THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 
Or 
I 
“To heaven, sir.” : 
“Flas he cheated any there?” 
“He has cheated one, I believe.” 
“Was he prosecuted ?” 
“He was not,” said Pat, “but he missed that because the 
man he cheated searched the whole kingdom of heaven and 
couldn’t find a lawyer.” 
The president then called on Mr. Cloke for something, so 
he gave in his usual happy style a recitation on Books, the first 
verse only I have time to give you. 
Books are a blessed dower, when they enshrine 
Thoughts, words and feelings of immortal men, 
Gushes of glory from a fount divine, 
Flashes of freedom from the chainless pen, 
Mirrors of mental light, condensed and strong, 
Pure treasures of philosophy and song ; 
Records of truth which all should understand, 
Voices of wisdom heard in every land : 
I have a passion for each page of power, 
And love to try its spell at midnight’s quiet hour. 
(Soto voiee ; And afterwards, during business hours, sell the books. ) 
The president next called on Captain Hardy for a sea 
story, and he related the anecdote of The Sailor’s Answer to 
Rufus Choate, the celebrated American lawyer, who in an im- 
portant assault and battery case at sea, had Dick Barton, chief 
mate of the ship “ Challenge,’ on the witness stand. Said 
Choate to him, “ Now tell me in what latitude and longitude 
you crossed the equator.” “I shan’t,’ said Barton. “ Ah, 
you refuse, do your’ “Yes, can’t.” “Indeed, and you are 
chief mate of a clipper ship and unable to answer so simple a 
question?” “ Why, I thought that every fool of a lawyer knew 
that there ain’t no latitude at the equator.” 
The president next called on Adam Brown, Esq., the hon- 
orary president of our Astronomical Society, for something to 
entertain us, when he rose, in all the dignitv of his 6 ft. 2 in., 
built in proportion, and his fine manly voice gave utterance to 
the following question, “ Who are the great?” and then an- 
swered it in these words, one verse only I have time to give you. 
