, 1876-03-01

SSA A@NASNS Sh4ASA& S"~
and windows can in any way iahueL-1
our existence2 All night-moths are Of
dark colour. S. that it is quit L natu-
raj thing that dark coloured mo-. should
fly into houses at night. But you say
there are so many Northumberland
cases of death havingfollowed the warn.
ing visit of a "PGpiuon NOR" | will
show you that the fact of deaths having
happened after, in no way connects them
with, the presence Of the moth.
Count up the cases in which to your
knowledge no death has Immediately fol-
lowed the visit of the Papitton No;r'3 and
set them against the alleged fatal cases.
But do it honestly. Do not connect q
death in december with a moths visit in
Januar7- d you will see the ridiculous
dispr a amounting to positive and
irresil proof of the groundlessness OF
your p.l.ef as based upon testimony.
Then again, count the number of instances,
each one within your W persnal know
ledge, of deaths which have occurred
without the previous warning of this IN
sect, and it follows that there is partially
in the warning /; and as | do not suppose
that you claim prescience for dark-moths
or the gift of prophecy for da~ddy-longIegS,
l infer that you look upon them as the
unconscious means employed by a Higher
Power mercilully to warn you OF death
SO that you may put your house In order.
AS such o kindly interest is quite incon-
Sistent with the principle OF evil, this
warning ! suppose, comes from the source
of Infinite Good. Yet in the record of the
Life Of the Incarnate Form Of the Benef-
cent Principle it is very distinctly laid
down that there shall be no warning
that death will come upoo US like a thief
in the night-that We must watch, as we
know not the day or hour. And If you
believe in he;Scripture, you cannot accept
the contradiction to It's expressed declara-
ton involved in the belief in the president
warning Of o stupid moth that blindy
singes its wings at your candle.
Let US take another form of local super
%stition: A very. dear friend was once very
i'll. The doctors shook their heads
Burleigh fashion-bpt could say nothing
as to his chance. His distracted wife was
on the rack-hope, and despair tugging
alternately at the wheels, and pulleys. I
sat with him one night expecting to let
the poor lady rest from her exhausting
yigils. About one o'clock in the norm
ing all was very still-ouly the heavy and
irregular, breathing OF the sufferer dis
turbed the eur. The dim light Of q cloudy
moon made darkness visible, without-s
subdued night-lamp relieved the gloom
within, my felIow-watcher, yielding to
extreme WEAKNESS and lulled by the still
ness, had fallen into q light slumber, when
there rose on the drowsy air the long dis
NAL howl of a dog. The sick man,
though an hour before. he could not move
without assistance, started sitting bolt-up-
right on the bed, staring wildly about
him. rose to assist him, and in the dim
light saw his wife standing motionless on
the opposite side of the bed. / shall
never forget her face. She was rigid
white as q sheet-her eyes starting and her
lips purple with terror. 1t was some
time before I realized the cause of this
emotion. The howl Of a dog is considered
the harbinger of death Here were edu.
Gated people, not weak Understanding
agony from an unreasouing association Of
ideas.
It might have been the shock or it
might have been from any other cause,
my friend recovered !; but both be and his
wife after assured me that it was quite inn