Middletown transcript., 1869-04-10

indignation, of exhortatiop and instruction.
One of these periods seems just setting in
now. Here is letter come to hand yes
terday, giving the story, in full, with as
suranees that the dear writer does not be-
lieve word of ii, and has so expressed
herself, vehemently but in vain, to a nu-
merous sewing circle! Would be will
ling to deny it in the Ledger, &c. dc.
Denying one of these stories is like fight
ing Canada thistles. If you cut them up.
ten more will sprout from each root, and
if you let them alone, million will spring
from the seed. The only way to extermi-
nate the Canada thistle Is to plant it for q
crop and propose to make money out of it.
Then worms will gnaw it. bugs will bite
it, beetles will bore it, aphides will suck
it, birds will peck it, heat will scorch it.
rains will drown it, mildew and blight will
ride it. All nature helps weeds and runs
down crops. We are afraid to deny it.
1t would start off walking like Weston,
A new batch of letters would come moan
ing and inquiring at our door. Fresh vi
gor would be given to its withered limbs.
and like the wandering Jew, it would go
tramping up and down creation till the last
day No for safety's sake, we do not pro-
pose to deny it any more! 1t would be
the ruin of innocent souls, as this narrative
which now shall give will prove.
And the narration of the incident brings
me back to the question whether one can
remember what never happened. 1t will
be seen that he can.
Sitting at friends table, one evening,
| T AL hak hafn
in this wise:
"A young man from Buffalo called to
see me to-day. He said that he had heard
young lady, in large company, relat-
ing the story of my beginning a sermon
with the phrase: 1t is id hot He at
once contradicted it. She affirmed it pos
itively. He replied: L have lately read
published denial Of the story from Mr.,
B. himself She answered: Why 1 acas
present myself at his church and heard it
pith my own ears Of course, he could
not say what he thought, but replied: Il
am going to New Yopk, and will myself
call and ask Mr.. B."
The case seemed so fagrant, that said
to him: "When you go back, wish that
you would take occasion, before witnesses,
to say to this lady, from me, shat she lies,
and that she haloios that she lies, and that
she knows that I know that she lies."
This was very improper language, but
1 was angry, and besides had been read
ing the Tribune,
When l had got this far, sweet young
girl, who sat opposite me, brought up un-
der my eye, almost from the cradle, and
as incapable of knowingly telling false=
hood as a rosebud would be of committing
burglary, this innocent and charming child
of fifteen looked over at me, and said;
''But you did say so, didn't you, Mr.,
Beecher? heard you'll
For moment there was silence, Then
came crash of laughter from the whole
company. Confused and blushiug scarlet,
she said: a
"Why, 1 always thought that l had
heard you say itn'
For the first time I then believed that a
person might distinctly remember what
never took place, ! take back the mes=
sage to the Buffalo lady, and humbly apol=
ogize for supposing that one could not re-
call thing which never happened.
No, Mr.. Bonner, never swear! Pro-
fame swearing is not right even in the pull
pit. never in my life said ''it is id
hot" not even of an August day, many Of
which have seen of temperature that
might suggest the expression quoted. If
anybody has said it, lately, l think it must
be your ':red hot" neighbor over the way,
Mr.. Pomeroy. If he denies it, | can only
say that unless he amends his course be
may yet be left to say it under circumstan-
ces in which there will be no exaggeratioa.