Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1858-05-29
SABBATH Rl5AD0N@,
F"om the New York Observer.
Grant Thorburn on the Rihle

.'IF. IFWtef &: III Is often remarked that
experience is the best teacher. When in
my fifth year [ commenced reading this
book, Git is fourscorc years since that dav, J
and of all that have seen of men and their
manners, and all that have experienced in
my own walks Of life, confirm me in its
truth, and that its Author is divine.
The first night slept in New York was
on the 18th of June, l794; it was in an
old Dutch house, No. Dutch-strcct whore
MIR. Colgate now has his manufactorv-
The night was hot; | spread my ships
mattress on the garrct floor, and Law down
to sleep, with my head within eighteen
inches of the shingles At midnight a
storm arose, the rain descended and the
foods came, and beat on that shinglc roof,
the lightning flashed, the thunder rolled.
The rattling of the rain on the shingles put
me in bodily fear | knew not what it
meant. We have no shinglc roofs in Scot,
land, no such vivid lightning or loud thun-
der. The storm ceased, her fear had driv-
en- sleep from mine eyes and slumbcr from
my eyc-lids. Day broke at 3 a. m; arose
with headache, hcart-achc, bonc-achc, and
my spirits sunk down to my heels. wish
cd myself at home again was now in
my twcntysccond year, and had never been
twenty miles from the house in which
was born till | sailed for America. The
amount of my education was to read the
Bible and write my own name Not wish
ing to disturb the family at an hour so car
ly, thinks |, | will open my box of books
and lay them out to air; they had been
fourteen weeks in the hold of the vessel ;
on the top lay pocIct-biblc; Iopcncd the
book to sec if the paper was mildcwed; my
eyes lit on the words, "My SON" | was
thinking of my father, whose hands placed
the book on the topof its fellows fora mo-
mcnt | fancicd he spoke; read to the end
of the chapter of Proverbs; my heart re-
vived, my fears fed, graspcd my hammey
and went forth to earn my first cent in
America. 1t is sixty three years and nine
months since that morning. Ever since,
in every strait, [ have found direction by
doing as | was told in that sixth verse;
When yellow fever swept the streets for
seventeen summers, read the 18th and
10th verses. / never left the city-I nurs,
ed many of the sick--yct neither +, my
wife, nor any of my seven children ever
caught the fever.
All the doings of God with the children
of men are practical comment on the truth
of the Bible. This book says, "Thc wick
ed man diggcth a pit for his neighbor, and
falleth therein himself" The following is
a case in point:
Some years ago man named Hague at
tempted to poison his wife. They sat down
to dinner by themselves; while she left
the room few minutes, he put poison in
her soup. Not daring to trust himself in
her presence, he fcgncd an excuse, and
left the room. Byawonderful Providence
when she came to the table spider had
dropped from the ceiling into the plato Of
soup. She was especially afraid of spiders
ard her husband often laughed at her fears;
so she carefully removed the spider, and ex-
changed the plates and ate his soup He
came back and devourcd what he thought
to be pure soup. He was soon after seized
with commissions, and before death he con
fcsscd he had poisoned the soup, and chat
it must have been placed before him unin-
tcntionally. Similar cases occur daily,
which will never see the light till the iudg-
mcnt shall sit and the books be opened.
GRANT TuoRBURN, Sen
New Haven Anril ii 1919