Middletown transcript., 1868-09-19
Ghe focal 9istorian,
The Christening Of Middletown.
For the Mddletoun Tyansypt.

From the remotcst antiquity, the human
mind has ever evinccd tendency to travel
backward from effects to causes, from sup
ply to source, from the elimination to the
origin of ey,ry event in history an every
creation in nature.
This principle, if | may so term it, is
indeed, the prolific matriX of all the vast
accumulated knowledge of the world-a
fact satisfactorily demonstrated by Miss
Jcwsbury in her " Neighbors over the
,way, and from the tittle-tattle, gossiping
microcosm ot every country village to- the.
profoundest and sublimest heights of
science, it maintains the same maternal re-
lation to InfJrmation that Necessity holds
to Invention. Laudable Curiosity, then,
is the magic key-the tahsmanic " ses-
anne" which unlocks the iron-clad cell of
many golden truth, and filings wide open
the doors Of Natures mysterious and bid
den mysteries.
1t is somewhat curious, however, to OBJ
serve that, there is sometimes accompany
ing this principle of the mind to retrace
the past, peculiar reticence or convenient
,obliviousness especially in researches for
pedigree and investigation of political an
tecedents. For instance: I have in my
minds eye a most worthy and excellent
gentleman-eccentric it may be, but thor
pughly correct in his walk and life-who
has spent handsome patrmony and tie
major part of half century in efforts to
establish before the world bce-line con-
nexion of his own family with a notable
Cornish dukcdom in the reign ofthe Con-
queror. His labors may have been crowned
with some of that success which diligent
Ioil has legitimate right to expect, had
not plebean kinsman ipcoptinently de-
clared that the Ia lder of ducal descent lost
two of its rounds in the Old Bailey, an
other by an ouUricr over the Channel, one
in the Spanish Galleys, and several by the
Intervention of low mechanics, green gro
GERS, and the fralities of the weaker sex,
irrespective of race and color
Some notable instances of this oblivion
of political antecedents were developed by
our recent civil war, fully illustrating the
diplomatic maxim that the success or fail
ure of an undertaking is tie correct meas.
pre of its morality and justice. The great
md good Washington never became the
acknowledged patriot until he ceased to bt
regarded as rebel Mr. Pickwick's Joy
over the discovery of his famous stone
and Goldsmiths' veteran of the DESERTED
Village, who " Shouldered his crutch anc
showed how fields were won," are indica
tive of the proneness Of the human mind
like the timid and fleeing hare, to doubl
and retrace its course. But it is in tn
province of history that the most interest
ing and extraordinary discoveries hay
been made by this retroactive operation 0
the mind. True, there are some points O
Gistoric interest not yet fixed and settle
to the Satisfaction Of all men. The origi
of % Our American citizens of African dc
scent t''-the real surname of the great tan
,ner, not of Joppa, but of Chicago
the leaning tower of Pisa--the res
,conspirators in whose stead Mrs. Sun
,ratt and her friends were murdered-.th
amount plundered from the Nationt
Treasury since the fourth day of Marcf
l86l-the aggregate amount either i
bulk, weight Or currency value, of work
of art, plate, jewels, libraries, and te
Thousand other fabrics, now decoratin
Northern and Western homes, their owr
ers and friends-the amount of speci,
spoons and their metallic cognates Generi
. Butler acquired at New Orleans, and tt
real amount of the National debt, and IL
q. character and time of its paymept-all al
questions the solution of which must |
lelt to the .scoming time' So man,
however, are the facts indisputably estal
lished by the labors of the historian, th
we may well afford patiently to await IL
slow but sure developments of time an
events 10 disclose to our admiring sens