The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1869-03-03
For THE CENTRAL PRESBYTERIAN.
MYSTERIOUS ANECDOTES.

line CentTdt ITeSOyteTa0H OF Tue 1Vtn
contains on the 4th page, an article entitled
{" "Current Anecdotes" and with which the
Watchman and Reflector is credited. The
article in question opens with the statement
that 81 is great mystery where some anec-
dotes come from. They pass current as
wholly true, and yet are utterly false.
The article am noticing will itself, to some
extent, explain the "mystery" of how an
ecdotes "utterly false " become current as
"wholly true" For in the allusion to the
well known story of the Rev. VIM. Tennent,
the writer in the Watchman and Reflector
has fallen into some grave errors of fact.
This is the more inexcusable as he was ami
madverting upon the "utter falsity" of
many current anecdotes. Mr.. Tennent was
not charged with horse-stealing. But his
friend and co-laborer, the Rev. John Row
land was indicted and tried for that crime,
and acquitted upon the evidenced of Messrs.
Tennent, Anderson and Stevens, who proved
that on the day the horse was stolen in
Huntingdon county, New Jersey, Rowland
was preaching in Maryland or Pennsylva-
MIA. These witnesses were afterwards in
dicted for perjury. Anderson was tried,
convicted and punished; Stevens was dis
charged at a subsequent term upon the dis
covery of flaw in the indictment. Of this
plea, however, Tennent peremptorily refused
to avail himself. And it was during the
tendency of this trial for perjury, founded
upon the evidence he had given in the trial
of Rowland, that the "man and his wife "
were warned in dream of his peril, and
hastened to his assistance.
But l do not intend to infict upon you
this well known and most striking story. 1t
will be found in the clog College," by A.
Alexander, D. D. 1t seems now, however,
according to this correspondent of the
Watchman and Reflector, that the Prince
tom Review in recent number has shown
this story of the dream to be without
foundation. And in this connexion, the
writer in question, takes occasion to pay
high tribute to the labors of " Neibuhr's
School of Critical History" in separating
the worthless and false, from the good and
the true, as they had been gathered together
by the discriminating "drag-net" of his
tory and biography in its "swoop" over
the "course of time;" the latter being
carefully gathered into baskets and the
former thrown away. To this latter fate he
dooms the "dream."
I confess to but little sympathy with this
iconoclastic "school of criticism" which
would ruthlessly demolish all the wreaths
that fancy and Imagination have entwined
around the naked skeleton of historical
truth, and which are often vastly more valu.
able than the facts upon which they hang.
Why, some one has undertaken to prove that
Shakespeare is not the author of the plays
which bear his name. And it is but few
years since / saw it stated, that some one
of this "school" had demonstrated to his
own satisfaction, that the Swiss patriot, Tell,
was mere myth. Some doubts have even
been thrown over the verify of the story of
"Putnam and the Wolf" doubtless growing
out of Neibuhr's "critical F" chase after
that motherly specimen of the race, who
acted as wet-nurse to the founder of imperial
Rome.
But what IS the foundation upon which
rests the truth of those extraordinary Incl
dents in the life of William Tennent, and
one of the most remarkable and interesting
of which is now to be enrolled in the cate
CORY of anecdotes "utterly false" DR..
Alexander introduces the account of the
Rev. William Tennent, with these remarks
=" The following memoir of the Rev. Will
liam Tennent, Jr., was originally published
in the Assemblys Missionary Magazine, in
the year 1906; and although it was not &C
companied with the authors name, it was
well understood to be from the pen of the
Hon. Elias Boudinot, L. L. D., who was par,
ticularly acquainted with all the members Of
this remarkable family. But although DR..
Boudinot prepared this memoir for the press,
the greater part of the narrative was writ
ten, at his request, by the late DR.. Hender-
son, of Freehold, one of the elders of the
Freehold church, and man distinguished
for his piety, integrity. veracity and patriot
ism. This original manuscript is now in the
possession of the compiler of this volume.
From it we learn, that the history of Mr..
Tennent's trial, which occurred soon after
his settlement in the ministry, and when DR..
Henderson was too young to be competent
witness, was received from his father, who
was then an elder in the church of Free
hold, of which Mr.. Tennent was the pastor.
There can be no doubt about the authenti-
city of the facts here stated, however they
may be accounted for. The writer has heard
the same facts from elderly persons who
never had seen this published account; and
they were so public, that they were generally
known, not only to the people of this part
of the country, but they were currently re-
ported and fully believed in other States.