Personal Recollections - Abridged, Chiefly in Parts Pertaining to Political and Other - Controversies Prevalent at the Time in Great Britain

1790-1846 Charlotte Elizabeth

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• Publié par: voor
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 43
• Langue: English

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The Project Gutenberg EBook of Personal
Recollections, by Charlotte Elizabeth
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Title: Personal Recollections Abridged, Chiefly in
Parts Pertaining to Political and OtherControversies Prevalent at the Time in Great
Britain
Author: Charlotte Elizabeth
Release Date: May, 2005 [EBook #8114] [Yes, we
are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This
file was first posted on June 15, 2003]
Edition: 10
Language: English
*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG
EBOOK PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS ***
Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Tiffany Vergon,
Tonya Allen, Charles Franks and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team.PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS
BY CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH.
ABRIDGED, CHIEFLY IN PARTS PERTAINING
TO POLITICAL AND OTHER CONTROVERSIES
PREVALENT AT THE TIME IN GREAT BRITAIN.
CONTENTS.
LETTER I.
CHILDHOOD.—Reasons—Design—Martyrs' prison
—Palace garden—Scenery— Music—Study—
Politics—A brother—Protestantism—The Bible—
Judicious plan
LETTER II.
YOUTH.—Private journals—Romance—The drama
—Poetical taste—Loss of hearing—Books—A
change—Rural life—Stays—Tight-lacing—Ruinous
custom—The country
LETTER III.EARLY DAYS.—Idling—Convictions—Anticipating
evil—Mischievous errors
—Unreal estimates—Fake views—A parting—
Fraternal love
LETTER IV.
YOUTH.—A grandmother—Unfashionable taste—
A bereavement—Changes—
Travels—Punctuality—Ocean scenery—False
confidence—A storm—Wonders
of the deep—Recklessness—An Arab steed—A
fragment—Escapes—
Housewifery—Nova Scotia—Indians—
Cosmopolitanism—Home
LETTER V.
IRELAND.—Oxford—Irishmen—The journey—The
arrival—An escape—Dublin
—St. John's eve—The dance—Paganism—Trials—
Levying distress—
Convictions—Terrors—Awakened conscience—
God's teaching—Joy and peace
LETTER VI.
RELIGIOUS PROGRESS.—The church—
Socinianism—Temptation—Metaphysics—
Athanasian creed—An epoch—My first tract—A
new friend—"Hail Mary"—Christian communion
LETTER VII.
KILKENNY.—A new residence—Another snare—
Compromise—An apostate—"End of
controversy"—The snare broken—Another attack
—An argument— Discussion—The result
LETTER VIII.
The dumb boy.—A pupil—Jack's commencement
—Inquiry—A dilemma—Dawning
light—Seasonings—A sunbeam—A soul born—A
protester—Idolatry—
Faithfulness—Summons—Superstition—National
character—Confession—
Infernal machinery
LETTER IX.
England.—The dumb boy—Jack's adventure—
Departure from Ireland—Hannah
More—A carnal politician—Treachery—Afflictions—
Jack's progress—
Prayer—Mercies—A soldier—A home—False
judgment—Tranquillity
LETTER X.Sandhurst.—A proposal—A snare—An incident—
Papal fulmination—Jack's petition—Happy caution
—Perseverance—Zeal—Testimonies—A contrast
LETTER XI.
Separation.—Prejudices—Home—Forebodings—
Danger—Trying scenes—
Queries—Awful contrast—Cadets—Retrospections
—A visitation—Sympathy
—True feeling
LETTER XII.
Employment.—Sabbath meetings—Boys—An
event—Forgiveness—Prejudices—
The Irish language—St. Giles's—A project—The
Irish church
LETTER XIII.
A sunset.—A termination—A sunset—Resignation
—The red hand—Joy and peace—True wisdom—
Sympathy—Earnestness—A dying protest—
Sleeping in Jesus
LETTER XIV.
A removal.—An appeal—Irish schools—Literary
labors—Antinomianism—Conclusion
SUBSEQUENT LIFE AND DEATH OF THE
AUTHOR
PERSONAL
RECOLLECTIONSLETTER I.
CHILDHOOD.
I have given my best consideration to the
arguments by which you support the demand for a
few notices of events connected with my personal
recollections of the past. That which has chiefly
influenced me is the consideration, urged on what I
know to be just and reasonable grounds, that when
it has pleased God to bring any one before the
public in the capacity of an author, that person
becomes in some sense public property; having
abandoned the privacy from which no one ought to
be forced, but which any body may relinquish; and
courted the observation of the world at large. Such
individuals are talked of during life, and after death
become the subject, I may say the prey, of that
spirit which reigned in Athens of old, and from
which no child of Adam is wholly free—the desire
to hear and to tell some new thing. No sooner has
the person withdrawn from this mortal stage, than
the pen of biography is prepared to record, and a
host of curious expectants are marshalled to
receive, some fragments at least of private history.
I wish I could dissent from your remark, that even
godliness itself is too often sought to be made a
gain of in such cases. Writers who are themselves
wholly unenlightened by spiritual knowledge, and
uninfluenced by spiritual feeling, will take up as a
good speculation what must to them be a mystery,and wrong the subject of their memorial while they
injure the cause in which he labored. Even among
those of better understanding in the ways of truth,
we do not often meet sound judgment, calm
discretion, and refined delicacy, combined with
affection for the departed and zeal for the gospel.
Private journals are sought out, confidential letters
raked together, and a most unseemly exposure
made alike of the dead and the living.
This I have always seen and lamented; and being
aware that my turn would probably come to be
thus exhibited, I have abstained from preserving
even the slightest memoranda of events, thoughts,
or feelings, that could be laid hold on as a private
journal: and I have most distinctly intimated to all
those friends who possess any letters of mine, that
I shall regard it as a gross breach of confidence, a
dishonorable, base, and mercenary proceeding on
their part, if ever they permit a sentence addressed
by me to them to pass into other hands. Indeed, to
such an extent have I felt this, that for many years
past I have kept some friends under a solemn
pledge, that immediately after my death, they will
proclaim my having so guarded my
correspondence, in order, if possible, to shame the
individuals from a course with regard to me which I
have never been inveigled into with regard to
others. Looking on epistolary communications as a
trust not to be betrayed, I have invariably refused
to deliver to the biographers of my departed friends
any letters of theirs that I might possess: the first
application for them has always been the signal for
committing the whole budget to the flames.