The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-06-06
METROPOLITAN MUSINGS.


porous Vitality Clothes do not make tho man, but they
denote his characterno gentleman will wear gaudy
vest, or load himself with ewery the other hand
no wealth Of silks and gems will refine coase nature
there is something in the g0lomss which, like Pla-
tonic thought figures in the outward garb the inward
Archetypa soul.s And q books while they at
tired with garish yellow coverings printed on villain
paper with bsarexsd theirs is little hope
for writer reader Until very recently weprint
and neatly bound book has been rarity in our market
but with a commendahle shrewdneas. publishes now
strive to supply the went of we'll written, thoughtful
books and placing the public under binding oblga.
tons A good book Is worth good cover. and work
not worth printing well not worth readiag Even the
Philadepha publishers Of yellow Trash are i'm
proving for observe amongst my weekly receipt OF
new books that Ltoh Ritchie AID Mis- Psrdoe offered
in decent drab In place othose pAltry aahy
/ SO summsrily burned . few weeks ago. With great
pleasure does the AadleAgsd Man observe and record
the gradual and rapid capitalization Of literary pari
ces We have not only American literature
but it ~ fast becoming classified, and the metes and
bounds Of its are being inscribed IN tho Deems
day Book Of public estimation Already We hase Grub
street set of from PaInassus, while with swiftceaving
wing Pegasus mouhAsa tsishA& 80 yiddy for Flooding
mules and blundsrine asses Might we not hasten
" the good tune corning By unooverhg our roots tc the
light and digging ind dcving in the literary 6ssdeu o.
looking from my room attic height pbsetve my rheu
matte friend Of sable neamcns is stirring the soil and
plucking the weeds in my atistneighbors flower plot
The artists of the Metropolis have done prcty well in
the matter of association though not all they should
have donewhy have not che word painters and thought
scuptors their association yssrk n "a 4
Lerature like discovery, obeys the law of necessity
expect to hear Of the invention and Of
steam horse, because profound meehancsn and sarsn
with whose friendship lam honored, assures that now
the great mechanical want is simple easily regulated
cheap and powerful motor, which be attached to
plough loaded wagon. Inventions slumber in rude
chaotic forms for centuries till the hour Of human ne
oessy arrives. and then sudden inspiration flashes
the darkness Of the problem and In some human
soul repeated the Drama Of Createn, potent cry let
there be light Il heard. and 4 new world Is made I
American literature has begun to exhibit thoroughnen
because American readers have said pray give U.S. in
your Astounding amplitude, stronger intellectual
backbone The episode Of art will not be the least in
teesng to those who ages hence, may review the epic
of American history are the waiting spectators, but
behind the curtain the characters in literary drama
hastily arranging themselves in their proper places
the dnpery will be removed and the reveal
kings and peasants; perhaps some who now play king
may then be peasants and those who hidden In the
stage rabble may wear the purple. Literature Is be-
ginning to be recognised d q distinct profession
indeed, it, is nearly ~ much here as anywhere
for in the palmcst days Of English authorship til.
proportion very small of those who did nothing
but write, and depended upon tho days writing fol
the days bread Of twenty-five contributors to the
Spectator, were cergymen, six politicians and
Office holders, he Middle-Aged Man lis not an Office
holder but II NC Chief Executive or Secretary Blank
anxious to foster genius should insist upon well,
have great liking for Addison two were Lawyers two
Merchants, and, Of the rest, Professor OF
Greek, vase Dancing Master Weaver. one was a
Drygoods dealer the OF retired Dry-goods
dealer, and one Dyrom) Short hand writer Pop,
Inherited hundred thousand dollars Addison received
enough from his various lucrative sppoatsns to be able
to say in letter to Worldly Montague dAtsdJuly 17II
II have within this twelyemonth LOOT place OF e. 0Ou
100000 per annum, aud estate in the Indies of fI4
600, $50 600 All these to have been fully i'm
pressed with the truth Of maxim since uttered by one
Of the most distinguished the North American Re-
view, "a man should have vocation and ayocation
We owe much perhaps most-to axocatlon but ltera
ture is not the less profession and time may probably
will change the order Of mingled calngs and ennoble
our writer's with vocation .mlafit.e stsg
A Moving Tale.
am reminded That + bws an apology 10 my reader
for not filling my accustomed corner last week but my
revereswere rathlesy disturbed by the removal of my
Lares and pcnatss and the consequent moving pers OF
food and fracture Naturally sodste and BY birthrght
member of the Society Of Friends not accustomed
to have my equanimity disturbed but lately 1t has been
with difficulty that have refrained from vehement ex
plosions of extra plain language during my days Of
terror "a 49,.
Oh, 1t was pitiu
s1Bpi B8s8h In whole gity full ~ LbiAYkE ~ a
to Charles Lamb with his back broken the Fratrs
Poloni, inavellum and black letter, lying in the
gutter and s,whrling their leaves, as n trying to
give choral utteFanos to their determinations
seek their domices before the advent Of the auroral
beams "and there was hunying 10 and fro'a wide
Porters Rhetorical Reader sp I19) Of dearly priced
Boccacos and Molisres; and anal tossings into common
heap with trumpery Tuppaf and Miss Nancy Petttoes
Wilses, of Schiller and Dante, Sir Waiter Scott minus
limb grave and stately Pepys standing on his bead
Charles Mackay smotherc BY lite poem of my friend
Janyer whose genius is only equalled by his modesy
Emmanuel Kant as,nAea by RdwRSispnA hs will seemed
TO cry II cam get out - and Addison was strangely in
tereaved with the Book Of Mormon and s.there they
lay, all that day, some strange epidemic
had rendered it necessary to hurl good bad and ner-
ent into grave But, severe have been the
pains and psnatios of my exodus, and sadly still
feewhy did that stupid fellow spill bottle Of Ink over
my pspersa-r should still have made my weekly
bow, but that have been fully occupied in observing
curious astronomical pAsnsuaena. In room from
which every ray of Light was cxtfhlH excluded Ihave
had arcm@kabae eppstuniey Of t-sscng STARE
stars. gcen stars ySox stars gary starr. pale stars even
black stars have for several days been wseng around
my pillow Ia wonderful concentric Greetings while dash