Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-08-04

MadlSOn ON any supJeCt, auo
was referred to on all disputed
points, on the theory and his
tory of the government, that
arose among the candidates for
the legislature and county pol
iticians. This he studied on
account of the consequence it
invested him with. But why
he had treasured up an old
and we'll thumbed copy Of
Paine's Age of Reason and
affected skepticism as to the We
racity Of the story of Jonah and
the whale, and Balaam and his
ass, would be hard aecounting G
/ for, unless it proceeded from a
desire of a character for singu-
larity and erudition. Y hen
vanity once gets the II terry
Of a man reason, there Is no
telling the absurdities it will
lead him into. He vas fond OF
speaking of Volney I'D of be-
ing found with a CO :. q Fay
lor' 5 'Diegesis' in his hand, al
though few of the neighbors
I had heard Of the author of the
Ruins or knew what Diegesis
meant.
This popularity, together
with the pertinacity OF the
missionaries, Worcester and
Butler, which carried them to
the penitentiary, may account
J for the great aversion of Mr..
Edward Forgeron to all
preachers of the gospel.
/ His dislike for them was sc
excessive, that he could scarce
ly speak of the 'hypocritical
scoundrels, as he called them,
without flying into a passion
and using indecorous Ian guage.
But a circumstance occurred,
which gave his zeal a distinct
and sectarian direction. A
Methodist preacher over in
Tennessee, who was fond OF
spicing his discourse with
anecdotes, once made him the
principal character of a long
sermon. SD His peculiarlties,
weae dilated on, and his here
sizes dealt with in severity. He
was ridiculed, and his literary
requirements disparaged by
the preacher. All this came
to the ears of Forgeron, with
such embellishments rs stories
usually receive in passiaG 70 a
third person. 1t oe as
useless to attempt to describe a
mountain storm, as to picture
| the wrath OF this mountalneer.
But if we cannot portray the
storm. the consequences may
be easily told. The blacksmith
swore in his wrath that he
would whip every Methodist
preacher that passed the gap in
revenge of his insult. bra
Forgeron, was a man of his
word, as the bruised features OF
many of John Wesley's disci-
pies could testify. His charac-
ter soon went abroad !; and the
good old matrony Of the sur
rounding counties on each side
Of the mountain trembled al
his name. .Ht a7"
| In short, the mountain pass,
which was really as romantic
place as a landscape would seek
for picture, and was just the
spot to remind a youth fresh
from the classic studies of thu
place where Leonidas aud hi
three hundred Spartans fell at
tempting to defend Greecs a
egainst the army of Xerxes-iI
despite of tho grandeur of it,
beetling cliffs, and the beauty
of its verdure, was associated
in the minds Of mar piou'
persons, with the broad gate
that leads to destruction. Anc
Ned Forgeron, the handsome
blacksmith, was invested witt
the attributes and hideous as
pect of his Satanic majesty, b.
many a mountain girl whC
would doubtless have fallen il
love at first sight with hin
under any other name. TIL
preacher whose circuit lay OF
either side of the mountain a
the time Ned's direful edic
was promulgated to the world
was a meek and lowly man
who approached nearly in hi
natural disposition to willing
obedience to the mandate, rela
tive to turning the cheek to tn
smiter. The poor soul passe'
onxr c1aanlaco piuhts IN v;ay