Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1878-11-23

Early Recollections.
There 10 something peculiar in our
sharp, vivid recollection Of events In
infancy. We find ourselves in mature
life, when ~ sober men and women ve
ought to be grave and serious, suddenlv
made ridiculous by the unexpected 10
membrancc OF some caper Of childhood.
When things that ought to impress The
mind, which did for . time shape the
course Of life, and which had : real
weight, are forgotten, it seems strange
that odd incidents Of early childhood
which were ct best fun and nonsense.
should come back 90 often to be laughed
over.
Not long ago the writer had occasion
to enquire Of An old lady of sixty con.
corning certain doctor Who had prac.
ticed medicine in her native town in
her very early years.
'Do / remember old Doctor Jones ?
Why" and she laughed. che 10 the only
doctor I have any distinct recollection
Of. He pull my first tooth-and how he
hurt me!'
An old gentleman Of high social
standing and wealth. now deceased, used
TO tell . most remarkable anecdote OF
III (, Revolutionary war. The little town
OF Lebanon, Conn.,, where this gentle
man was born, was also the home of
Governor Trumbull, well known in the
history Of those times. When the
British expedition, under Benedict
Arnold. captured and burnt New Lon.
London, this gentleman used to cay he
remembered seeing the cloud Of smoke
in the distance, and the appearance Of
Billy" Trumbull, . son Of the Gov
ernor's, who came galloping into town
to warn the inhabitants that the British
were coming. But . comparison Of
dates revealed the curious fact that this
old gentleman was barely one year old
when New London was burnt. Did he
really remember the scene described,
or was the story 30 impressed upon his
infant mind that the hearing finally be-
came reality? Probably tho latter; for
his veracity was otherwise undoubted.
Who is there who has not been disap.
pointed when the cookery thought to
be 80 delicious in childhood was repro.
duced in later life? The recollection
exceeded the reality. The dish might
be really better than ever before, but
it didn't taste so good, and no amount
of praise assisted by good appetite
would ever bring back the relish OF
childhood.
Advancing age takes the mind back
to childhood. "Once q man and twice
child" is literally true in this way:
The old man becomes not q child Of to-
day, not often imbecile, but he returns
to his past childhood.
Shakespeare describes Falstaf as being
q child again and "babbling Of green
fields" upon his death bed. It is won
derfully true to life.
A member of the late Cabinet at
Washington, although lawyer him
self, had general dislike for members
at the bar. At q private dinner once
he gave this reason for it: "When
three years old, the lawyer Of the vii
laRe calling on my father upon some
business matter, took me on his knee
and felt my bumps-phrenology then
being o new theory. he praised the
general development Of my head, but
concluded with, Il think this little boy
will tell fbs.' That was an insult from
lawyer I could never forget or for
give, although little more than an in.
FAINT"
An old Ohio judge, neighbor of
the late Tom Corwin. grave and serious
enough in general, had one weakness,
q vivid memory. When more than
o;ohtv voera old ha wonld aometimea
set his friends in roar by minute de-
scription of one pleasure in early life
before which all later pleasures paled.
It was the delicious sensation Of warmth
and comfort experienced from DOMINIC
his first garment at birth!
"Human memory could not do more
than that without iniuring mans rep
utation for veracity," was Corwin's
comment.-Peachaa in Danbury Ne,Cs.