Powhatan Bouldin’s “Home Reminiscences” has a story which shows John
Randolph’s peculiar veneration for growing things. The incident is
related by a friend of Randolph’s nephew:
When I was a boy I visited at Roanoke. The house was completely
environed by trees and underwood, and seemed to be in a dense
virgin forest. Mr. Randolph would not permit even a switch to be
cut near the house.
Without being aware of this, one day I committed a serious
trespass. My friend Tudor and I were roving about, when I,
perceiving a straight young hickory about an inch thick,
felled it. Tudor said that his uncle would be very angry, so I
immediately went and informed him what I had ignorantly done,
and exprest my regret. Mr. Randolph took the stick and looked
pensively at it as if commiserating its fate. Then, gazing at
me, he said:
“I would not have done this for fifty Spanish-milled dollars!”
I had seventy-five cents and had entertained some idea of
offering it, but when I heard about the fifty dollars I was
afraid of insulting him by such meager compensation.
“Did you want this for a cane?” asked Mr. Randolph. “No, sir.”
“No, you are not old enough to need a cane. Did you want it
for any particular purpose?” “No, sir. I only saw that it was
a pretty stick and thought I’d cut it.” “We can be justified
in taking animal life to furnish food or to remove a hurtful
object. We can not be justified in taking even vegetable life
without some useful object in view. Now, God Almighty planted
this thing, and you have killed it without any adequate object.
It would have grown into a large nut-tree and furnished food for
many squirrels. I hope and believe you will never do so again.”
“Never, sir, never!” I cried.
He put the stick into a corner, and I escaped to Tudor. It was
some time before I could cut a switch or fishing-rod without
feeling I was doing some sort of violence to the vegetable
kingdom.
(1821)
=Life versus Business=--See RELIGION VERSUS BUSINESS.