Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-05-20
ESSAY WRITING AND THE PRESS.

Dr. Lleber's inadequate poem would incite Us.
ESSAY WRITING AND THE PRESS.
Quicquid preeipes, este brevs: alb otto dcta
Pracpiant doeiles, teneanque hdeles-HoR.
II is surprising how many books there the literature
of every country which absolutely worthless, and how
much unnecessary repetition and application there in the
best books in every language Could the ideas worth pese
walton in the literature of any particular people be separated
from the improbable and useless weight Of words which
they generally clothed il would astonsh any to
into what small compass these ideas could be compressed
Under this process ponderons os would sink into quaros
quaros into ocavos and the huge Bodean could be
modated modest studio. The " Excursion would
maze with Wosdsworhs phosophc pedar would be much
shorter and the Faerie Queene would appear much
syphke in her proportions, growing fine by degrees and
beautifully less We among those who subscribe to the
sentiment of the Grecan aphorsm mega billion, mega
kakon" and have always had horror for which is
large TO be Swallowed TO lounge with upon sos but
qures be laid in state upon your desk and carefully chewed
and dgested Reading is with recreation and labor
after learning, and the majority of mankind agree with
upon this point Lord Bacon observes in oil his
that studies for delight for ornaments and for ability
The Of readers among that Glass; both from ncna
ton and from necessity whose studies for degh The
world and is business claims their time and energies and
when permitted escape into the world of books is 10 read
and enjoy not TO dispute ccis 10 pass pleasant hour
and not TO gather together materials for book The hewers
Of wood and drawers of water who constitute vast majority
Of the human race afford neglect the serious work Of
earning bread read such books Memoirs OF William
Cecil Clarendogs History Of the Rebellion. Lord Bacon
himself is known thousands through his Essays who
dared disturb the learned dust Of the Novum Ognum
DE Arguments Scentarum, Utility, Progress and Fruit
geher with nductive philosophy; these iama
ISOLATED their minds with his name but they gather their IDEAS
Of Bacon and his philosophy from reviews ard biographies ike
that OF Basil Montague and not from perusal Of his works
themselves, form opinions Of foreign countries from
the reports Of travellers who have visited them They
themselves with the essays wisely determining that be who
can utter such sage pecets upon the most dssmar Subjects
upon usuy, udcatue, upon stude upon gardening,
upon negotiating would deal with equal cleverness with the
Sagyrite and Thomas Aqunas. knowledge for the
must be conveyed in small compass, and IN form
tractve p0ssibleft
II is the boast Of age have provided this knowledge
for the people Its most prominent feature, with all its
tera activity, may the expression is the general %
sioh of knowledge among the Observe the charter Of
the Literature Of England the most nation the
globe lis publications not immense olos, destined
TO grace the shelves Of the scholar alone falling sbon
from the press Periodical literature monopolizes the en
Of the land Not that England has lost lis scholars for
has true, discriminating, philosophical and manly criticism
been carried TO greater perfection than by them Of late years
but they feel the impetus and parske Of the spirit Of the ge
The days OF patronage from the great and wealthy passed.
and the is the Mscnnas Of the age Authors obliged
TO court the popular favor by following the popular taste The
consequence that the press with light social
the land crowded with reviews ANNALS, and newspapers
Amidst this popular literature the prevailing feature is 10 f
for informing the mind, and IN eeciing this
object give the greatest weight and importance the essays
which constitute the gems OF the reviews. To us,rae
idea, we think the influence Of such works Charles OMa
ley Dombey and Son, public morals weak and
insignificant compared 10 that exered by the classical ch
and powerful essays Of Mscauley, Wilson, sydney Smith,
Such writings the latter suited 10 the wants Of the people,
conveying much instructive matter compends and ency
copeda and rendered interesting and entertaining BY the
gaces Of rhetoric and the charms Of scholarship They are
not text books scholars but agreeable companions for every
Essayists have not built up royal road to learning bot
L~.xm
ing shades But few individuals Of the whole human race
may stand upon the highest summit Of knowledge yet
tegs Of thousands wander amidst the brilliant psere Of
periodical literature which ornament the waysdc and pluck
flowers, lued by falling and the hun q bees
IL il not only necessary that people should have era
urc but that should be adapted their cspac
ties. No wonder at the faint Rlimmering Of light
the crepusculumn which Europe groped, after the In
venon OF printing who observes the issues q the press Of
those days, consisting Of the sbej, improbable dusons
Of the schoolmen, cimini secorcs" the equal aboed
audmore furious dispuaons Of polemcsl divnes II intel
gen people Of the present day neglect such work Bur-
tons Anatomy Of Melancholy, Adam Smiths Wealth Of
Nations for lighter reading, conclude that these
OF the press could bave found few readers among the bo
and vlleins Of Germany DR.. johnson said with bis
sbsurd dogmai, that Demohenes spoke 10 nson Of bar
baraDs, that the o. every people must be ,aasns
where there Is printing" But say there ma, be print
ing and no intelligence, and the other hand highest
degree OF intelligence where type was never As
illustration Of this dea assert that the people Enalsnd
curing ne reign O EZaoeh were more baDarous and igno-
rant than those Of Athens in the time Of Thucydds John
sons remark applied 10 Athens particularly "rhe sage
as Boswell delights TO him, had never, cerany
dered the peculiar constitution Of society and Of government
IN that city Let therefore, 10 order 70 disprov his
ton and establish own, transfer ourselves Imagination
70 the favored Of Minerva, and follow cthn Of that
period through the occupations and smuscmen' Of single
day. The has just arisen, when he leaves his couch
repair 10 the large scmccuIs and unroofed hose which s
denomnaed the theatre. Here be listens 10 he sublime
chouss OF Eschyu the tender and touching plays Of
his youthful rival Sophocles, the amusing ant instructive
Ieasantes Of AnsophaDes He departs from toe theatre
and stros along the streets reading the inscriptions upon the
little columns their corners which record the ipborsms
the ssges Of his country the services rendered b. distinguish
ed individuals 10 the commonwealth He sopsto saze upon
of,hose beautiful poccs with which Perices bad eteh-
ed the city and upon whose entsbature and
the hand OF Psxtscs Phidias He enters one
them and conemplstes in admiration, the iImphs Of the
pencil Of xsuxis ApelIes He issues again INTO the
and finds himself in The midst Of crowd who are listening