The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-06-07

~ ~ ot"tSu ia labe L1DSll5u paper, eh"e his
Grace the Duke ofxNewcastle, addressing a
public meeting for raising funds to repair fine
old ruined church, used the following conclu-
sive argument Such structures have brought
building been plain aud common place, would
never have been. brought within he sphere Of the
gospel" Thus men attract visiters by build
ing fine house, who, had they lived in a mean
thus no doubt gain many sincere friends His
Grace, however, probably owes much of The re-
spect he receives, and the influence he exercises,
to his splendid establishment and the number
of his rotten boroughs, and applies the same rule
to the Supreme Being, who must inhabit fine
house in order to attract yisiters. To my mind
however, unless men 60 to church to hear the
word Of God, and not TO admire the works of
men, they might just as well stay at home The
Saviour of mankind and his disciples preached
iu the open mir, under the canopy of heaven
and believe their followers were quite as pi.
Gus as those who attend the splendid churches
of st. Paul, in London, and ST. Peter at Rome.
But there is n goo6ly flock of Christians who
could never feel pious in log cabin or farm
er's barn, and his Grace of Newcastle is proba
bly, one Of the number. ! remember once in.
viting a fashionable young lady, who was per
feet devotee at splendid cathedral in New
York, to attend little country church, without
steepe, and no cushions to the pews; but she
declined rather Indignantly because it WAS not
''gentee" | knew another--an English wo-
man--aho would never listen to any preacher
under bishop.
ORTHODOXY AND LOYALTY.
DR.. Samuel Parker Archdeacon of Canterbu
ny, published a work in 1870, entitled, "Eccles
astcal Policy" in which he asserts, shat it is
better to submit to the unreasonable tyranny of
Nero, or Caligua, than to hazard the dssou
ton of TIE State This is the doctrine OF
Messrs. Clay Webster, and the republican ad
vocates of passive obedience and non-resistance
The archdcacon is equally loyal and orthodox,
for he maintains at the same time shat princes
may with less hazard give liberty to mems vices
For these doctrines no was severely chasised
by honest cid Andrew Aiarvel--to whose mem
DRY poslerty has not done justice--in poem
from which the following is an extract
"Te me thou meddng priest what law reveal'd
By God to kings, the jus diuinum seal'd
II to do good, you jus dioinum call
1t is the grand prerogative of all;
If to do i'll unpunish'd, be their right
Such power s not granted to the king of night
BYRON.
In this age when new idols are set up and
pulled down in rapid succession as the fashion
in literature changes, and when Immortality
means speedy oblivion, there is no man, who,
according to my taste, has been more greatly
ovcrratei than Byron, WHO it seems to me is not
little indebted for his fame to his rank, his
misanthropy and his inGdelity Whenever he
affects religion he is pretty sure to be profane;
and his "Mystery of Cain would be one of the
most dangerous productions ever .penned, had
be possessed the genius to do justice to bis con
ceptions Bat the sphere into which he thus
daringly scared was too high for him, and his
purpose is in great measure degraded by his
incapacity to make it clear. The first political
productions of Byron were such as no man of
great genius could ever have written There
is nothing in the English language more puerile
and pitlul. H. was Obliged to travel to become
poet, for he had no creative power, and drew
hi' inspiration entirely from sensible objects.
His Chlde Harold which in my opinion is his
ablest work. consists principally in distractions,
which are practically illustrated by his Don
Juan, the greatest scoundrel ever held up to pub
lie admiration. Histragedes are heavy, labor.
ious productions, resembling cold iron hammer
ed into shape by infinite toll, without being
heated, and whenever come to what is called
a fine passage, always figure the author per-
spring up steep hill, putting and blowing al
most out of breath with his exertions. He is
more obscure than sublime, and in his efforts
to soar, rather reminds me Of a lame duck hlpp
ing his wings, and making mighty efforts to rise
above the surface of the pond, than of the eagle
soaring without effort, and without noise into
the highest heavens. He is certainly at the
head of what may be called the pains-fakjng
school of poetry, for never man labored more
Justify in his vocation. Every thought is spun
out wi all the art OF frugal house wife, who,
having but little raw material, makes il 90 as
far as possible. He has been placed on the same
shelf with Milton, but do not think he will
remain there long, for he is great, not in com
parson with that illustrious republican poet,
but with his own diminutive contemporaries.
remember reading in some ancient author of
poet, who, in crossing the river Styx, unluckily
carried his works with him, and was conse.
quonty entirely forgotten by posterity. His
example should be o warning to the present
age, and induce poets TO take special care they
don't carry their regulations with them to the
other weird. The story goes thqt old Charon
insisted on his paying ferrsge tor his books,
Int on lOOlinr ovpr thp,n arraa1 . - 81 ~