The Washington union., 1857-10-01
For lhe linton.
a#.r#H for the Union.
MR. GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS'S RECENT AD-
DRESS ON PATRIOTISM.

Some three or four years since Mr. George William
Curtis amused the readers Of light literature with some
clever sketches of New York society in the manner OF
Thackeray first published in Putnams Monthly, and
then collected into little book under the tite OF the
saPotiphar Papers" Mr.. Curtis had previously 70 TINS
appeared before the public with his ''Heragi " Sysa
dreamy book of travel not altogether without merit OF
certain kind though wanting substance, and like the
sound of bells weaying the ear with It's monotonous
music Subsequently TO this he printed his "Lotos Eat
iug a .,Sum1aa Book " why called we could never
guess unless its merits opiate regarded pc
culary in keeping with the sleepness of the dog days
We always regarded the dollar paid Tor as so much
lost capital and all neighboB who bought it slept
over its pages and sorrowed for their cash just as we
did The latest of Mr.. Curtiss literary efforts Is little
book of sketches entitled "Prue and !" which are very
good in their way and much better in every respect than
anything the Summer Book contained ms, we con-
fess Il rather small praise.
With all their faults however, these early efforts OF
Mr. Curtis gave generous promise OF an honorable career
in the world Of letters Their faults OF imitation were
faults common to young authors, and likely TO be out
grown and left behind in the course of years Their
merits lay in scholarly choice of words, in certain
musical adaptation of the sound to the sense, and
charming continuation of the music when the sense fell
short; with here and there passage OF clear manly,
vigorous writing which hopes OF Mr. O. future
chiefly hung But it the sad misfortune of this young
man to become connected with Putnams Monthly GER
tain little company of Yankee scholars poets, and college
professors conceived the idea of ruling America through
the columns of that magazine. They assembled to 80
large conception of their power and OF the plastic
softnes of the American public that they anced that
theories of society elaborated In college Closets and
smelling all over OF the lamp could be made to supplant
the organized wisdom of the sages who framed our const
tuition Instead of confinng themselves to province
which, by virtue of their scholarly strength, they might
have swayed ords they cept into fields of discussion
where their poverty Of practical wisdom made them rank
as beggars.
The magazine which it boldly avowed at the start
was to bo the exponent of the American power of thought
and speech became the organ of political clique
OF clique small in numbers small in influence, wanting
patriotism hungering for power Everybody remembers
The wreched essays which these atcers OF folly ham
,nerad out month after month have not forgotten
their hppant attack upon oT new President when Mr.
Pierce came power in which they grayey rcproached
him. in making his foreign appointments, with having
passed young men Of the old families "A charge
In country recognising such thing as an old family,
arrogant and supercilious beyond tolerance.
1t is needless to say that the sentiment which united
these philosophers with hooks of steel was an intense
hatred to the institution of slaveryto the master to
the States which sanctioned it, to the national govern
ent which recognised the right of the master to reclaim
his fugitive In all possible dsguises and often openly
they gave their views upon this darling topic Their
aim evidently was broaden the boundaries OF the ab0
tion nartvto inspire in the northern mind hatred to
everything southern and 30 to namo the sentiment OF
the northern representation in Congress that battle might
come of it, and then disunion We don't think that since
printing invented there was ever sch eapoate loy
uarnered into written essays and given into type
When Mr.. Fremont nominated for the presidency,
the poc millennium seemed to these philosophers very
N
were going yield sunbeams without any further delay
They anced that the American mind through the agency
of their essays had been egenerated and redeemed and
as they watched the waning Of their subscription list they
cheered themselves with the thought that the treasury
would soon rain its dollars into their drouthy pockets
No men ever abored they ddn speaking in writing
through the columns of the Tribune from the rostrum of
the Meodeon aided by the wachngs and hastings and
ravers of three thousand clerical allies to sancty the
bribery and aIsehood of their outdoor labor the country
trebied to its centre with their traitorous thunder
At this crisis Mr. George William Curtis, whether Of
his own good Judgment by the persuasion OF his broth
or we have not learned conceived the idea that he
was called to be statesman and forsakng his pen and
leaving s.Nrs Potiphar and the "opad to look after
themselves mounted the stump and became an apostle
of the new doctrine He spoke at New York he spoke
at Philadelphia he spoke, indeed, wherever they would
let him speak We remember seeing his name upon an
enormous poster in gigantic capitals preixed with the
adjectives distinguished, eloquent brilliant, &C,
with an unlimited accompaniment of notes of admiration
Now and then s'the Tribune gave the public synopsis
of the 4HopaqTs arguments fattering the young man
basey and describing his audiences as Intelligent,
s.brillant' &c. when everybody knew that they were
gathered up from the outskirts of the metropolis and
composed, chiefly, OF 'lewd fellows OF the baser
sort"
As might have been expected, Mr.. Curtis or rather
the people went to hear him. discovered that the
talents which fit to write 'summer- books, or
watering place sketches, do not necessarily involve
genius for government, power OF eloquence, OF the
strength of popular leader. Nevertheless must do
Curtis the Justice to own that his theories whatever else
they wanted had at least the merit of novelty We re-
member one address of his entitled The american Scholar,
delivered before college other in which he grave
ly laid down the proposition that the material prosperity
of nation was with the growth of poetry of he
roism Of the finer feelings of the sou-that Holland
lacked poets because abounded in fat farms and full
barnsthat America fastening To the same ruinous
condition. and that consequently until the national ell
bows were out must wait in vain for Homer, or the
heroes to give majesty to iad We don pretend to
say what the sentiment of neighbors may be but
l>I,,,I -. ,l,eax .tso1tt
for the reign of good clothes and good dinners and
horrible shrinking from this poetic millennumthis thou
sand years of glory and starvation.
We oil remember how Fremont fel-how hard he fell,
how fat how low The " Horcad9 fell with him. Wher-
ever he had spoken the Buchanan VOTE it observed
was unusually large He retired to the walks of private
life There was hope under the savepomer for the
young Of the old auah and 50 Mr.. Curtis welded
what little cash he had with the declining fortunes of
Putnam and lost it, if correctly informed by the
decease of that respectable periodical The people
wouldn't stand it any longer. The experiment was a
failure and the Magazine has been remodeed another
plan We have had some curiosity to know what had
become of Curtis since this disaster We fanced that
perhaps he had gone to Syria again, composing
another .S,naaer Book down at Newport eating
some rich man dinners In the Fifth avenue, with the
harmless design of satirizng his host snob' in
some prospective Putnam, that perhaps, he had linked
his fortunes with he great Pathfinder himself and in
company with that ustrous man, engaged In eat
ing mule meat, and plotting another presidential fight in
1860.
In all these conjectures wrong Mr. Curtis is
again delivering orations not this time before the cp
yp, not in open lots from tavern portcoes but be-
fore the scholarly gentlemen who graduate the Yankee
aincip ygho to