The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1888-07-18
way saeaT cIReumsrANcgs.
Instances whers viley NAVE Led 10 Grave
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-Rt1 S--iNHlt NttaSCWto fstNSlSo.
Instances where They Have Led 10 Grave
and Tnipeftant Issues.
It Is stated that when Ieopold van
RanlSe began to collect facts for his
history, singular accident occurred IN
his native town A bridge gave xr.lS. one
morning, and some persons were swept
away in the current beneath. Van
Rlnke, who was absent at the time, ON
his return inquired into tlle details OF the
catastrophe. II saw the bridge fail, .
said one of the neighbors. "A heavy
vain had just passed over it and weak
ened 1t. Two women were ON it when it
fell. and a soldier on white hcrse.' Il
saw it fall, declared another; sslut the
vain had passed over 1t two hours pre-
yious- The foot passengers were children
aud the rider was civilian ON a black
horse. y Now, , argued Won Ranke, ',if
it Is impossible TO learn the truth about
an accident which happened at broad
MONDAY only twenty-four hours ago. how
can declare any fact to becertain yShicIt
is slIonded IN the darkness of ten cen
turies. . To this trivial incident, which
to many persons would have borne no
lesson, WAS due much of his caution and
infartiaiity.
coaEince ans che that some &C the most
nomentous crises in history have hinged
upon very slight circumstances. A glass
of wine, for instance, changed the his
torf of France for ne;Irly twenty years.
Louis Philippe. king of the French. had
a son, the Duke of Orleans and heir to
the throne. who always drank only a
certain number of gIassos of wine, be
Cause even one more made him tipsy.
On memorable morning he forgot to
count the number of his glasses, and
took one mere than usual. When enter
ing his carriage he stumbled, frightened
the horses, and causing them to run. In
attempting to leap from the carriage his
head struck the pavement, and he soon
died. That glass of Wine overthrow the
Orleans rule. confiscated their property
of e2G;GGa. 800, and sent the whole fam
ily into exile.
If Mr. Grenville had not carried, in
1865, his memorable resolution as TO the
c1peGiency of charging stamp duties on
the plantations of America, the western
world might still have been under Brit
ish rulc. In connection with this mat
tex there is another slight, alteit re
luarkable. circumstance, which may be
told in Thackeray's own words. SIT
was strange says lac. that, III a savage
forest of Pennsylvania, Young Virgin
i,;!i officer should fire shot, and walen
ED n war which was To last for sixty
Years, which was to cover his own country
and pass into iGarope, 10 cost France her
American colonies, to sever ours from us
and create the great western republic; to
rage over the old world when extin-
| i-nished ii the new; and of all the myr-
idt.s engaged III the vast contest, TO leave
| t!lp prize Of tilc greatest fame with him
who struck the first blow"
If tine noe of cleopatra had been
| shorter, says Pascal. the condition of the
world would have been different. His
meaning is, that if Cleopatra had had
nose short to leformity she would have
failed to attract ANTONY, who would not
have beel drawn INTO t,le conduct which
culuinated in Elle loss Of the battle Of
Actiun, wlfich less made way for the
close of the Roman republic IN the inau-
gtiration of the Roman empire.
Dyspepsia has been the cause of many
rscaseltuo1s crisis. A leg Of mutton is
said to have controlled the tide of Beip-
Sic's battle; and the consequences of the
indigestion of certain duchess are pro
verbal.
The great failure of the potato crop in
Ireland cannot be ca2el slight circlm-
stance, yet it was comparatively slight
compared with the momentous changes
which it brought about; for the repeal of
the corn laws was FASTENED BIZ the potato
famine. As Lord Beaconsfield has OBJ
served: "This mysterious but universal
sickness of q single root changed the his
to-.y of the world
Many men have been drawn to their
destiny by the most trivial occurrences.
Fenimore Cooper became novelist
through his witc's cballenge One even
| ing, while reading a novel, he threw il
down, sasing: Il believe could write n
better book myself. ''Let me see yoa
DO it, - said his wife, with n smile. In a
few days he he'd written several chapters
of ''I'recaution, which, when finished,
he published ct his own expense. Tho
novel attracted little attention; but it
gave Cooper an inkling of his capacitv
for story writing and the .sSnv. : his
next novel. appealed so strongly to the
patriotic symIathiez of his countryInen
tllit it became great success. Haw-
tllorne, too, IVES induced to write the
.''scarlet Letter by u remark of his
wife.
II Cowlcy lad not found the .Facry
Queen il his mothers parlor it is Just
possible that he would never have been n
poet. Giotto, ono OF the early Florentine
isslinters. might have remained q rude
shepherd hoy if sheep drawn. by linn
upon q stone had rot attracted the notice
Of CiEnabue. O;3ie might have per;sfled
IN oisscurity if he had not looked over the
shoulder Of his companion. Mark Oates.
While he was drawing a butterfly. Had
his friend and colapanion escaped the
thunderstorm at Erfurt. Luther might
have been a la=yer.-C Chambers Jour
nal.