The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1890-11-13
ACCIDENTS AND TRIPLES

ACCIDENTS AND TRIPLES.
Some very wise men hold that
there Is no such things as an acct
dent and no such thing as n tribe
that what looks to US rs the merest
chance Is inevitable and must have
happened, a. q part Of the great fore
ordained history OF the world, and
that there Is no great and no small
In the sight Of Him
Who sees with equal eye, as Lord Of all,
A hero perish or 4 sparrow fall.
Something Of the same thought
was given expression by Michael
Angelo. A visitor at his studio
msrveIled that he should spend the
whole day In adjusting some infin-
ItesImal bit of clay on . statue
"Gentlemen," said Michael Angelo,
this may seem TO you q trifie, but
II IL trifiss that make perfect; and
perfection Is no trifie."
Nevertheless, there Is q certain
amount Of amusement and even In
formation 10 be gained In speculat-
ing on what might have occurred
but for some more or less trifiiPR
circumstance. "If the nose Of
Cleopatra had been shorter" says
Pascal, boldly, 1.-The whole face Of
the earth would have been differ
emit" "a common soldier" says
Edmund Burke, "a child, q girl at
the door OF an inn, have changed
the face Of fortune, and almost Of
nature" a glass Of wine too much
IL said 20 have turned the course OF
French history. The son and heir
Of Louis Philippe always confined
himself TO q certain number OF
glasses, because he knew that be-
yond that number he was sure Ia get
drunk. On q certain morning he
forgot TO count the glasses, and
drank one more than usual. Enter
ing his carriage he stumbled; the
frightened horses ran away; the
young prince IeaPed out Of the car
rage, struck his head against the
pavement, and was killed. That
extra glass Of wine overthrow the
Orleans rule, cOnfiscated the prop
erty Of the family, and sent them
into exile.
10 Mary had lived n little longer,
or Elizabeth had died little sooner,
John Stuart Mill thinks, the Refor-
nation whuld have been crushed In
England. II Napoleon had been
we'll at the time Of the battle Of
Waterloo, the result might have
been different. His indisposition,
so some historians tell us, made il
impossible for him to sit In the
saddle without discomfort. Nay,
when Noah wss in the ark, would
not the most trifiing error In steer
ing have shipwrecked the whole
human race?
It Was q chapter OF accidents that
gave 10 Spain for many generations
the leadership in the New World
and the consequent wealth which |
made her 81 one period the most i'm
portant OF European nations.
Columbus, II will be remembered,
after applying In vain to q number
Of other courts, despatched his
brother BartOlOmmeO 60 ask aid |
from Henry the Seventh Of Eng
land. Now, it happened that Bar
toIOmmeo fell into the hands Of
pirates, and landed In England SO
destitute that he vas not presentable
at court. But by the time he had
earned q little money he was too
late: columbus had had his men,
orable Interview with Isabella OF
Spain. Even that interview was the
result Of accident. IL Juan Perez de
MaFcana, the queens confesser, had
not happened TO be passing by the
door Of the La RabIda monastery ai
the very moment when the weary
mariner was asking aims there, and
II the reverend gentleman had not
possessed the penetration to he
struck by the noble liDeaments Of
the ragged and dusty beggar,
Columbus might. never have been
presented 10 the queen. Therefore,
10 BsrtolOmmeo had reached London
In time, or II Columbus had been q
moment earlier or . moment later In
applying at the monastery door,
indeed, II Columbus, like many
other great men, hsd been Of Insig-
niheant face and stSture,-ths face
OF the New World might have been
entirely difFerent.-From on article
By William Shepard, In November
Lippincotf's