, 1873-07-27
CONDOLENCES AND ACCIDENTS.

number, and to be rather surprised ut tho poaBi-
bility OF tho occurrence ut all. To me it rather
seems surprising, whom wo consider the perpotu-
al movement Of tho worlds Kaleidoscope, that
tho snmc figure loes not repeat itBeif moro fro-
quontly, Condolences ssriko us because they
aro noticed, while tho almost ilmumorab1o op~
portuniticH OF coincidonccs Which yield nothing
| naturally attract no attention. To take very
familiar illustration wo arc talking OF porson
! Huddouly ho appears tho circumstance is re-
| marked; probably somo ono Of tho company
quotes tho old saying, "Talk of tho doyil, !" eto.
But no ono thinks Of rcmarking the hundreds
md thousands Of times whom no speak Of
porson and lo does not como.
| Tho greater nun1bor Of examples, tho Ereatnr
| tho likelihood OF concidouces, according to the
| ordinary r,lloa Of chance. Many Of tho hits Of
tho soi.disant phrenologiHts-or, aa they Rhould
| properly ho called, craniologists-may DO ac-
| counted for in this way. Tho occasional yerid-
cation Of tho HcratGs political prophecies In
former days comes iuto tho ynmo category.
The coincidence is ono OF tho common impEob-
| abilities of the sensational romanco-improba-
bio however, not on account Of its occurrence,
| but On account Of itB repetition. Probably few
poraous, wloBo Gfo experience Inns not boon Of
| the narroweBt, aro unablo to recall some QUO re-
marAnble coincidonco Affecting themselves, or
coming within their observation. The improba-
bility consists in representing number Of such
coinoidauces aR occurring within tho limited OK
porionco Of q few individuals during portion Of
| thcIr lives.
4 Indy whom knew was In the habit, whom q
school. girl OF predicting tho future Of hor play
mates, especially in reference to their marriages.
Sho Ind Axetl idea that one OF thom would
marry nm old man who coughod all night" )"
and sho was accustomed to i1utato the peculiar
cough Of tho destined bridegroom. Long after,
! when this friend had lived to become q mature
woman Bho married q nun older than
herself, who subsequently to their mar
riago WAS attacked with bronchitis, md
realized tho prediction to tho letter. Tho
reader is Of course prepared to hcar
tint all tho other predictions of tho
achool-girl about hor other friends vent wiao Of
it would have been thought, oven in this Hkop-
tical ago, that there Was something nncanny
about tho woman. And If VIC found character
in novel represented AZ habitunlly uttering
true predictions Of the future, NO should at once
cry out against tho improbabillty.
When lived in Paris onco received, the day
boforo Christmas, somo canyaa-back ducks from
Of them than could dispose Of while they were
st 10 ont, sent ono pair to a friend wlo was
certain to appreciate thon,. Tho opioure WIS sit
ting in grave counsel with his sister, making out
reached the roast. "Oh |" ho exclaimed, "if
no only had {. pair OF cAnyaa-baeks!" Tho words
,yoro hardly otit Of his mouth whom the door
n9 my y his e pe we
doyout1y wished for this that desirable but ab-
!. sont article Of provonder mover boforo or sinco
las bis prayer boon SO patty answered. Herein
Lies the mpTobab,lty OF the Sensational rs or % foaneo
Hugo, Of Roado or Draldon, thas its heroes and
| horoines arc always finding what they want just
when thoy mood it,
Indeed, may we not say that all tho improba-
bilitios Of tho sensational school reducible to
tho head of too frequent occurrence? The adaga
that !" truth is stranger than fiction meota with
= startling Veri1ication ovory now and then. Both
: phynicaf accidents and moral plcnomena occur
/ | which wiring from us tho involuntary ezciama-
. ton, "1Iow improbable tl1is would ueom iu q
, work Of fiction !" Probably thero IS no bno sill
glo adventure IL the met ,'se sensational nal
I be found in real life. The improbabi]ity
, consists in bringing number OF these e1cep-
tional accidents within tho ifotime or portion
the lfoms ct cue porson Il j. tho shan
: from Charles 1leade's. Middleton sail Of tho
legends about tho early fathers and saints, that
t miraculous events wore moro frequent In thom
pomo @ q our modern schools 81 Action adopt the
> extraordinary az rulo. and only admit the Or
0 dinary an IN exception And perhaps they art
: right for aito1 all who shall say sAat the arete
: tistnguished from tic novel III not itn abnoFma
3 atmosphere, aud dramatic exposition Of tAlngs
r o1ceptional3 (sonething tliat has boen sait
: aboya requires e1p!anatIon.. We and III remance
d moro than improbab!e; they aro impossible
: But this impossibillty H. of a qualified
nature, II consists in their lb,oing con con
to fst growing 1nt af t' ,easi snto
r aitogothor obvious, {actphyB!ca legal, Aissoy!
It cal, Of any class you ploaso. AZ when certain
j. aoorifcs which net only nfter sovoral hours ar
n represented as acting iuatanteueonaly, or whe'
j. certain evouts which would DO illegal in til
10 country wloro the scene Ii laid are desctibcd
It happening by due process Of law. II YOU loo
b at tleho incidents lriorl, without knowledge Q
l. oyon strange about them. Thus, in tho caHo q
n BoppriflcB. wo know that thegc aro so1ue whic
L. do act Immediately, And, to take an 1nstanc
II from tho most erratio of Victor Hngoa books
~ thoro Ia nothing worry startling OF inosediblo
81 tie a,,ppositon thaaA late az Queon AnnoH tim
H. ono olass Of Eng!is!, sl,esTs constablos wer
tA called weapontakeH--that thoy carried an iro
In sword III tho sign of thoir oilco, and execute a.
10 objection to It iB that 1t la not fact but plli
~ invention Of tho aHthoE.)
Ia slal! now relato two acoIlontB-ono Horioul
o. tho other triyial~--wloh illustrate in n'arlo
u maunes tho occasional ilrohabi!ity OF realitle
10 Ono bofoll a connection OF mine, tho son ct 4
IN, ointment professor, AMI! hitnself yelenti!o naa
os Of somo llote. Ho waa superintendent Of o MI
/; Ing oHtab4Bltmone. 1no h1hsdeh " w tnAe
10 from tho mno wero broken up with slctRe-lag
bo morn In board shus1tloB anl log huts. Ono ds
to IN io waB walking among these huts, fsagnAc
NJ ot orc flew out throughn lnot,holo mud 1tru'
ID, linn directly il. QUO oyo, which it destroyed al
H. he cano noar loalng tho other eyo. but 'itannt
as ly, aftor long Illinois, rogainoo the partial u
1t, of It. Now aoo how nlany chancos thora 20
Of, againet eyery clemont OF this accident. Fin
nd that thoro should bo l1not-hoo at tho roquei
a. height; thon that fragment bhonsa bo UNI
u enough to paas through tho Aoloi thoa 1has