Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-17

How Deacon sopsr lnistook his frst
plate Of ice cream for ofdinarx pud'
ding, and took too large mouthful
III described in Elsie Yenner,' BY
Oliver Wendell Holmes.
This interesting American novel e
not an well known today 90 Il ahOuld
be. It was first publinhed In the AZ.
Iantic Monthly under the name Of
The Professors story" beginning u
the December number Of the year
"The real aim d the story" DR.,
Holmes declared, In his second pref.
ace, twas to test the doctrine Of
original sin, and human responsibility
for the disordered volitiOn coming
under that, technical denomination.
WAS Elsie Ven1er, poisoned BY the
venom OF 4 crUta1us trattlesnnkel be.
fore she Wiae horn. morally reApoflsi
BE FOR the svOiltionar aberratiOfs
which translated into actB -hecome
what il known a. sin, and Il may be-
what il punished as crime?
III, on presentation Of the evidence
she becomes ~ the verdict pf the
human conscience q proper object o.
divine pity. ana not Of Divine wrath
as q subject Of moral poisoning
WuGECl0 lto0 tHO nthUhSttslD goeHS~ 4
her position az the bar Of judgment
forfunatA victim who received q moral
poison from q remote ancestor before
he drew his first breath?
ne viii be seen that Oliver wendell
Holmes long antedated our sOcalle0
modern attitude IN regard 10 crime
and criminals. He was one OF our
flrst problem. or psychological nov
aeIfetS.
Az. the same time his irresistible
sense of lfufYior allowed him to see the
fun Of New England life a. he went
along iii l1is story. with the result that
chapter Z. THE Event OF the Season,
contains an account Of the first ice
cream party In the village.
It was. indeed. the grand blow
out. the big event. Mr.. and Mrs. Col.
SpfoWle had q daughter 70 marry
on, and agreed that the best way TO
achieve that result would be 70 give
party where the girl might be
seer 81 al the eligible young men.
The dinner went along IN fine
etyie. the tables fairly gr0Ai1ing with
the good things OF the earth. There
Waa even wine, and 90 much OF Y
that Deacon Soper forgot some Of
Al last. however, the desserts were
brought on. and In the course OF
time these. too, passed away. ~ all
tiines must. There were signs Of
mieration--a loosening Of people in
their places.
we viii now tell tho story in
Holmes words, and will omit quo
tation marks, In order 70 avoid
the nuisance Of marks within marks,
Stop said the Colonel. There's
something coming yet--ice cream.
The great folks saw that the play
was not over yet. and that IL was
only polite TO stay and see i out
The word 'Ice cream was no sooner
Whispered than IL passed from one "a
another all down the tables. The
effect was what might have been
anticipated. Many Of the guests had
never seen this celebrated product Of
human skill. and TO all the tw0-story
population of Hockiand II WAS the
last expression Of the art Of pleasing
and astonishing the human palate,
Its appearance had beefI deferred for
several reasons: First, because every
body would have attacked II IL II
had come In with the other luxuriAs:
secondly, because undue apprehen-
sion WAS entertained l0wine 70 want
OF experiencel Of IT, tendency to
deliquesce and resolve itself with
alarming rapidly into puddiee Of
creamy fluid, and, thirdly. because
the surprise would make q grand
climax to finish of the banquet.
There Is something % audaci01s In
the conception OF Ice cream CONTINUES
Holiness that &c il not strange that
q population undehaucfed by the lux
ury Of great cities locke upon it with