The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1851-03-13
cooD STORY SPOILED IN THE TELLING.

Of SOoi''
cOOD STORY SPOILED IN THE TELLING
A.. Webster in his late letter to the New York
Ian Committee, has the following:
c,me persons affect to believe that the Union
=, and has not been, in any danger. They
~, your Efforts made for its preservation, with
iT ,s5renee. and often with derision Ii appears
lnl,u o that the temper of these persons is very
10 ~ Gtp that of those who, when the fountains
p ,Is Great deep had been broken up, the win
~ Heaven opened, and rain had fallen upon
us.,th forty days and forty nights, until every
u Int the Peak of Mount Ararat was already
ih'ns wafer. did not still believe that there
uu aIi he much of shower Great applause
W. roars Of laughter, which continued for several
ninutes
lion of a very old story-as one highly i'm
..,hoble and lamentably wanting in point The
able letter writer doubtless wished to make
~ srnre as strong as possible, and so overdid
-. matter. One can but wonder where, during
a.. e,rtv days and forty nights Of steady rain,
-, 0,me Indifferent and skeptical persons took
..n,.o--wbere "on airthn they found dry foot
;nr True MIR. Webster has very considerably
,.6 hare the peak of Ararat, but we believe
Il is the generally received opinion that even
that bioh point was overAowed until after the sub
siding Of the waters.
The version Of this ancient tradition most IA
mliar to us, and which to our mind bears most
marks Of authenticity, runs somewhat thus
Noah, the pious patriarch, had friend and
neighbour who at the first rather favored his little
6natical plan of providing in time for rainy
day; who even gave him the benefit of his valuable
slvice in the construction Of the ark, contributed
some timber and drove q spike or two with his
own strong hand lie moreover endured for
awhile the opposition of a contemptuous public
opinion. and recognised, or seemed to recognise,
the ahigher law of Gods command. But after
time, when the strife between the Delugians
and Anti. Delugians grew really serious, the ira
diton states that he deserted the unpopular cause,
and went over to the majority, expressing con-
yiction that his friend Noah, a well-meaning old
man enough, was carrying sentiment quite too
far and giving it as his solemn opinion that
Messrs Shem, Ham, and Japheth, were dark,
designing men, cloaking dangerous and reasonable
projects under philanthrophic pretensioDs.
We may presume that Noah missed and mourn
Ell his quondam friend, but he is said TO have
smiled curious sort of smile as he saw him
growing daily more worldly, portly and prosper
GUS while he, neglected and despised kept patient
" bammering away at his huge abstraction.
Matters went on in this way until the day when,
.l,oh NJ lie mi nd do MI
the patriarchal enthusiast took possession of the
ark If we may credit the tradition, it happened
that on the very succeeding night his distinguish
ed countryman was attending grand dinner
given in his honor-and that he then and there
made great speech in which he ig-Noohed his
like bottles of generous Burgundy, against the
awkward vessel which had lain so long in the
stocks, the great unlaunched. There followed
immense applause and roars Of laughter, which
continued for several minutes, while the knowing
ones are said to have winked across the board,
and silly trod on each others toes, to remind of
somebody who in the days gone by, helped to
lay the keel of that same old craft
1t has also come down to US that in the gray of
the morning the eloquent speaker set out for his
home, some two or three leagues to the south.
ward it had been raining all night, and as he
dozed ON the luxurious cushions of his carriage,
he was finally troubled by a dim impression of a
continual fording Of streams Becoming little
anxious for his elegant equipagc, he called at
last 10 the coachman to know what in = the
name of goodness he was about, and was in
formed that there had been great fresh and
all the country was overlooked
Soon an inside place grew quite uncomfortable,
and was abandoned for q seat with the driver
the water rose higher, and higher-the road was
lost-the horses became desperate-the driver, in
cutting them loose, was swept away, leaving his
master alone on the box, drenched with rain, and
blue from the keen blasts Of a northeaster Pres
emily, says the tradition, he beheld the ark just
set adOat, and bearing down towards him, and in
afacetiOus manner, peculiarly his own, called out
Floating Menagerie, ahoy can't you take in
another half-drowned creature? Come, neighbor
throw out line, for the sake Of old times you
know, have little interest in that ark, myself
But Noah, looking down from the deck, shook
his venerable beard sadly, and replied, "No,
neighbOr, you wouldn't come on board when
wanted you when | would have put the ark
herself under your command-and now can't ac-
commodate you. am sorry, for | did respect
you once, but my 'r'ers are peremptory Good
morning. admire your talents, but you see the
plank has been hauled inn
Then 1t was that the occupant of the coach-box,
looking after the departing vOyager, gave him
gracious permission to "get along with his old
ark and pronounced his cool and philosophic
opinion as to the inconsderable nature Of the ap-
preaching shower. Ell poild tout.
certain Jealous old lady was once arguing
strongly for wOman's right to preach, when some
one attempted to put her down, with a text from
St raul All" she said, " there is where Paul
and | differ So we may say of this little ques-
ZION OF history, or sacred tradition-it is where
we and the honorable Secretary differ.
G.G.