Village Sketches, Or, Tales of Somerville (Paperback)

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SKETCH, 5. Before you can be completely armed with arguments and reasons, you will be assailed by numbers whose prepo- sessions and prejudices far more than their arguments and reasons attach them to the other side." Moobe. Among the many prejudices which prevail with one denomination or sect of people against another, that against the society called Friends is perhaps the most general and least reasonable -- Their extreme simplicity and disregard of all kind of outward fashion, have it is true, made them somewhat singular from the rest of mankind; and the very fact of their not conforming to every capricious change of fashion, has often made them objects of ridicule or childish prejudice, with those who think dress and outward show the best recommendations of inward character. But if every sect of Christians possessed as many estimable virtues as the Quakers, (so called) society would have little need of criminal laws. From their habitual silence, many have pronounced them a cold and reserved people?but this is not the case. It might often appear so at first, but on acquaintance, no persons will be found more kind?more benevolent, and more intelligent, than the people call ed Friends. The following sketch may give an imperfect view of this prejudice, as it often exhibits itself in the world. One clear spring morning a horse and gig containing Charles Sanford and Henry Wilmuth, two young intimate friends, was passing rapidly on the road to Somerville. The sun had just risen, and his early beams as they crossed obliquely over the green fields, threw a lively lustre on the transparent dew drops which glittered upon every leaf and spray. The air was fresh and fragrant, and the little birds were warbling their luatin songs with the sweetest melody. Charles Sanfo...