The native American., 1838-11-10
THE DISCONTINUED PENDULUM.

4 he DlSJON TEN Ell fENDOLUM.
An old clock that had stood for 40 years in ;
farmers kitchen, without giving its owner any
cause OF complaint, early one summers morning
before the family was stirring, suddenly stopped
Upon this the dial plate-if we may credit the
fabe-changed countenance with alarm; the hands
made vain effort 10 continue their course; the
wheels remained motionless with surprise; the
weights hung motionless; each member felt dis
posed to lay the blame on the others At length
the dial insinuated formal inquiry as to the cause
of the stagnation, when hands, wheels and weights,
with one voice, protested their innocence
| But now faint tick was heard below from the
pendulum, who thus spoke: i confess myself the
sole cause of the present stopping, and / am viii
| ling, for the general satisfaction, to assign my
reasons. The truth is, that am tired Of ticking.
Upon hearing this, the old clock became SO en-.
ragged that it was at the very point Of striking.
Lazy wire!' exclaimed the dial plate, holding
up its hands.
Very good! replied the pendulum. 1T is
vastly easy for you, Mistress Dial, who, as every
body knows, have always set yourself above me
it is vastly easy for you, say, to accuse other
people of aziness-you, who have nothing to do
all the days of your life but to stare people in the
face and to amuse yourself. Think, besecch
you, how you would like to be shut up for
life in this dark closet, and wag backward and
forward year after year as do
AS to that said the dial, lis there not win
dow in your house on purpose for you to look
through!'
! For all that" resumed the pendulum, 1T is
very dark here, and, although there is window,
dare not stop even for an instant to look at it.
Besides, am really tired of nv way of life, and
if you wish I'll tell you how took this digust
at my employment / happened this morning
to be calculating how many times should have
to tick in the course of the next twenty-lcur
hours. Pehaps some of you above there can give
the exact sum-
i The minute hand, being quick at figures, pres
sently replied, eighty thousand four hundred
times
Exactly So replied the pendulum. well,
appeal to you all, if the very thought of this was
not enough to fatigue one. And when began
to multiply the strokes of one day by those OF
months and years, really it is no wonder if felt
discouraged at the prospect; so, after great deal
of reasoning and hesitation, thinks to myself,
lIll stop
The dial could scarcely keep its countenance,
during this language, but resuming its gravity,
thus replied: Dear Mr.. Pendulum, am really
astonshed that such useful Industrious person
as yourself should have been overcome by this
sudden action. 1t is true you have done great
deal OF work III your time-so have we all, ant
are likely TO do, which, although it may fatigue
us to think Of, the question is whether it will IA
tigue US to do. Will you now do me the favor
to give about half dozen strokes to illustrate
my argument?
| The pendulum complied, and licked six times
in its usual place.
Now resumed the dial, L may be allowed
to inquire if that eXerlon was at all fatiguing to
your
Not in the least replied the pendulum. III
is not of six strokes that complain, nor of sixty,
but of Millions
Very good replied the dial, 'but recollect
that though YOU may think of a million of strokes
in an instant, you are required to execute but one
TO swing, moment will always be given you to
swing in.
That consideration saggers me, confess,
said the pendulum.
Then hope, resumed the dial plate, I'VE shall
all Immediately return to our duty for the maids
will lie in bed if we stand idling thus
| Upon this. the wei ghts, who had never been
accused of light conduct, used all their influence
in urging him to proceed in his usual course
when, as with one consent, the wheels began to
turn, the hands began to move, the pcndu.
lum began to swing, and, to lis credit, licked as
loud as ever, while, red beam of the rising
sun that streamed through hole in the kitchen,
shining full upon the dial plate, it frightened up
as if nothing had been the matter.
Standing on the top Of .Sinai.-I stand upon
the very peak of Sinai, where Moses stood when
he talked with the Almighty. Can it he, or is it
a mere dream? Can this naked rock have been
the witness Of that great interview between man
and his Maker? where, amid thunder and light
ming, and fearful quaking of the mountain, the
Almighty gave to his chosen people the precious
tables of his law, those rules of infinite wisdom
and goodness which, to this day, best teach man
his duty towards his God, his neighbor and him
self! The scenes Of many of the incidents re-
corded in the Bible arc extremely uncertain. His
torians and geographers place the Garden OF
Eden, the paradise of our first parents, in differ
ent parts Of Asia; and they do not agree upon the
site of the tower Babel, the Mountain of Ararat
and many of the most interesting places in the
Holy Land; butt Of Sinai. there is no doubt. This
is the holy mountain; and, among all the stupen
dous works of nature, not place can he selected
more fited for the exhibition Of Almighty power
| have stood upon the summit of the giant Etna
| and looked over the clouds floating beneath If