Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-05-11

ing the following essay on Letters with tho
model one accompanying it, from tho inim-
table Bigclow papers.
Am Essay on Letters
BY REV. roNun WiLn,R, WIN A LETTER FROM A
cANntDArs ron THr PRESIDENCY ~ ANSWER TO
sU1uN QUESTIONS PROPOSED BY MR. HOSEA B1GLow.
rCuRIost1Y may be said to be the quality
/ which rrc-cmimcutiy distinguishes and Sc
! rrcratos man from the lower animals As we
! trace the scale of animated nature down.
ward. we find this faculty of the mind (as it
may truly be cailal) diminished in the sl-
wage, and quito extinct in the brute. Tho
/ first object which civilized man proposes to
himself | take to be tho finding out what
socvcr he can concerning hiS neighbours
/ Mini hpnanulu me 0lCRum pjtto | am Gu
rious about even John Smith. The desire
next in strength to this Gan opposite polo in
| deed. of the same magnet) Is that OF commu-
nicatinr intelligence.
Men in general may be divided into tho in
/ quisitivc and the communicative 10 the
/ first class belong Pecping Toms, cavcs-drop-
/ pers, navcl-cyutemplating Brahmins, meta
| physicians, travellers, Empcdoclcsos, spies,
/ the various societies for promoting Rhino-
! thism, Columhusos, Yankees, discovcrcrs, and
men of science who present themselves to the
mind as so many marks OF interrogation wan
/ derinr up and down the world. or sitting in
! studies aud laboratories The second class |
should again suhdyide into four. In the
/ first subdivision would rank those who have
/ an itch to tell us about Themselves AS
keepers of diaries, insignificant persons gene
rally, M1ntaigncs, Horace Walpoes, auto5io-
craphcrs. poets. The second includes those
who re anxious to ifnpart information con-
corning other pepplc,-js hlstorllns, hdrpcrS,
and such. To the third belong those who
. 1,l 20, ,,i, int t.,ll nh
at alias noyciists, political orators. the
large minority Of authors preachers. lcctu-
rcrs and the like. In the fourth come those
who are communicative from motives OF pub
lie hcncyocnCe. AS finders Of mares nests
and bringcrs Of i'll news. Elch of us two
legged fowls without feathers embraces all
/ these subdivisions in himself to a greater or
/ less degree, for none OF u 50 much as lays an
! egg. or incubates chalk one, nut straight
way the whole barn-yard shall know it by
our cacklc or our cluck. OHiHiJuS hoe r3t3Uni
cyt. There are different grades in all these
classes. One will turn his tclcs,op toward
Il backward, another toward Uranus one
will tell YOU that he din1d with smith,
another that he suppcd with Plato. Ia one
particular, all mon may be considered rs be-
longing to the first grand division. inasmuch
as they all seem equally dosirous OF discover
ing the mote in their neighbour eye.
10 one or another Of these species every
human nS''3 may s'l'.l w n,1 '-''''N
cutcd some inquiries into the digestive appa-
ratus OF whales, and that Noah scaled up a
letter ia an empty bottle, that news in re-
gard to him might not be wanting in case OF
the worst They had else been super or sub
ter hun'""' Vo"oJiNe' "Isu' 'u,.' u ~
are ctrtIlu persons "c'" Ioi''i"u1!i. Pr , '''.
Ply 1T ''o NY ny VI '''", ~ SUI
through WHICH, s"'nei vi iI'ri We an Inc
our tAltS' 50 t'e'e aFc uou2'l-sS s"e:t'
n"Gctths anu i'eI''n9 On '"o o''e' ;' 9i'o VI ~
because they nay no Int'ns tt"5
PACK |? t"o Noll" tIo S,I'P' VI ,'" 49,,
nave plcNeu up' lo' tue'9 = az ,,,,
reapy sone"lele 70 oyyIy QUESTION T',e 5r"'
l.N ~ %. "'s" '''. "'.' 7 s'ro t,t
% ",io - W. r !l =, o,.a,,. Goo
/ ~ - ",''''i;7 -' ,,t -. ;sc,rr,,-
-, u .Lnt +Lo
~" ""'I'C ~ " ~ i',' w.
.!lc""S " ~ N''' ''' N' : -!
''y'l " sum u"v' .... .. ;..-. =
- WIS ~ -, w. w.. S;,o ',l,-,,s
''"'i "'',' - ;7 '.''' Io+.y, Ic,rE
l''"1"0' "5' -. i,,,'
I"'' "a'i l'5' ~ "tg Nv IGt .iS
hHoN") "Io - '-'1''' N''i's' 80
I Nv '''''o "".O" 80
/ ig''t4' 'Ie"I' '1,t-'9 'i.'t,'so pi;.,
IIo,'is 'i'.I' '
,G''t'9' -, -. ,.',,I;'II .,i
Ne"'o'' pt -'IGS -. tt'''"'', ~ ~
Jerome include in his list of sacred wri.crs)
letter, from abroad, from sons in college to
their fathers. letters OF marquee and letters
generally, which are in no wise letters of
mark Second, are real letters, such as those
. OF GRAY. Cowpcr Nalpolc. Howell Lamb the
first letters from children (printed in stag
gcring capitals) Letters from New York, let