Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1853-04-15


Hon. MIKE WALSH ne,o uiev of Him.
The following article which appears in the
"hn1ckerbocker," IS calculated very materially
to vary the popular estimate of one of the new
members of Congress from New York-the
Honorable and famous Mike Walsh, of "subter
ranean" memory. Although rowdy, Mike, il
seems, is also scholar. To be both "a scholar
and gentleman" is probably as difficult an
| achievement E31'as it ever was:
among the new representatives of the peo
pie who will enter the House for the first time
at the next term of our National Congress, will
be Hon. Michael Walsh, of this city. Some
idea of his impressive manner may be gathered
from the following passage taken from an i'm
promptu speech delivered some ten years ago
at Tammany Hall. 1t is an illustration of the
speakers argument for down trodden man, who
lacks not the merit but the opportunity to rise:
when man is placed in a false position,the
very trait of his character that would be virtu-
Gus IN a true one, are looked upon as faults, or
denounced as vices, by those who attempt to
form an estimate of his character without pos
sessing instruments to take the altitude of his
mind. When the temple of Minerva was fin
lShed, at Athens, two rival sculptors of that CT
ty were employed to decorate its summit with a
statue of the goddess. Each labored in secret,
and followed the conceptions of his own mind,
with view to the production of terpiece
of art. On the day that the merits of the Sta
tues were to be decided upon, and the hour for
so doing had arrived a few of the selfeonstitu-
ted Judges gathered in 'front.' while thousands
remained behind, who could see nothing Those
in front passed judgment upon the production,
like the leaders of our party; and the thousands
who could see nothing, hurrahed and responded
to the decision. One statue was of the size of
llte-hnely sculptured and of most exquisite
Workmanship; the features beautifully chIselled
until life seemed starting from the marble The
other was of colossal size with huge and appar-
emily unshapely limbs, and features that looked
to the immediate observer more like unmeaning
protuberances than anything else When the
judges gave a decision in favor of the small but
beautiful statue, it was gradually raised amid
the shouts of the multitude, and became dim
mer and fainter as it receded from their views;
and when it finally reached the pedestal, it re-
sembled nothing human or divine, but seemed
to have dwindled to a mere point. The ap-
plause gave way to murmurs and disapproba-
ton, and it was then lowered, to make room for
its rejected rival which was very reluctantly
hoisted in its stead. AS it receded from the
earth, its deformities lessened, and gave way to
an appearance OF symmetry and beauty which
increased with its distance from the earth and
when it finally reached the pinnacle from which
the sculptor, from his knowledge of perspective
and proportion, designed it should be viewed,
then it looked as if the divinity herself, so beau
tiful was its aspect, had descended to receive
the homage or her worshippers. So is it with
men. God Almighty moulded the characters of
men according to the station which he intended
they should ultimately fill; and when man is
placed by circumstances in position lower
than that in which he was created to move, his
virtues become vices in the eyes of those whose
vision is too short to view him as a whole, and
therefore, reject him as unfit for elevation
ave know not how this may strike others,
but to our sense it is one of the most beautiful
and truly classical SMILES we ever encountered,
expressed in language of the utmost purity and
simplicity"