hundred ninety and eight years, and nourished him, and clothed him, notwithstanding his rebellion against me; and couldst not thou, that art thyself a sinner, bear with him one night?" 12. And Abraham said, "Let not the anger of the Lord wax1 hot against his servant; lo, I have sinned; lo, I have sinned; forgive me, I pray thee." 13. And Abraham arose, and went forth into the wilderness, and sought diligently for the man, and found him, and returned with him to the tent; and when he had entreated him kindly he sent him away on the morrow with gifts. 3.- AN AMUSING BURLESQUE. [The following clever jeu d'esprit is from a communication by Franklin to a London newspaper in 1765. It was designed to cast ridicule on the absurd stories, then current in the British press, as to the danger to English industry arising from the feeble attempts at manufacturing then made by the American colonists. No one knew better than Franklin how to handle the powerful weapon of irony.] SIR, I beg leave to say that all the articles of news that seem improbable are not mere inventions. Some of them, I can assure you on the faith of a traveler, are serious truths. Give me leave to instance the various accounts the news-writers have given us, with so much honest zeal for the welfare of Poor Old England, 1 wax, grow. 3 inventions, fabrications; false 2 entreated, treated, dealt with. | things invented. 2. And behold, a man, bowed with age, came from the way of the wilderness, leaning on a staff. 3. And Abraham arose and met him, and said unto him, "Turn in, I pray thee, and wash thy feet, and tarry all night, and thou shalt arise early on the morrow, and go on thy way." 4. But the man said, "Nay, for I will abide under this tree." 5. And Abraham pressed him greatly; so he turned, and they went into the tent, and Abraham baked unleavened 1 bread, and they did eat. 6. And when Abraham saw that the man blessed not God, he said unto him, "Wherefore dost thou not worship the most high God, Creator of heaven and earth?” 7. And the man answered and said, "I do not worship the God thou speakest of, neither do I call upon his name; for I have made to myself a god, which abideth alway 2 in mine house, and provideth me with all things." 8. And Abraham's zeal was kindled against the man, and he arose and fell upon him, and drove him forth with blows into the wilderness. 9. And at midnight God called unto Abraham, saying, "Abraham, where is the stranger?" 10. And Abraham answered and said, "Lord, he would not worship thee, neither would he call upon thy name; therefore have I driven him out from before my face, into the wilderness." 11. And God said, "Have I borne with him these 1 unleavened, made without yeast. not fermented, 2 alway, old form of always. hundred ninety and eight years, and nourished him, and clothed him, notwithstanding his rebellion against me; and couldst not thou, that art thyself a sinner, bear with him one night?" 12. And Abraham said, "Let not the anger of the Lord wax1 hot against his servant; lo, I have sinned; lo, I have sinned; forgive me, I pray thee." 13. And Abraham arose, and went forth into the wilderness, and sought diligently for the man, and found him, and returned with him to the tent; and when he had entreated 2 him kindly he sent him away on the morrow with gifts. 3. AN AMUSING BURLESQUE. [The following clever jeu d'esprit is from a communication by Franklin to a London newspaper in 1765. It was designed to cast ridicule on the absurd stories, then current in the British press, as to the danger to English industry arising from the feeble attempts at manufacturing then made by the American colonists. No one knew better than Franklin how to handle the powerful weapon of irony.] SIR, I beg leave to say that all the articles of news that seem improbable are not mere inventions.3 Some of them, I can assure you on the faith of a traveler, are serious truths. Give me leave to instance the various accounts the news-writers have given us, with so much honest zeal for the welfare of Poor Old England, 1 wax, grow. 3 inventions, fabrications; false 2 entreated, treated, dealt with. things invented. of the establishing1 manufactures in the colonies to the prejudice of those of the kingdom. It is objected by superficial readers, who yet pretend to some knowledge of those countries, that such establishments are not only improbable, but impossible, for that their sheep have but little wool, not in the whole sufficient for a pair of stockings a year to each inhabitant; that, from the universal dearness of labor among them, the working of iron and other materials, except in a few coarse instances, is impracticable to any advantage. Dear sir, do not let us suffer ourselves to be amused with such groundless objections. The very tails of the American sheep are so laden with wool, that each has a little car or wagon on four little wheels, to support and keep it from trailing on the ground. Would they calk 5 their ships, would they even litter their horses, with wool, if it were not both plenty and cheap? And what signifies the dearness of labor, when an English shilling passes for five and twenty? Their engaging three hundred silk throwsters here in one week for New York was treated as a fable, because, forsooth, they have "no silk to throw." 1 establishing, etc.: an example | shows the word to be derived from of the infinitive in -ing governing Latin calcare, to tread, to press close. a noun in the objective case. 2 prejudice, damage. 8 those countries: that is, the colonies. 4 suffer, permit. 5 calk, to stop up the seams of a ship. The etymology of this word in Webster is erroneous; as Skeat (Etymological Dictionary) The primary notion in "calk" is that of forcing in by great pressure. 6 litter (connected with French lit, Latin lectus, a bed), to bed; to furnish with a coarse bed of straw, etc. 7 throwster (throw +ster, one who), one who throws, twists, or winds silk. Those who make this objection perhaps do not know that at the same time the agents1 from the King of Spain were at Quebec to contract 2 for one thousand pieces of cannon 3 to be made there for the fortification of Mexico, and at New York engaging the usual supply of woolen floor-carpets for their West-India houses; other agents from the Emperor of China were at Boston treating about an exchange of raw silk for wool, to be carried in Chinese junks through the Straits of Magellan. And yet all this is as certainly true, as the account said to be from Quebec, in all the papers of last week, that the inhabitants of Canada are making preparations for a cod and whale fishery this "summer in the upper lakes." Ignorant people may object, that the upper lakes are fresh, and that cod and whales are saltwater fish; but let them know, sir, that cod, like other fish when attacked by their enemies, fly into any water where they can be safest; that whales, when they have a mind to eat cod, pursue them wherever they fly; and that the grand leap of the whale in the chase up the Falls of Niagara is esteemed, by all who have seen it, as one of the finest spectacles in nature. Really, sir, the world is grown too incredulous.9 It 1 agent. See Glossary. 2 contract: from con and trahere, to draw together, as a writing. 8 pieces of cannon-cannon. The idiom is French. 4 usual. Notice the irony in the use of this word. 5 junk, a Chinese vessel. 6 ignorant. Show the appositeness of the word as here used. 7 the grand leap, etc. The delicious absurdity of this passage will be taken in by every pupil. 8 spectacles: from specere, to see; hence, literally, sights. 9 incredulous. See Glossary. |