The Express.
London, England, 1868-09-18 00:00:00

ante erproo.

Tom Evirwo, A CLEArIENG PALE.--11PTRE DARE: A
TALE or LONDON LIPS. Mr. Vining, Kamm Walter Lacy,
Domani& Murray, Montagu'. Shore, Kho* W
hat
Lealerri.—And MASTER JONES'S BIRTHDAY.

QUEEN'S THEATRE, LONG-ACM
Manages., Mx. W. H. listen.
Tsui EIMMIG, at 7. TOMILDIE TROUBLES. Mr. L.
Emmet; Mies Montague —And THE LANCASHIRE LABS.
Memos Irving. L. Droves. liesplases. Wyedbana CMyten, sad
iMmesT: Mesdames Rodeos, Mosissma sad Nally Moans.

MANE.
Ten Trnmra, SISTERLY SERVICL—TER FIELD OF TKO
CLOTH OF GOLD.—And MARRIAGE AT ANT PRIM

BRTTANNIA.
Two Immo, WEDDED AND LOST; OR, THE PERILS
OF A BRIDE. Yemen. Roysokle, amnia, Pitt. to. ; Mee-
Amos Heedincm, reveller, Booth. to.—Mr. H. Rickard. ; Yr.
C. Woodskaa.—Aad THE. CORSICAN BROTHERS.

WOK WATER AT LONDON BRIDGE
To-Dar —Naming. Va. 5I Afteesoce. A. Nes.
To-N.aaow —Moraine, as. Ctrs Attessoot.

Karim of Brarre. Ma 1111•0211, and DaAnne, are warred
rata U o'clock for inoatioa Imo everrirkg. Rico Is.

A SECOND EDITION of dm EXPRESS,

CONTAINING
The Latest Foreign Telegrams ; the Latest City ;
Railway, Mining, and other Shares; Sporting,
and General Intelligence,

EVERY EVENING.

LO.YDON, FRIDAY, SEPT. 18.

POLITIC'S AN!) MINSTRELSY.

Rive 'mynas abound in America, and every great
political change sets them scribbling. A New
York contemporary devotee a large portion of its
space to a collection of rhymes on the coming
Presidential election. They are taken in equal
parts from the Democratic and the Republican
Muses—the former having the place of honour.
Then- is a tiresome sameness about them. The
author of - The Biglow Papers" has said that
prosaic as American life seems in many of its
aspects, bleak and bare as it is on
the side of tradition and utterly orphaned of
the solemn inspiration of antiquity, the ordinary
talk of unlettered men in the States is, noverthe-
loss full of metaphor, and of phrases that suggest
more lively images than that of any other people.
•• Vulgarisms are often only poetry in the egg."
This is not trus of these lyrics, which are flattened
,lown as by a mangle, the only exceptions being
some atrocious personalities, which " poison in
• jest...

At first sight it would seem difficult to teach
r•pudiution in the form of poetry. The spirit
and the letter forbitl. But the Deiuocratic poet.+
turn to it T.( pi•ate.lly. One of them puts it
iu hi. burrowing picture of the state of the

t.,itintry :
WI.Ce the star-spangled banner in mockery waves
over borodholdol t)rant, and tax-ridden slave,.

Anothcr says

No taxes the bonciliobleg• 145.
But the truth ,00n to them must be told;
In a few mouths will roll round the day
They'll get greenbacks instead of the *ld.
The title of a third song i. " Pay 'cut in Grren-
-1,4(1, :"

It will be done—now you may bet
The barbital on your coats,
That we will pay the nation's debt
With "legal tender notes."
—Theu our tazee—
Will be so very light:
We'll always have the cash on band
To pay them off at sight.
This appears a popular ditty. The writer of it
it, evidently a favourite. " He's a whole team
and the dog under the waggon." Another bursts
nut:

Down with abolition, bonds, Butler and his pack ;
Up with the constitution ; give us the Union back ;
Down with five-twenty bonds, lot Grant and Beecher
slide ;
Up with the democratie chief, Seymour, our pride.
Oasis's is treated rather tenderly, but the wrath
which is spared him is added to that which would
seem to be the natural due of others.
The Pro-Slavery feeling is active enough. We
give an abominable specimen :
Here's to the man
That pulled the trigger
That killed the old cuss
That freed the nigger.
Mrs. W. J. Pianos, of Virginia," puts into
song an affecting soliloquy supposed to be uttered
by a negro who longs to return to slavery. The
thought of the various blessings he enjoyed har-
rows his soul :

Then all the cost and all the care
We left within our master's hand,
Without a wish to understand—
Believing the division fair—
Th' exemption ours, and his—the care.
The Republican songs are not nearly so coarse
hut they want the " bird-nob" of the true ballad.
By far the best is by Wurrrurat, the opening Term
being as follows :
Great Heaven ! Is this our mission !' End in this the
prayers and team,
The toils, the wars, the watchinge, of our younger, better
years
Still as the Old World rolls in light, shall ours in shadow
turn

A heansleas chaos, curd of God, through outer clockwise
borne ?
Where the far nations Looked for night, a blackness in the
air!

Where for words of hope they listened, the long wail of
deapair!

The "Third of November, '68," is held out as
Ihe day on which the liberties of the nation will
lm 4ecered or destroyed :
That day will the }wets of the traitor assemble,
'That day will the pillars of liberty tremble ;
arm for the conflict and look to the Lord,
And charge on the traitors and scatter the horde.
We cannot say what aid thtse rhymes will give
to the respective candidates for the Presidency,
but they certainly will not sparkle on the poetic
chaplet of the States.

-• NO-

THE EXPRESS, FIiTDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 18, 1868.