{"newspaper_name": "American watchman and Delaware advertiser.", "edition": "01", "page": "p1", "byline": ""}
Humorous Aaecdofe Of a celebrated French Preach


er IN Paris, a-Roun By the name of Little Fathe,


.4ndfew.


A quick presence of miud often rescues man
from any gross mistake into which he may have
unavoldably been plunged, as for instance


The little Doctor having 70 preach one day in the
Church OF his Convent in order that no time should
30 unoccuped during the prayers, previous TO the
sermon, he was playing game OF catds in his room,
with an inmate; but the bell ringing for him to
mount the pulpit, Just as they were in warm de.
bate about the hands they held, he said he could
not just then stay to decide the matter, therefore
tucked both up in the sleeve ol his gown for fair
discussion of the matter after sermon. The subject
of his discourse the general immortality of the
times; the too great indulgence OF dangerous pas
slons and particularly OF gaming, against which he
inyeighed with all the warmth and zeal he was mas.
ter of, and both which he could effect to an amazing
degree. But when carried away by the torrent of
his decsmation on finding the people very atten-
tive TO him. he raised up his hands to heaven to in.
tercede for them-down from his Sleeve that had
been somehow loosened by the vehemence of his
gesticulaons, fell the two hands of cards. which
incident made some people look with pious con-
cern.


The little doctor, while others burst into an i'm.
moderate fiji of laughter, stunned for moment at
SO unexpected disaster, in the midst Of sermon
that had gone eficaciously. bethought him on
a sudden stralagem. As he espied young
child not far from the pulpit he beckoned to it, say
ing, " come hher, my dear, gather up those cards
lying on the ground, and bring them to me-" which
The young child did. He then asked the name of
each card, which the young one actually told. He
next questioned il about the chalechism, Of which
the almost infant was entirely ignorant. Little An
drew dismissed the child, and looking around the
audience with an air of indignation (secretly tri
umphng in his heart at the same tme,) he cried
aloud, "wcked fathers and mothers, is not this
most scandalous and most nagrant proof of what