Morning herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1837-1840, 1837-11-10
The Undecided Question.

i
mind, and throbs in every heart. Every person OF
eruditon knows the dispute about the birthplace Of
Homer. A few years ago, "who lie the author Of
Wavery? employed tongues pens, and public critics,
and speakers without number. "Whether Pope was
poet?" was discussed in England, for full fifteen
years, ana every body knows that the Junius conro
yersy has filled the world with ingenious books, the
last and the best of which was published by dear
delicious friend, John A. Graham, l.. L. D., now
wearing out his green old age at Graham House, up
town.
In this country We have had anti-masonry-an
popery-ant- nunnery-al exciting and disturbing the
public mind In Boston, they have recently been agi
tated on the subject of Animal Magnetism, which has
also reached this latitude only to be knocked in the
head by greater and more profound subject Of CON-
mentary and analysis.
Now what is the great undecided question which
so agiiates the world? 1t is neither more nor less
than /" whether l. James Gordon Bennett, be man
Of talent or BOBBY ~" whether l am man OF mo-
raj character or a wretch 2" 1t will be observed that
this question is not whether have the most elegant
sqant-the most elegant foot-the most elegant
figure-,hc most elegant head Of any man in nine
Homeric townships These are mere physical sttri-
butes, and are not worth moments thought TO the
portan items in fair ladys opinion No, it is an IN
teectual and moral queston-not physlca-and we
should suppose its solution would add vastly TO the
grea, cause of moral science. No city appears TO be
more eager in the pursuit of this solution than Boston,
the literary emporium of the east The following
curors extracts are from two of public prints
JAMES GORDON ENTHUSIASTICALLY there many our
distant readers who have never had an opportunity TO note
the pecuiaes Of composition which have given to The man
,yIp. lpatl
and extent Bennett IS certainly sa' genrs and ne
Il moo % hal he e Of or in
any respect his mental conformation SUCH leads
t., full what the most of men think but fear to
express This Characteristic aided IN is effects by auan!
humpr or such obtains wide spread but very
peculiar description OF iame.-Boston Ga'ary
THr Nrw Yoss Hes.LoaA correspondent thinking to
for nothing frend-Bennet may thank you for thing
Write him and call him the Smelling OF New York twill
be equivalent 10 call him man. Bennett
can learn for we neye read ten copies, Of his paper MAJ
with hmao farther We hope the resemblance il any there
uie whose the highest bidders the most
n and unredeemng scoundre who controlled pres
personally Folks 20 ina, he writes his self compliments
~ communications hmse and several have charged US with
the authorship Of the late lively episie Of Adene 70 The News
in imitation Of him. wemita!s We like that wewere ne
and owes netting us but its
To exemply for entertaining ill opinion of
e
the veraciy of ner and therefore step into his Shoes
an article grossly , ea% Of himself purPGng TO De ~
Send twenty dollars and this shall be suppressed" Captain
Msrryatt treated the communication with the contempt de-
i've rounds Of the American English newspapers inmeal
70 1--WE e a a mo ad as no % and Tfpu h
scousdrey transaction but the very strong presumption
evidence II he be the guilty peron as il appears is
ought TO be crucied with his head downwards See" CORES
ponden how GU erred IL comparing Bennett 70 > smell
commonly known by their deedsauthors by their works
What has Bennett produced:
"who has read, in his lego nera,e PAGE,
single sentence 10 reform the ages"
Ishe English, Scotch Irish American! We hope not the
latter wha, country bushes for The .hoaor Of bis produs
money Hambin the Nursery man. IN satisfaction for
be person Would aSe w.sssd ou, IN uann heart
and the talented editor Of black New York newspaper
man degradation Dsoaored iaIen, should hated as well
used wsud be an NO cor
again this IL graded Bennett We ourelt his inferior
eis Our fs u virtues absuraes escsnces are ali our
God forgive you have almost made US abhor our
Bennett need the authority which
that il Is accurate and the of
editorial while we belong to y j shall never be aid
that the whole fraternity can be bought on or OF for twenty
dollars apiecs.-Boston Ne~s
These eloquent illusions will give readers SEINE
idea Of the excitement produced in Boston by this
moral controversy Animal Magnetism, abolition,
every other philosophical topic is abandoned in order
TO bring all their mind to bear the great Undecided
question Of the day" whether Bennett has any tai.
ont or any morals n One thinks he has no talent,
another that he has I" undenia Bile talent" Some ad-
init that he has "qyan hurnor," other that his mo-
rails are awful, horrible, attrocieus, terrible.
One Of the above writer's calls himself Smelling, a
man that we hardly remember to have heard of. On
inquiry, however, il seems this Smelling has been
in the penitentiary the house Of correction, but IT
does not seem that he has become penItent, yet
stands corrected His capacity, therefore, in Judging
of my morals seems very questionable Again-the
other writer thinks my mental conformation" con-
ssts merely ain uterng in full what the most Of men
mink, but fear to express" This is precisely the
characteristic Of Homer, Dante, Shakespeare, Goethe,
Scott and every original genius the world has gored
in. These great spirits wrote rs do-from the in
tensity and vvidness Of their own original thoughts,
and the sentiment of fear parayzed their "men
tai conformation Imitators, mediocre minds write
from fear-the fear Of ciiqae-the fear Of party.
write for the world-for gencratlon-for posterity.
Thus we go. The progress Of this curious conro-
vcrsy we shall watch with little interest for have
little time. In the course Of the last two years, l
have been accused Of all the crimes that are in the
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