The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-08-06
nRlulN OF uREAr MEN.

ORIGIN OF URfAT MEN.
Some of the greatest men the worll has
ever produced, either in ancient or modern
times, were Of humble and obscure origin.
Columbus, the discovcrcr of America was
tho son of II weaver, and weaver himself
Homer, the great Greek poet, and tho
prince of ancient poets, was bcyrar
Demostllcncs, tho great Grecian orator, was
tho son of Il cutler. Oliver Cromwell was
tho son of brewer. Benjamin Franklin
was n Journeyman printer. Ferguson. tho
Scotch astronomer, was shepherd. Ed
mund HALEY, an eminent English astrono-
mer, was tho son of soap-boilcr, at
Shorcditch. uogartli, the celebrated Eng
glisli painter, was put apprentice to an
cngravcr OF pewter pots. Virgil, tho great
Latin poet, was the son of potter; and
Horace, Of a shopkccpcr. Shakespcar, the
greatest OF English Dramatic poets, WAS the
son wool staplcr; and Milton, the greatest
Of epic poets, was the son of a money
scrivencr. Popc was the son Of a merchant
and DIR. Samuel johnson, of a books.Il,r
ut Litchiield. Akcnsidc, the author of that
clcgent poem, the Pleasures ofthe Imaci-
nation," was the son Of Il butcher, ut New
castle. Robert burns was a plowman Of
Ayrshire, Scotland Gray, the English poet,
the son Of money scrivencr; and Henry
* rkc White, of butcher at NOTTINGHAM
England. Bloomfield and Clifford were
shoc-makers; and Addison, Goldsmith. o.
way, and Canning, were SONS Of clcrcylncn.
The present Lord Lyndhurst, the Lord
Chief Justice of England, was the son of
the painter Copley, and IN American by
birth. This list could be doubled, but it is
unnecessary. These examples show that
tlcrc is no state or condition of life, how
ever, humble or obscure, from which talents
and genius may not rise by individual cx-
crtion to cmincnco and distinction. l'ar-
ticular!y is this the case in our own country.
where there is no nobility, and no privileges
conferred by birth, and where the road to
the highest Offices and The proujcst dlstinc-
ton is alike open to all.
-
Gen. lP"shington at Nc,rburyport-
repetition of Edward Eycrctt's address on
Washington, at Newburyport, Mass., on
Monday evening, recalls TO the Herald Of
that place, some interesting incidents con-
ncctcd with the visit of the 1oatcy 1,atri~ to
that city sixty-cight years ago next Octo-
Der. lie wcrt from Ipswich escorted by
the military, and n great number of public
officers and private gentlemen. Upon his
arrival at the boundary of the town, ho was
received by the militia Of the town, and
the artillery, who fired salute Of l3 guns;
and in the midst Of the firing the music
struck up, and a company of young men
placed themselves before him and sang.
Washington was SO affected by this unex-
pectcd and interesting mode of welcome,
that hc was moved to tears. lie passed
the different classes Of people, and the pro-
ccssion terminated with 42O scholars, all
with quills in their lands, headed by their
preccptors having for motto-"Wc arc
the free born subjects of tho United
States" lie was greeted by an address
written by John Quincy Adams, who was
then law student with Judge Parsons, to
which Washington replied. Tho day of
reception closed with brilliant display of
fireworks, and other demonstrations of the
peoples Joy. Tho next day tho First
President started for Portsmouth, under tho
samc escort to the New Hampshire line,
with which he was ushrei into town.
There are some of our oldest citizens, says
the Herald, who remember much of Wash
ington's visits.
Tile EIvc Points.-Tho following para
graph from the New York Express gives
an idea Of the fearful accretion of vice and
squalor in the field Of labor occupied by the.
Five Points Mission:
.I.--a'-~astnrg to his duties recently, Mr..
Tease found dying woman in a foul apart
ment in Cow Bay, occupied also by eight
other women and one man, alfdrunkcn and
deutschland Infamous in the last extreme.
In the upper end of the same peslilent court
or close were found, in fifteen rooms, twcn..
ty-threo families, making m aggregate of
one hundred and seventy-nine persons. or