The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-06-14

vanlty not an 0blative TO truth.
The orator, however, soon comes back to
number one--"I by selfl"-again, and manages
with something like left handed adroltness, to
lot his hearers know, that his maine had been
enrolled in the list of American authors, IN the
Royal Gazette of Madrid, as the author OF Web
ster's Dictionary; and then exclaims, with al
most supernatural eloquence--" Ye shades OF
Noah Webster"--(n duplicated How Will
you not be- offended at this intrusion on your
rights and your repose. He make my dctlon-
tionaryn" He (that is the shades Of Noah Web
ster) will excaim, she never could have made
my Spelling Book. And this would be true. J
must beg leave therefore to disclaim the COM
pliments of the Royal Court Gazette OF Madrid,
and decline to be classed with men of letters. .
Is this humility, or is it only vanity in the garb
of humility! Is this the language OF great
and "god-lik man" addressing the very crown
OF modern Athens; or is it only the dregs and
DRAWINGS of an ostracised mind?
The orator then turns abruptly from the mel
anchOly "shades" of Noah Webster and his die
tionary, and exclaims:
swell, gentlemen, this is a friendly meeting
We assemble socially, in friendly spirit to
interchange personal regards, and to congratu-
late each other upon the prosperity and pros
poets of the country. Let us enjoy both with
cheerfulness and gratitude the blessings which
Providence has pured out around us.
Hence loathed melancholy
But come thou goddess fair and free,
And in thy right hand bring with thee
The mountain nymph, sweet liberty;
Well live with her, and live with thee,
In unreserved pleasure free"
This, presume, is intended for quotation
from Millions LAllagro." But this dstin-
guished gentleman, though he has lately be-
come fond of quotations from the poets, takes
great liberties with them sometimes, not only
by robbing one to give to another, but by mis-
applications of their meaning. In the preceding
instance, he has so mauled and blurred one q
the most imposing passages in modern or an
cient poetry, as to convert it into ifeless skee
ton, by leaving out some lines, and patching
others together in such a way as to destroy all
connection or copgruity. admit that on such
occasions as this, the speaker may make slight
alterations or omissions in order to adopt quo.
tation to the purpose and the occasion; but no
man, however godike he may be, has right
to make John Milton talk nonsense, or rob
Oliver Goldsmith to give to Samuel Johnson.
Having invited his auditors to be merry, the
orator instead of setting the example, suddenly
and at one bound, comes back to the great bu
sness of tickling the inimi,able, unparalleled
city Of Boston, and talking of himself at one and
the same time. Gentlemen" he says, the
growth of this city is remarkable, and in any
other country would be most remarkable.
came here to take my residence among you in
the year 1916 The population of Boston was
then 10000. 1t is now 100000. Aud its in.
crease in wealth, in commerce, the arts and
manufactures, has kept pace with the increase of
its population" He then proceeds with pane
gyric on this interesting city, which has grown
almost as fast as J,ck's bean stalk, calculated
to make all other cities, ancient and modern,
hide their diminished heads. All this even if
true, would be nothing remarkable or new, for
we have heard it 30 often out of their own
mouths that it has become not only familiar but
tresome in the repetition, which distinctly nd-
Gates that they don't believe it themselves OF
that their hearers are very incredulous. How
ever. it doubtless served to tickle his audience
and if the most excellent, enlightened, moral
and pious citizens of Boston ever again shut the
door of Fanueil Hall-now oPEN"-to their
panagyrist, they will be more capricious than
the Athenians who banished Aristides for being
called the just. He may then say with Scipio,
" ungrateful country even my bones shall not
rest among you"
But the distinguished orator has more than
one string to his bow. From tickling the Bos.
tonians, he suddenly turns aside to tickle the
deputies from certain religious denominations
then holding their annual meeting in that city
The Methodsts especially come in for large
share of iaudation. He says to tllem,"I bid
YOU welcome to Fanueil Hall, the birthplace OF
American liberty. Welcome to Boston, the seat
of commerce, enterprise, and literature. Well
come to Massachusetts, the home of public edu
cation" He then informs them that he has read
the biography of John Wesley, and quotes his
last words. The best Of all is, that God is
Nth u.s." All this is pretty fair specimen OF
tickling. But the orator should beware lest
in tickling one first, he does not throw another
into commissions. What will the "bue skies y
say to all this! But to come to an end. The
orator concludes with an exhortation to temper
ance, which comes with singular propriety from
him, followed by a compliment to the " solid
men of Boston--the real cod fish eaters y quo
tation taken from Goldsmith and ascribed to
Johnson, on the authority of his toad eater
Bozzy, and fervant burst of piety, ending on
an equally fervant hope shat the prosperity and
happiness we of the present generation enjoy,
will descend to our latest posterity with ten
thousand times the brilliancy of yonder setting
sum- This will be tolerably bright, provided
the sun was not then setting in an Eastern fog.