Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 June 1880 — Nothing New. [ARTICLE]

Nothing New.

The editor has been shown a carious old volume which contains a passage showing that there is nothing Dew under the moon, in the way of the phonogrape, at least The title reads: “Tne Comics History of the Btstes and Empires of the Worlds of the Moon and the Hun. Writ ten in French hr Cyrano Bergerac. And newly Englished by A. Lovell, A- M m London: Printed for Heniy Rhodes, next door to Swan Tavern, near Bride Lane, in Feet Street, 1807.” This book gives an accout of tbe writer’s travels in the sun and moon. While jnofie of foe cities of the moon, he meets an inhabitant of the son, who had wandered to the moon, and they take a stroll through foe city, discoursing as they go, pleasantly concerning their new surrounding. The citizen of foe son is suddenly called away, and bebefore going gives his companion two books. The writer says; “No sooner was his back turned, but I tpU to consider attentively my hooks and foeir boxes, that’s

to say, theip poveps. • • * As I opened the box, J found within som«||foat of metal, almost like to our clocks, still of I know not what little springs and' imperceptible engines. It was a book, inbut a strange and wonderful book, that had neither lp§fM m letters. In fine, it was a book made wholly for tha ears aad not foe eyes. Bo that when anybody has a mind to read |in it, he wibds up (list machine, with a great many little •brings; foen he turns a hand to foe chapter which its desires to hear, and straight as from foe mouth at • mm or » musical instrument, proceed all foe distinct and different sounds, which foe Lunar Grandees make use of, for expressing their thoughts, Instead of language. When 1 since reflected on this miraculous invention, I no longer wondered that foe young men Of foot country |were more knowing at sixteen or eighteen yean old foen foe gray-beards of onr climate; for knowing how to read as soon as speak, they are never without lectures in their chambers, their walks, foe town or travel.

1 » * ,•> | SSSs^aTaSg compliments of the day. One elder told *• Pjjjjorooe day, “Let the Lord keep Es 3|B3§SI|S the notion Hurt the ministry should be kept on the apostolic plan of poverty and hdmilltT. Dr. mil told a story related to him by the late Richard Winter Hamilton, a prominent Oongngationalist in England. Mr. Hamilton, being called to DU a pulpit in a provincial town, wae waited on m the tmtiy just before the service by the pro. •enter of the meeting; the latter laid down a programme which provided for a very start prayer and a shorter sermon, bat several interminably long hymns. Said the presenter: “Oar people sre a peculiar people; we are very fond of music, and plenty of it, and We are net fond of long prayers or lone sermons; in asking yon to eat it short, afr, I wish to emphasise aa before that we are fond of music, because in heaven singing is the chief order of the day!” Mr. Hamilton answered, “It is a comfort, sir, to know that you will not be there to lead Ht” There sre funeral ministers, said Dr. Hall; gentlemen who carry around with them an air of professional solemnity; they cany it even in their hat-bands and pocket handkerchiefs, and look continually as if genteely laid out in their coffins. There was a minister or this sort called on to marry ayoung couple; he stretched out his hands, and unconsciously commenced the burial service. “Sir," spoke up the young man, “we came to be wedded, not buried r To which the gentlemau of the °loth responded, “It won’t be many yean before yon’ll wish you had been buried.’’ Ministers should be men lint, then minis tern —manliness and Godliness are twain qualifications. Then come your fluent ministers. Turn on the faucet and the stream flows. The less they have to say, the bigger the stream and the louder they shout Lyman Beecher, on returning home from church one Sabbath, said that he felt he had done very poorly. Baid one of his boys: “Why, father, I thought you were never in better trim; you just shouted it out to ’em.” “Aye, aye,” replied Mr. Beecher, “that’s It exactly: when I’m not prepared I always holler at the top of my voice.” The doctor told the story of a simple, God-fearing Irish pastor he used to know, in the old country. Each year, he used to go up to the General Assembly, for there every minister is ex-officio a delegate; whenever the time came for making the announcement of this annual vacation, the pastor would give out; “May it pl’ase the congregation nixt Lord day I’ll be vacant!” Leaving it for the wags to make the inquiry whether or no he were not vacant more than one Lord’s day in the year. Such as these are children of nature—simple, unconventional and often splendidly noble men. He well remembered one such, in Ireland—“and,” said Dr. Hall, “although many stories related in this way are not I strictly true, I assure you this one lam ' about to tell you, is.” He said that this simple, poorly paid, but honest and noble- i hearted pastor was riding along one day, and seeing a laborer at work in the fields, whose ragged shirt did not protect his back from the blistering rays of the sun, 1 jumped off his horse, strode over the fence, stripped off his own coat and shirt, and made the astonished laborer put ou the latter; the now shiftless preacher buttoned i his coat to his chin, and disappeared as he bad come, unconßclons that he was in the least transcending his line of exact duty. Dr. Hall said he liked these men; these unconsciously humorous souls, who ’ live nearer heaven than half the rest of mankind.— State Journal'» Report , Moditon, Witcontin. j