Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1869-02-16

thy of his usual thoroughness-the ques-
ton, We mean, whether man can re-
member thing which never happened to
him?
At first sight any one will say he can
not. But such Judgment will force a
great many good men and women into a
gulf of f5s. Either people can distinctly
remember what never happened to them,
or else the standard and staple jokes of
society are sustained by false witnesses.
We draw back from such an uncharita-
BILE construction, and avow our belief that
under peculiar conditions a man may re-
member, distinctly, not only what never
happened to him, but things that never
happened at all
A case in our history shall illustrate
this matter. Some eighteen or nineteen
years ago, soon after our coming to Brook
lyn, we heard the following story told of
the now venerable DR.. Samuel Cox, the
father of many brilliant sayings, as well
as of Bishop Cox, of western N. Y. The
story ran thus flH
"On Sunday morning in August, DR..
Cox, rising to the sermon, without warn
ing or prefix, began, 1T is id hot"
Looking around in calm and pious way,
he wiped his forehead, and again said, 1T
is ID hot Waiting until he thought
the words had burnt in, he proceeded, -
These words, my brethren, heard from
the lips of a profane young man as | en-
tered the doors of the church, Thercup-
on, the story goes, he proceeded to give
an edifying discourse on the sin and folly
Of profane swearing"
When we first heard it, We recognized
the story It was an old acquaintance.
II had been doing service in England. 1t
was told of Rev. Rowland Hill, only in
his case, the topic was not the aoeather,
but the theatre, on which the young mans
profanity was expended. But stock sto-
ries, like couriers, like to change horses,
Before we knew it the saddle was shifted
to our back, nor have we ever been able
to shake it off, We have denied it, twice
in print, many tiinee by lotter, end hun
dred times in conversation, all in vain.-
The saddle sticks aud every month we find
a new fool riding in it. 1t turns up in
newspapers periodically. 1t runs the
rounds of neighborhoods. Some people
are delighted with the smartness Of it,
and "would walk fifty miles to hear
that man preach y and others are shocked
at such impiety, and mournfully shaking
their heads, declare that it would be
'breaking Sunday to hear such a fellow
preach af u r.f
The story was sent to us from England,
our name and ALL We saw it in a Califor-
MIA paper. 1t had been travelling and
swearing in France and Germany-though
we don't understand profane word in ell
ther language--and if that Yankee China
man, Mr.. Burlingame, would only tell the
truth, we believe that he has seen the very
story, name and all, crooked up and grim
ming in those celestial hieroglyphics which
adorn tea-chests and Chinese pictures.
Indeed, it is like to be the chief memo
rial of our life. We are informed that in
outermost places, on hearing our name,
men say, "Ah, yes, we know him ! That
is the man that said, Its id hotr
What is to be donel Here is mild
and withdrawing minister, with story
fixed on him that he cannot unbuckle, nor
cut, nor unite, nor rub off, Alas is this
the punishment Of some of our boyish
freaks of mischief? We fear Once,
when annoyed by neighbor's flock Of
geese, we fed them with corn, to certain
kernels of which. short strings were tied
with bits of paper attached. When q
grain was swallowed. the paper with each
movement of the goose, bobbed up behind
him and at him. In few minutes the
flock were racing and flying and squaking
each with his paper whirling close behind
him. Is this story whizzing behind us in
like manner and for punishment?
1t is not, however, the story that afflict'
u.s. 1t is the pious aiiliction Of good peo'
pie, who, every year or two, have fit o.
correspondence come over them, and ply
us with letters of inquiry, of grief, of holy
Indignation, of cxhortation and instruc
tion. One Of these periods seems JUS
setting in now. Here is letter como t.
hand yesterday, giving the story in full
with assurances that the dear writer docl
not believe a word of it, and has SO ex
pressed herself, vehemently but in vain
to numerous sewing circle Would
be willing to deny itin the Ledger, &c &c
Denying one Of these stories is lik'
fighting Canada thistlcs. fyeu cut then
mn Ton more will snrout from each root