The Attache; Or, Sam Slick In England(Fiscle Part-3) - Thomas Chandler Haliburton (reading well txt) 📗

All Creation,  Ain't It,

Minister?"

 

There Was No Response To All This Bombast. It Was Evident

He Had Not Been Heard; And Turning To Mr. Hopewell,  I

Observed His Eyes Were Fixed Intently On The Distance,

And His Mind Pre-Occupied By Painful Reflexions,  For

Tears Were Coursing After Each Other Down His Furrowed

But Placid Cheek.

 

"Squire," Said Mr. Slick To Me,  "This Won't Do. We Must

Not Allow Him To Dwell Too Long On The Thoughts Of Leaving

Home,  Or He'll Droop Like Any Thing,  And P'raps,  Hang

His Head And Fade Right Away. He Is Aged And Feeble,

And Every Thing Depends On Keeping Up His Spirits. An

Old Plant Must Be Shaded,  Well Watered,  And Tended,  Or

You Can't Transplant It No How,  You Can Fix It,  That's

A Fact. He Won't Give Ear To Me Now,  For He Knows I Can't

Talk Serious,  If I Was To Try; But He Will Listen To

_You_. Try To Cheer Him Up,  And I Will Go Down Below And

Give You A Chance."

 

As Soon As I Addressed Him,  He Started And Said,  "Oh! Is

It You,  Squire? Come And Sit Down By Me,  My Friend. I

Can Talk To _You_,  And I Assure You I Take Great Pleasure

In Doing So I Cannot Always Talk To Sam: He Is Excited

Now; He Is Anticipating Great Pleasure From His Visit To

England,  And Is Quite Boisterous In The Exuberance Of

Volume 1 Chapter 4 (Home And The Sea) Pg 24

His Spirits. I Own I Am Depressed At Times; It Is Natural

I Should Be,  But I Shall Endeavour Not To Be The Cause

Of Sadness In Others. I Not Only Like Cheerfulness Myself,

But I Like To Promote It; It Is A Sign Of An Innocent

Mind,  And A Heart In Peace With God And In Charity With

Man. All Nature Is Cheerful,  Its Voice Is Harmonious,

And Its Countenance Smiling; The Very Garb In Which It

Is Clothed Is Gay; Why Then Should Man Be An Exception

To Every Thing Around Him? Sour Sectarians,  Who Address

Our Fears,  Rather Than Our Affections,  May Say What They

Please,  Sir,  But Mirth Is Not Inconsistent With Religion,

But Rather An Evidence That Our Religion Is Right. If I

Appear Dull,  Therefore,  Do Not Suppose It Is Because I

Think It Necessary To Be So,  But Because Certain Reflections

Are Natural To Me As A Clergyman,  As A Man Far Advanced

In Years,  And As A Pilgrim Who Leaves His Home At A Period

Of Life,  When The Probabilities Are,  He May Not Be Spared

To Revisit It.

 

"I Am Like Yourself,  A Colonist By Birth. At The Revolution

I Took No Part In The Struggle; My Profession And My

Habits Both Exempted Me. Whether The Separation Was

Justifiable Or Not,  Either On Civil Or Religious Principles,

It Is Not Now Necessary To Discuss. It Took Place,  However,

And The Colonies Became A Nation,  And After Due

Consideration,  I Concluded To Dwell Among Mine Own People.

There I Have Continued,  With The Exception Of One Or Two

Short Journeys For The Benefit Of My Health,  To The

Present Period. Parting With Those Whom I Have Known So

Long And Loved So Well,  Is Doubtless A Trial To One Whose

Heart Is Still Warm,  While His Nerves Are Weak,  And Whose

Affections Are Greater Than His Firmness. But I Weary

You With This Egotism?"

 

"Not At All," I Replied,  "I Am Both Instructed And

Delighted By Your Conversation. Pray Proceed,  Sir."

 

"Well It Is Kind,  Very Kind Of You," Said He,  "To Say

So. I Will Explain These Sensations To You,  And Then

Endeavour Never To Allude To Them Again. America Is My

Birth-Place And My Home. Home Has Two Significations,  A

Restricted One And An Enlarged One; In Its Restricted

Sense,  It Is The Place Of Our Abode,  It Includes Our

Social Circle,  Our Parents,  Children,  And Friends,  And

Contains The Living And The Dead; The Past And The Present

Generations Of Our Race. By A Very Natural Process,  The

Scene Of Our Affections Soon Becomes Identified With

Them,  And A Portion Of Our Regard Is Transferred From

Animate To Inanimate Objects. The Streams On Which We

Sported,  The Mountains On Which We Clambered,  The Fields

In Which We Wandered,  The School Where We Were Instructed,

The Church Where We Worshipped,  The Very Bell Whose

Pensive Melancholy Music Recalled Our Wandering Steps In

Youth,  Awaken In After-Years Many A Tender Thought,  Many

Volume 1 Chapter 4 (Home And The Sea) Pg 25

A Pleasing Recollection,  And Appeal To The Heart With

The Force And Eloquence Of Love. The Country Again Contains

All These Things,  The Sphere Is Widened,  New Objects Are

Included,  And This Extension Of The Circle Is Love Of

Country. It Is Thus That The Nation Is Said In An Enlarged

Sense,  To Be Our Home Also.

 

"This Love Of Country Is Both Natural And Laudable: So

Natural,  That To Exclude A Man From His Country,  Is The

Greatest Punishment That Country Can Inflict Upon Him;

And So Laudable,  That When It Becomes A Principle Of

Action,  It Forms The Hero And The Patriot. How Impressive,

How Beautiful,  How Dignified Was The Answer Of The

Shunamite Woman To Elisha,  Who In His Gratitude To Her

For Her Hospitality And Kindness,  Made Her A Tender Of

His Interest At Court. 'Wouldst Thou,' Said He,  'Be Spoken

For To The King,  Or To The Captain Of The Host?'--What

An Offer Was That,  To Gratify Her Ambition Or Flatter

Her Pride!--'I Dwell,' Said She,  'Among Mine Own People.'

What A Characteristic Answer! All History Furnishes No

Parallel To It.

 

"I Too Dwell 'Among My Own People:' My Affections Are

There,  And There Also Is The Sphere Of My Duties; And If

I Am Depressed By The Thoughts Of Parting From 'My People,'

I Will Do You The Justice To Believe,  That You Would

Rather Bear With Its Effects,  Than Witness The Absence

Of Such Natural Affection.

 

"But This Is Not The Sole Cause: Independently Of Some

Afflictions Of A Clerical Nature In My Late Parish,  To

Which It Is Not Necessary To Allude,  The Contemplation

Of This Vast And Fathomless Ocean,  Both From Its Novelty

And Its Grandeur,  Overwhelms Me. At Home I Am Fond Of

Tracing The Creator In His Works. From The Erratic Comet

In The Firmament,  To The Flower That Blossoms In The

Field; In All Animate,  And Inanimate Matter; In All That

Is Animal,  Vegetable Or Mineral,  I See His Infinite

Wisdom,  Almighty Power,  And Everlasting Glory.

 

"But That Home Is Inland; I Have Not Beheld The Sea Now

For Many Years. I Never Saw It Without Emotion; I Now

View It With Awe. What An Emblem Of Eternity!--Its Dominion

Is Alone Reserved To Him,  Who Made It. Changing Yet

Changeless--Ever Varying,  Yet Always The Same. How Weak

And Powerless Is Man! How Short His Span Of Life,  When

He Is Viewed In Connexion With The Sea! He Has Left No

Trace Upon It--It Will Not Receive The Impress Of His

Hands; It Obeys No Laws,  But Those Imposed Upon It By

Him,  Who Called It Into Existence; Generation After

Generation Has Looked Upon It As We Now Do--And Where

Are They? Like Yonder Waves That Press Upon Each Other

In Regular Succession,  They Have Passed Away For Ever;

And Their Nation,  Their Language,  Their Temples And Their

Volume 1 Chapter 4 (Home And The Sea) Pg 26

Tombs Have Perished With Them. But There Is The Undying

One. When Man Was Formed,  The Voice Of The Ocean Was

Heard,  As It Now Is,  Speaking Of Its Mysteries,  And

Proclaiming His Glory,  Who Alone Lifteth Its Waves Or

Stilleth The Rage Thereof.

 

"And Yet,  My Dear Friend,  For So You Must Allow Me To

Call You,  Awful As These Considerations Are,  Which It

Suggests,  Who Are They That Go Down To The Sea In Ships

And Occupy Their Business In Great Waters? The Sordid

Trader,  And The Armed And Mercenary Sailor: Gold Or Blood

Is Their Object,  And The Fear Of God Is Not Always In

Them. Yet The Sea Shall Give Up Its Dead,  As Well As The

Grave; And All Shall--

 

"But It Is Not My Intention To Preach To You. To Intrude

Serious Topics Upon Our Friends At All Times,  Has A

Tendency To Make Both Ourselves And Our Topics Distasteful.

I Mention These Things To You,  Not That They Are Not

Obvious To You And Every Other Right-Minded Man,  Or That

I Think I Can Clothe Them In More Attractive Language,

Or Utter Them With More Effect Than Others; But Merely

To Account For My Absence Of Mind And Evident Air Of

Abstraction. I Know My Days Are Numbered,  And In The

Nature Of Things,  That Those That Are Left,  Cannot Be

Many.

 

"Pardon Me,  Therefore,  I Pray You,  My Friend; Make

Allowances For An Old Man,  Unaccustomed To Leave Home,

And Uncertain Whether He Shall Ever Be Permitted To Return

To It. I Feel Deeply And Sensibly Your Kindness In

Soliciting My Company On This Tour,  And Will Endeavour

So To Regulate My Feelings As Not To Make You Regret Your

Invitation. I Shall Not Again Recur To These Topics,  Or

Trouble You With Any Further Reflections 'On Home And

The Sea.'"

 

 

 

 

 

 

Volume 1 Chapter 5 (T'other Eend Of The Gun) Pg 27

"Squire," Said Mr. Hopewell,  One Morning When We Were

Alone On The Quarter-Deck,  "Sit Down By Me,  If You Please.

I Wish To Have A Little Private Conversation With You.

I Am A Good Deal Concerned About Sam. I Never Liked This

Appointment He Has Received: Neither His Education,  His

Habits,  Nor His Manners Have Qualified Him For It. He Is

Fitted For A Trader And For Nothing Else. He Looks Upon

Politics As He Does Upon His Traffic In Clocks,  Rather

As Profitable To Himself Than Beneficial To Others. Self

Is Predominant With Him. He Overrates The Importance Of

His Office,