Cooper's Clarksburg register. [volume] (Clarksburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1851-1861, 1855-11-14
THE TWO SCHOLARS OF VEST
.... &c.,. MINISTER.

THE TWO SCHOLARS OF WEST
-. MINISTER.
During the wars between Charles /.
and the Parliament, and when the cause
Of the latter was triumphing in every di~
Tection over that of tho royalists, Sir Pa
trick Newcastle was one of the magis-
trates specially commissioned to try, as
rebels. all persons taken with arms in
their hands. He was man Of strict
mora! character and undertaking integri~
ty, based on the only stable foundation,
true religious principle. A constitution
naturally sickly and feeble had not per-
mitted him to serve in the army but he
powerfully aided the Parliamentary cause
by his great talent and sound judgment,
and was not only distinguished by Crom-
we'll with peculiar favor, but generally
respected and esteemed as the most active,
intelligent aud equitable magistrate in the
country.
One day party of his friends were
assembled at his house in honor Of his
birthday. and Sir Patrick was gaily sup.
ping with them and his family, when a
body of soldiers brought in a royaIist
whom they had just taken prisoner. It
WAS an officer, who after the defeat of the
kings troops was endcavoring to make
his way to the coast, in the hope
Of escaping 10 France. Sir Patrick
ordered him TO be introduced into the
room, and covert to be placed fur him.
courteously inviting him to take his place
at the board.
''This is my birthday" he said, "and
l must not have its good cheer marred by
being obliged to enact the part Of Judge:
Will you, sir, for few hours, try and
forget you are not voluntary guest"
And it seems as il the prisoner had
caught up the good knights tone. and
willing to play his part, both in good
cheer on the board and the hilArity around
is for he addressed himself to his sup>
per with appetite. and to his host and the
guests with cheerful courtesy.
Sir Patrick now resumed the subject
from which he had been diverted by his
interruption. AS l was saying, AT ff-
teen, WAS such n poor puny creature.
that every one either despised my weFk~
nees or took advantage Of it to trnmple
upon me- At home, l was exposed to
the harshest treatment from a relative !;
and between my school-fellows and Il
severe master, | was little better off when
l went to Westminster school. Courage
in a child is but little more than the con-
seriousness OF his own strength, and my
weakness rendered me coward, SO that
literally lived in q continual terror Of
the brute force that, in some form or
other was perpetualIy assaiing the. l
become daily more sensitive to pain. and
that to such degree that perhaps no one
o-,,ll Tho g
formidable rod had already twice left me
without power TO use my hand and so
terrible was my recollection Of it, that the
mere thought Of again being exposed to
its chastisement made me tremble from
head 10 foot.
II told you was a pupil at West~
Minister. In my school room the classes
were divided merely by curtain, which
We were positively forbidden to touch.
One very hot summers day sleep COM
plctcIy ovcrpowered me while listening
TO lecture on some passage in Aristotle
from one Of the masters, and l WAS
quickly doing on the form, when a sud-
den movement in the class awoke me.
started, and was about to fall forward
when, to save myself, caught at the
curtain, and. to my great CONSERVATION,
tore it down the middle. For some mos
ments the teachers and the boys in the
two classes, now no longer divided, stood
gazing at each other through the rent
Suspicion Immediately fell on me and an
other boy, AS being nearest the curtain,
when the mischief was done but my
confusion was too evident to allow any
doubts as to the culprit, and was angrily
OFC0Tah tn fhn V17i1Alo nf tha onl
desired to hold my hand for a dozen
olaps.
II staggered forward as if were
drunk with my knees knocking together,
"nd the drops Of Precipitation rolling down
my face. while terror SO paralized my
tongue. that when would have begged
for pardon, could not get out a word
Alresdy was the dread instrument of
punishment uplifted, when heard the
cry of " hold do not touch him I can.
not let him bear the punishment The
speaker was the lad whose place was at
the other side of the curtuin. knew
not whether the master was Indifferent as
to who the real culprit was, provided that
he had some one upon whom to inflict
the exemplary punishment; but certain
ISIS that my deliverer was brought up.
and received the round dozen. MY first
impulse was to own all and to arrest the
unmarried Punishment: but my courage
failed me, and having allowed the frs,
4 blow to be given I was ashamed to speak.
How false that shame was, how great nv
moral cowardics, | now see, my friends,
as clearly as you do.
% After bearing bravely the penalty ot
fault he had not committed, tho pener.