The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-09-30
Anecdotes OF Rev. DR.. Bethune.
fCalais Tines.l

Asan after. dinner or platform. speak
er he had few equals. While never
coarse or vulgar, he was yet indescriba-
bly, witty, and could be, as Mr.. Tappan
once described him, ga perfect cvrnuco-
pia of fun" On one occasion he was
among the invited speakers at New
England dinner, in New York. It was
weakness of the doctors not to be over
fond of New England. A Knickerbocker
rather than Puritan, he always insisted
that " Plymouth Rock was the barney
stone of the Yankees" The speaking of
the evening was of the usual kind, dilat-
ing with fOndness for the native soil, and
somewhat extravagant in its statements
of the number of those who, although
denizens of the native soil, had found
their way into all the earth, so that New
England drovers might be found on the
slopes of the Andes, and Connecticut
clock peddlers on the steppes of Tartary.
When the doctor was called out, near
the close of the festivities, he began by
saying that the speeches of the gentle
men who had addressed them might be
divided into two classes-the first of
which dwelt upon the love of New Eng.
landers for their native soil, and the
second of which enumerated the multi
tude Of them who had run of and left
it. How this was to be reconciled he
could not say, unless it might be on the
theory of a story he had heard about two
ScOtchmen, who came to this country
some years ago. At breakfast one morn.
ing, few weeks after their arrival, one
of them wore a strangely troubled look.
The other, noticing it, asked him, An
drew, mon, what's the matter WI we this
morning had fearful dream in the
nicht.' What did we dream, mon?' Il
dinna like to tell Did We dream We
saw the dell, monT No, it was far waur
than that Did we dream your mither
was dead? mo, it was far waur than
that well, what did We dream, monT
Why, dreamed / was hame again.
Your readers will readily conjecture that
this audacity of humOr brought down
the house with thunders of applause.
On another occasion, when on our way
to our favorite resort, for little fly fish
ing in Eastern Maine, we stopped over
night in Boston, where the doctor was to
speak at some anniversary meeting. AS
was not unusual with him, he was little
late in his appearance at the gathering,
and the speaker next preceding him on
the programme was evidently talking
against time on his arrival. Seeing the
doctor walk up the aisle, he suddenly
brought his remarks to close by saying
=" that the distinguished gentleman who
would next address them had now ar
rived, and he could not understand why
he (the speaker) had been appointed to
precede him, unless it might be on the
principle by which the smaller wheel of
wagon is made to precede the larger"
There was a slight twinkle in the doctors
eye as he unbuttoned and laid off his
great brown overcoat, and commenced
by saying: "Mr. President, Ladies and
Gentlemen-The closing remarks of my
friend who has just addressed you re-
mind me of a Highlander, who, on
visit to Glasgow, caught his first glimpse
of four-wheeled carriage. Fixing his
eye with amazement on one of the for
ward wheels, he exclaimed, 'Weel done,
little wheel the big wheel I'll nae catch
YOU" A happier opening could hardly
have been made, even had there been
month to consider it.