Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1853-07-16

iorA' harper anu Drothers, 1000
The delivery Of these Lectures by Mr. Thackeray
during the last winter constituted among US one OF
the most notable literary events which marked the
season. In our principal cities, at least in the
North, it was for time the reigning fashion toread
Thackeray, hear Thackeray, and talk Thackeray.
II did not So much rain Thackeray as 1t poured.
Every thing which at odd times and in divers jour
mails he had published under the nom de plume of
mr.. Titmarsh'' was furnished up and brought to
light by our American publishers. "Fraser's
Magazine" was ransacked for Mr.. Thackeray's
lighter tales and sketches. The Yellop Plush Pa
aers were cleaned and secured in new edition by
the Messrs Appleton; punch furnished his
contingent Of Thackerayan literature in the shape
Of the Snob Papers, Jeanses's Diary, &c. while Of
Vanity Fair, Pendennis, The Great Hoggdrty
Diamond, and of Esmoad whole editions were ex-
hausted in quick succession. But shave you heard
Thackeray lectures?' wasamong literary quidauaes
question quite as important as the " to be not
to be" of Hamlet; for to have heard them was
ssto be-" and not to have heard them " not to be-"
Where the claqueus were so numerous it was hard
TO find any body sufficiently superior to the fear of
being deemed singular to hint aught in derogation
of Mr.. Thackeray's super-eminent merits an
author, wit, and lecturer.
But few there were who ventured to take him
to task equally for his subjects and his style of
treating them Some who were charged with pos
sessing a puritanical taste objected to the moral
tendency Of Mr.. Thackerays projections. They
argued that scape-graces such as the dashing Con-
greve and rafting Harry Fielding should not at
this late day have been exhumed for the purpose OF
anatomizing their characters. The writings Of
many of the English humorists, it must be con-
fessed, are il-adapted for presentation copies to
young ladies. If, as Cowley says,
sc ;,sf
The author blush there where his reader must
we fear but few of Mr. Thackeray's heroes would
find themselves exempted from the necessity of oc-
casionally hiding their faces The English writers
of the eighteenth century are, however, decent COM
pared with those of the seventeenth Wycherley,
Rochester, and Sedley are Satyrs, compared with
whom Steele, Prior, Smolett, Fielding and Sterne
are Hyperions. Congreve though placed by Mr..
Thackeray among the authors of the eighteenth
tury, really belongs in spirit, and in great part
chronologically, to the seventeenth. He was a
learner in the school of those comic dramatsts who
were the theatre what Charles III. to the court
the panders of obscene mirth and lcentious revery
We apoogists for indecency, whether found in
the seventeenth, eighteenth, nineteenth centuries
and yet it is but fair to remember that much which by
virtue of modern habits and associations has become
traband in the Of genteel society," passed
the least Fighting their proprety In words fash
ions the same rule will hold" Those which seemly
and BETTING the estimation of generation became
offensive and cast to the next. Time, place, and
manners are important elements in ascertaning the
moral complexion Of writer's mind No digntary Of
modern times sure, would address lady King
David once saluted Abigail but the Hebrew monarch
was none the less gentleman for a that The dainty
Addison sometimes employs manner Of speech which
very modest nowadays would read soto before
promiscuous audience. The received version of the
Holy Book contains passages which would shock the
petit mae clergyman of Cowper, much in the way
as other oldfashioned words scandalired the dean
Chandos-
"Who mentioned He'll to polite"
In such cases the fault resides with the modern reader
rather than in what read We do not cove the decac
which acts as an eecrometer for the discovery Of every
thing in Denmark which not sound it might be
The man of such nice nostril, homo emGncte naris,
Horace says in different relation that he snuff thu
slightest faint in the atmosphere cursed than blest
in opinion by such oacory acueness Aprudsh LADY
once congratulated Dr. Johnson the good taste he
shown in eaying all the bad words out of his dicon
ary." 81 am sorry to see you have been hunting fol
them madam, the sury reply Of the grand old NOR
ast Who whatever else he endured from toadies couC
not stand their cant.
ftThe virtue which the world wants, says Mr.. Macau
lay, in noticing a similar objection to publication o
Leigh Hunts is ahealhful virtue not valetudinaral
virtue virtue which expose itself to the risks in
separable from all spirited exertion-not virtue which
keeps out of the air for fear Of Infection
eschews the common food too stimulating. Author
who have exercised influence their times either fol
good evil will be read if for nothing else, because
their historical Importance The strict morality which
would put the works Of Dean Swift Dick Steele" il
the list Of Index Expwgatorus is we think, mic
than wise. Such writers are not admirable for their in
decencies il is true, but in spite Of them. There
much in them that we could wish they had boted; bu
who likes to read an copyrighted edition." say 0
Shakespeare, who better afford it than any other
since tampering with his text can hide the spendor
his genius? 1t is very poor defence, however whic
Dir. Leigh Hunt makes for the coarseness Of Sterne
when he says that perhaps this bemish has turned
good by drawing attention passages which are sup
posed to be connected with that coarseness and
which destined to be Of important service
mankind" If any ones attention is drawn to Sterne-
that "irrecoverabe scoundrel" as his contemporary
Bishop Warburton, pretty truly called him-we fear hi
"profound wisdom and sentimental humor' will do bu
Little good to his student It is in this way nor
such persons that the "soul Of goodness be "cun
ningly distilled" from things evil.
We do not, then, find fault with Mr. Thackeray's sub
jects But think little stronger morality might hav
been educed from them the equal delight and create
edifcaon Of his hearers and now Of his readers. Mr.
Thackeray, as oil his fctions show possesses Abder
genius He laughs at poor proud man with his fobles
foies, and vices With Solomon, he thinks that