Burlington hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1845-185?, 1851-06-26
our NEW YORK CoRREsPoNDESCE-
Mishaps Of Emigrants aud legions Of Beggars-
Dionysius and the BARRIERS, aud Webb and WI
is-y4n interesting and instructive storu

MishGps Of Emgrants aud l<gi0ns Of Beggnrs-
Dionysius and the BARRIERS, and Webb and WI
Hs-.an interesting and Instructive story.
New York, June IA, 1851.
EDITOR OF THE HAwK-EyE:-Since the 9th
inst, 1896 emigrants have arrived at this port.
New York is already filled to overlooking with |
foreigners, from every nation under heaven, and
the cry is, still they come. Every street, lane |
and alley is besieged by troops of beggars-shriv
elled old women, half-starved children; ragged |
and cadaverous men, who humble and mouth at |
the passer-by, thrust their dirty, skinny, clammy
hands almost into his eyes, and in wheeling, graf
ing, rickety tones, tenaciously beseech him to
give them aims. Give! give! is the eternal cry
heard on every side; and beggars imploring hands
are the objects that NEE. the eye at every turn
What is to be the end of this no one foretell.
All that is now known in relation to the matter
is that, things are growing worse every day. But
will turn from this uninvitng subject, and give
you little Of the current gossip Of the day;whch
hope, will prove both entertaining and instruc-
tive.
1t is said that Dionysius, the Tyrant of SYRIA
cuse, taught his own daughters to shave him, for
fear that some barber might cut his throat in case
he trusted his neck in reach Of professional ra
zor. This historical morceaa was brought vivid
| ly TO mind, the other day, witnessing the un-
easiness Of Gen. James Watson Webb, while seat
ed in one Of the chairs that adorn Phalon's mag
nifcent Hardressing Saloon. The Generals un-
easiness did not arise from any lack Of faith in
the skill or honesty of the young man who was
"fnishing him off," but from the fact that ~ p
Willis, his mortal foe, who had just been brushed
for the Opera, was standing within few feet of
him, chatting, in his elegant, easy style, with
couple of distinguished looking foreigners. This,
it was. that caused General Webb's uneasincss;
and Willis, the sly dog, knew it, although, from
his manner, none would have suspected that he
was cognizant of the Generals presence. What
the upshot of the rencoanter was, can not say,
as had to leave before the General escaped from
the hands of the profession whom Dionysijis so
much feared; and presume that Mr. Willis took
good care TO do the same.
You have heard, of course, all the important
details of the Webb and Willis case. am real
ly greved 10 see the members of the Press Of our
city, guilty of such reprehensible conduct
know Willis; bat am not one of his admirers
that is, he is not altogether to my taste. as man
or writer. But trust am not so conceited az
to be blind TO quite valuable traits in mans
character, that am not organcalIy constituted
TO thoroughly appreciate or to imtate-that are
not, in short, to my taste; must, therefore, say
that, in the ordinary acceptation of the word,
Willis is an urbane and polished gentleman, with
just such an average commixture of virtues and
vices as usually falls to the share of the sons of
Adam. | am confident, also. that Willis is ten
times more of man than Webb. morally and in
tellectually. Yes, Willis would, in nv opinion,
have suffered many public and private assaults on
his character before he would have retaliated on
his adversary by dragging into the conflict an un-
offending woman.
With all Willis foppery, he is more of an liner
lean than Webb. have never known fashion,
able man cant less, in private conversation. on
'.frst circles" "private gentlemen" "sood soci-
etv,' the s'usages of wel-bred people" &c. Will
lis. as may be learned from his poetry. and stray
paragraphs of his prose, is much more profound
thinker, and has more phi!osophic mind than
would be supposed by the cursory reader of the
; columns of the Home Journal, which contains mat
ter for a certain market, in which there is de-
mand that Morris and Willis can, perhaps, best
V.
ago, that he was inclined and always tempted to
, pNilosophize, and that he wonld like much to be
able to devote himself to higher order of itera-
t,re; but that ii ,cou!fnt pay. ''When was a
mere boy, so to speak, said he, 81 acquired a
knack. fortunately or unfortunately, Of writing
elegantly on trifies-forcibly abont nothing
People wou.d read these things, and publishers
: had a business respect FOR them. I made a good
living then while philosophical writers round me
were starving. Still, notwithstanding the exam
ple of their wretchedness before me, l would,
now and then, try my hand at the expression of
deeper thought, than | was dealing with. day
BY day. for living; but the invariable conse-
quence was failure--not to excite The attention of
the more intellectual of my friends, but TO pay
my publisher his expenses, and much less, either
him or me, for our time and labor"
Every father and brother to whom have spok-
en-, is indignant at W:bb. As for me, cannot
trust myself to speak Of him. The fact of the
matter is, Webb has never known that to be q
true gentleman,it ls necessary to be true Chris.
5 tan, and that men approximate the standard Of
true gentility only in proportion as they approx
mate that of Christianity. | know that we al
shoot wide of the mark, judged by the STANDARD
that have just laid down; but it is the only trut
one. Ny own shortcomings make me painfully
conscious of the fact
Retired livery servants are said to talk more o.
gentty than any other class Of men; Charlc'
Dickens endorses the general opinion, and an
fortunate enough to be able to concur with thu
y rest Of mankind, on this point, at least. have
heard some veryfluent speakers on geutlity ,amon:
that very useful and curiously ornamented clas
of persons above alluded to; but really do not re-
ii member to have seen or read of one, who was 81
given to the everlasting use of servants cant,
e Webb Like them, he is always going out of hi
: way. to use it, in a paragraph or sentence il
e which it can be introduced. Webb has been, ev
d err since my remembrance. eternaly ringing tn
g changes such phrazes as ''polite society," "u
e sages Of gentlemen > imam of honor" "person
g of breeding" "high social standing" ''genteme
J, of le,sure," ''private gentlemen, and other en-
II phonious phrases, borrowed from D'Orsay's boo
on E!iquette--phrascs which hare a real meaning
bat unappreciated by him, or he would never hav
/ so outrageoasly violated the ssanctity of prvaf
h lfe' (another of his cant expressions in the cas-
N of Mrs Smith Coddington, a lady whom person