Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-04-19
A DEFENCE OF THE POETS.

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lowing singular discussion, and really effective de-
fence of the poets by Mr.. CALEB LYON, Of Lyons.
dale, gentleman whose practical contributions to
the papers have given him some celebrity. II is
taken from the Albany Argus: soE.
Mr. VARsUA had said that he had besn looking poet
sone for some light th. BILL he satisfied the
reasons to give for it. He MR. w did know that he
should oppose it. but did, first bush look very much
To the least Of IT, had Pckwickian look II would
remembered that the Mudfog Association the
vices Of Mr. Pckwck and his associates travel over Eng
land and report that was wonderful they also
ca their entire approval Of the proposition of said gentlemen
70 pay their own expenses Laughter Seriously. seemed
70 MN Mr. that ther, but little for these delegates
70 do The agricultural society i've delegates
that would make ten in all from this State. The precedent
benefit Of the great seal the State 70 give them sort of
diplomatic character and access to positions they might
not enter as private citizens If other State. should follow the
example, there would be hundred and fifty delegates
to Engand-rather unreasonable number of diplomats
and this precedent should be followed hereafter In all future
worlds would be making the seal Of the State very
cheap and destroy all the respect ordinarily given to
it. We had another bill providing for special agent at
tend the fair and that seemed enough However, he would
say that he should when he heard the gen
tleman from Lewis
Mr. LroS said Mr. Chairman, am surprised at the op-
position Of the honorable and distinguished gentleman from
New York to this (which had the honor to intro
duce and bis faceous and witty attack upon poets gene
ra He has given this portion Of the chamber the sobrquet
mated in Pckwickian sense, that practical good can
come out fit. would not think Of thrus.ins
poets and poetry upon this committee but when assaed
defence only allowed, but pardnable He has dspa-
ragged their influence well as their art. +.
It has been truly said by who had studied the world and
drank deeply the fountains of human knowledge Let
make the songs of nation, and who makes her
laws All national lyrics illustrations Of the dsepscaed
veneraon that poetry welded music awakes in the souls
Of mankind Hehas forgotten that David the after Gods
heart poet and his psalms rise with grateful odor
every Sabbath from million of shrines in thanksgiving
throughout christian lands that Solomon poet whose
competitions models of bsauy, and whose proverbs
axioms Of wisdom Homer poet, and his Iad,
posed five hundred years before the histories Of Herodous
were wten contributed largely mould the public mind Of
Greece. Eurpides poet and his glorious works shed
an impershabe halo his happy and beautiful but
now fallen and desoate country short poems Of Confucus
are still exan showing that, in the of Plato philo-
sophy and the walk hand in hand. Ferdous, Sad,
Jam and Haz, the poets Of and wisdom, liberty and
love- all that is left Of the empire of the Ssmarcand but
the brightness of its best days belongs to its bards Virgil
poet, the mmortalzer Of rural life and Hesperdes,
Tempes Valley and Arcadia inger with those who read
him. Shakespeare poet, whose works-a bible Of the
mind-are unfailing of human knowledge. In
the words Of johnson, He not for day, but for all
| time"
To these may we'll be added the divine Anacreon cotem-
porary Of Sappho; Ovid and Caullushe first sas of
Roman school, the deneaor Of the sunny days
childhood Dante and Tasso the sepulchral gn auus
reoen another and darker existence and the other pious
pilgrim, shedding the soened moonlight of his genius
The sepuchre of Lord Vega and Camoen whose strains
still echo the hills of Grenada and the banks of the Qua
dalquiver-hey sung the vineyards of Andausia and
amid the mountains of Catalonia while Germany belongs
the perpetual honor of having given birth Schiller and
Goethe. King Alfred, the Saxon was poet-Engand's
Noses and the wses awgver that sat upon the Eng
lish throne Milton poe-the first that denounced the
divinity Of kings and claimed and vindcaed the bery Uf
unlicensed printing" and justified the ways Of God to
Sir Philip Sidney Ponce de Leon, and Koner poets and
soldiers whose gaanty has been initiated but cxceed
Burns poet and he crowned the plough with the anna
ranhs Of his fame. Michael Angelo poet-the archi
Of st. Peters France reoices her Corneille, Mo
ee Racine, and Votae; while Beranger she has crowned
the poeaureate Of the peophs songs have written the
sacred of Liberty upon the hearts of nation deeper
than letters carved in adamant Lamartne
poe-he pilot and palladn Of the French revolution. While
to the English tongue belong Chauce Spense Pope Gold
smith, Gray, Byron, Coledge and Wordsworth and her
literature has also been illuminated by the Wizard of the
North who sumbers peacefully beneath the broken columns
of Drybugh Abbey The wrongs Of Ireland well told
by Moore that lands have wept with sympathy for the
oppressed dwellers on that gem Of the,sea.
! Our own country, Mr. Chairman, has produced few
names /" that not born TO de-" Bryant and Hal
eck have struck the Tyre of Apollo with in this
and better world The first is Druid Of grand old forests
the second has transferred to bis page the touching eoquence
of the red man who inhabited them.
Poets have been the great civzes OF mankind Poets
have been the pioneers of human freedom To prince
and peasant in college and hail. their songs have brought
cal happiness sweetest consolation As memorials Of the
past venerated prophecies Of the FUTURE they
the tears they tell the sorrows, they number the joys
they cherish the emembance and they soothe the passions
Of the great brotherhood Of the world They breathe the
mathis cradles the I Deums of manhood and
the vespers of our graves Where song sleeps patriotism
fades away, nationality declines but where wakes like the
strains Of Memnon Of old it tells of the sunrise Of nations
glory. sase i5
crave the indulgence Of the committee but sitting as
do at the feet Of Poesy and having listened throbbngs of
her harp, is kind Of duty that to her for my ex-
ceedng reward utter this humble defence Of her immortal
children And look upon 1t Of fes ineabe plea
to have the rosy peaks of Panassus though a
off, Look where you may, the pures lights that burn upon
the altar Of worlds knowledge undarkened by error guild
ing the feet Of men Alright in their devotion truth, the
halowed flames kindled by the inspiration Of song.
Without further DEPRESSION, will proceed to the bill under
discussion, which simply provides for the appointment Of five
honorary delegates to represent this Satehe largest and
richest Of powerful Conedeacyat the Worlds Fair be
elected in the Senator in Congress- whose
duty shall be to report to the next Legislature the result Of
their Investigations concerning agriculture, arts manufactures
and mechanics and who shall without compensation.
In oden times mountains made enemies when isolated
euda SYSTEM supported by fraud and force with its lords
and se the denzens castles who propeed by the page
be bone and the sword Of chvaly eaped from its scabbad
and avenged them Then the middle ages, with the
diplomacy of Machiavelli and the presy craftsmanship
Of q Rcheieu, Medic Wolsey, and Mazarin. But
the day past when words given to conceal thoughts
Then came years of revolutionary struggles Of and