Litchfield enquirer., 1844-02-29
MIR WEBSTER ON THE GERARD WILL.

lngton, has excited much interest. The heIrS Of Girard desire to break it, and urge, among other reasons, its immoral tendencies, It requires that the college which he originated, and to which he. left vast amount of his property, shall not have any religious exercises, or in any manner influence the opinions of the youth committed to its charge, on the subject of religion-his object being, as he stated, to leave them uninAuenced by sectarian prejudice to support such doctrines as they might embrace after their judgement became matured- These absurd but often reiterated in6del notions the subject of education, MT. Webster in his ar-- gument against the Will, meets as follows: Fl
 eel will not now enter into controversy withm my learned friend about the definition of the word ten- cts being opinions or dogmas, or whatever you please. Religious tenets, take 1t, and suppose It will bc generally conceded, mean religious opinion; and youth that has arrived at the age of 18, who has no religious tenets ,why then,t is very plain that he has no religion. don't care whether you call them dogmas, ,tenets, or opinions. If the youth does not entertain dogmas, tenets, opinions or opin- ions, tenets, dogmas then he has no religion at al And it is idle to pretend that he has. And this strikes at broader principle than when you merely look at this school in it's effect upon Christianity alone. Now we'll suppose the case of youth of IS, who has just left this school, and has gone through education of philosophical morality pre- cisely in accordance with the views and expressed wishes of the donor. He comes then into the world to choose his religious tenets. The very next day, perhaps, after leaving this school, he comes into court of law, te give testimony as witness. Sir,I protest that by such system he should be disfran- chsed. He is asked. What is your religion ? His reply is, Oh, have not yet chosen any; am go- ing to look round ,and see which suits me best He is asked, Are you Christian He replies, That involves religious tenets, and yet have not been allowed to entertain any Again, Do you be- lieve in the existence of GodP He answers that there are clashing doctrines involved in these things, which he has been taught to have nothing to do with-that the belief in the existence of a God being one of the first questions in religion, he
 is shortly about to think of Interpretations.
 Why, sir, it is vain to tell about the destructive tendency of such system-to argue upon Is toin- suit the understanding of the humblest Christian
 t $ mere, seye, iosy, ri6old, cugar, Deisn' and i,ltdehty! (Hefe the effect was almost electric, and some one broke out with applause, which was stopped It opposes all that is in Heaven and on earth, that is worth being on earth It destroys the connecting link between the creature and the Creator-it opposes that great system of universal benevolence and goodness that binds man to his Ma ker. No religion nH he $ eighteen! What would be the condition of all your families ofal your chl dren--if religious fathers and religious mothers were to teach their and daughters no religious tenets till they weae eighteen! What would be- come of their morals tnelr excellence puri-
 
 time and eternity! What would become of all those thousand ties of sweetness love, ard ChSIs. tan feeling that now render our young men and young maidens, like comely plants growing up by a streanlets side-the graces and the grace of open ing manhood-of blossoming womanhood! What would become of all that now renders the social cir cle lovely and beloved! What would bccone ot society itselfl How could 1t existl And ria that to be considered charity which atiikes at the root of all this-which subverts all the excellence and
 sf~ Asn1. A-nnI.,s Nn IaotR very foundation frame work of society. both in ifs practices and opinions ?-that subverts the whole dccency, the whole morality, as we'll as the whole Christianity and Government of Society! No sirs. No sir!" .r'1 -..f ee .as 5aI
 Remarkable Presence of lind-An incident occurred in this town few evenings since, which exhibits the most remarkable degree of presence. of mind, and cool intrcpidity in . child, that we have ever known. A company of lads of ages from about s to 12 and If years, were amusing them- selves on skates, on what is known as the old Trphammer Pond One of the younger of the company . son of Milton Durand, found himself, in the course of rapidly approaching an open ing in the ice He dropped on his haunces to im- pede his progress, but to effect. He was carried into the water, and depth too, beyond his Ieach
 The fate of the poor little fellow seemed inevitable He sank and rose and no help appeared. The first thought which occurred to his companions, was to throw him a sled, belonged to one of the number, that he might grasp it, and by their holding the string he might be drawn out upon solid ice. The aplicstion of the sled, however was refused. At this crisis son of Stiles Curtss started ashore tor
 rail from the fence. This. however, required time. and the applicant for the sled. little son of James w. Hyatt, deemed the first thought the best, and determined to put it into execution. He therefore tackled in with the owner, and according to one version of the story, e lG Weller, knocked him down. seized the sled, and with the promptness and decision which seemed to have marked his whole conduct, threw it to his companion. and safely drew him from his perilous and drowning situation. The young hero told us the story with all the simplicity of child. ss he is 1; and says his companion had risen for the last time.--Nos,rGM Gazette. M
 BABY LIES.
 Mrs. Opie, in her catalogue of Lies enumer- ates every imaginable species and variety, except baby lies' These are numerous and funny be- yond all precedent. Just listen to a ford mother half an hour, and hear her baby talk and what. an amount of iibbng will be heard Not so from design and yet 90 in fact. On this point hear the testimony of an unmarried man. An exchange pa per says:
 Ba6ies.--It strikes us that more Abs are told about babies than about any thing else in the world We all cay they are sweet yet every body Una. can smell knows they we all say they are loVe- lv vet nine babies to ten have no more Pfetensons to beauty than pug dog ; we praise tneii expres- siye eycs vet all babies squint we call them ilt- tle doves. though one of them makes more noise than colony of schEeech owls we VOW they are no trouble, yet they have to be tended night ana day we insist they Repay us for all our anxiety, though they take every opportunity of scratcning our faces or poking their fingers into our eyes m short we make it our businsss to tell the most pals