Bozeman avant courier. [volume] (Bozeman, Mont.) 1872-1882, 1878-03-28

pastor and begged for the loan of boo
that would fully explain to him the eli
mentary principles of natural philosoph!
'e including the mechanical powers and tn
Is strength of materials. Mr.. Sunbright rum
pied his hair with real enthusiasm, ant
l. remarking that he loved to see a boy wit
le a mind above marbles and circuses. prompt
II ly lent him the desired book. For som
!, weeks that ingenious small boy devote
Y his whole time to study and to experiment
+ with carpenters too's and heavy weight
c in the woodshed, and his father and MI
n Sunbright congratulated one another upo
o the extraordinary goodness and intelli
: gence of the s,uaious youth.
0 1t was on the Saturday afternoon pre-
8 cedng the fifth Sunday in january that tn
: ingenious small boy, together with severl
1 of his juvenile companions, gained secre
}. access to the Congregational meeting
house. The pulpit was an old-fashionet
affair placed upon a high platform. Under
meath this platform was dark space tc
which access was gained by movable
panel, and in which the sexton was accus
toned to store broken benches and other
ecclesiastical rubbish. The boys first care.
fully cut an opening in the floor of the pull
pit about four feet square, and then enter.
: ing into the lumber room below worked
for hours in comparative silence and with
the aid of lantern. The ingenious stu
dent OF the mechanical powers arranged 4
weight and lever in such a way rs to sup
port the improvised trap-door to the pull
pit floor until pressure of l97 pounds
should be brought to bear upon it, With
out the application of this pressure the
trap-door would retain its position, and
would be invisible to any but the closest
scrutiny. With such pressure it would
promptly give way, but would resume its
position as soon as the pressure should be
removed. The Rev. Mr.. Sunbright weigh
ed precisely lS2 pounds, and it was calc,l-
lated by the ingenious juvenile miscrcant-
as Il will shortly be necessary to call him
that the momentum of the average stamp
OF the pastors foot would infallibly be
equivalent to an increased pressure of Is
pounds. As the result showed, this calcl-
lation was correct, and the arrangement of
the lever and weight was made with ad-
mirable skill.
1t was about the middle of the next Sun
day mornings sermon when the Rev. Mr.
Sunbright was eloquehily denouncing the
corruption of the Church of Rome. that he
executed one of his ablest and most con-
Yincin9 stamps and cisorpc".-~.' f-a... -i...,
with startling celerity. The audience look I
ed upon his disappearance rs 4 new rhet-
orical figure, and were filled with admira-
ton. One young man, who had visited
New York, whispered quite aulibly that /
he had seen both L. De Witt Talmadge and
George L. Fox, and that neither of them
had ever executed so neat and agile trick.
The minutes came and went, but the pas
tor did not reappear. Doubtless, so thoMght
his people. he was waiting to give f.fll eff
feet to his eloluence, but after a fine they
became somewhat surprised as She unusual
pause in the services. Presently an elder
arose and remarked that tl-eir beloved pas
tor cyidently Intended his hearers to spend
a little season in meditation, wliereupon
every one meditated with great assiduity
for five minutes longer. At the expiration
81 flrfs time it was feared that Mr.. Sun
bright might have fallen down in a fit, and
three gentlemen simultaneously went into
the pulpit and amid general CONSERVATION
reported that he lad totally vanished. The
excitement that cnst.e1f was tremendous,
and the meeting broke up in disorder. No
one ventured to explain the mysterious
except an elderly single
lady, who suggested sudden raid on the
part of cnvious angels. The theory rapid
ly gained adhe! cnts, in the absence of any
opposite theory, and might have gained
general acceptance had not faint knock
ing beneath the pulpit been heard. An ex-
animation wa5 Instituted, and Mr.. Sun
bright was discovered, much abraded as to
the surface, and inwartlly filled with right
eous indignation. Fortunately, he had
sustained no serious injury. and was con-
veyed into thc ddjelning eeture-room and
subjected to a variety Of soothing process
ses by the local medical mah,.
There probably never was worse small
boy than the cOntriver of the trap. TO a
certain extent he has expatiated his offense,
but Mr.. Sunbright is firmly convinced that
ttere is no punishment that will do justice
TO the culprit, in which opinion all respec..-
able persons will agree. At present. the
small boy studies as well as recites, on his
feet; but the circumstance, win all it i'm
plies, gives but transient comfort to the
injured minister. The. pulpit floor, as well
as MIR. Sunbright. nave. since been thor
oughly repaire.,., but, the painful Incident
deserves TO oe noted, partly as a warning |
to Mr. faln,adge and partly as melan-
cf.oiy evidence that Birchville possesses
positively the worst of all existing small
boys. IL I'll b. Ia ...- r. ....a