Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1854-02-09
~ arirtp,
Rev. Mr. Chaplin among the Printers.


AT the Franklin birthday festival of the
printers of New York, Rev. E. H. Chaplin re-
sponded to the sentiment: American Literd-
tire - rfa.I ..fe.~.ef
1t is Sir, said he, suppose very general
conceit that after dinner a large degree of i'm
pudence is expected and allowed. This pre-
sumption however, is based upon the notion
that the orator will be in a condition that he
will not know what he says, and the audience
will not care. [Laughter.l Itrust however,
that this condition does not exist at the pres
ent time, but cannot help feeling that there
is a kind Of impudence in my standing up to
respond to the sentiment just proposed
There are great many who ought to have
been called upon TO speak to this sentiment
because they have already spoken emphatically
spoken by the thought which they have con-
tributed TO the splendid stock Of American lit
erature- spoken BY the genius with which
they have illustrated its characteristics, or by
the practical elements which they have given
to its diffusion. This great enterprise Of
thought and sentiment-this attachment to
American iterature-is vast army running
from the newsboys and trumpeters to the vet
Grams Of the presto those leaders, like Bay
ANT and BANCROFT, upon whose breast the
world has set its stars of the legion of honor
loud cheers.l Each of them, at his post, is
faithful to the interests and jealous Of the hon
or Of American literature, and may point
either. to his laErels, or lift up his. hands,
blackened with toll, and claim to speak, be-
cause he has done something for American
literature. [Cheers.] And this very remark
that have made illustrates the great peculiar
ity Of American observation-disclosures / have
weighed the subject. and will not detain you.
This illustrates the great popularity of Amer
lean literature-its diffusion among the peo-
pie. II runs from the head-springs Of. the
richest wisdom, through tens of thousands of
channels, to every house-carred up into eve
ry story, and brought TO every hand. It is an
intellectual Croton, as long and as broad as
the Continent. 1t finds a reservoir in every
school-house, and hydrant in every printing
office. Loud and enthusiastic cheers. 1t is
a literature not pent up to a class-it is lite
nature that is not sold in costly volumes and
it goes forward with every facility, and in the
cheapest form, into every hand, because it
goes to people who can read, and therefore,
can be trusted. 1t is the literature of live
people, and who want to know what is going
on. If .mahiha good bold thought to utter.
let him utter it. No harm can be done in this
air Of freedom, though what he says be com
posed of camphene or gunpowder. If he has
caught a new planet or seen the sea serpent,
we want to know it. Laughter and applause I
cscimetar, and he sent bowling to the Baltic
Sea, but let us hear it. [Laughter.l BY this
channel of rapid intercourse, not only do we
CRAFTY each others curiosity, but find the
manifestations of worldwide sympathy for
suffering, rejoicing wherever man rejoices, and
suffering wherever he suffers. How rapidly
by this influence were we all plunged together
in one mighty sorrow by the tidings of last
week, when every heart in this city was shat
tered like the SCATTERING timbers of the San
FrdnciSco-when we heard that gallant captain
exclaim Twill stand by YOU, when the
Stars and Stripes and the Cross Of St. George
were lost and blendid together in the light of
universal sympathy--the cry went up God
bless HING from five hundred voices as though
it came through one pair of lips. The uni
versal diffusion of our literature is its great
Characteristic. Itmay have it its evils but il
Is destined for good. Surely it would be very
stupid to set up here to reiterate the old argu-
ment contained in an old question, Who reads
American books! should as soon think of
man asking, when overlooking Lake Erie or
Saratoga, : Where is American valor 4, ar
looking upon the Atlantic, Where i A,oeri.
can commerceP Where is It not TCbeers !
Side by side with cur valor and our con, - roo
our literature will be felt in all times to come
How stupid is that charge brought against nc
that we lack originality. Why in the fret
place, we have our literature as the old coup-
try has theirs. You might as we'll find fault
with man having blond complexion because
his mother or his grandmother had great
nose. want to know if distance could extin-
guish history, or the sea wash out the link of
blood and genius. Their fathers songs were
ours-their familiar words were our house
hold words Our fathers had something great
er to do than create literaturre- they had to
create new form Of nationality-they had to
build up institutions. They found here moth
ing but rough cast and mould of a world
They had to ill it with health, with verdure.
with the growth of libertys and they did it.
View the. immense power Of our literature =
Permit me 70 alludc to that book which, in
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