Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1851-03-13
SPECIMENS OF MR.. CHARLES JENNER'S
UPLACID MAN,n

THERE is 4 pleasant little book, among the
mass of English literature, which is not rs
nu:h read, as it should be. This book is
styled the "Placid Man, and is written BY
CHARLES JESXER, A. A.
The story is very agreeable one, ard told
in n natural and easy way And the casual dis
sertiol S. or rather, ramblings of thought,
which the narrative seems to have suggested
to the author, are quite rs attractive rs the
story. We may be mistaken; but we will
venture, at the hazard of blunder, 70 say,
that many, who arc esteemed lterati, and
who are really entitled to be numbered among
the elite, have little or no acquaintance with
Mr.. CHARLES JESHER, or his "Placid Man
While then others are recommending to the
world, the brilinnt productions OF 1850, we
may rot be wide of the mark in recalling at-
tention to an nnpretending, but worthy little
work Of u by-gone era. Those Of our readers,
who may think fit, from this commendaiion,
TO send to the nearest bookseller for it, will
be sure to thank us for the hint, before they
have progressed many pages.
tits impossible, by giving mere excerpts, to
convey any fair idea of what a goo9 compost
ton really is, as whole, unless this eliptical
deficiency be supplied by the Kindness of the
reader. With q hope that many Of our
readers have this enlightened goodness of
heart, We present, below, few passages
from the book under comment, selected at
random. These passages are from the re-
fleetivc, if we may so speak, to distinguish it
from the narrative part Of the work.
some THOUGHTS IN REFERENCE TO IalTA-
TORS IL NLITERATURE.-"Letn not therefore 4
moderate genius be too much ashamed of a
guide; Il good imitation is often not inferior
to Il tolcrable original. and always superior to
4 bad one But then let him take care to
look at something more in his model than the
particularities, or, it may be, the faults of it,:
let him initiate the virtues of Cato as we'll rs
his austcrity; and have ever in mind what
Swift said of Rowes Jane Shore; 81 have
s, en-" says he, ga play written in professed
imitation of Shakespeare, wherein the whole
likeness consisted in one line,
And so good morning 10 you, good Mr.. Lieuieaa9"
These are the imilators which answer TO
tie serum pecuS Of Horace, and which FIld-
ing meant to guard himself against, by plant
ing m essay at the entrance ofeach book of his
history like guard at the door; limiting by
that, that no nan should attempt to arrive at
writing history, without taking observation
and reflection in his way. From these alone
is TO bc derived the first requisite for a history
of this kind. whose materials are not drawn
from records, which is usually called inven-
ton; which word, however, according to the
usual acccpta;ion Of it, is more applicable to
the old rolnanccs, written in the ages of
knights errant. four-handed giants, distressed
damsels. enchanted castles, dwarfs, and white
palfreys: all which, according to the usual
acceptation Of the word Invention, might b.
properly enough said to take their rise entire
ly from the imagination of the historian.-
But in such histories Us these where the ma
terials are drawn from nature, the invention
Of the historian means nothing more than
make OF Inc manheTs IF has %hhRiha RRf&a Ss u 1he 5S
help of his observation and reflection. The
ranging and bringing together of which dis
coveries, and thereby forming plan in which
the incidents may follow naturally; and the
delivering them in a correct, but easy STYLE; /;
are the parts of this kind Of writing, which
require some judgment, and perhaps little
learning to be added to the invention of the
author. 1t would therefore be Worth mans
or 4 woman's while to sit down ard consider
before they begin, whether they have any ma
tcrials for writing at their command, more
than such as are to be purchased at tbe STA
tioners and any other talents for it than su,h
rs are taught by the nritingmaster: if, upon
fair examination, of themselves, they find
that they have neither observation nor genius
sufficient to qualify lnenl for original compo-
stion, they may in the next pace consider
whether they have reading and understanding
sufficient together with taste enough to dletn-
guiSll faults from beauties, to qualify them for
limitations if their candour cannot allow even
that: why then, in the name Of Apollo and
the Nine Muses., let them be content to con-
time courteous readers, and show the world,
that if they have not wit enough to speak,
they have Judgment enough to hold their
tongue.
LIoN-IIUNTISG IN ITS FIGrRATIvE SENSE
" Lion-hun;ing. in short, being the whole end
and design Of travelling. For | would be
glad to know what are all your Tours through
Great Britain and Ireland, your Six Week
Tours to Paris, your Letters from Il Gentle
man on his Travels, with all the Journals of
Voyages and Travels which ever were writ
ten, but so many catalogues of various Lions,
TO be seen in different PARTS of the world >
Many Of which :, man may go thousand
miles to see, and leave far better Lions, un-
locked ut, at home, Different men have dif-
fercnt notions of Lion-hunting One values
no Lions but what are found ut 4 distance,
and are of foreign extraction, or ut least 60
by hard name another is pleased with aay
Lion, bc he never so insignificant, that is
found in his own town, or more particularly
ii he is i'll his own possession: one man
again has much pleasure in the sport, and will
search every place he comes near fora Lron;
another will jog on without inquiring after
them from York to Exeter, and if they are
pointed out TO lin by some good-naturcd in
telIigcncer, will take pleasure in sighting
them, merely to show that he has seen too
much to be amused with trihes. knew Il
man, reader, of this stamp, who made Il tour
through England, and kept journal, wherein
he carefully minutcd every thing he did not
see. His remarks chiefly ran in this manner:
400 Rnnchod Rrist nj in tho nynninr. con-