



Produced by Brett Fishburne.  HTML version by Al Haines.








Alvira:  The Heroine of Vesuvius


by

Rev. A. J. O'Reilly, D.D.




Introduction



The Penitent Saints


The interesting and instructive character of this sensational narrative,
which we cull from the traditions of a past generation, must cover
the shortcomings of the pen that has labored to present it in an
English dress.

We are aware that the propriety of drawing from the oblivion of
forgotten literature such a story will be questioned.  The decay of
the chivalrous spirit of the middle ages, and the prudish, puritanical
code of morality that has superseded the simple manners of our
forefathers, render it hazardous to cast into the hands of the present
generation the thrilling records of sin and repentance such as they
were seen and recorded in days gone by.  Yet in the midst of a
literature professedly false, and which paints in fascinating colors
the various phases of unrepented vice and crime, without the redeeming
shadows of honor and Christian morality, our little volume must fall
a welcome sunbeam.  The strange career of our heroine constitutes a
sensational biography charming and beautiful in the moral it presents.

The evils of mixed marriages, of secret societies, of intemperance,
and the indulgence of self-love in ardent and enthusiastic youth, find
here the record of their fatal influence on social life, reflected
through the medium of historical facts.  Therefore we present to the
young a chapter of warning--a tale of the past with a deep moral for
the present.

The circumstances of our tale are extraordinary.  A young girl dresses
in male attire, murders her father, becomes an officer in the army,
goes through the horrors of battle, and dies a SAINT.

Truly we have here matter sensational enough for the most exacting
novelist; but we disclaim all effort to play upon the passions, or
add another work of fiction to the mass of irreligious trash so powerful
in the employ of the evil one for the seduction of youth.  In the
varied scenes of life there are many actions influenced by secret
motives known only to the heart that harbors them.  Not all are
dishonorable.  It takes a great deal of guilt to make a person as black
as he is painted by his enemies.  Many a brave heart has, under the
garb of an im