laNORANCE OF HOLY WRIT. 257 



course a wonder of learning and profundity. Being 

 desirous of a conversation with her, (the more so, 

 because, apart from her impUed erudition, she was 

 a pleasant-looking and blooming damsel,) an officer 

 of one of the ships scraped an acquaintance with her. 

 She was in nowise loath to enter into conversation, 

 and in a few minutes both were deep in argument. 

 During the colloquy, the mate had occasion to men- 

 tion Samson's feat of destroying the harvest of the 

 Philistines by attaching firebrands to the tails of 

 foxes. This, to his surprise, was received as some- 

 thing novel ; and the fair questioner expressed a de- 

 sire to know who Samson was : wishing to be informed 

 whether the scene of his exploits was the United 

 States, and whether he was a native of our country. 



I need not say that D was taken all aback. At 



first he thought that the lady was making game of 

 him ; but the look of childish wonder and simplicity 

 that she wore on her countenance forbade such a 

 conclusion. He was so surprised at her ignorance 

 of Holy Writ, that he did not endeavor to enlighten 

 her, but allowed her fancy to roam free over the 

 subject, and, as soon as he could with credit, took 

 his departure : fully convinced that, whatever were 

 the acquirements of the preceptors of youth, who 

 teach the young idea how to shoot, and wield the 

 scholastic birch in New Holland, they at least had 

 not advanced so far as to make the Bible one of their 

 school-books. 



I noticed this strange unacquaintance with Holy 

 "Writ in more than one individual in the colony. I 

 have no doubt they can manage to live without it — 

 22* R 



