The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-02-18

upaClll lot ECuUuuis
There is no better test Of purity and
goodness than reluctance to think evil Of
ones neighbor, and absolute incapacity to
believe an evil report about good men ex-
cept upon the most trustworthy testimony
Alas, that this large and lovely charity is
so rare But it is only with those who
possess this charity that men accused of
sins against society have an equal chance
with those accused, under the forms Of
law, Of crime Every man brought to
trial for crime is presumed to be innocent
until he is proved to be guilty; but with
the world at large, every man slandered
is presumed to be guilty until he proves
himself to be innocent, aud even then it
takes the liberty Of doubling the testi-
mony. Every man who rejoices in a
scandal thereby advcrtises the fact Of his
own untrustworthiness and every man
who is paioed by it, and refuses to be i'm
pressed by it, unconsciously reveals his
own purity. He cannot believe bad
thino done by one whon he regards as Il
good man, simply because he knows he
would not do it himself He gives credit
to others for the virtue that is consciously y
in his own possession, while the base men
around him, whether Christian in name or
MOI. Withhold that credit because they
cannot believe ia the existence of a vir-
tue Of which they are consciously y empty
When the Master uttered the words, "Let
him that is without sin among you first
cast a stone at her." He knew that noue
but conscious delinQuents would have the
disposition to do so and when, under this
rebuke. every fierce accu,cr retired over
wholmcd He, the snlesS. wrote the w.
mans crime in the sand for the heavenly
rains to efface. | He could do this in "a
case of guilt not disputed, it certainly be-
comes His followers TO stand together
around every one Of their number whom
malice or revenge assaiIs with ISLANDERS to
which his or her whole life gives the lie.
In a world full of influences and ten.
denotes to evil, whore every good force is
needed, and needs to be jealousy cherish
ed and guarded, there is no choicer treas
ure and no more benefcieut power than
Il sound character. This is not only the
highest result Of all the best forces OF our
civilization, but it is the builder Of those
forces in society aud the State. Society
cannot afford to have it wasted or dc.
sfroyod AMI its instinct of sef-pre-erva-
tion demands that it shall not be suffered
There is nothing so sensitive and nothing
50 sacred as characters and every tender
charity, and loyal friendship, and chival-
rous affection, and manly sentiment and
impulse, ought to intrench themselve;
around every true character in the com.
munity so thoroughly that a breath oil
calumny shall be as harmless as an Idle
wind. If they cannot do this, then nC
man is safe who refuses to make term:
with the devil, and he IS at liberty to pick
his victims where he will.-ScrHncr,
"Topjcs Of Tie Time."
FINDING LONGITUDE AT SEA.-A very
elementary acquaintance with nautica
instruments enables seamen to dctermin,
the latitude of vessel. But ascertain
ing longitude so as 70 be morally certain
Of the exact position OF the ship in rela
ton to its distance from any particular
port, island, moutain, or dangerous rocl
in the ocean, requires very aceurat,
, knowledge Of the motions. Of the earth ii
the vas, orbi. taver-l in i's ciroui; roun
, the sun.
When it is nom a, one place, it is ex
, actly | O'Clock in tie afternoon some
. where else, , at anohcr, and } at anoth
er. Time, therefore, i. constantly differ
, in- every moment, reckoning from any
point on the earth. The reason why il
50 happens is because this world run
sixty miles every four minutes, which i
fifteen miles a minute, one mile in foui
seconds, and quarter Of a mile in ont
sccond-the tick Of watch-apparentll
f towards or from the sun, going east o
! west,
With such facts a navigator competen
TO direct II vessel across trackless oceaI
must be familiar. Without making
miniature treatise, defining degree, th'
value Of chronometer or perpexing tn,
mind Of unprolessional readers with how
longitude is ascerianed east or west from
Greenwich, or an other national meriliaI
the object contemplated in'rhis paragraph
is to impress them with the order an'
undertaking revolutions Of the heavenly
bodies, which enable men to steer off into
the vide waste Of mighty seas, conf len
; in the resources of science to find hi
wa in safety to any section Of the hab
e table globe.
The CENSUS OF II RNE.-The Italian
municipal direction OF statistics has jus
issued its report on the census taken in
Rome on the 3lst Of December, 1871
: The number of inhabitants, including tn,
Campagua, was 244 4S4-I39, ,267 male
10I217 females, divided as follows
Bachelors, S9,745; spinsters. 57,71S