Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-01-23
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.

ANNIVERSARY MEETING OF THE You've
MEN's CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION This ASCOT
alton held its anniversary meeting at the
Smithsonian Institution last evening.
The exercises were opened with PRAYER by
Rev. Mr. Haskell, after which tho retiring
President of the Society, Mr.. o. C. Wight,
proceeded to read his annual report This in
teresting document shows that the pas. wear
hss been one of increased usefulness in the
various departments Of labor in which the
Association has been engaged. Two lectures
have been delivered-One by Mr. B. Cough
which was source of some pecuniary gain
TO the Association, another by the Rev Mr..
Willett, Of Philadelphis. The course Of SER
mons in progress at the time of the last annual
report, was completed, and proved highly sat-
lsfactory. A similar course on the Bible is
now in progress. Rev g d Cummins, Rev
Mr.. Lanahan, and Rev. S. p. Hill have al
ready delivered sermons in this course and
others are to be given by Rev. Messrs. Has
kell, Doggett, REGISTER and E,kard.
The finances of the association are not in so
good a condition as is desirable, though strict
economy has been aimed at in expenditures,
and the Treasurer has labOred indefatigab,y
The hope is expressed that the pecuniary con-
Germs of the society will soon be satisfactorily
arranged.
The library has received an addition Of
some two hundred volumes, making is present
number about seventeen hundred volumes
There has been gratifying increase in the
visits to the rooms Last year there were re-
ported 2,720 recorded visits. The register for
1856 shows 2, 73S; and, as many who frequent
the rooms do not record their names, the
actual number Of visits may be estima ted ct
5000
The mission Sunday school work has been
continued with faithfulness and success, and
clothing has been provided for childen in need
Of it, as we'll as instruction
II, a..
cIatlon IN is Sunday school operations to seek
as fields Of labor the destitute and unpro-
vided-for portions Of the city, and TO with
draw from those fields and seek for others as
fast as the ground is occupied By any evan
gelical church, school NJ 3, formerly held on
18th street, Island, has been removed to Ca
Tusis Saloon. School No l. on street; will
soon be changed 20 some other locality
The committee for visiting the Asylum have
continued their lab oTs, and though their plans
have not all been carried out muck good is
believed to have been accomplished ABible
Glass has been formed under the instruction
Of Nj ThOs. Walters, the exercises If
which are attractive and useful!
The membership Of the Association cannot
be precisely stated, as the revision Of the list
recently undertaken has not ye, been accOn.
plished
The third annual convention Of the Christian
Associations Ct the United States and British
Association was represented by Messrs Lang
don, Rhees, Wood, Easily, Brady, Force.
Vance, Southwark, Grubb and Lindsey Mr.
Knees was made principal Secretary Of the
Convention, and memoer for this Distric; of
the Central Committee. Mr. Langdou was an.
pointed with two others delegates TO the Chris.
tan Associations Of Europe, where he has re-
Gently gone.
Upon concluding his report, Mr. Wight in.
troduced bis successor TO tho Presidency of the
Association, Mr.. VIM j. Rhees who followed
In few remarks expressive of his sense of the
honor conferred upon him, and of the respon-
sIoilities involved, and then introduced to the
audience Rev. John McCabe, Of Baltimore.
mr.. MoCabe announced the subject Of his
lecture to be Genius-its misfortupes and
Inhrmities Without going into n critical
dlsqulsltlOn upon the natureOf genius Il might
De defined in general terms az the highest at
tribute and point Of mental po6er. Touching
briefly upon the characteristics of art and
taste as relating to genius, the speaker en-
tered upon the more immediate subject Of his
lecture That many errors accompany the
career OF men OF genius was admitted, and il
was doubtless wisely arranged thus TO afford
check TO the pride Of human intellect The
lives OF men of genius thus marked were
passed IN reviewed. Chatterton, that marvel
Gus boy, possessing all the elements and attri
butes OF true genius, an infidel at sixteen and
suicide at eighteen: of that nobleman of
nature, Robert Burns, with = muse bold and
vigorous as his native streams, and beautiful
as the hOWeTs OF his native mountains vet
with faults too glaring to be denied, and who
was doomed, through neglect, TO end a life glo-
rifed with conscious genius, in uuarreIipg with
smugglers and gauging liquor barrels; Of
Cowper. tender, iEnocent AMI confding with
VII and humor az will, yet the victim for years
OF the saddest InelanchOly-a species of reli.
glous insanity and whose d ying moments were
em0ittered ny dread Of eternal punishment;
Of Byron. son Of proHigate father, of an i'll
tempered mother, who was crossed in his first
love, and whose first literary effort was bitterly
aSsalied BY the critics, and who, unhappy in
marriage, chafed and goaded in spirit fled from
home and country, and with health nd genius
impaired by excuses, died among STRANGERS;
OF Shelley, that sristOcrat By birth and vet
hrm believer in the nobility of man, tha.
angel touched by luuscy, who lived in q storm
of his own creation and persisted in a storm
raised by his God of that strange and won
derful man Of our own times, mighty in his
weakness and weak IL S might, that modem
Prometheus chained TO the rCck OF his malay
that chIld Of sorrow and song, Edgar A. Poe
or these names, linked as they are with fraiI-
ties and fOlles, Poe seemed 20 combine the in
frmities Of all the rest Misfortune seemed
to mark him from the cradle TO the grave
lie never knew a mothers love Like the
Wandering Jew, his p.rit was continu ally cry
Ing Tor surceaSe Ct sJTTOw. lie has gone to
MS grave bu. too recently to have his place
assigned bin, but his " Raven" had he
written nothing else, would watt him on its
wings aero the gull Of Oblivion II was sad
hour for Edgar A Poe when he selected a
GrisHo!d for b;ographer. This work, in its
revengeful spirit, was contrasted by the lee
tnrer with the generous tribute paid to poor
Poe by his benefactress, Frances ). Osgood
nov gone down to the grave.
The lecturer claimed that we should treat
tenderly the infrmities Of such men. How
Inherent might their fate and career have
been under more favorable circumstances
We should take into consideration the morbid
condition Of literary men brought on by ex-
ce'siye aPplicstion-Of sinking spirits suggest
ing stlmulants, bringing their train Of evils.
The moral urged by tie lecturer in conclu-
SION was that, Eirtue-mOral worth-not &C.
Mus Is the true lmmortalizer. We must ad-
miTe Genius, We must love, almost adore the
BerefsctOr. Genius is the panonl;ad ,iort :