those so dear to him, might be sprinkled afresh with pardoning blood, and that the ascended Saviour would, through the influence of his Holy Spirit, keep him, and all of us, in His fear, and enable us to walk in his commandments through life; sustain and cheer us in the hour of death, and at last receive us to himself, a reunited and blessed family, to worship forever around his throne, to the glory of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit."

His heart being thus attuned to worship God in his public ordinance, he walked with my sister Ellen, Mr. Alexander Randall, of An

napolis, (the brother of my brother-in-law, Judge Randall, of Florida,) and myself, to the Capitol, to hear the chaplain, Mr. S*******, preach. It was not actually raining, but so exceedingly damp that some persons had their umbrellas up, to turn the drizzling moisture. It is to this walk that the cold, which terminated in his death, is attributed. Yet he had sometimes walked in as bad and even worse weather before, without serious injury; and the physicians had urged upon dear mother, the absolute necessity of his taking exercise in all weather, except fastfalling; especially after breakfasting upon meats, instead of his usual diet of rice and milk, which was the case that morning. Therefore, although it was damp, yet, as the exercise seemed to be advisable, and he was anxious to go to church, (the very inclement weather having prevented his doing so the three previous Sundays that we had been here,) it was decided that he might venture. And, though bitter pangs of self-reproach, for having been accessory to his fatal cold, gave my beloved mother one of the most violent and agonizing nervous paroxysms I ever witnessed, yet she and all of us have, I trust, been brought to feel, that this could not have happened, without the special design and interposition of God, who accomplishes the most mighty ends, by the instrumentality of means apparently totally inadequate to their fulfilment.

Mr. S*******'s text that morning was 1st Cor. 1st chapter, 23d, 24th verses: "We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." And he did, indeed, prove most convincingly, that it was the wisdom of God, in falling upon the only plan which could, at the same time, satisfy and be concordant with, his equal attributes of justice and mercy. And the power of God in accomplishing, by the instrumentality of one who was 66 despised and rejected of men," and of his few obscure and illiterate followers, the salvation of a world-a work which no earthly monarch, however universal his empire, could ever accomplish. The subject was a sublime one; and it was treated with a force of argument, and a pathos of eloquence, which I have rarely if ever heard equalled. My dear father sat immediately behind my chair, so as occasionally to rest himself upon it, and I heard him more than once sob, in a sort of convulsed sotto voce, as was his habit when deeply affected: he ejaculated several times, too, his approbation and admiration of parts of the discourse; and on rising, when the service was closed, said to the gentlemen next him-" A most capital preacher, sir-one of nature's orators-he is a great favourite of mine, and goes straight to my heart." He stopped and shook hands with Mr. S******* as we came out, making some kind inquiries about his health, which were reciprocated. He and Ellen walked fast, and got home before me; and I found, when I went to his chamber, that he had taken off his coat, and put on his wrapper, not feeling well. By Mr. Randall's desire, however, he came down to the parlour and shook hands with him, as he was to leave town the next day; and said "God bless you, sir-farewell!" This was the last time he ever left his room.

On returning from church, he asked mother to "look if he had cut his ear in shaving, as it felt painful." Mother examined it and found no such mark, but a hard knot in the glands of the throat, just below the right ear a swelling, as she presumed, from cold—and advised him to lie down and cover himself up warm, hoping that he would be relieved by perspiration. This was between two and three o'clock, and we then

went down to dinner. A little before three o'clock, I came up, with my bonnet on, to go to church again, and kissed him. He said, "Tell your mother, my dear, that I feel very chilly, as if I were going to have an ague." She immediately ordered hot bricks to his feet, and additional covering, and sent for Dr. H****. When I came home he had a fever, but talked cheerfully; when I gave him a description of Mr. S*******'s discourse. After remaining silent a few moments, he said"Wife, it will not do for me to expose myself in church as I do; I am a mere baby in the command of my sensibilities and nerves; I can scarcely refrain sometimes from tears, and indeed, I have frequently been obliged to relieve myself by giving way to them;" and, as he spoke, the same feeling seemed to overcome him. I said, what I think true, that "no Christian ought to be ashamed of intense feeling at the review of his own unworthiness, and of the vivid emotion of gratitude and love to the Saviour which caused tears."

"But it is so unmanly, and people around don't know what to make of it."

His fever continued to be higher and hotter, and seemed to be aggravated rather than relieved, by the warm applications which were prescribed, in the hope of forcing a perspiration-steaming his face, and bathing his feet in hot water; and, as a genuine vapour-bath could not be procured, by laying hot bricks all along on both sides of him in his bed, from his feet upwards. His fever raged all night with an intensity which, mother says, she has never known with him; certainly for fifteen years, if ever. Next day, the whole right side of his face was much

swollen.

On Thursday night I sat up with him: he rose twice in the night, with the assistance of dear mother and a servant, thinking it would make him feel more comfortable to change his posture a little while, and have his bed made: in doing so he expressed his surprise at his extreme weakness, which was greater, he said, after those few days illness, than after his long and exhausting attack at the springs last summer. The last time he rose, as he sat in the easy chair, he asked mother if she would "read the Bible to him?" She did so; and it was the 55th Psalm. In reading this, she omitted all those passages which relate more particularly to David's enemies, and read all the rest, which, you know, was particularly applicable to himself; he seemed to feel it deeply, and after she had finished reading, she saw his lips moving in prayer. This was the last time he was able to listen to this precious volume, or to rise from his bed. Towards morning he became slightly delirious, and it was deemed advisable to call in another physician; and Dr. H***, a young physician here, who has great reputation for skill and talent in his profession, was sent for. Father, himself, said at first it was not worth while to consult another physician, but at last consented. That morning (Friday morning) he called mother to his bed side, and, in the presence of my sister Ellen, gave certain directions "in case of his sudden death." He then seemed to speak with some difficulty, and in the course of that day, and throughout. the next, talked wildly at intervals. His mind seemed chiefly to dwell on his law cases. He would call us to him by name, and then begin, as if he was addressing the judges of the supreme court, carrying on a continuous argument for several sentences together.

Dr. H**** and Dr. H*** consulted together, at 9 o'clock, Monday morning, and decided to blister him around his right ear, which they did; afterwards, on both wrists and both limbs, from the ancles up