Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-06-13
Encouragement to smerican Poetic Talent
$500 Premium.

1 aMPhESSED as anu with the controlling In
Il huence which is exercised by the tii.e arts
arts upon the direction and destiny Of human
affairs, it has given me Infinite pleasure to
witness the boantiful manner In which, from
tine to time, painting and sIatuary have been
encouraged and rewarded by the Councils of
the Nation.
But, while this acknowledgment is due to
the discerning and worthy patrons of these
noble, 1t Is an equal source of humiIia Jon and
sorrow to behold the apparent apathy and in
difference with which they seeln TO regard the
incomparably more valuable creations OF
poetry.
To see them adorn the walls of the Capitol
with the glowing revelations of the pencil, and
decorate the public grounds with the costly
chef d>euvrcs of the ehiscl, is an omen OF
good which will be hailed and applauded by
al as a cheering pledge of the progress Of re-
fnement But, whilst they lavish their thou
sands upon those immebile products of canvass
and marble and bronze, they offer no reward
for the more exalted, more enduring and re-
rewned ovations Of the pen No fostering
hand from these high places has ever yet in
vited the Promethean fire OF poetry to animat
the history Of our country, which, with all its
harmony of form and wonder Of proportion,
lies asleep around the humble vault of Mount
Vernon, ready to spring into life and beauty
at the first kindling touch of this genial in
spiration.
It surely were a work Of supererogation to
introduce the proofs that crowd the records Of
the past to show how far above all other stands
the = divine art" Of peesy. What are all the
paintings statues, and regnlia of Versailles.
OF Fontainbleau and the Tuillerics, compared
With the q Marseilles Hymn What the
kinyly paneply of gold and GEMS heaped up
in the Tower Of Len:lon what the collections
bo Ss1 q IN
lowed shrines of Westminster Abbey, when
compared with the songs Of Burns, and Dib-
dem and Campbell? Or what has the world
that we would take ia ex;han &c for g Hail
T5lumba'' and the : SEar-SpangIed Bannero'
Well mi ght the British statesman exclaim
let me but write the ballads of q nation,
and | care not who makes It's laws.
As far as the living. breathing man is above
the cold inscnShte marble That is made to re-
present him; as far as the radiant skies of
summer are above the perishable canvass to
which the painter has transferred their feeble
resemblance. SO far is poetry above all other
arts that have their mission to console and
elevate and inspire the immortal mind Of
man.
In view Of these facts, and considering the
iqmentahle paucity of patriotic songs in my
distinguished and beloved country. and with
the hope of being the humble means of pro-
per public feeling upon this interesting sub
iect, [ have been induced to offer, and do
hereby offer the sum of five handred dollars
as prize for the best National Poem, Ode or
Epic
The rules which will govern the payment
of this SUM. are as follows:
lst. I have selected without consulting
them) the following persons to act as judges
CT arbiters of the prize thus offered namely
The President of the United States.
Hon. A. O. p Nicholson. of Tennessee.
Hon. Chas Sumner, of L S, Senate
Hon. r. NJ. T. Hunter, do
Hon. JAS C. Jones' do
Hon. J. R Chandler, of T. S II. Reps
Hon. Addison White, do do
Hon Thcs II. Bayly, 90 do
Hon u IT Disney. do do
Hon. 7. p. Kennedy. Secretary of the Navy.
D.J. W. C. Evans, of New Jersey.
D. Thes Saunders
Gen. Gc1spR r. 'a,sn, Armstrong, : n
Dr.. G. Bailey,
W. W Sea'on,
Prof Henry, of 'he Smithsonian lnsti 'ution
Wm. Sci lon, late Treasurer of the Z. ).
Rev. c. NJ Butler, Episcopal Church.
Rev r. r. Gurev, Presbyterian Church.
Rev. s s Roszel. NJ. f. Church.
Rev Mr. Donelan. Catholic Church.
81. These gentlemen. or any three of them,
are hereby authorized TO meet at the Smith
zonian Institutute. on the second Monday of
December next, at such heur ~ they may ap-
p9int. AMI there proceed to read and examine
the various noems which NAV have been re-
ceirel, and 10 determine which of them is
ra1.t r,ritorious and deserving of the prize.
All [ hereby bind mvself TO nay the sum
aforementioned forthwith, to whoever they
shall present to me as the nerson who has
written. within The time prescribei. the best
National Patric tic Poem, and unon the renre-
sen.ation that he or she is an American citizen.
81 tll communications must he sent to me
A. Washin,.on most raidl before the first
Mond,v in December mex, with full and
complete conveyance of the copyright to me
and nv heirs and assigns forever.
4th. | hereby bind and obligatc myself 70
sell the poems thus sent to me as soon as prac-
tieabIe. for the highest price. and to give the
proceeds to the poor of the city OF Wash
lnston
9TH. No poem will he considered as subject
TO this prize which shall not have been writ
ten subsequent to this date, and received be-
fore the first Monday in December next
R. W LATHAM.
EASHISGroS FEB 10. 1858. feb. IL
Light Kid Gloves, Black Nett Mitts, &c.
r. a, 20 doz. Bajou's light colored Kid Gloves
!HIl y