The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-03-29
From the Boston Transcript
ERRORS OF GREAT MEN.

''To err is human" The greatest of men have
their imperfectiOns Every has his weak point
Even Dr. Johnson, the great photographer, was be-
lever in witches and supernatural sights Lord Ba
con, it is well known, guilty OF taking brides.
But sometimes of superior talents, in their wri-
| tings, commit errors which would be at once appa-
rent to the most ordinary capacity, and yet they
not aware Of them. Newspaper editors, of course,
in the hurry of writing make thousands of mistakes,
which little reflection would make obvious to them.
This is to be expectation newspaper is not pro
duction to be sent forth to the world standard
literature classic work. 1t is moroly an epheme-
raj publication, which read and then passed
OF the " things that were" and is forgotten.
But it is often modification to an editor to find,
re-perusng his productions what Judy he has made
of himself in some hastily written paragraph and
then his contemporaries will snap it up and make fun
of it. But these things can't be helped There is
no time for revision correction. The paper must
be put to press, at certain time, and to press must
go with all its imperfections on its head
But it is different with literary works which
tended to be placed among the standard productions
of the age, and to be handed down to posterity
dels Of classical literature
In looking some old books recently, we found
some curious anomalies by the greatest writers. For
instance, in old edition of Johnsons Dictionary is
found the following laughable definition of word
viz
WISDOM S, knowledge and judgment, conducted by
aoisdon,, and discretion.
Goldsmith one OF the hest of English essay writer's
committed some curious plumbers IN a WORK ne pup
lshed in the year ITO entitled "A Survey of Expert
mental Philosophy, considered in its present state of
improvement" 1t is evident that he entirely out
of his element when he dabbled with chemistry cleo
tricty, &C. In this work he gives the following
count of electric spark elected by common appa.
ratus "An appearance is excited that epery lrdy
sembleS lightning the flash is sudden, the noise is
loud, sui phurous smell ensues, great pain is Iare
felt and slight burn remains upon the finger thai
sustains the experiment"
Having detailed the Dren far n
shock, which coated square pane of glass, "o
| about twenty inches diameter though the larger the
better, which pane he would somehow Other have
connected with the apparatus, he proceeds "Thngs
being thus disposed the chain strongly electrified by
turning the globe, and thus communicating with the
upper side of the pane, that is electrified also Nom
should be rash, things being in this situation,
as to touch the under surface OF the pane with
hand lille with the other he touches the chain that
communicates between the upper surface and the
globe, the shock would be terrible that il couid
strike him dead in an instant !"
In description of DR.. Frankns lightning rods
he says: "Mr. Franklin has invented method of Sc
| curing houses, and, consequently, the inhabitants,
from the violence Of thunder" Ii is no more than
procuring long iron rod, which reaches from the
cloud to the earth, and erected in near house
as to touch no non electric substances whatever,
cept the ground below, and the cloud above! The
end of this rod touching the electrified cloud imbbes
the eebric fluid with which the cloud is charged and
carries it down TO the EARTH where it is discharged
without farther mischief.
A periodical, from which we have copied these
tiacts well remarks that if this statement true
should raise sort of objection against epithe
which our philosophical Doctor applies to the light
ming rod He calls it long. Long indeed it must be
and subject of great congrauaIion to our working
blacksmhs TO reach from the electrified cloud to the
earth