Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1855-01-05

FOR tho America


ON you, ochcffng tnass from the num-
Der Of spicy correspondents you have,
the space which my letters occupy
might be much better filed, This
morning have taken notion to
write once more, although do not
know what shall write about. Per-
haps my letter viii be as my old friend
parson T.. used to say of some Of his
sermons. ''like tin-pedlar's box
There Is no knowing what II may come
to before am done
sspcrhaps 10 may turn out song,
Perhaps tufn cat . sormon.'
To confess the honest truth, Mr..
Editor. | have very little on hand just
now in the shape Of items, notwith-
standing It is my happy lot to live in
the most important part of the great
State Of Indiana, and in a city which
is soon to eclipse all the other cities Of
Hoosierdom. Knight, II is true, give
you chapter on our prosperity and
prospects. l might tell you Of our
Railroad interests, our coal mining
: operations, Of our prospective SALT
works. ship-building ETC., but all these
are generally known. and l need not
occupy time and space. In treating Of
them. In the absence Of items Of in
terest, l have been tempted to moral
izs little. Then it occurred to me,
that ! would have II all to myself, ex-
cept what the poor printer would have
to do; and should be afraid he
would bless me (oyer. the left) all the
time he might be doing the work. So
then here goes for whatever comes up
permost.
/ see that one Of your correspon-
dents chides you greatly for not en-
couraging the poets. Now Mr.. Edi-
tor have bit of experience on that
subject which was brought painfully
to remembrance by that hint, and |
am inclined to give you the benefit of
II. was once honored with the task
Of examining and judging of the mer-
its ofcertain poetic illusions, by an OBJ
scare child of genius-con6dence sad
ly misplaced, 1t must be confessed
But had yielded to the absurd no
tion that poets are the next thing to
tools, and hence was unwilling to weigh
the merits Of the above mentioned
productions, or to give to the author
the encouragement they entitled him
10. 1 should have rememered that
"a pesm's Iifo and death depend eth stlll
Not on ths poets wit; but the readers will"
and being the first reader ought to
have been willing to aid in sending
them forth to the world instead Of con-
signing them at once to oblivion. In
those days l rather thought that
.of those few fools who with all stars eurst,
Yes and l was hard-hearted enough
to think they Jared hard justly too.
Well with these feelings rather dis
couraged my poet and have perhaps
been the means Of keeping him from
the public gaze, and his productions
from taking their. place along side of
those Of Byron and Keats, and Tai
fourd, and Longfellow, with all the
rest. ! didn't even retain copy of
any one Of them, and my memory on
ly retains one stanza Of one of the po-
ems submitted to my Inspection
This one was on the Mexican war, and
you viii be able to Judge of how much
is lost TO literature whenlI give you
that one stanza. Here it is,
40 Jimmy Polk, what have you done,
In causing so much blood 70 run,
OF women, children and man kind,
To satisfy your wicked mind"
Now sir, taking that as specimen,
what do you think Of the loss TO the
world in the suppression of all the poet
had written I? And how must feel,
now that I have lgrOwn older and
learned more, when / remember my
agency in the matter. Take warning
my dear sir, by my experience, and by
all means encourage the poets.
Yesterday was Christmas day, and
Notwithstanding it was a damp. cheer
less looking day, it was rendered quite
lively by the many happy spirits in our
city who seemed determined to enjoy
IL. The boys especially, seemed bent
on keeping a racket, if nothing else
Every little urchin that could raise a
dime was armed with fire crackers;
and such an incessant cracking as they
kept up was enough to give all the
town the headache. Many a.person
passing the streets was made to jump
by an explosion. about his heels, and
horses had TO be held with a tight
rein, 10 keep them from running away
But il was no use to say word
"Young America" was enjoying one
Of his inalienable rights. Hurrah fol
"Young Ameica." admire the spir.
It Of the boy who said he would pick
his own nose on the Fourth Of July
and that he would pick thunder ont o