Hannibal journal and western union. (Hannibal, Mo.) 1851-1852, 1851-11-20
s SWALLOW pARN.
RON "11rrnAna .won1p.

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] Mr.. Kennedys book is and will remain fa-
vorite picture Of the South. Its very langor is
Characteristic Of the topic. You have no keen
sca1eaets Of closely packed energetic 'wti:ihg
but a leisurely induction OF incident and aneq7
dote. There is time enough beioraus all sold
Virginia never tires;'' and Of a long summer af-
tcrnoOn or winters Preside, swallow Barn may
be safely entertained as among the most cheerful
of companions. Its sketches are commonly of
the IrviHgesquc type, amiable iHaeinper, but not
without an occasional to,ieil Of humorous satire
10 relieve them from the insipidity of dull eulogy
In pleasant proof of this, read the following hit
at Virginia eloquence. Fsank Meriwether one
of the dramdtis persona, the pegs upon which
the author hangs his essays, is thus introduced
near the commencement e, q
sPLATTERTHwAITE DUBBs.. b"
A Il observe, moreover that he has constitu-
tionai fondness for paradoxes and does not scrll-
pie to adopt and repubIish any apothegm that is
calculated 10 startle one by its novelty. He has
a correspondence with several old friends, who
We're with him at college, and who have now
State: these gentlemen furnish him with many
new currents Of thought, along which he glides
with happy velocity. He is essentially Tnedi-
tative in his character, and somewhat given tc
defamation; and these traits have communicated
4 certain measured and deliberate gesticuation
4 to his discourse. have frequently seen him ar
ter dinner stride backwards and forwards across
the room for some moments, wrapped in thought
and then fling himself upon the sofa and come
out with some weighty doubt, expressed with a
/ solemn emphasis. In this form he lately began
a conversation, or rather speech, that for mo-
ment quite disconnected me. After all, said
ne, as Il iie ilutl been talking 10 me before al
though these were the first words he uttered
then making parenthesis, SO as TO qualify what
he was going to say---I don't deny that the
steamboat is destined to produce valuable results
but after all, l much question (and here he
bit hls upper lip, and paused an instant, If we
are not much better without it. | declare, |
think it strikes deeper at the supremacy Of the
States than most persons are willing to allow
This annihilation of space, sir, is not to be de-
sired, Our protection against the evils of con.
solldatlon consists in the very obstacles to our
intercourse. Splatterthwaite Dubbs Of Dinwid.
! die Tor some such naIhe--Frank is famous for
quoting the opinions of his contemporaries. -
$500 pPAoetNAtlWdllCs ldkt II, WlS some OLD col
1 lege chum who had got into the Legislature, anc
dare say, made pungent speeches 5-Dubbs of
Dlnwiddie made good remark: That the home
material of Virginia was never SO good as wher
the roads were at their worst. and SO Frank
went on with quite harangue, to which none
OF the company replied one word, for fear we
might get into dispute. Every body seems tc
understand the advantage Of silence when Meri-
wetner is inclined to-o expatiattory. ~,
The transmigrations and decadenee of one of
this orators expressions give the history of
more than one WORKOUT metaphor, which, start
ing from some great orator, is ANONYMOUSLY ban
died about by vulgar disclaimers -to
DECLINE AND FALL or METAPHOR.
"Merwether had given several indications.
Immediately after breakfast, of design to pour
out upon us the gathered nominations Of the last
itwenty-four hours, but we had evaded the storm
with some caution, when the arrival Of two or
three neighbors- plain, homespun farmers
had ridden to Swallow Barn to execute some pa
pers before Frank as magistrate, furnished
ha with an occasion that was not to be lost. AZ
Ter rlspatching their business, lie detained them,
Iostensibly to inquire about their crops and other
matters OF their vocation, but in reality 10 give
them that very food OF politics which we had es-
capped We of course listened without concern.
since we were assured of an auditory that would
not finch. In the course of this disquisiton he
madeuse OF figure of speech which savored of
some previous study, or at least was highly in
the oratorical vein. Mark me, gentlemen. said
he, contracting his brow over his fine thoughtful
eye, and pointing the fOrefnger OF his left hand
directly at the face Of the person he addressed.
Mark me, gentlemen--you and | NAV not live
to see it, bat our children will see il, and wall
over 1.-THE sovereignty of this Union will be as
the rod OF Aaron; it will turn into serpent and
swallow up all that struggle with it,. Mrd
Chub was present at this solemn denunciation.
and was rery much affected by it. He rubbed
his hands with some briskness, and uttered his
applause in short but vehement panegyric. in
which were heard only the detached Words
Mr.. Burke ,--Ciceron sod. p, ...,
. f:The next day Ned and myself were walk;ao
by the school-house, and, were hailed bv Rim
from one of the wSndowsS who, in a sly under,
tone, as he beokoned as TO come close IN Him |
told us ii we wanted TO hear regular preanb
10 stand Fast We Gould hook into the school-
room unobserved, and tlieTe was our patrjot;o
pedagogue harangNing the boys with a Violence
Of action that drove an additional supply of Hood
INTO his face, ut was apparent that he old gen.
1oman had got mulch beyond the depth of rs
hearers, and Avas pouring out his rhetoric moro
rom oratorical vanity than from any hone Of en-. L
tightening his audicnce. AtSthe niost animatea
art OF has strain, he brought Himself by kindt
4 climax TO the identical sentiment uttered bs I,
1eriwcther the day before He warned NJ \
'onng hearers the oldest Of them was not abovs