The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-11-06


army, for instance, of loo, 900 Russians or Aus
TRANS. 1t was, in effect, proposition for en-
camping a whole horde Of Cossacks or Croats in
Hyde Park, and for protecting the free and un-
BIASED deliberations of that House by an army
of Germans and Russians"
| We thus see that the argument for non-inter-
vention is substantially the same, whether it
comes from the upholders of Oppression or the
advocates of Freedom, whether it is found in
the columns of the Austrian Gazette or in the
eloquent illusions of the genius of Macintosh.
WHAT THE CIVILIZED WORLD SAYS OF US.
From the London Times of October IL
There is classical authority for talking of
"divine rage" and certainly the epithet is
more complimentary than "diabolical,n or
satanic" though, perhaps, when accurately
analysed, it would be found to have not very far
from the same meaning. Every phase of hu:
man nature which was a departure from the
strict control of reason, partook, in classical
theology, as it does now in Oriental, of the ma:
ture of inspiration. Man is the rational beino.
so called when he comes out of the rational
phase, he may be either more or less than man
but he is not man he is either a god or
oO'A, anu ln6cCurato minus are not 0Xactly
able to say which. That was the "divine
rage" then, of Homer, who probably had a
little of both meanings in his head when he
used the word. Passion may be a good or bad
inspiration. but it is an inspiration. How diff
| ferent, then, we are to observe next are the
forms of this condition of divinity or insn;ra
toni There is nothing in which people differ
more than in their ways of being angry. From.
Its first entrance into the world to the present
hour, rage has been Protean, assuming all
forms and expressions. The rage of the Titans
and Centsurs, which produced furious fling.
ing of mountains and flashing of tails, was diff
ferent from the rage of an English gentleman
in the moment of being cheated by cabman,
or being too late for the train, though both ex-
hibit that vehemence of emotion which ia in
poetical language divine. Classical rage diff
fers from Oriental-Orientsl differs from Eu-
ropean. The old Norseman had his Beresark
rage; what this was we do not exactly know !:
1t has become extinct, like the Greek fire we
can only conjecture that it was no Joke, for it
was the sort of rage which made a man 90
into battle stripped to his sark, or shirt under
Northern sky, and come out scatheless.
whether from frost or foe. A fight in the Val
halla, when the Scandinavian divinities and
heroes had had glass too much, must have
been very terrific, and very different from an
Irish shillelagh row. Dante represents Nimrod
In the Inferno, mounting horribly and unin-
telligibly in Nimrod language. A German has
different way of being in a passion from a
trenchman, Frenchmsn from Spanard,
Spaniard from an Englishman. Their angers
are characteristics of the different people, like
their forms of salutation. There are as many
different kinds of rage as there are of wine.
The vintages 1t no two years are exactly alike
The tastes OF beer are infinite. The rage of
the Hydra, tn, rage of Achilles, the RACES of
Aerxes and A exander the Great, the RACES of
an Assyrian Enperor, Roman Emperor,
Goth, Spanish Inquisitor, Norman Baron,
Puritan huning Cavalier, Fl ench Revo-
lutionist, are different exhibitions, and different
forms OF one great emotion.
Ii any one wishes to know what the rage of
Southern slave-owner is, he must read letter
in our columns to-day. 1t is, indeed, picture.
The wars of Ttans and Centaurs, of Goths.
Vandals, Tartars, Turks, have produced their
striking and appalling forms of the inspiration
of rage; but we should be surprised if, taking
all the features of the exhibition, any of them
much surpassed the form portrayed in that let
ter. Here Is indeed . specimen of humanity
under this questionable kind of inspiration.
Look at at; see if the Southernor of Kansas is
not model for Front de Bueuf in Ivanhoe. or
any picture of giant with his bearskin and club.
1t is the modern form of this picture. Every
feature is modern, indeed, and we have to trans.
late all along as we go through the details, bnt
we see the same fundamental exhibition. To
call it horrible, or revolving, or disgusting, or
any other such epithets, would feebly describe
1t, because you see that there is a Wilderness
about 1T, which can only be given in some gen-
eral word which has not yet been discovered
there is such grotesque mixture of savage
and low features, of the wild man and the gin.
drinker, the desperate BLACKBOARD, bravo high
wsyman, backleg, and Thug all mingled to.
gether, in chaotic confusion. Pindar gives the
language of gods, and Dante the language of
demons; but what language is it that we have
here, which is neither the language of gods,
nor demons, nor men, but the slang of the Yam.
kee slave-driver? What horrible grim Ian
guage-f language it may be called-has
gathered round his revolver; how he hugs his
favorite weapon, addresses it with appalling
endearment, personi6es it, idolizes, and treats
it as his convenient pocketgod, who always
does what he is asked to do "This here tool
OF mine, it is not the first time that it has see n
bue-belly. The sword, the lance and spear
the bow and arrow of ancient warfare, have ali
been the centres of poetical phraseology the
praises OF the romantic weapons have been
celebrated in their day; it is now the revolver's
turn, and it is the centre of poetical diction
of its own, such as Homer or Ossan never
dreamt Of
The grim playfulnsss the irony of blood
the innuendo which is expressive by not express,
ing; all that species of language which obtains
ITS force by stopping short, and leaving horri-
BILE untitled void, which the imagination fills
with shattered, brainless sku-this is the forte
and accomplishment of the Southern revolver
user. But he is at the same time able to mix sub
stance with shadow, and plain words with dark
hints, as the image of the hated Northerner
crosses his mind. GIN the man to put chunk
OF lead into his wooly head, right off-that's
what I'll do. l reckon 1 can raise the top off
the head of ara one of you with this ere tool
I'm mighty ceurious customer, am. No
Northern nigger-stealers here! I'll fix 'em up
mighty smart, / will. I'm bound to bring down
some one before I've done" The "red flannel
shirt /" the Immense boots worn outside the
trousers; the STAGES unwashed, unshaven, and
still reeking with the dust and smoke and blood |
OF Lawrence" the savage looks, horrible i'm |
precautions, and blasphemies the "rifies, cut |
lasses, and bowie Knives" besides, the revolver;
the cards strewn along the pavement-relics of
the nights gambling; the rush to the bar; the |
more furious because they were already, most |
Of them, "maddened with whisky" together
with the calls to the hsr-man-"Step up and |
hquor-you, sir--a heap finer, this stuff, than
that rotgut ashore; the excitement of the "news.
paper slips this composes picture, the |
exact like of which the world never saw before. |
1t Is new combination in the moral world, (if we
may allow so singularly inappropriste a term |