The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-21

the following. We pick II up as an estIay, Soiiig
the rounds without credit:
Last fall a census-taker, on a tour of duty,
stopped at an elegant brick dweling-house on
Western Row-the exact location OF which Is
no business of ours He was received at the
door by stiff, wel-dressed, elderly lady, who
could be easily recognized as widow OF some
years standing Onlearning the mission OF her
visitor, the lady invited him to seat in the hail.
Having arranged himself into working posi-
ton, he inquired for the number OF persons in
the family of the lady.
Eight, sir" replied the lady, including my
SELF
"Very we'll your age, madam"
"My age, SIR she replied, with piercing,
dignified look; g conceive it's none of your
business what my age might be--you are in
quistive, sir"
"The law compels me, madam, to take the age
of every person in the ward; it is my duty to
make the enquiry"
swell, if the law compels you to ask, pre-
sumo it will compel me to answer. en- be-
tween thirty and forty"
$" presume that means thirty-fve 7"
"No, sir il means no such thing; am only
thi-ty-threc years of age"
" Very well, madam," putting down the fig
ures, Just as you say. Now for the ages OF
the children, commencing with the youngest one
if you please"
"Josephipe, my youngest, is ten years ofage.'
Josephine-pretty name-ten."
"Minerva was twelve last week"
aMinerva-Aca OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES"
"Cleopatra Elvira has just turned fifteen"
"Cleopatra Elvira-charming-
"Angelna is eighteen, sir; just eighteen"
" ACCOMPLISHMENTS name-eighteen."
any Oldest and only married daughter, sir
Anna Sophia, is a little over twenty-five"
"Twenty-fve did you say madam 7"
"Yes, sir Is there nything remarkable in her
being of that age"
aWel, no, l can't say that there is; but is II
not remarkable that you should be her mother
when you were only eight years of age?"
About that time the census-takerwas observed
sailing out Of the house, closely pursued by a
broomstick. 1t was the last time he pressed a
lady to give her age.
TRADITIONAL ERRoRs.-Every day the la
bors of learned men are exposing the falsity of
Evolutionary facts, and wedding history of the
errors which seem to have been sown wide.
spread in every department of human knowl.
edge. Nothing in fact, is reliable but scientific
truth; and even many of them, or at least what
have passed current for such, have been proved
false. But of all the uncertainties of tradition
there is nothing so uncertain as the sayings of
great men. The peni rid pici of Caesar and
the pithy despatch of Perry, announcing bis VIC
tory on Lake Erie, are matters of record, and
may be trusted in but the dying words of Law
renee, I" don't give up the ship" have been de-
MED As for CromwelPs directions to his SOL
diers to trust in Providence and keep their pow
der dry, there is no evidence OF its Cromwellian
origin. Wellington. has said that he never heard
Of the famous words, sup, guards, and at EN-, !"
which have been currently attributed to him
ever since the battle of Waterloo until he saw
them in a newspaper All the surviving British
officers of the tack on New Orleans, some
twenty-five years ago, published an affidavit to
the effect that the renowned watchwords, "beau-
ty and booty" were never used on that me-
morable occasion. General Taylor, too, denied
ever having said, give em jessy," or even :" a
little more grape, Captain Bragg" Some wise
acre attempted few years ago to prove that
General Putnam was coward and bully, but,
luckily for the reputation of sold Put" be
found defender in our present Secretary Of
State, who, in mastery article in the Norh
American Reriep, clearly established the right
Of the gallant soldier to his Evolutionary fame.
of the detection of traditional mistake, is the
discovery by that genial philosopher, the learned
Signor Riccnbocca, that Bacon is not the su'hor
Of that popular apothegm knowledge is power;'
that, in fact nothing Of the kind ever had an ex-
istence in his writings, nor In those OF any other
philosopher Ii is a mere Psychological fungus
that suddenly sprung up once upon time, and
as suddenly became a petrifacton in mems
A.. fknr cat..
in the world who will not be amazed when they
find that Lord Bacon never even heard Of that
great Baconian apothegm, knowledge Is power
Signor Riccabocca astonished even that erudite
EngIishman, Parson Dale, by telling him the
fact, and we doubt If there be learned pun.
dit" among us who will not also be astonished
to learn il. As for ourselves, we would haze
been willing to bet any reasonable sum that we
could command, that we could point out the
aphorism in Bacon's works, not that we ever
saw II there, but having SCENT so many thou
sands Of times attributed TO the great philoso-
pher, that we never doubted IL was his property.
But, as DR.. Riccabocca said 10 his abashed pu-
pill, that shall be a warning 70 us never TO fall
into the error Of the would be scholar, and quote
secondhand. Bulwer Lytton, in bis new novel,
puts the matter at rest in the following note
"This aphorism has been probably assigned
10 Lord Bacon upon the mere authority Of the
index 70 his works. II is the aphorism Of the
index maker. certainly not Of the great master Of
inductive philosophy. Bacon has, il is true, re-
peatedly dwelt on the power Of knowledge, but
with so many explanations and distinctions that
nothing could be more unjust to bis general
meaning than to attempt 10 cramp into a SEN
tence what il cost him a volume 10 define.
Thus, IL in one page he appears 70 confound
knowledge with power, in another he acts them
in the strongest Gntithesis TO each other, az fol-
lows 'Adeo, signanter Deus opera potentim ct
sapientiR Discriminate But it would be as
unfair TO Bacon 10 convert into an aphorism he
sentence that scriminates between knowledge
and power, as il is TO convert into an aphorism
any sentence that confounds them" Republic.
ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE OF SoUTH CAROLINA.
We publish from the Richmond Examiner
an address from a citizen Of Virginia 20 the peo-
pie of South Carolina. 1t will be seen that the
action Of the late Charleston convention has
been quite in accordance with the suggestions
of this writer For our own part, we had hoped
that fha State uouId act laae nreointfatoly tbo,,