The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1855-11-07

self seeking were the clergy so they call.
cd Sydney Smith a clergyman. They
made him scholar, humorist--elo-
quent, gay benevolent, and above all,
with mind perfectly free from the
trammels Of sect or party a Christian
philosopher in holy orders. And they
knew how, in this excellent creation, to
unite perfect propriety of conduct, per
feet orthodoxy Of belief with the more
brilliant aud captivating qualities of
their hero. But there are liberties peo-
pie may take with fictitious characters
which they could not venture on with
flesh and blood So they put this
youth, brimful Of energy and goodness,
in n curacy on Salisbury Plain, They
left him with a broken.down cottage and
a hundred a.year population not much
above the Calmucks in intelligence and
potatoes, enriched with little butter
and salt, on the days when the butcher
did not come into the parsh-and they
were many. Yet how did this imaginary
curate bear up2 Like Caractacus at
Rome-liko Marius at Carthage-like IA
great man under u clo1d-wiih dignity
and selfrcspect The wit aud scholar
ate his potatoes in hope and promotion
came lie led a bear, and made him
dance to the genfeclost 2ttunes, and, the
authors 80 on to say, he became tutor to
his squiro's son, and conducted him 20
Edinburgh. very unlikely thing.
should say, to have occurred in reality
for Mr.. Beech could nave sent to Oxford
] ,r { 4 | ar,,il /
tor for his son who would have licked
the plates aud laughed at his patrons
] 'keS, Instead Of pouring back bright wit
of his own. and who would have listened
to his stories, and united the Offices of
to-day and Instructor u strictly cccle.
siastical manner. Bat We pass this over
as an oversight.
The imaginary creation, Sydney
Smith. is thlrty.onc years of age. His
fame is instantly secured lie is the
centre Of II large circle Of the rising tai
cut of the time. He projects the Elin.
burgh Review. lla casts new glory on
the whole Wig party arms it with new
weapons, and places it on higher ground.
The hereditary castle doors begin to
turn on their hinges as the moment of
his admission to the domestic hearth
draws nigh. The doors are thrown open;
marquis, and carl, aud baron receive him
with outs,retched arms, and mouths dis
tened from ear to ear. They almost dis
cover the treasure Of wisdom hidden un
der all that rrodigaity Of fun. He
makes their homes delightful to them
. ., i,., tn a.
ues>es get thawed out of them by that
perpetual sunshine Of heart and brain.
They feel somehow as if they were men
and not images Of departed grandeur
They almost think they could descend to
the arena, aud have manly struggle for
the love Of the people aud the enjoyment
Of power Wherever meauness and dark
ness lurkcl, there was this trcmenJou,
curatc ana Iihuriel spear. Wherever
there was an argument too heavy for
the feeble hand Of Il Supernatural duke.
lie set feathers to it, aud fined it down.
and gave it throw into the cncmy's
camp, which trausiixe1 dozens at timo,
as Munchasen transliXed the ducks upon
his ramrod. All this WIS acknowledged
by these rich and right honorable men
cradled statesmen aud pap.bloated lead
ers Of the nation. And what did they
in substantial acknowledgment lie
must be a myth Does it enter into
the Imagination Of the dullest Of men
that, iu actual life. these dreamy pieces
of state would have left such a man
wholly unrrovided for out of their pri-
vate patronage, and would have reward
ed him. after much ontreaty, with gov
ernment living without house in the
wilds of Yorkshire, with the descriptive
name II Foston.le Clay Le.Clay, in.
deed Not very good French, but very
expressive English.
The faucied Sydney still goes on. lie
establishes himself in the Yorkshire will
derncss. lie builds a house, the ugiest
and most comfortable in England. at
great expense, out of his private pocket;
and sets such nm example Of cheerful
performance of duty and universal good.
will that we forget his wit. aud his liter
ature and his learning, aud see only the
generous man, the useful minister, tie
noble soul. This lasted year upon year
And year upon year whig preferments
must have been falling vacant But
wings have sycophants aud cousins, and
nioccs husbands and Sydney is suppos.
ed still to bo left in Foston lie Clay. 1t
must be a satire, this biography-a bit
ter satire, And the tories scarcely less
satirzed in it than these grateful pre-
cious wings, What If this were not
II merely fanciful picture, do you think
no tory minister, no tory magnate would
have said, " Well. here is a man who. if
he had taken to literature as profess
sion. would have extermiuated Rabelais,
and Swift and Sternc--is he to spend
his life at Foston-e Clayl Where, in
Heavens name rs Foston-le Clay}" Aud
somebody would have brought him n
map, and il he had been secretary for
the home department, he would have
been able to see it was in Yorkshire; and
ho would have said, " Let us show we
can appreciate geuius aud mirth, and
goodness let hun have the best living
in our gift-pnd We will make him "a
dean" "A dean, my lord ?" replies the
confidential private secretary a nephew,
who was plucked at college, aud after
wards run away with another gentleman's