American telegraph. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1851-1851, 1851-09-26
EXTREMES OF SPLENDoR AND OF MISERY.

Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel;
That thou msyst shake the superlux to them,
And show the heavens more just"
In country calling itself free, and England
pretends to be free country, wealth should not
be possessed in such excesses and disparities
Contrast the enormous splendors of tete at
Windsor with some official reports respect
ing the state of the poor. Here is the descrip-
ton of the Queens dinner to the King of the
French:
"The long table on which the dinner was
served was covered with magnificent candelabra
epergnes, placed alternately several of the
former of a circular form, being filed with arti-
fetal flowers. row Of candeabra with wax
lights were placed on each side, and beyond
those, at both sides of the table, were numerous
vases, wine-coolers, and dishes of the most ele-
CANT forms and designs. At each end of the
hall were elevated sideboards Of equal dimen-
sions, containing choice selection from the
numerous and valuable articles Of plate in the
Royal treasury, remarkable for their excel
lencc of workmanship, antiquity, or historical
interest. Flaxnans celebrated 'Shield OF
Achilles The Armada Urn,' and some ancient
sconccs were displayed on the west sideboard /;
and large shield sculptured in rich relief with
the representation of a battle, and the Neptune
Epergne' richly embellished with marine en-
blems, and surmounted with n statue of the
marine deity, were on the east sideboard. Nu-
merous tankards, vases, Shields and bulb cups,
richly chased, were tastefully arranged on n
background Of crimson. and were very bril-
lianty illuminated with candelabra and sconces
of silver and gilt, bearing wax-lights. The Prin-
cess of Wales's epergne, crowned with his Roy
al Highness's plume, was placed at this part of
the table, between two other epergnes of great
beauty, sculptured in gold at the base, with
dancing fauns ! these epergnes had on either
side the Hesperides' candelabra"
There is something ridiculous in the extreme
in exposing the baby Prince of Wales's feather in
an epergne, on dinner table; and having looked
at the one case, let us advert to some others
In the sanatory report made by the Secretary
of the Poor Law Commissioners, one of the in
vestigators into the condition Of the poor says
that, in the counties of England, 24,577 per-
sons have died in one year, in houses that want
ed draining and roofing. Those who died from
other causes make the whole obituary amount
to 216,399 persons in one year. One would
suppose that this alone would be sufficient to
thin the population.
A nation which undertakes the task Of reform
ing materially the institutions of others should
be able, with truth, to point to its own as ex-
hibiting practical results favorable to human
happiness. That is, in general, the true inten-
ton Of good government. The material felicity
of the few is not the question-but what are the
effects on the manyi If in her institutions, or
the administration Of them as organized-the
results pictured beiov--Great Britain finds the
true results Of her SYSTEM or of its NAL admin
istration, she should reform the one or the
other before pouring forth her torrents of invec1
tive eloquence against the United States "Thou
that teachest another, dost thou not teach thy
self" 1t is vain for England to talk about the
evils Of slavery in the United States, when such
practical slavery as that felt and described be-
low takes place under her government--not
in India, the Cape Of Good Hope, or Australia,