The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-03-28
From the Boston Transcript.
ERRORS OE InHEAT MEN

'To err is humann The greatest of men have
their imperiections Every one has his weak point.
Even Dr. johnson, the great photographer, was be-
lever in witches, and supernatural sights Lord Ba-
con, II is well known, guilty Of taking brides.
But sometimes men of superior talents, IN their VII
tngs, commit errors which would be al once appa-
rent To the most ordinary capacity and yet they are
not aware OF them. Newspaper editors, oil course
in the hurry of writing make thousands of mistakes,
which little reflection would make obvious 10 theHl
This is 10 be expected-ior newspaper is not pre-
ducon to be sent forth to the world as standard Oh
literature, a classic work 1t is merely an ephenle-
raj publication which is read and then is passed over
as one of the things that WERE" and is forgotten
But il is often modification TO an editor TO find, on
re-perislng his productions, what judy he has made
Of himself in some hastily written paragraph, and
then his contemporaries will snap il up and make fun
Of il. But these things can't be helped There IS
no time for revision correction. The paper must
DC put to press at certain time, and to press IL must
go " with all its imperiectons on It's head"
But it is different with literary works which are III
tended to be placed among the standard productions
of the age and be handed down to posterity as mo-
des of classical literature.
In looking over some old books recently, we found
curious anomalies by the greatest writers Fer
instance, in an old edition Of Johnson's Dictionary
found the following laugbable definition OF word,
viz
WISDOM, S, knowledge and judgment, conducted BY
tpiSdOn, and discretion.
Goldsmith, one OF the hest of English essay writer's,
Committed some curious bundcrs in work he pull
.hed in the year ITO entitled "A Survey Expert
nal Phos ply, considered in its present state of
improvement Ii is evident that he entirely out
Of hi. element when he dabbled with chemistry cleo
trc iy, &c In This Work he gives The following
count OF electric spark elected by a common appa
ratus IAN appearance is excited that epery loay
sem6leS lightning the flash Is sudden the
loud, sui hurous smell ensues, great pain is lare
felt, and slight burn remains upon the finger that
sustalns the experiment.
Having detailed the common preparations for a
shock txh yarsn cd mo nf of
about twenty inches diameter, though the larger the
better whichpa he would, somehow or other, have
connected with the apparatus, he proceeds Things
being thus disposed, the chain strongly electrified by
turning the globe, and thus communicating with the
upper side Of the pane, that electrified also. Non
should be rash, things being in this situation,
as TO touch the under surface of the pane with one
hand, lille with the other he touches the chain that
globe, the shock would be terrible, that il loouid
strike him dead in an instant''
In a description of DR.. Franklin's lightning rods,
ne says Mr. Franklin has invented method Of Sc
curing houses and consequently the inhabitants,
from the violence Of thunder" 1t is than
procuring long iron rod, which reaches from the
cloud to the EARTH and erected in near house
as TO touch non electric substances whatever,
cept the ground below, and the cloud above The
ID of this rod touching he-eectrfed cloud, mbibes
the eebtric fluid with which the cloud charged and
carries it down TO the EARTH where ii discharged
without farther mischief
A periodical from which we have copied these ex-
tracts well remarks that if this statement true
we should raise sort Of objection against epithet
which our philosophical Doctor applies to the light
ning rod. He calls it long Long indeed it must be
and subject of great congrauation to working
backsmts to reach from the electrified cloud TO the
earth