Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1835-08-21

that deep and chastcncd love of literature which is
the brightest spot in the solitude of the Virginia charac
ter. Your readers Mr. Editor who fret away life i'm the
oustic, gaiety and cxcitemcns of town, spare
time enough TO read it, think it the best publication
oil The kind-but to NJ of the country it truly .Ees-
se"yer oil pleasure aud enjoy with its aid
cnn nan forget the gloom OF that dull monotony
which the .unco chie of Roanoke, safclstically yet
rustic.
! Oar literature must be protected by home demand
ere 1t can withstand the fierce hostility of Northern ica-
lousy, aud the s,lshncss of Northern criticism 1t has
been gra,uousiy assumed, that neither Novel Poem
IS Indigenous TO the South aud that Mason and Dxons
line equally distinctive of geography and literature
In the fair field OF federal eyislaon our orators and
politicians have the honors due TO cloouence and
wisdom, While the fragile plant Of literature graded
IN solitude, blushng in the rude gaze of the crowd
and impiorng help for its infancy and confidence for
n'efciess rival We surrender our to mr. Walsh,
and succumb TO the awful dica of word splitting and
grrund-grindng pedan lie stranglcs the infant Her
cules, even in its cradle, while his followers deuge US
with countless swarm of ephemcral insects in whose
pulling cry, we told TO forget the engaging pra,e of
our own giant offspring The South yields It's pure and
coudless sky TO the Bootian fog which waited from
the Northern press and marvcls not by what curious
process III compelled read and admire the torrent of
vaPil and mawkish novels imported from ENGLAND or
the eternal scries of Indians which in the shape of new
novels manufactured for the South, read in day
ana forgotten IN Tic next The founders of the Uni
vsrsy of Virginia, who dared to raise the dropping a
ct letters, were diculed and laughed scor for the
insocnce o the attemP and the columns of your paper
r; Editor VIII bear evidence to the whitening
and indignant feeling, with which Of the writer's of
'he va bache!or assisted you in repeing the
mer'ed insult VINO hears aught of those bright je wells
OF porsy which honor and decorate their birth place
gallant Petersburg The of newspaper is their
cradle and coffin; and though feel our taste caping
up TO their beauties, forced Join in the ind
terence, and ante in the silence which consgns them TO
oblivion Edge Hill was full of taste md bcautv and
displayed the rich conception of fine genius IL was
r attempt and though there ,nc errors i'm its
detail 1t benthcd the castened fancy and cultivated
mind OF ripencd scholar Unfortunately. il was a
Southern n'vel-thc fiat went lorth-and we pushed
from our libraries book whose vivid narrative and sp
rited drama has been supplantcd by motley group of
pfaness ronances stupid tales, and lying travels in the
o. States where bombast and nonsense have consumed
TO make us the simpeton as we'll as the dune The
So"hern Rer'ec which, if successful, would have esta
bished the taste of country aud redeemed ma from
pad books and still worse critics. lost its life The vain
struggle, serving only to lend transient of pbt 10
declare both our darkness and apathy Are we 10 sub
mt Are we TO suffer in silence the repetition of unrc
PEELED insult aud pay the stuff which daily pour
ed upon US as into reservoir of uncean thinps Must
we, year after year, read the foosl and licenous no.
vcls which are the refuse of the English public? And
must the low novelist of English navy-yards gather his
laures in the educated South? Let us arise from our
intellectual sloth, even strong after slumber
end the dsgraceul cords which have tiercd u. to the
EARTH and let US teach our Northern BRETHREN the
hrst lesson OF our defence will be respect ourselves
AN esteem for scholarsa sympathy with our poets
and patronage for Novelists
The Literary Messenger is exclusively Southern and
we candidy ask If the reputation which has air,
gained rs not conclusive proof Of lis inherent merritt
IL sustained by generous public, may not rcasona-
bly, hope, that will be awakening into ener
gy and action, that slunbcrng shirt of literature which
now wastes itself away in dreamy indolencc and NAV il
not open lateral path from the crowded highway of no
tcs for those who have not forudc endure The sacri-
ncvs OF party, or the bullets of disappointment.
AS depository of the communications to the Philo
sophie and Literary Society Of Virginia. the Messenger is
highly instructive and interesting The transactions of
that body exhibit much information on the history and
manners OF the State and with flowers the pa,h
OF boar antiquity They lead admire Virginia as
she was and IN the CLEAN Of her ancient gloTes we
catch light enough 10 shew the bright example which
patriotism urges us to initiate.
Most OF the articles in the last number original
ting
yet miss from It's columns the pure fertile pen
peIs are graced by The beauty and learning of his spccu
atlons, and though he labor rugged mine experience
teaches hun the character, and genius lends him the
power OF separating the various strata whose aspeItes
glow INTO beauty beneath the delicate touches of his
taste His selections are exquisite and judcious and
he occasionally flashes before the reader some lille gem
OF antique Poesyor some striking outline of the sweet
ness OF that hen Sydney sung nd Spcnser med
Ills notes are learned without pedantry and his crit
cisms are redolent of poet taste and beamng with
poets fire. We look for his dissection of the modern
poets with some imPaticnce-the moody Byron-the
thrilling Scott luxurious Mocre-ihe neodious
Hemans-tie nonsenslcal l.. f.. land the thousand
other rppcs that dport their gaudy spray on the sum
ner surface OF the Lake schoo-We dare say that he
will pronounce lhe little of Queen Anle's reign
the greatest OF them all D."
NagGtor is also SILENT yet hope that the polished
WIT, which could extract huniour from safe at Hoe
Cake Ridge may turn its laughing eye the monde
SCRIPT oddities which lounge on COURTYARD Glamour
Professor Beverly fuckers Vacdjcory address TO his
Law Glass; is the first article in the X No Chostey
and PersPcuously written, it inculcates the duties and
honour OF The proiesson and the of the gentle
man We cannot think with the Professor, :" that the
honour OF the Bench the brightest reward the pro-
fesson We should consider it poor ambition which
could be satisfied with the empty trappings of an office
crowded with smPletons-often by the ntrgues of
party and held by the uncertain of Legislative
caprice The Bar rs, and must in country from the
low salaries given to the Judiciary ever be the superior
10 be star OF magnitude in that dazzling galaxy and to
ne the learned and pid champion Of constitutional
freedom Is an honour but lily exchanged for the vulpur
~ OF The crmine, and the of the Bench We
do not understand the force Of our Authors sarc,st
alluslon to the " Old County Court Lawyers" That
wisdom making Court is the in the infancy and
the crutch in tho decline, of the profession and we
scarcely know any of It's lawyers who are not familiar
with the decisions and practice of the Superior Courts
Ihey have read Coke, and know the Year Books
gaining learning for use md nat display And VIC would
advise The members of the Professors Class not 20 at
tempt the experiment which he suggests TO conc-
ate the dragon before they try tread on his tail
The "Lcters oHho H. States byG young Scotchnan are
written with spirit and elegance, and boldly dashed
with original notions and delicate satire iIim then
faued GTdys0n Griffith, las neither grammar nor
'heads and points. The "Pist TO he Firgiuia Syyings
No ~ IS singuarly successful in gaining the aitrn-
Ton OF The reader while the tale which follows it, "Ny
First Night IN HGtch House." is Characterised by
much playful huinor and polished style
Ia this number the learned DiSscrfatiOn an the C60r
Geertsftc DBcrencs If Hs SeTes is concluded; vet VIC
miss from It's dusive details that Tacy gaanry which
dawned over ITS commencement. 1t is old and well
known household shrine which the chastc Addison
and The accomplished Gregory have offered the tribute
OF their taste and genius; and the deserves much
praise for the beautiful drapery which he has fung
around the fragments collected from the "dry bones
valley OF compilation Ills essay earnest conflict
between sermon and poem and we have often paused
anna ms musical periods, to quarrel with that odd fancy