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This is one of Mrs. Sherwood's Moral and Family Tales, fervently religious and moral short stories written for children, in which their own innate sinfulness is emphasised, as well as the dire consequences which will befall them if they slip from the path of rigorous Christian virtue. The Tales sold in large numbers, and were extremely popular (among well-meaning adults) as Sunday school prizes and Sunday reading in God-fearing households.
The full text can be read online or downloaded free of charge. It is in XHTML format, like this page. Please note the file size is 112kb and it may take some time to open-up if you choose to read it online. Downloading for reading later may be the preferred option and this can be typically achieved by calling up an option box. If you have a mouse and it is configured for left click to select, right clicking the link may give you this option. Link to the full text of The story of Charles Lorraine's life.
Indulged by his mother, and called up into the army, Charles Lorraine doesn't have the religious faith or moral fibre to withstand the various temptations that come his way, and, thanks to fellow officers such as Sergeant Jones ("one of those awful characters who make a jest of religion"), goes to the bad.
Despite his promises to his mother and his sweetheart, Mary Low, he enlists for life (while drunk), but then falls ill, and is only redeemed finally by the efforts of the Methodist Abraham Hays.
The ending of the story is happy only in Mrs. Sherwood's terms, as she points out that although Charles will never go home, and never marry Mary,
it will be a great satisfaction to be informed that in the course of a long and painful illness, he was brought through divine mercy to sincere repentance and humiliation, and that he frequently and solemnly declared that he had no hope but in the merits and death of his Saviour Christ, our Lord.
Page created 26 November 2002 and last
updated 26 November 2002
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