Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-10-07

Gu their muses. HuCH Dellef lllll VIC w. NCdiCi
to Nature and its freshness Of all the sensations,
their senses were probably liyelierthan ours There
was time, in the early ages, when mems ears were
movable, like those Of horses or hares but when
what is vulgarly termed civilization began, and peo-
pie cultivated other faculties to the neglect OF the
primitive ones, then this perfection OF being able to
shift about the porches of hearing in order to meet
each sound was lost vestige of the fact is still
preserved, however, in the Roman phrase, arrecfis
atribns that is, with pointed ears" for, beyond
question, such an expression as to the ears OF
men when eagerly listening could not have arsen ex
cep at period when ears had not yet forfeited this
erectile power. Possibly, too, part of this dimi
mutton is due to the gradual curailment OF ears since
pillories came into use for Nature will not pro-
duce things in vain. Were successive generations to
cut off her right legs, there is no doubt but that by
and-by people would be born with only one, like
that African nation described by Herodotus. So
much for the hearing, and in like manner of the
smell: there are still barbarian races $50 called)
which retain that sense uncorrupt and undecayed,
so tha they can follow cold trair' as well as
the best fox-hound. Indeed there must have been
much of this primordia keenness Of scent among
the Republicans of Mr. Jefferson's day for he, by
very beautiful figure, says that "they could at any
time snuff tyranny in the tainted breeze At pre-
sent, Jefersonian Republican can seldom smell
any thing but his dinner of the spols.
Pushing to the utmost refinement the whole sci
ence of enjoyment, the Greeks and Romans turned
to voluptuous account the scent, in common with
all the other senses. Disdainine no agreeable SEN
saon, they least Of all neglected those to be de-
rived from the mos, ethereal Of the faculties that
which most easily of all arrives at sort of noxi-
cation and yet repair it the soonest delight
which crcumfuses with the utmost languor of en-
joyment all other assembled qualifications, and en-
bams music, and the banquet, and wine, the light
OF beauty and of wit luxury, pomp, and every
thing else, in sort of atmosphere of bliss. The
air of their chambers of leasting breathed fragrance
shaken from the wings Of birds let loose
for the purpose; perfumed fountains tossed up
other sweets; the bodies of the guests were steep
ed in ambrosial unguents their heads were crown
ed with garlands that dropped odors. What an
era that would have been for Mr.. Morft Out and
alas that he should have fallen upon this snoutess
this period of pugs, this snub-nosed
century, when, before the ravages of the most de-
generate of diseases, men will shortly have nothing
left to blow, and BARRIERS no wherewitha TO hold BY
In the East, however, Nature has ever preserved
her old benefcence to the nostrils it is still, as
Of yore, the cline Of sweet smells, of spices, and
nyrrh, and frankincense of "groves whose rich
rees dropped odorous gums and balm :" land
hat may, at sea, be smelt further than it can be
'eenas Milton describes, when Satan is first draw
ing nigh it:
$50 lovely seemed ..
That landscape; and of pure purer air
Meets his approach, and to the heart inspires
Fena delight and JOY, able to chase
All sadness but despair gentle gales
Tanning their odoriierous wings dispense
Native perfumes and whisper whence they stole
Those Lalmy spoils. As when to them who sail
Beyond the Cape of Hope and now are past
Mozambique, of at northeast winds blow
Sabran odoss from the spicy Wales
Of Araby the best with such delay
Well pleased they sleek their course, and many league
Cheered with the grateful smell old Ocean smiles.
If any body wants, however, all the sweets of the
Orient inventoried let him get the Lalla Rhook of
master Moore; whose descriptive powers and me-
thods are TO Millions much as an essence-vender's
catalogue is TO the Vale of Damascus, or of Emma,
or the purple land or Cashmere. 1T just the
difference between the poet and the perfumer.
As our country is by no means one where
sea-bom gales their geld wings expand
To wnnow fragrance round tire smiling land,
we welcome Mr.. Morft and the arrival of one more
exotic art which he brings, just as we have often
before hailed the progress of Opera and Cookery.
These are the consollng parts of the " Progress"
the compensations which Civilization bestows for
declining public spirit and the decay of all that
rough virtue, without which political freedom seems
not able to subsist. Come let US have powders
and pomatums and patches, wigs, and essences and
washes, oils and savonettes and pas,les and polil-
cal cosmetics, to paint and plaster up the early
wrinkles Of public vice, the haggardness of our
social debaucheries.