Piney Woods planter. (Liberty, Mi. [i.e. Miss.]) 1838-1840, 1839-09-07

THE DEMOCRACY OF NUMBERS.


THE DEMOCRACY OF NUMBERS.
A uThird of Julvn Sketch--writsen for
nm Exercise in the Mississippi Lyceum,
by G. v. H. FoRBEs, Esq.
Mn. PREsTDEST AND
GESrLEMEr or THE LycEuM
Instead Of there being scarcity Of sub
jects for Lyceum Essay as many sup
S,ose or as it might be thought from the
extreme difficulty Of calling out such ex-
.crcises, there Is great abundance Of top
ics--in the midst Of hich one might be
bewidered and fndit difficult to choose.
A Idly Of Boston, (quitc young by the
way.) hid an Unsuitable desire TO distln-
guish herself by authorship. and applied
10 ono ofthose literary hacks, called edi-
tors for instruction in the mysterious pro
cess Of authorship. With bluniness Of
manner peculiar 10 the tribe, he told her
to take any subject she choose, and put
down on paper Just tohat she thought dtoiz
it. This was TO her an astonishing dis
coverv--pnly 10 think that hersfhoughts
were the fiainents with which an author
might weave the web of Immortality
That lady is now one of-thc most gifted
writer's among the Athenians Of the Pll-
grim City.
One who can think upon subject can
write upon II ;and one who can think upon
MI subjects can write upon all.
AS vet | have not found q subject for
this essay. Still 10 any one who has .
paper 81 read ia tho English language, i
might be matter of congratulation that
his task were 10 be performed the day BE-
fore the Fopsth Of July--a day IN which
sad havoc is made Of that language--ip
which in fact il is literally used Up BY ~
least eight thousand American orators
Only to reflect upon the drafts that vii
come to maturity On the language 2
Shakespeare and Bacon and Milton fo-mor
yops not one of which drafts will be pro
tcased! Eight thousand ordtions, each ian
hour by Shrewsb Try clock" beginning a.
at the story Of the revolution, and run
ming down by The capes from Lexington
to New Orleans andth Eighth Of Janua
~, and each one winding Up with 2 pow
eriul appeal to arms--to protecs the iall
10 guard from foe and foil the household
uods--and to preserve inyiolatc theiega
uy of the immortal fathers.
Some witty writer has drawn UP
standing form for the composition Of thu
Fourth of July orations, very sonorous ant
magniloquent. commencing somewna
thus: ssFELLow CITIZENS Sixty-thret
years have rolled away since our lmmor
cal fathers, the patriots and sages Of ~
affixed their unfading signatures to ;
scroll, which was the handwriting on TN
wall 10 despot kings, sending the pal
horseH of dismay over the afirighted prizes
ridden earth, causing d large emission I.
heprsciated Continental paper money, On
she adoption If Yankee Doodle AZ 2 NH
kiondl dirD'
Now this is all true, and need not b
laughed al. Our fathers, the brave, th'
good, the plain, the straightforward o''
men Of the revolution, we're the finest 2
fellows They did their duty, and shoul'
not have moaatGins upon mountains 9
words thrown upon their bosonas, as they
Law in their graves, face upward, looking
for the resurrection Of the Just! Had they
known what torrents Of adulutIon would
hava hsen rolled over their memorie,
ionc after they we're dead--what PERU
med breezes IF sentimentality woult
hava besn wafted from the odorous lock-
ofanbrosiaI and curled ctieminates, the,
would have, from the heart, adopted th'
,oious response Of the liturgy --" From
rn such Affections, good Lard delire,
,sf, n
How sentimental an exquisite was Gen
Putnam, when riding down the cliff q