Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-02-18
ALEXANDER s. WALLACE.
MIR. BEECHER ON LYING.

Henry Ward Beecher has recently written al
amusing article, in which he discusses the ques
ton whether men can remember what never hap
pened He shows that such stretch Of memory
is possible, by one or two instances. We extrac
part of the article, the whole of which is in Mr.
Beecher's happiest vein:
Some eighteen or nineteen years ago, soon attel
coming to Brooklyn, heard the following story
told of the now venerable DR.. Samuel Cox, the
father of many brilliant sayings, as we'll as of Bish
op Cox, of Western New York. The story raj
thus: "On Sunday morning in August, DR.. Cox
rising to the sermon, without warning or prefix
began, 1t is d-dhot. Looking around in calm
and pious way, he wiped his forehead and agair
said, 1T is id hot Waiting till be thought the
words had burnt in, he proceeded, These words
my brethren, I heard from the lips Of profane
young man as I entered the doors of the church.
Thereupon, the story goes, he proceeded to give
an edifying discourse on the sin and folly of pro
fame swearing
When first heard it I recognized the story
It was an old acquaintance. 1t had been doing
service in England. It was told of Rev. Rowland
Hill, only in his case, the topic was not the wealth
er, but the theatre, on which the young mans
profanity was expended. But stock stories, like
couriers, like to change horses Before / knew it.
the saddle was shifted to my back, nor have l ever
been able to shake it off, I have denied it, twice
in print, many times by letter, and hundred
times in conversation, all in vain. The saddle
sticks, and every month finds new fool riding it.
Denying one of these stories is like fighting Ca
NADIA thistles. Ifyou cut them up, ten more vii
sprout from each root, and if you let them alone
million more will spring from the seed. The on
" way to exterminate the Canada thistle is to plant
it for crop and propose to make money out of it
Then worms will gnaw it, bugs will bite it, beetles
will bore it, aphdcs will suck it, birds will peck it.
heat will scorch it, rains will drown it, mldew and
blight will ride it. Its nature helps weeds anc
runs down crops. We are afraid to deny it. L
would start off walking like Weston. A new batch
of letters would come moaning and inquiring Al
our door. Fresh vigor would be given to its with
cred limbs and like the Wandering Jew, it woult
20 tramping up and down creation till the last day
No, for safety's sake, we do not propose to deny
it any more. It would be the ruin Of innocent
souls, as this narrative which I now shall give vii
prove. And the narration brings me back to tht
question whether one can remember what neyel
happened. 1t will be seen that he can. Sitting
at friends table one evening was telling an in
cident that befell me-in this wise:
"a young man from Buffalo called to see me to
day. He said that he had heard a young lady, ir
q large company, relating the story Of my begin
ming sermon with the phrase, 1T is id hot
He at once contradicted it. She affirmed it posi-
lively. He replied: Il have lately read pub
lshed denial of the story from Mr.. Beecher him
SELF She answered: why, Twas present mysel
at his church, and heard it with my own ears.
OF course he could not say what he thought, bu
replied, I am going to New York, and I will my
self call and see Mr.. Beecher.
The case seemed so fragrant, that I said to him
"When you go back I wish you would take occa
sion, before witnesses, to say to thisady, from me
that she kes and that she knoaos that she lies
and that she knows that I know that she lies. "