Grace Darling Part 23

Pipe a glad song of triumph, ye fierce winds!

Ye screaming sea mews in the concert join!

And would that some immortal voice, Fitly attuned to all that grat.i.tude Breathes out from flock or couch through pallid lips Of the survivors, to the clouds might bear-- (Blended with praise of that parental love, Pious and pure, modest and yet so brave, Though young so wise, though meek so resolute) Might carry to the clouds, and to the stars, Yea, to celestial choirs, GRACE DARLING'S name."

By a less-known writer, but one who was evidently a keen admirer of Grace, the following lines were also written:--

"'Over the wave, the stormy wave, Hasten, dear father, with me, The crew to save from the wat'ry grave, Deep in the merciless sea.

Hear ye the shriek, the piercing shriek, Hear ye the cry of despair?

With courage quick the wreck we'll seek, Danger united we'll dare.

"'Out with the boat, the gallant boat; Not a moment to be lost.

See! she's afloat, proudly afloat, And high on the waves we're tossed; Mother, adieu, a short adieu; Your prayers will rise to heaven.

Father, to you--your child and you-- Power to save is given.

"'I have no fear, no maiden fear; My heart is firm to the deed, I shed no tear, no coward tear; I've strength in the time of need.

Heard ye the crash, the horrid crash?

Their mast over the side is gone; Yet on we dash, 'mid lightning flash, Safe, through the pelting storm.

"'The wreck we near, the wreck we near; Our bonny boat seems to fly; List to the cheer--their welcome cheer-- They know that succour is nigh.'

And on that night, that dreadful night, The father and daughter brave, With strengthened might they both unite, And many dear lives they save.

"Hail to the maid, the fearless maid, The maid of matchless worth, She'll e'er abide the cherished pride Of the land that gave her birth.

They send her gold, her name high uphold, Honour and praise to impart; But, with true regard, the _loved reward Is the joy of her own brave heart_."

Very beautiful are the following lines, which appeared in the "Newcastle Chronicle," and were written by Miss Eleanor Louise Montague:--

"Sweet spirit of the merciful, That smoothed the watery way!

From the true throb of heart to heart Thou wilt not turn away; Oh! softly, wilt thou lend thine ear, When 'mid the tempest's war, The feeble voice of woman's praise Shall greet thee from afar.

"I see thee in thy rock-built home, Swept by the das.h.i.+ng seas, I hear thy voice as on that night It stilled the rus.h.i.+ng breeze.

When stirred by heavenly visions, Thou didst burst the bonds of sleep, To take thy place in peril's path-- The angel of the deep!

"Oh, where was then the tender form That quailed to every blast!

Like the bread-gift to the famished, 'Upon the waters cast!'

True to thy woman's nature still, While scorning woman's fears, Oh, strongest in her gentleness, And mightiest in her tears!

"Fair as thine own heroic deed Thou risest on my dream, A halo is around thee, 'Tis the tempest's lightning gleam-- Upborne by every billow, And o'erswept by every gale, One sound hath nerved thy n.o.ble heart-- The dying seaman's wail!

"Thine eye onto the wreck is turned-- Thy hand is on the oar-- Where is that death-prolonging shriek?

It thrills the seas no more!

A human soul to life hath risen Where'er thy wing hath waved: The wail is hushed--the storm is past-- The peris.h.i.+ng are saved!

"Thou standest, like thy native home, A beacon lit on high; Thy name comes o'er the waters Like a nation's gathering cry; And England's sons shall hail thee, Where'er that name shall thrill, A glory upon every wave-- A light on every hill!"

So much praise was enough to turn the head of any less sensible girl than our heroine; but one who knew wrote of her after this time, in the "Berwick and Kelso Warder:"--"It is indeed gratifying to state, that amidst all the tumults of applause, Grace Darling never for a moment forgot the modest dignity of conduct which became her s.e.x and station.

The flattering testimonials of all kinds which were showered upon her, never produced in her mind any feeling but a sense of wonder and pleasure. She continued, notwithstanding the improvement of her circ.u.mstances, to reside at the Longstone lighthouse with her father and mother, finding, in her limited sphere of domestic duty on the sea-girt islet, a more honourable and more lasting enjoyment than could be found in the more crowded haunts of the mainland, and thus afforded, by her conduct, the best proof that the liberality of the public had not been unworthily bestowed."

A paper written in the "Scotsman" on the subject is exceedingly good, and no doubt amazed and delighted Grace as much as those that were more apparently eulogistic; for to a sensible, modest girl, too much praise is more disagreeable than none at all.

"_The Grace Darling Mania_.--Never was poor girl in so fair a way of being spoiled as Grace Darling. We were amongst the first to acknowledge the credit due to this young damsel for her exertions at the wreck of the 'Forfars.h.i.+re;' but really we begin to have serious apprehensions lest she herself should be whirled away by the tide of public favour which has set in so strongly towards her. Truly, the storm which roared and whistled over the Fern rocks on the night of her achievement has awakened a pretty echo in the mainland. Not only have large sums of money been collected throughout the country to reward the little heroine, but various silver cups and medals have been presented to her, both from private individuals and humane societies. Five pounds, it is said, have been given by one person (though not to her) for a lock of her hair, while the painter, the sculptor, and the poet, have caught the mania, and endeavoured to give permanence to her celebrity. She has even been represented on the London stage in the person of Mrs. Yates, and some whispers were lately afloat of her appearing in Batty's arena in _propria persona_. She is also, we perceive, made the subject of a tale now in course of publication; while a vessel lately launched at Sunderland has been called after her name. In short, Grace Darling is the fas.h.i.+on. Dukes and d.u.c.h.esses have entertained her as their guest, and she has even been honoured and rewarded by Royalty itself. What mortal girl could bear up against such rewards--such flatteries? Without detracting from her really praiseworthy conduct, there is, we think, in the sensation she has created, a little touch of the romantic. Had Grace Darling been a married woman, dwelling in some poor alley in an ordinary town, and with no rarer or prettier an appellation than Smith, Brown, M'Tavish, or Higginbottom, a greater deed would, perhaps, have won her less favour. But a young woman--a sea-nymph--inhabiting a rock in the ocean, and coming to the few survivors of the wreck, like a bird of calm over the troubled waters--who, that has a beating pulse, could resist! Grace Darling, too, is a name to take one's heart and one's memory; and although 'a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,'

we cannot for all the pretty pleading of Juliet, read or speak about roses without feeling something of their fragrance. If, previous to that deed which has gilded her humble name, any honest fisher-lad ever saw in Grace Darling more to admire than even the world has seen since, he will win a true heart if he contrive to keep her affections. Those who have accidentally risen are, in general, the least inclined to stoop; and if she do not number suitors with Miss Burdett Coutts or Queen Victoria herself, Malthus or Martineau, one, or both of them, must answer for it. Meanwhile with Grace Darling we have no quarrel; and if her modesty only outlive the honours heaped upon her, we shall be the first to acknowledge that her courage has deserved them."

Many a laugh, we may be sure, had the lighthouse-family over such articles, though there can be no doubt that the good sense of Grace caused her to take advantage of every lesson taught to her, whether by words of praise or blame. We cannot, perhaps, exalt her deed too highly, but it should always be borne in mind, that she would have been just as good a girl if the "Forfars.h.i.+re" had never been wrecked on the coast of the Farne Islands. Grace was heroic already, but the catastrophe brought her qualities of courage, endurance, and humanity, to the front. One feels glad to know that all the praise did not make her other than the humble British girl, though few, perhaps, could pa.s.s through such an ordeal of adulation unscathed. The flatteries had, however, a ludicrous as well as a touching side, as may be seen from the following extract. Hero-wors.h.i.+p leads to the h.o.a.rding of many things, including bark of trees, stones, mortar, old rags, and hair; and it is little wonder if Grace found the latter tendency rather inconvenient.

"Grace Darling's name is now as well known throughout the island as Queen Anne's; and to tell people of the decease of the one is about as necessary as to warn them of the living glory of the other. Grace is the admired of all admirers, and far is it from us to wish her grace diminished in men's eyes, or herself less a darling than she is at present. But the enthusiasm of grat.i.tude and idolatry is becoming somewhat alarming. We know not how the persons who, princ.i.p.ally by her intrepidity, were saved from the wreck of the 'Forfars.h.i.+re,' may feel towards their 'good angel in the hour of fate,' but every body else seems to think of her as one to whom they owe the life of some being related to themselves by blood, and inestimably prized by affection.

The universal feeling in this case shows us how truly

'One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.'

"All feel individually grateful to Grace Darling; and not a stranger that talks of her but knows her intimately. But, as we have said, the expression of this feeling of love and reverence is a.s.suming an awkward character. It has taken, it appears, the shape or shapes of infinite demands upon her generosity in a minor way--of countless and incalculable requests addressed to her by admirers of heroism, whenever stirred out of their arm chairs but to accommodate themselves, and trumpeters of intrepidity who have fainted at the bare idea of getting wet-footed, that she will be so exceedingly self-devoted and munificent as to clip from her head a curl--just one--as a token by which her name and nature may be identified and treasured up; just one ringlet--one apiece, for upwards of ten thousand applicants scattered over various parts of the kingdom, but all linked together by a common sentiment.

The last report is (we quote the newspapers) that Grace is nearly bald; that lock after lock has gone, each finding its way into ring, brooch, or locket, until

'The Darling of life's crew'

discovers, like Caesar, that a laurel crown may be worn for use as well as ornament--may hide as well as adorn. Really, a lock at a time is an extravagance--a hair should suffice; for if ever it could be said that

'Beauty draws us by a single hair,'

it may be said of the moral beauty of Grace Darling.

"It is impossible to guard ourselves against the tendencies to enthusiastic devotion for the living life preserver, because the very name is a provocative. Were two such words ever before combined to form a name?--the one expressing the natural quality of the bearer of it, and the other defining what her deeds have made her in the regard of others."

Not only was Grace Darling herself likely to be made bald by the request of her loving admirers, but those who belonged to her shared the same inconvenience. One of her younger brothers was away at sea, and did not know of his sister's fame until he came into the Thames.

No sooner, however, was his name heard than he had to answer a number of questions. Did he know anything of the Longstone lighthouse? Had he a sister? Was the great Grace Darling any relation to him? As soon as it was known that he really belonged to the same family, he was himself exalted into a hero of the second cla.s.s, and people thronged round to look at, admire, and cross-question him. The young fellow bore it all very good-humouredly--in fact, he rather liked it. But after a time his numerous and newly-found friends conceived the idea of possessing a lock of the Darling hair, and the young man could not well refuse so flattering a request. So one helped herself, and told her friend, who told his friend, and so it went on; and the end was, that young Darling, who possessed a curly head of hair, became completely, and rather irregularly shorn.

We give two other extracts from papers that appeared at the time, or soon after. The following is from the "Spectator:"--

"It is not often that heroines of real life possess the advent.i.tious attractions of a pretty name, or a charming person; but Grace Darling has both. She would unquestionably have been loved and admired as heartily had she been Dorothy Dobbs, with a wide mouth, snub nose, and a squint; but it is pleasant to find coupled with a fine and generous nature, a lovely face, and a name at once euphonious and cherishable.

Grace Darling! Poet or novelist need not desire one better fitted to bestow on a paragon of womanhood; we would see it embalmed in a sonnet by Wordsworth, or a lyric by Campbell; but it will live in our land's language, even if not immortalised in song."

The "Sunderland Herald," of November 22nd, contained the following interesting article on the Darlings:--

"Grace Darling, the heroine of the day, was born on the 24th of November, 1815; consequently she will be twenty-three on Sat.u.r.day, the 24th inst. She is rather short in stature, being only five feet two and a half inches in height, but well proportioned. Her features are admirably adapted for the skill of the painter, and equally so for the chisel of the sculptor. She is modest and remarkably pleasant in her manners, and perfectly free from the shy awkward gait of country girls in general. And you will be surprised when I inform you, that there is excellent accommodation to be met with at the Longstone lighthouse, although it stands alone, upon a barren rock, five miles from the mainland. The tower is very ingeniously constructed, and contains a well-furnished sitting room, in which is a capital collection of popular works, and three or four comfortable bedrooms. These, with an abundance of good, wholesome, homely fare, together with the very cheerful service of Grace and her parents, render a visit to the Farne Islands a treat of no ordinary description. Grace was taught to read and write by her father, together with seven of her brothers and sisters; and their school-room was the lantern of the lighthouse.

"William Darling, the father of Grace, is only in the fifty-fourth year of his age, though he looks much older His face reminds me of the late Thomas Stothard, R.A., the painter of the Canterbury Pilgrimage, and his person, of the venerable Earl Grey. He reads much, and is most pa.s.sionately fond of natural history.

"Mrs. Darling is a hale, comely old lady, bordering on threescore, and may be found engaged three parts of the day at her spinning wheel. It is true she a.s.sisted to make ready the boat at day-break, on the morning of the melancholy wreck of the 'Forfars.h.i.+re,' but her heart failed when her husband and child pushed off; and, as the wave receded from the rock on which she stood trembling, with tears she exclaimed, 'Oh, Grace, if your father is lost, I'll blame a' you for this morning's work?' And who would censure the mother under such circ.u.mstances, especially when the fact is known, that she was left alone on the island to witness their struggles as they crossed a pa.s.s between the Longstone rocks and those on which the surviving sufferers of the ill-fated 'Forfars.h.i.+re' were anxiously looking out for help?

The particulars of that n.o.ble deed have already been published, but I happen to have a newspaper account of another heroic action by the same family, which took place in the month of December, 1834, and was thus noticed in the 'Berwick Advertiser':--

"On Sat.u.r.day night, December 27th, about eleven o'clock, the sloop 'Autumn,' of Peterhead, coal-laden, ran upon the Naestone rock, outside the Farne Islands, and immediately sunk; the master, in endeavouring to get the boat launched, unfortunately went down with the sloop! The other two men (being the whole of the crew), clung to the mast and topmast, and as the tide receded, descended the s.h.i.+p's deck, and finally, about four o'clock in the morning, the rock appeared, which they got upon, and remained there till about eight o'clock, when they were discovered by the lighthouse-keeper, Darling, who most providentially, having his three sons with him spending their Christmas, got out their boat, and got alongside the rock about nine o'clock (half an hour before it was covered by the returning tide), and with great exertion succeeded in getting a rope thrown to one of the men, who, having lashed himself, was dragged through the sea to the boat; the other poor fellow, having previously died upon the fatal rock, was left there. With very great exertions Darling and his sons gained the lighthouse, having broken two of their oars whilst attempting to approach the rock; and thus crippled, they got a small sail set, but the wind being against them, they had much difficulty in regaining the island. Very great praise is due to Darling and his sons for their great exertions--having run a considerable risk in approaching the rock with a heavy sea. A signal gun upon each island where the lighthouses are, would be of very great use in cases of accidents of this sort, when a.s.sistance could be immediately had from North Sunderland, Bamborough, or Holy Island--for had it not been for the circ.u.mstance of Darling's sons being there, this poor fellow must inevitably have perished."

We are sure that the birthday of the heroine referred to in the above extracts was celebrated in many a home, and that hundreds of thousands of people wished her many happy returns of the day, a wish which, however, was not to be realised. But there can be no doubt that the day was a most happy one to her; for it is not many who, looking back upon a past year, can think of any good deed that deserves to stand side by side with that of Grace Darling.

The following birthday lines were written for her by Mr. J. G. Grant, of Sunderland:---

"Maid of the Isle, heroic Grace!