Nashville daily patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1855-1857, 1856-03-25
ELECTION OF SENATORS.
Por the Nashville Patriot
Tribute to Genius.

Tribute to Genius.
do not know how i could spend leisure hour
this evening more proftably or pleasantly than in
paying tribute, however far below the mark of
appreciation, to the genius and worth of Mrs. l..
VIRGINIA FRENCH The original matter contrbut
ed from her store of polite learning and taste
for letters ever lend an additional charm to the
qualification and pleasure which the reading of
your journal affords me. Her retirement from the
editorial management of the Southern Lady's Book
at New Orleans, cast mantle of Responding gloom
over her long train of idozing and sdmiring friends
and l. for one, felt as if the bright and beautiful
Venus of the evening had set in starless night,
but it seems she walks with terminated beauty and
refulgence in more temperate zone, having lost
none of the rays reflected from the genial warmth
of more Southern sun. Wherever genius has an
admirer, nature a devotee, or the "Son of Man"
disciple, there is estimating the value of her
works and the glory which they inspire Rollin,
the purest and greatest of French authors, in his
ancient history, remarks that "Poesy, history and
eloquence include whatever is principally meant by
polite learning bellies letters. OF all departments
of literature this has the most charms displays the
most lustre, and is in some sense the most capable
of doing nation honor, by works which are the
finest and most exquisite production of the mind.
Poesy seasons the soidity of her instructions with
attractive graces, and the pleasing images in which
she ndustriOusly conveys them" Experience and
observation have taught me that the individual who
places no estimate upon the beauties of poetry, is
not moved with the melody and soft sounds of her
twin sister, Music, is unnatural, treacherous and
vile; and history, that nation has paved its way
to decline and decay when it ceases to pay homage
to its intelligence and national airs.
1t has often been writ, sung and spoken, that
Homer the only entirely original poet, and
perhaps truthtully, for myself have long since
come to the conclusion that Shakespeare was Greek
scholar, and borrowed some of his most sublime
defamation from the fertile brain of the Grecian
philosophers. To become satisfied of which, any
classical scholar has only to read Addisons Tragedy
of the Younger Cato and Hamets soiloquy, ITO
be or not to be-" &c. am aware that this is a
grave charge TO prefer against man whose fame
belongs to this and all time to come whose origin,
atty is only surpassed by the boundary lines Of the
II
generation unclaimed with the matchless portrait"
ure of theatrical performance, and whose knowledge
of the human heart almost perfection, and like
tn Revelation of st. John, his works afford every
man an opportunity to read his own biography.
1t is conceded point amongst the most approved
critics, Addison and Steele with the rest that Mil
tons fable OF Paradise Lost, the only adequate and
sublime commemoraton of the war in heaven, is
the quintessence Of versimitude to Homer's Hal.
If all this proves anything to the detriment Of these
authors, mankind, it shows, beyond the cavil OF
question: that all the world dates the primal origi
nal of literary excellence to the schools and Acade
mics of Greece, surrounded, as they were, by deep
tinted grottoes, suburban walks, everglades, and
dense Hercynean forests. What unerrng discrimi-
nation Of human excellence our most illustrious
statesman gave evidence Of in portraying to the
notice and sympathy of mankind, this enslaved but
model Republicl No one doubts but that Byron
laid bis Corsair invention in the Archipelago and
who find, where is the who can fnd, the
intensity of human passion so sptly described
exhibited by Conrad? 1t ia in the romantic vicinage
OF this main, that Madame de Stael borrowed from
Italas deep cerulean sky her powers of description
for which she was so eminently distinguished. |
have been led to these reflections Tor the purpose
OF instituting a comparison, or finding some clue
to imitation, but in regard to them and Mrs French,
have been able only to discover occasional ratio
cinations. Her style, for its pure Saxon, bears a
collateral relationship to Byron, but is totally
devoid OF his wild frenzy his misanthropy, his
deep disappointment, and other innumerabe quail
ties, that a comparison would be superAuously re
dculous. To extract the mercury from her descrip
tive powers, she bears no resemblance to Madame
de Stael. In her Legends Of the South" uninten-
tionally, not, she has written out plainly the
biographies OF so many men, that we may place her
cousin german to Shakespeare. Her wind Wits
pers" evidently discover that she has read and sym
pathized with Swift. But the GROWING glory, and
S,an,aum bo,unn Of all her poetry, is her bold ima-
gerry and dashing manner OF Homerc verse. II she
is the junior Of any oil these immortal characters, it
is in years alone
Her defects are want of confidence in and of
aud growth Of her own intellectual powers Walter
Scott had the same defect, and often thought he
would not write and turned his attention TO reading
law aud table talking, aud retiring to deep glens
and laughing at his reflections. Burns, glorious
Burns-I read him whenever take the blues
thought everybody knew more than be did.
"How many gem Of puerst ray
The dark, uufatiOmed caves Of ocean bear;
How many hOaes i born 10 blush seen,
And waste its sweetness on ths Gesert siii
by this difhdenee and retiring modesty. Fox.
Washington correspondent says that the
British Minister has delayed the contemplated