The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-06-15

would it not be better to let the world find this
out for ITSELF rather than thrust it in It's face by
eternal repetition? Selfpraise is a sacrifice to
vanity, not an oblative TO truth.
The orator, however, soon comes back to
number one-"I by itself p--sgain, and manages
with something like left handed adrotness, to
I let his hearers know, that his name had been
enrolled in the list of American authors, in the
Royal Gazsne of Madrid, as the author of Web
ster's Dictionary and then exelaims, with al
most supernatural eloquence---' Ye shades of
Noah Webster"-(in duplicated" How will
you not be offended at this intrusion on your
rights and your repnse. He make my diclion'
tionary"" He Chat is the shades ofNoah Web
ster) will eXelaim, 'he never could have made
my Spelling Book. And this would be true. J
must beg leave therefore to discaim the COM
pliments Of the Royal Court Gaasne of Madrid,
and decline to be cassed with men Of letters"
Is this humility, or is it only vanity in the garb
of humility Is this the language Of a great
aud "god.like man" addressing the very crown
Of modern Athens; or is only the dregs and
DRAWINGS Of an ostracised mind? r."
The orator then turns abruptly from the mel
ancholy "shades' of Noah Webster and his die
tionary, and excIauls ......#
! "We! gentlemen, this ia friendly meeting.
We assemble sociabIy,in friendly spirit, to
interchange personal regards, and to congratu-
late each otherupon the prosperity and pres
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;
Wen live with her, and live with thee,
In unreserved pleasure free" 49,. ~.
This, presume, is intended for quotation
from MIton's L'Allagro." But this distin-
guished gentleman, though lie 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 msued and blurred one II
the most imposing passages in modern or an
cent poetry, as to convert it into Iifeless skee
ton, by leaving out some lines, and patching
others together in such way as to destroy all
connection or congruity. admit that on such
occasions as this, the speaker may make slight
alterations or omissions in order to adapt quo"
tation TO the purpose aud the occasion but no
man, however god.like he MAY be, has right
I 4 IN, s,,k
Oliver Goldsmith to give to Samuel Johnson.
Having invited his auditors to be merry, the
orator instead of setting the eX tmple, suddenly
and a. one bound, comes back to the great bu
siness of tickling the lnimi:able, unparalleled
city of Boston, and talking of himself al one and
the same time. Gentlemen" nc says, "the
growth of this city is remarkable, and in any
other country would be most remarkable. !
came here 10 take my residence among you in
the year 1916. The population of Boston was
then 10000. Ii is now 10000. And its in
crease in wealth, in commerce, the arts aud
manufactures, has kept pace with the increase of
its population" lie then proceeds with pane
| gyric on this interesting city, which has grown
almost as fast as Jick's bean stalk, calculated
to make all other cities ancient aud lGCdern,
! hide their diminished heads. All this even II
true, would be holhing remarkable or new, Tor
We have heard it 50 often cut of their own
mouths that il has become not only familiar bu
tiresome 10 the repetition, which distinctly nd
Gates that they don't believe it themselves or
| that their hearers are very incredulous. How
ever. il doubtless served TO tickle his audience
and if the most excellent, enlightened, moral
and pious citizens OF Boston ever again shut the
door of F.nueil Hall-now oPEK"-io their
panagyrist, they will be more capricious than
the AIheEians who banished Arstides for being
called the just. lie may then say with Scipio,
ungrsteful country even my bones shall not
rect 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.
Tae Methodisls especially come in for a large
share Of laudation. He says TO them, bid
you welcome TO Fanuei! Hall, the birthplace OF
American liberty. Welcome To Boston, the seat
Of commerce, enterprise, and literature. We'll
come TO Massachusetts, the home Of public edu
cation" lie 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 IL 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 10 come TO an end. The
orator concludes with an exhortation to temper
spce, which comes with Singular propriety from
him, followed bya compliment to the solid
men of Boston--the real cod fish eaters = quo
tation taken from Goldsmith and ascribed to
Johnson, on the authority of his toad eater
Bozzy, auG fervant burst Of pieiy, ending on
an equally fcrvant hope that the prosperity and