Literary cadet, and Saturday evening bulletin. [volume] (Providence, R.I.) 1826-1827, 1826-11-18
PROVIDENCE.
REVIEW.

September, 1892. p. 10. Providence.
This is oge OF inventions, steamboats,, mer-
camille frauds, banking bubbles, Greek irisates,
balloons, canals turnpikes cotton speculaions rail
ways aud poetry. The Cardinal de Richeeu once
said, that an age of speculation never could be an
age Of poetry but had he lived till this period OF
the world, he would have all his opinions, oil
ttis sui est a, least samp petoly ialsihsd Atno pc
riod since the foundation of the world, has there
been such rage for mercantile speculation, as at
the present: nor has there been age, more
fruitful in poetry. The Lottery vcnder, who sells
cash prizes in the Grand Literature Lottery, thinks
It beneath him to tell the world that he has tickets
10 sell, IN plain prose; but mounting his Pegasus.
sings most suJliney and Justify, to the tune oil
{" Robin .ldQir,n or The w0od pteLer tapping the
holom beach tree" Watly CoclHey, who deals out
Muscovado, Bohea Tea, and India 7, int Cir, also
has his moments OF nspiratiop aud when he opens
fresh box of Hoqua souchong, he loudly pro-
claims to the world, i'll sonnet that he has just re-
ceved fresh supply OF the best OF tea, "imported
in the ship Superior, Captain Snow, from Canton,
| in The empire Of China" Now al tins is exceed
| ngly fine; it encourages poetic genius, and adds
much to the exalted standing Of American Litera-
| ture.
| Such is the rage fox poetic fame, that every dab
bier n words, who can make " ricket and cricket
jingle, sets himself up for poet; and hence, from
from the pulpit and the stage, we have original po.
e,ical productions many OF which, like the mimi
table Dich, after having been dsirred and very
modestly pulled by their authors, suffered to re-
| turn to the dismal wombs from whence they came,
unwcp:, uahonorcd and unsuns." Good poetr!
is as rare an article in the poetca market, fresh
| fish is in our fish markets and the one, like the
other, is not unfrequcnty looked upon with loath-
ings aud disgust, by those who fond OF the rare
and excellent.
| We have among us, several Societies for the pro-
motion of literary pursuits; and 1t is practice
with them, TO offer to the world, annually, poetl-
cal production, just 10y the way OF discovering TO
the natives, their and it is one OF these pre-
co,,s morccaus that M this moment, happens 20 be
placed upon our table. 1t is entitled " Ihe Popa-
| ious Dihage" written by the Rev. SAMUEL DEAN,
and read by him, with uaJOunGed applause Cat
| least so SAID JENNY LIsKUMFLEDLE, the con-
science and reputation keeper OF the iteratD be-
fore the Philcrmenian Society Of Brown University,
| september, 1926. But as we shall not waste much
time on this Poem, it will be best to proceed to the
making of some extracts from it, that the reader
may have some idea Of its merits, as it will be i'm
possible for us to copy the whole. Tie Poet COM
mences his exordium somewhat; abruptly, and we
confess that cuuHot, for the souls OF US, exactly
| understnGd it, or what he would DC at unless he
| meant TO write what he would call an exordium,
anl nothing else. As it is problem to us, we
shall submit it to our readers for solution:
"Ye who would smile at simple natures child
Whose world seems bounded 10y his forest wild;
| At The first white ship, with amazemcnt dumb,
Musng from whence the prodigy should come;
| Thrown up from Oceans yet uniathom'd store!
| Or dropp'd from hea, en- upon tn unwonted shore?
Smile too at deep philosophy, at pause
| Batled, and overtaskd to trace the cause,
Whence all these woAlrous changes had their
| birth,
| In ono short aara-onc small nook of earth
| Smile at state prophecy, whose broadest light
| Coull never pa a:nt a vision, hall go bright;
| And sn.ile at history, toiiing at her scroll,
| In vain, to note the changes as they roll
We do most sincerely protest against these lines,
and must sev, that to our comprehension, they
arc perfectly enginatIcal To be sure, the poet
has, by legcrdemain, got "wh'ie ship" (such
a ship as we never yet behed) into them besides
:. oceans un.athomcd store" which, lie says, drop
ped from heaven upon the unwonted shore j which
oceans unlathom u store dropped upon the earth
whilst history tOiltng a! her SeroN,' strove IN
cain, 10 note the changes az they roa." Now this is
all that we can make out oft, and this just moth
ing, save downright nonsense. The paragraph was
evidently written wholly for the sake OF the
jingle; and to our mind, contains two gross errors
of punctuation; namely, the notes of interro-
CATION al the words stores and Shore" at the
end of the fifth aud sixth lines. But as it is our OBJ
ect to get at the pith, the bone and marrow of the
poem, we hasten on our journey. After closing
the exordium, the poet proceeds TO charm the ears
and lull the senses ofhs readers ; and in doing So
thus break, forth in lofty strains:
"There was time, and that within the span
OF the brief memory OF short-hv'd man,
When, close confined along tn Atlantic seas,
The ti,nid settler heard the western breeze,
And shrunk, expcctant ofthe savage dart,
: Or whizzing arrow at his beating heart
: The western mountains stood in awful FORMS
Like clouds surchargd with tempest, fire and
| storms,
Whence the red bolt Of rapid death might fly,
And whirlwnds rend the ocean and the SKY
For there did lurk the white mans deadliest ioe,
| Coihprino 10 bIrst upon the wales below.