The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-01-03
RICHMOND, VA:
Monday Moi ning January 3, 1883
VIRGINIA

promised TO review it, Upon reading it Sc
cond time, however, we concluded that II was
TOO far beneath criticism TO justify so great
consumption of ink and type. Malicious
enough, il Is in all conscience but lis stupIdi-
~ il a perfect antidote 10 its malice. Ignorant
enough the writer is, most certainly, Tor he
rells US about large tobacco crops on farm
which was settled as long ago as the days OF
Sir William Berkely that is TO say, (slnce
Bacon fought his great battle with the Indians
al the Bloody Run Spring, about mile from
where We are writing,l down about jamestown
or below that point. Harmless, il is, for such
men and women as he describes, we do not
believe ever existed on earth at least, we are
certain they never did in Virginia.
We are very unfortunate, in Virginia, IN so
far as we can do nothing to please our super1
ors, the men and women OF the Northern
States. They ought to have mercy on US,
since our advantages are not go great as
theirs, and judge US according to our opportu-
tiles. We do not pretend to compete with
such wonderful people as they are; all we
can humbiy ask is that we may have small
portion of that grace. which they accord so
freely to other benighted people like ourselves
such as the inhabitants Of Timbuctoo, or OF
the Fejee Islands. 1t is true that we have
given the country Washington and a Mar
shall-it is true that we have furnished the
Union with six Presidents out OF tent ID
true that the leading generals OF the late war
tScott and Taylor were natives OF Virginia
il true that some of the greatest orators the
world has ever seen, have first opened their
eyes upon it, in the State Of Virginia. But
should the ignorant and prejudiced infer from
these, that the race which gave birth to these
men cannot be altogether beneath the general
level of intelligence, let them remember that
,bey have the opinions fthe Yankees against
them.
In Virginia even, howeyer-dull, stupid Viz
ginia-eyen in the country, (where Washing
ton and Marshall were born, by the bye,) the
aulhorI has detected a poet. "N'importe 5"
Plutarch was born in Beotia, why should not
Eastwood flor that is the name Of the genius)
be born in Virginia. Here is one of his poeti-
cal fights in conversation. Il has the advan-
tage of being original. Neithep Milton, nor
Shakespeare, nor Pope, nor Byron, not Moore,
nor any other poet, English or foreign, ancient
or modern, we venture to say, ever perpera-
ted anything like ii. To find anything like it,
we must consult the rhyme of Pop Emmons,
or Cornelius Matthews, and the prose of Geo.
Lippard.
Long, long ago." commenced Eastwood,
with q low intense voice, and u gllttering vi
bratory eye, when first my heart shook off its
swaddling clothes, | was foolish enough to
dream was poet looked around me up,
on the heavens any the earth, and 10 the old
familiar hills shone with a newer fire, and the
suns track deepened and CLEANED, aud the ar
rowy beams vibraied intensely, there was
u feTvor and low come over creation and
still dreamed-oh, foolish dream that |
was poet"
'Did you 7" CALCULATED the lady in pink.
81 dreamed" continued Eastwood, his face
lighting up, shat saw with no common eye,
and that felt with dee1er and a stronge.
power was not all clay, nor like this one,
and that one, whose eye had none OF the soul
light of mine. Oh, this blessed, intense, quiz
vering, blissful dream! Sweeping DER The
waking heart strings, and bringing music from
the Vastly deep; and there was music, gushing,
swelling chords, and aerial bounding notes,
floating DER this blessed, mournful Dream
Then budding thought was bursting, and la
lent powers were awaking, and hidden feelings
were revealing and Rugged TO my heart, |
and guarded from the dull, unsympathizing
world, my great and wondrous gilt from God. |
/ tramped on, and on, jostling the souIless, and
pushing on, that might lay my gift upon the |
altar. | felt neither hunger nor thirst. The |
body was fetler | despised, OBTAINING me |
from my great end. | longed to throw it aside |
as unceremoniously as | would my overcoat |
upon summers day, Miss Blan,on, and press |
on. Herculean fellows, who nungered, and |
slept, and mnstered to their bodies like slaves, |
pushed me aside. Ladies OF great mental bal, |
ance and bodily strength looked at my frantic |
Efforts with sneer, and passed proudly on |
heralded by Fame. Poets, with eyes glowing |
with frenzy own fire, knew il al glance
followed in their wake. Fame was up at auc- |
non, they said, and they crowded on. Still |
dreaming, went on, toiing after knew not
what, hoping for more than this poor world
can give. Dreaming, yet dreaming, still on |
went, and this fierce race ended i'll the maddest
brain fever that ever poet had. l awoke from
this ecstatc trance, to find myself nearly
scalPed by the Doctors, from which judcious
treatment you will perceive that my poetic
locks have not yet entirely recovered. l was
food for leeches, and the peculiar delight OF
seari6cators, for more than three weeks
w letner the lecCueS Wcbt Oh CAuUC
rant poetry, or il was taken OH with nay scalp
l am not prepared TO say"
After this, will any one deny that the re-
Spouse of grandmamma Rushton how fortu-
nate il was young man that the doctors inter-
tered before you made a Rinny of yourself"
was altogether superfuous, nature having been
before hand with himl
Ii seems, however, that the women, at any
rate, believed him to be something extra. Lis.
ten
That he was pervaded by poetic something,
nobody could doubt. That he was lifted above
his fellows, was beyond question. That he
had rare powers, glorious powers, every lady
OF refinement and cultivation, of his acquaint-
ance was ready TO admit. But, in the ordina-
~ business OF life-in buying and selling
making money, AMI the most OF ones talents,
our brilliant Eastwood was hopelessly infe-
rior. He could assume, at a moments warn
ing, any character under the sun. Sometimes,
for whole weeks, he was the man OF business,
going about with brisk manner, closely but.
toned coat, and knit brows. During these
business attacks, he would shoot ahead of the
old stagers, throw food of light upon mat
iers before shrouded in darkness, give quite a
new turn to the old way of doing things. and
after ,rumphantly proving himself eminently
worthy of the counting room or The desk, and