The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-03-15
VERY SLIGHT CIRCUMSTANCES.
Instances Where They Have Led to Grave
and InsIBsrtant Issues.

Instances Where They Have Led to Grave
and Important Issues.
1t is stated that when Leopold van
Ranke began to collect facts for his
history, singular accident occurred in
his native town. A bridge gave way one
morning, and some persons were swept
away in the current beneath. Van
Ranbe, who was absent at the time, on
his return inquired into the details of the
catastrophe. 81 saw the bridge fall, "
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 q soldier on white horse.n II
saw it fall, declared another; ''but the
vain had passed over it two hours pre-
vious. The foot passengers were children,
and the rider was u civilian on black
aorse." ''Now,h argued Won Ranke, IF
Ss 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 be certain which
is shroaded in the darkness of ten CEN
turies. 70 this trivial incident, which
to many persons would have borne no
lesson, was due much of his caution and
impartia,ity.
A few moraents' consideration will
| convince any one that some of the most
mouentous CRISES in history have hinged
| upon very slight circumstances. a glass
| Of wine, for instance, changed the his
| tory France for nearly twenty years.
| LouE; Philippe. king Of the French, had
| a son. the DElSc Of Orleans, and heir to
| the throne, who always drank only q
| certain number Of glasses of wine, be-
| cause even one more made him tipsy,
| On a memorable morning he forgot to
| count the number of his glasses, and
| took one more than usual. When enter
ing his carriage lie 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 geo, ,009, eco, and sent the whole fam
| ily into exile.
II Mr.. Crcnville had not carried, in
| 1865, his memorable resolution as TO the
expediency of charging stamp duties on
| the plantations of America, the western
world might still have been under Brit
| ish rule. In connection with this mat
| ter, there is another slight, albeit re-
marbable. circumstance, which may be
told in Thackeray's own words. 'It
was strange says he. ''that, in savage
forest of Pennsylvania, young Virgin
| ian officer should fire a shot, and waken
| up war which was to last for sixty
| years, which was to cover his own country
| and pass into Europe, to cost France her
| American colonies, to sever ours from us
and create the great western republic; to
rage over the Old world when extin-
guished in the new; and of all the myr-
lads engaged in the vast contest, to leave
the prize Of the greatest fame with him
who struck the first blow"
If the nose of cleopatra had been
shorter, says Pascal, the condition of the
world would have been different. His
meaning is, that if Cleopatra had had a
nose short to deformity she would have
failed to attract Antony, who would not
have beep drawn into the conduct which
eliminated in the loss of the battle of
Actium, which loss made way for the
close of the Roman republic in the inau-
guration Of the Roman empire.
| Dyspepsia has been the cause of many
momentuous crisis. A leg of mutton is
said to have controlled the tide of Leip-
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 caaed slight circum-
stance, yet it was comparatively slight
compared with tho momento!ss changes
which it brought about; for the repeal Of
the corn laws was hastened by the potato
famine, As Lord Beaconsfield has OBJ
served: ''This mysterious but universal
sickness of a single root changed the his
tory of the world"
Many men have been drawn to their
destiny by the most trivial occurrences
Fenimore Cooper became . novelist
through his wifc's challenge. One even
ing, while reading a novel, he threw il
down, saying; 81 believe / could write a
better book myself" LET me see you
do it, " said his wife, with smile. In a
| few DAYS he had written several chapters
of "Precaution, p" which, when finished,
he published at his own expense. The
novel attracted little attention; but it
gave Cooper an inkling of his capacity
for story writing, and the SPY" his
next novel. appealed so strongly to the
patriotic sympathies Of his countrymcn
that it became a great success. Haw-
thorne, too, was induced to write the
} Scarlet Letter" by q remark Of his
wife.
If Cowfey had not found the "Faery
, bQueen' in his mothers parlor it is just
, possible that he would never have been q
poet. Giotto, one of the early Florentine
, painters, might have remained rude
shepherd boy if sheep drawn by him
, supon stone had not attracted the notice
, of Cimabue. Opie might have perished
! in obscurity il he had not looked over thc
shoulder OF his companion, Mark Oates,
while he was drawing butterfly Had
bis friend and conpanion escaped tho
Z thunderstorm at Erfurt, Luther might
5 have been a lawyer,-Chambers jour