Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1844-11-28

they sometimes both talked rather un-
~ asonabiy.
II happened on one occasion that Mr.
|. Fauwood had invited his old friend Mr..
Soberton To dine with him on his birthday
This gentleman was much more regular
lban either of Mr.. Fanwood's clocks, and
valued hiu.Sell greatly on the punclual''y
I of all his motions Indeed II was h's
foihle, for he carried II Ia the extreme oi
being "a particular IN what regarded
himself alone as in his engagements with
others. lie had shaved himself, as he
hoastod, at precisely the same hour every
day ior the last thirty years, and never
varied in his dinner five minutes, except
| he dlned out, when he was punctual 10
SECOND. lie was calm, rational, and
! somewhat phlegmatic person, who had
/ looked so long on the world, without get
/ ting within the Winding vortex ot ns pas
sions and Interests, that he was perfectly
acquainted with IT, phYslognomy. Nnh-
out any violen, or sudden impulses, to
/ precipl,ate him into The slightest excesSes,
! or preludices to lead him aslray, he was
a philosopher by nature aud habit, and
| though not absolutely insensloie 10 the
/ little rubs and vexaiions OF life, was ac-
| ruslomed to consider them, to use his
! own phrase, as "lDere ilea-bltes which
| rather ched than wounded lie thought
there were but few subjects in this woIl ID
worth dispuiing about, and was often
heard To declare that there was nothing
in this world more common than to see
men whose opinions were exactly oppo-
site, act precisely alike whence he con-
cluded that arguipent aud reasoning, or,
as he said, a mans abstract opiniOns,
'ihad bu, little influence in the direction
of his conduct. He had n thousand
) times seen men who felt aud reasoned al
ways on the side of virlne, irrctrievably
seduced into vice and corruption, by the
impulse OF their passions and the tempta-
,ions Of opportunity. lie had often
laughed in his sleeve at seeing Mr.. and
Il Mis- Fanwood Gi.pu,ing about nothing
but if any thing could disturb the serenity
Of his mind, it would have been question
} ing The utility Of his great system Of pune
|, tualliy in lrilrs.
I Such being the friend Of MIR. Fan
u
punctual To the dinner hour, and as tins
rested mainly with his wife, he cautioned
r her on the subject This of course
brought up the old subject The ques-
, ton naturally arose, which ol the two
clocks should govern on this occasion,
and as every thing in the house was
| regulated on the principles ol right re ason
except the clocks--the great po!G, 10
be settled was, what constituted the
right ,eason of the thing This however,
was NOT so easily adjusted. They had
tried It hundred tunes before, and at
every repetition it became difficult. The
, Argument this time was very tough II
would not break, Lut 1t stretched like
, India rubber and spun out like a spider
web. In short, Mr.. Soberton was an.
nounced before it was settled whether
the old tortoise shell OF the filagree clock
should regulate the latitude and long iude
On thus occasion.
Al, When The worthy guest entered the
y. room, and saw no preparations for din
: ner, his cquanmiiy was marveiloUsly
4 disturbed but this was nothing 10 th,
n perpirNity aud modification OF Mr. anC
Mrs. Fanwood, who at ihis moment were
y nearer the declvny of IA downright rup
ture than ever they were before.
'lt is all your fault said Mrs. Fan.
wood, apart to her husband. You won,
I listen to reason
| NO, madam, it is goa that wont listen
to reason rcto;ted The husband, with 81
, little discretion that he was overheard by
Mr. Spberlon, who eXcldimcI--
G 'Hey what Is all this YOU have
: not had III This morning, | hope =
What does all this mean, aud what Is the
. reason ! see no preparations for dinner I!
This was too good an opportunity tC
be lost. They had long waited an um
, pire To decide this matter, and each al
once appealed 10 the guest. The ques
, lion was stated, and agreed to by both
( paIl!cs, who each proceeded to reason
: on the justice OF the case, and the prln
4 cipes involved ia lis decision
j Pooh = said MIR. Soberton, interrupt
! ing lne detail, a Gg for principles, ar
, guments and teasonlngs. The proof q
b.. the pudding is in the eating | set m,
: watch This morning, as | always do, bJ
1 chronomc.cr belonging to watch
/. maker that live, exactly opposite N,
y house; aud which never varies the six
/, teenh part orc minute Let me see
: Say ing this, he pulled out his watch
J aud, nIdlchIhg up to the iiIlaGrce cloc!
: on the mantCi- piece, compared the tw,
, together with great deliberarion.
, ] a., ,1 C,.t hy al,