Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1855-10-12
LIT K IL Il n .
RTRTH nASl

succiuct enough in all conscience; tits rs short rs q
hunting mass; aud yet il comprises in is three briel
acts the whole drama of life. OF the acting copy ui
that drama, be it understood, there is a great folio cdi'
ton locked UP in Il certain library to which humanity
is denied access; and i'll that volume OF the human
comedy there are p%roloSues and e~pilogues, exits and
entrances, stage directions, and varinruu notes thai
we wist not of; but we, in our limited appreciation,
are confined 10 being spectators of tand, IN our turn,
actors in) the three-act epopGa OF birth, OF marriage,
and Of death. The comedy Is played out with n due
attention to the unities and e~xiGeuces Of scenic effect
and spectacle. There is n grand birthday fcte in the
first act; Il bridal chorus in the second, with maldeIs
clad in white and scattering flowers; then the stage
darkens, and the green curtain goes down upon oil
the dancing and glitter, and there is nothing lett bat
dark uess aud the nislt-watchers.
Birthdays. What a joyous stream ct melody runs
through that gay first act o: the play! The lnstru'
,nents Of the musicians are in excellent tune; the
lamps burn brightly; the scenery and dresses ara new
and glitterinS; the audience ue in capital huInOr,
predisposed to be pleased, proSnosticating nll sorts
OF good things for the piece and its actors. See, here
is the infant Roscius, the Young Gurrick, the Sucking
Sappho. What founders of applause greet these ju.
venlle debutants on the imperial stage! Alack, how
often it must happen that Roscius comes to shame,
and Garrick is "goosed," and Sappho makes n bud
end OF It, pel,ed with orange aud hRlf-pence, before
the end of the third act! But, clap or hiss. the end
mus, come, aud the bell ring, aud The curtain fall.
Birthdays. Are they not one of the three great
lcgacies Inherited equally by all the children of hui
manityl Nokos has his birthday IA well a. the Nor
nul-lcSCSuucu E2Tl. dUu -Nbhcsr w .'lHilii VI bl'S
may keep their birthdays with as much JOY or merry
making, us kings and queens with their salutes OF an
hundred guns and one.
When q man dies, il he be n paupcr, VIC pack him
up in a dea! box, and 'ra:tlc his bones over the
stones to the paupcr burial ground, where we bury
him like so much rubbish 10 hc shot 1t lie be n
prince, we wrap him up in velvet. and gold, and stuh
his poor dead body full of sweet herbs, and make Il
herald brag about his empty titles over his grave
We have nodding plumes, ''rch silk scarves and
mutes,' gilt nails, cherubims' heads, and silver-gilt
plates, for the wealthy or noble 'party;" we have
the hospital dead-house, the parish shell, the contruct
coffin, the manned rites, and the drunken grnve dig
ger, for the poor man; just As i'll France they have the
deep mouthed serpent, the shrll choristers, the D"S
va, the incense, the masterof tho ceremonies with his
silver chain and ebony baton, and all the bricabrac
Of the Ponpes tunedres, for Monsieur; and for plain
Jean or Pierre just Q cro2ue mort or two. q dmgy bier
on wheels, with a driver in rusty boots, and a battered
cocked-hat, a scant service of bad Latin hastily
munbled, aud an a~sperging brush for holy water,
like Z stunted heu:tt-brooIn. But though a man can
Us certainly bring no more into the world than lie
can carry anything out, there is in the first birthday
of royalty little difference between that OF Jack RngS
tho crossing sweeper. There may be u difference in
the locale, aud guns may fire when the child is born;
but that is all. A few masgins crones are grniitled
with the first view of Mrs. Rags first, as my Lord
Chancellor, my Lord Archbishop, and my Lords the
great officers of State are with the hrs, public exhibl.
tion of Prince Prosperous; but there Is the same skill
in the doctor, the same care and attention in the nurse,
the same solicitude and Joy in all woinanklnd that are
about; the same pride III the father, the same and
less chatterinS, hurryipS about, aud ceasclcss potter
inss over ~iireplaces with saucePans containing m!yste'
rious messes, at the birth of the little sweep in the
garnet, ~ OF the little Prince OF the Paluce. Napo-
leon, bursting into the golden ante-chamber of the
Tuileries with that long .dcsldcrntcd nun-child in his
arms, swathed in the purple, and crying out To his
Marshas, and Ministers, and Cardinals, with all the
10y and eXultation of satisfied ambition, and new ma
scent hope, 1T is a king OF Rome" sings but TO the
self.same tune Ms the parish nurse does TO the happy
MIR. RaSS, senior, when, holding n particularly di-
Ininuiive infant in her arms, She informs him that i;
is the finest child ',hat hevcr were seen. They both
mean BABY, aud they are both equal in their birth
Baby BeSsnr is us good rs Baby Busileus. The
cruel is in Il silver cup or n broken buttcr-buat. The
Doctor must be All M.R.C.S, whether he have the
prefix OF Sir, aud the prestige Of Court practice or
not; and the poor mans baby makes M equal item
o. the heir of Il Brown in the tecistrar-(;eicral's re-
turns. Nay, If Mr.. RagS, pee, choose 10 invest three
shillings and sixpence with tho proprletors Of tho
Times Newspaper, he can read at full length in that
Journal such au announcement as sin Hampshire
Hog Lane, the lady of John Ragg, Esquire, Of y
Som" His lady may go TO ST. Giies's ar ST.. James,
and be churched by a live Doctor Of Divinity, nnd
what more can the infaut prince have than u little
larger type III the newspaper, n few more lines, the
smoke and smell of O little gunpowder, and an arch
bishop to compose a form of thanksgiving TO be re
cited, Oh the Sunday following 10 ali parish cllurche,
III England, and the town of Berwick upon Tweed.
But though our first birth days arG all pretty ucar
ly alike, no sooner is Baby short-coated and weanet
s."N 49, ~ I"N 'A ANN oN-N
aud niasqueradings, posture makirgs and hankey
pankey tricks; and the Birthday becomes an institu'
ti'2 70 be kept with great stnte, and splendor, ant
cntousrl by the rich, To be neglected or ignored by
the poor. Little Jack Ragg speedily forsetS all abouI
ms birthday. ii, indeed, anybody ever took the trouble
to iuiorni HIM at the exact date of the anniversary 81
that event: thut young gentleman has sundry impor.
taht preoceupan"i's touching tho provision Of shoes
for bis feet, Il shirt for his back. yjc,uals fur his hrllv
and a bed to lay his head upon; aud he is oftene,
prompted 10 oewai las existence altogether, and that
he never wor Dorm, than TO make enquiries us 10
whe1 his natal day fal's due, and rejoice thereupon
Little black Iopscy never had Il birthday. sbc 'snrcts.
she 'growsd,' Tor aushtshe knows; tie "Specuiator'
who raised her, old muster who mad, Tho d., a. -,
old missis who whipped Dor with a poke ,,,vrr m,,J had
hor Birthday presents-what should she. or Jact
Ragg in England, or Fags the tramp, or Itoht,;i ,Ia
thief, know or care about their birtlunvs, mr.,
have no large Family Bibles with all tin. b;r,,in,s,
Of the family accurately registered ON the ly lcny,, {.
They have 10 Bibles at all. no families. no uny,binp
What should they know Of their own birthdays wle,
they are utterly ignorant of the meaning and purpos,
of the great blessed Birthday-nay, ignorant Of il
very being You shall go down courts and alleys
You shall hold your breath IN the noisome stencil G
common lodgins-houses you shall stir up the breath
ing heaps Of foul rags on which the rays Of the police
mans bnlls-eye fall you shall see the man in latter
and the "woman in unwomanly rags the boy THE
the girl without a name, the whole tribe from the pa
triarch tn the newborn babe in dirt, hunger, miser,
md the Ignorance that slayeth. To talk to these for
lorn beings about their birthdays.
Yet we all have our Birthdays, though of time
disrcgardful of them as of other precious gifts; thcr
may DO no oxen roasted whole, or fireworks let of
or Sir Roger de Coverlcy danced when our natal an
niversarics come round, yet we can be joyful for on
birthdays. and thankful for that mercy, which hu
permitted N to enjoy so manyo Of them.