The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1831-08-24
From, the Sabbath School Herald.
| CANNOT TELL A LIE.

FROM the od0Uuth SCHOOL Herald.
| CANNOT TELL A LIE.
In the war of the revolution, while Gen La
fayette commanded in the American army. ;
part OF the troops were encamped at a certain
place near the waters edge. One calm sum
lhefS evening soldier, who was fifer in one
OF the companies, went into the water for tn,
purpose OF bathing. Being an excellent swim
ner, as well as fifer, he took his fife with hin
to the water, and engaged in fling and swim
ming at the same time. The music reached
the ear of Lafayette. Early the next morning
ne sent an officer in pursuit of the man, whc
had thus been playing, dsobeyed the orders 0
the camp
l he soldier was native of Connecticut, ant
man OF truth. When arrested by tho officer
ana on the way to the Generals tent, h,
thought within himself, that perhaps he nigh
escape severe punishment by DENYING III,
deed On few moments reflection. however
nc said 10 himself, " | have always spoken iii,
truth cannot tell lie With this prnci
pie IN his mind, he came into the presence o
The General who asked him if he was the in
! diVidual who played upon the water the even.
! ing previous; TO which lie replied I" am.
And do you know continued Lafay etc, {" oil
any others IN the army, who can play the same
tune Two or three, do, said the soldier
Tomorrow evening then at such an hour,
wish you TO repair TO my tent with them "
( They came at the appointed hour. This Gen.
eral then informed them, that the tune which
he had heard the evening before, affected him
very much-that on former occasion it had
been played at funeral of dear friend of his,
| who died in his native country. Since then,
until now, he had never met with the individual
who could play it. For the purpose of indulg-
ing in the melancholy pleasure of hearing it
once more, have" said he, "sent for you"
The General, after being agreeably enter
tanned, with the conversation and music of his
guests, dismissed them with his thanks, and
some guincas from his purse, as an expression
of his satisfaction in their performance
" cannot tell lie,' is good rule to follow.
THE EMiGRATIcN FEVER reminds US of some
udicrous symptoms Of the same disease, which,
something like year ago, seized upon sonic of
the inhabitants of our VILLAGE. At that time
business was at low ebb-most of the men
who had formerly done business here had failed
no splndlcs stirred-no money was in circu-
lation-and he that could get job at skinning
ampry-eels, by the hank" was lucky man.
Starvation appeared 10 look every one in the
face without blushing.
During these times one of company of Con-
necticut jockeys who had been in the western
part of Indiana, to sell wooden clocks, was wend-
an additional supply of this important article,
when he came in contact with the hard times
and the hard faces in our village. Now he and
his partners were in the habit of selling at least
one clock to every family that emigrated into
his immediate region. On clock sold at ST
Louis or Vincennes, they made at least FORTH
dollars profit SO that it will be seen that tho
aforementioned adyenturcr had as much inter-
EST IN causing people to run westward as in set
ting his wooden time-measure<s running after
they were there. So he began by cursing New
! England and praising The Vest The people
took hre-a public meeting was caled-some
extraordinary stories were told, about grain,
hay, pork and beef, which not only grew to an
enormous size, out grew spontaneously in that
country--and some extraordinary speeches were
made, wherein it was asserted that the only
difficulty which man was ever known to expe-
rience on the banks of the Missouri was with
his belly, which good living sometimes compel
| led him to carry in a wheel barrow. In shcrt
the whole village was charmed with the pic
tute that had been drawn Of the new paradise,
and many good people were for setting off, that
night, post haste, TO find Heaven among In
dians and offers, in the egneswamps of the
| Wabash For several days afterwards imple>
ments Of the shop and the kitchen sold an
der the hammer of the auctioneer. No man
wanted the tools of his trade in the " new coun-
tries" because he did not expect to do ought
I there but knock down and eat wild buffaos, so
he sold them and no man cared about house
hold furniture, as it was altogether useless in 4
country whore the climate suffered the inhabi
tants to live from one years end TO another in
the open air, so it went under the hands Of the
( auctioneer. In the mean time the Connecticut
man logged on his way, leaving the excited
| crowd which he had raised, like the children of
Israel without their Moses. And two alone out
of the whole number had courage to take up
their line of march for tho land of promise.
They commenced their journey in one horse
wagon, with bushel of oats and an old axe
took course due West, and after travelling
two days, and complaining bitterly that "there
soeTe no guide, boards up to tel them the aoay
TO Missouri" they arrived at Pigeon Hill in
Foster, which from the look OF the people and
the country, they concluded could not be grea,
way from the spot where Tecumseh was killed
so they d" camped down." and have ever since
been luxurialing upon woodchucks, cursng
New England, and praising the West.
PdWtH:ktt Chronicle.