The daily Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1854-1855, 1855-05-02
Putnam's Monthly for May.

This valuable periodical has been laid upon
our table by Mr.. DAHL AS usual, it is
filledwith interesting and able articles from
the pens Of our most distinguished authors.
Among the prose contributions are the fol-
lowing, "The Last Word of Geology
The Compensation Office" 1.-THE Danes
of Virginia" "The Turks two hundred
Years Ago. "The Count De Cagliostro,' y
"National Academy of Design" I" Birth
place of Mozart" "a Cruise in the Flying
Dutchman," America for Americans" in
which SAM figures conspicuously, &c, &c.
The first two paragraphs of this latter ar
ticle we copy entire, and did our space per
init, we would take pleasure in laying the
whole of it before our readers -
"An individual, masked under the vulgar
name of SAM, furnishes just now good deal
more than half the pabulum wherewith certain
legislators and journalists are fed Whether
he is a mythical or real parsonage Magus
or monkey,--nObody seems to know, but we
are inclined to regard him as real, because OF
his general acceptance among Dalgetty pOliti-
clans, and because of the irresistible mcrriment
his occasional coming down. on something
or other affords the newspapers. We saw a
paunchy old gentleman the other day, with a
face like the sun, only more red and blue and
spOtty, and dismally wheeZy voice, who came
near being carried off with pOnderous apo
plectic chuckle, which seized him when some
body carefully observed that" Sam was pitch
ing into the police and he was only relieved
from the fatal consequences, by series of des-
perate movements, which resembled those of a
seventy-four getting-under-way again after the
sudden stroke of typhoon. Now, if Sam
was not unquestionably a real parsonage, and
aud this old gentleman unquestionably real
disciple Of his, we are at a loss to account for
the reality Of the phenomena thus exhibited.
But whether real or mythical, it has been
impossible for us to raise our admiration OF
Sam to the popular pitch. After due and dill
igent inquiry, we have arrived at only mode
rate estimate of his qualities In fact, consid-
ering the mystery in which he shrouds his ways
we are disposed to believe that he is more Of
Jerry Sneak than hero. The assumption
of secrecy on the part of any one, naturally
starts our suspicious. We cannot see why he
should resort to it, if he harbOrs only Just OF
generous designs. We associate darkness and
night with things that are foul, and we admire
the saying, that twilight even, though favor
lite with lovers, is also favorable to thieves. -
Schemes which shrink from the day, which
skulk behind corners, and wriggle themselve;
into obscure and crooked places are not the
schemes we love at venture. And all the
yelled prophets, we apprehend, are very much
like that one we read of in the palace of Merou
who hid his face, as he pretended to his admir-
ers because its brightness would strike then
dead but in reality because it was of an ugli
ness so monstrous, that no one could look upo1
it and live"
MesSrs. DIX & EDWARDS have become
proprietors of this magazine, having pur
chased it of Mr. PUTNAM. They will con
tinue it's publication on the same terms a
before
For sale at DAMS Bookstore