Wheeling compiler. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [i.e. W. Va.]) 1829-1831, 1830-07-21


nese, disciple of CONTIGUOUS, who was
travelling for the acquisition of knowledge.
lie sat, drinking tea in one corner Of the
room, attending in silence to the dispute.
The Turkish custom house officer, accost-
ing this Chinese with great vehemence,
saId,-"My good silent Chinese you know
that many religions have found their way
into China. The merchants Of your coun-
try, who have had occasion for my servi-
ces, have in fact told me so 10 assuring me
that of oil these religions that ofMahomet
IS The best. BE as ingenious and Just as
tlev have been. What is your opinion of
God and the religion of our prophet"
There was now an universal silence; the
disciple ofCOnfucOus concealIng his hands
in his long sleeves, and placing them cross
wise on his breast, paused for some mo
nehts, and then addressed the company
in mild and deliberate voice:-"Gentle-
men, fyou permit me 10 speak my opln-
ion with frankness, / must observe that
ambition IS universally the cause of the
disagreements among mankind. will
relate an instance Of this, which Is still
fresh in my memory. When left CHI
na, [ went on board an English ship,
which had been round the world. In our
voyage to this place, we came to anchor
on tie eastern shore Of Sumatra.-Atnoon
having landed with many Of the crew, we
sat down under some cocoa trees, between
small village and the sea shore.
Uider the shade of these trees many
persons of different countries, were repos-
ing. To this spot came u blind man, who
had bst his sight by contemplating the
sun He had the foolish ambition OF un
dershndlng the nature ofthat great lumin-
airy, With the selfish view of appropriatjng
its Curious light TO hmself tic had tried
all liz methods Of optics, chymistgy, and
evenof magic, in order TO enclose one of
/ lis rays in bottle. All his efforts being
unsuccessful, he gravely sad: The light
Of In, sun Is not fluid; for i; cannot be
agtaed by the wind. ltIs not solidi for
it Is impossible to separate a single Partl-
Gle from it.. Il consists not 81 fire, torGls
not "a be cxtluguished IN water. II Is not
q spnl; for It IS visible. It IS not a body
for ltcaunot be felt. 1t Is not even loco
motive power; for It does not agilale the
lightcst bodies It isoyidendy, therefore,
d noBcut.ty
10 fine, this philosopher by necessarily
contemplating the sun, and reasoning up
onits hight, had lost his eyes, and what IS
worse, his understanding. He imagined
not that his sight was lost, but that the sun
no onger existed. His conductor was a
negro, who, having seated his master IN.
der a cocoa tree, took up one Of its nuts
from the ground, and began 10 make
lamp of its shell, wick of It's rough fla
ments, and to extract from ITS kernal llt-
tie oil for his lamp. While the negro
was thus employed, the blind man, SIGH
ing. SAID TO hum: There Is no longer any
light M the wor.d!' There is the light o.
the sun answered the negro. What Is
the SUM- replied the blind man. j know
no more Of It., returned the slave, than It's
rising is the beginning ofmy labor, and It's
setting the end oft. The light of he sun
IS of less consequence to me than that oil
nv lamp, which eulightens my cottage,
and without which | could not serve you
in the night Then taking up his lamp.
This SAID he rs my sun AZ this con-
yersation, one Of the villagers, who walk
ed with crutches began to laugh and sup
posing the blind man had been born so,
he said to him, Know that the sun is a
plobe of fire which rises every day IN the
sea, and sets each evening 10 the west 10
the mountains OF Sumatra This you
would see as well as all of us, ifyou had
the enjoyment Of sight a fisherman then
said, III Is very evident that you have new
er beeen out of your village. Il you had
legs, aud were to make The tour TO the Is
land of Sumalra. you would End that the
sun does not set IN these mountains, but
that Il leaves the sea every morning, and
returns 10 1t 10 she evening to relreshitselE
| constantly see this myself, on whatever
part of the coast may be fishing An.
lnhabitant of the peninsula of India, then
said 10 the fisherman, is 1t possible that
any man endued with common sense, can
imagine the sun to be a globe Of fire, that
Il leaves the sea every day and retnrns IN
the evening to be cxtinguishedl You are
10 know. that the sun is a divinity of my
country. who raverses The HeaYens every
dayi in bis chariot. making a circuit round
the golden mountains Alerouwa; and when
he IS eclipeed. he is swallowed up by the
serpents Racou add Keiota, from which
he is delivered by the prayers Of &C In
dams on the banks Of the Gcaees. It's.
very ridiulous pride IN ar iahabitant Of Su-
MARIA, to suppose that the sun shines only
on the horizon Of his Island. Such an
idea could never enter the head Of man
who had navigated any thing larger than