The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-05-23


M and Intemperance. Ii undevout astronomer 10
.d with the quiet insanity Of disbelief, an undevout au-
a.. s very likely 10 be afflicted with the rabies Of pas
ton and very deyout is by means exempt from
hu pers MS the geologst Of cromarty has lately dem
.o,siuted Solitary struggings Of thought generate
mental heats and fevers whose mists grow SO thick that
are vision of reason cannot penetrate TO the seat of the
a,,;ons and they unchecked by NATIONAL Guidance
, over again the old NEUROLOGICAL tragedy OF Phae
,oo The pers of genius are very great and numer
os and its moral shortcomings ought not to be harsh
T. Judged The world knows nothing OF the fearful
tension Of some minds, which, being relaxed suffers
the machinery of the brain to become disarrnnsed
ana its enyied posscssor to walk in the midst of
ry;opiue fends and mocking voices. bad headache
will change ones nature and when every line is born
~ iarring nerve what wonder that they who write
much sometimes sin much j not endeavoring
10 iusy suicide but to account for it ordinarily it is
The most contemplate piece Of cowardice can be
guilty of but when upon the roll of those who recently
have thus sought their discharge from the battle of life
ue find Lamar Blanchard, Hugh Miller and Henry
w Herbert TO nothing of the long list OF celebrities
who have suffered the eclipse during the century
We must not silently and in midnight obscury bury
them in the crossroads of contempt; though fierce
storms howled around them and tcmpcss dashed upon
the domes of their genius it may be, that within the
tapers burned steadily, the measured chant went sol
emily up to the Highest, aud, all sndlsturbed by
the outer turmoil the soul bowed itself in iowly hom-
age The ex esscs even to suicide of those who live
der the continuous pressure of thought should not be
cataosued with crimes, but classified wish diseases.
student cuItivating dyspepsia is much criminal he
who terminates his existence by the shorter process of
nowder and lead moral coroners inquest might prop
erly bring in verdict of Died for want of Play in
many of these sad tragedies.
There is something very ptiable in the frequent repe
ton of Frank Forresters last request, 'ct me rest
..eave me alone" 1t that very desire to be left
alone which hurried him out of the world. He was
striving to escape from himself seeking an outlet from the
tangled and thony peplexities of his confused and
oyerexctcd BRAIN eby cropping in the darkness of his
mental eclipse for guiding hand to lead him from
that overwhelming and tortung consciousness of self
Burdened beyond endurance stung out of measure his
last warming prayer is for oblivion he would leap into
any lake whose waters could whelm and hide him for
ever Iethes stream murmured musically for his weary
senses its dark tide promised epose and he fastened to
strip off all mortal encumbrances that he might lave his
weary limbs in the current from which mortas usually
shrink Amidst the audible flow of the solemn river, dis
urbed by his hasty plunge, these words of his aught
with q solemn appeal for charitable Judgment, come
very distinctly to our hearing For what have to
account with God let account with God and not with
man. who may uncertainty perceive and distinguish facts
but certainly cannot perceive causes divine motives
and intentions Res msr
Douglas JerrOld.
Mr. Blanchard Jerrod the eldest son of Douglas Jer-
rold has performed the l duty of gathering up vol
ume of his fathers wittiest things and has published the
collection under the title of specimens of Douglas Jer
rolds Wit" The American edition is issued by Tick
nor and Fields of Boston. The volume fully justifes
the saying of Charles Kcmbc, that :" in one of Dou-
glas Jerrods plays there is wit sufficient for three
comedies - and doubt the book will be sought for
by all who love the bright humorist He belonged to
the genuine succession of English essaysts and de-
Scended in the right line from his mental foreathcr
Addison Steele and Swift He exceed in every part of
literature the drama, journalism fiction, humo satire,
and essays were equally served by his flexible pen
while in conversation he reminded of what Marmonel
said of Diderot, that those who had only read his
works, and had never heard him speak, could form
estimate Of his merits Jerrold from the typo
graphical ranks having worked at the case side by
side with Lamar Blanchard, to whom he all his life
much attached and whom he did not long survive. His
first attempt at authorship made in 1923, while he
was ourneyman printer it was farce entitled ''The
Smoked Mser," and followed the next year by
"Dcr Freyschutz Succeeding beyond his expectation,
he obtained the position of editor to the London Weekly
produced the play of Blacx Eyed Susan, in which Mr.
T. 7. Cooke commenced his actor in June,
1929 and in which he sustained the character,
inJuy, 1857 drama which thus retained its popularity
for nearly thirty years must contain something
than the patitudes which generally supply warp and
wool for the modern attempts in that kind of literature
Some twenty other contributions to the English drama
originated with his industrious pen but none of them
are Of marked value fame except the ''Rent Day,
in which he drnmatized Wilkes pictures bearing that
title But it has been in periodical literature that he has
nost distinguished himself ; and have been led into
this brief skech of him because he fair representative
Of most aborhrs class Of literary men, both in Eng
land and America who not covetng the nscl of author
Slip or the bubble reputation content to MOL
through long years of irequed labor speaking brave
and inspiring words into the of nation to stir its
heart and, beyond very limited circle lost under cti
os signatures, merged personalities into the caba
stic WR-which docs not always the editor, and
MS conscience. Moreover, though biography, which
viii probably be reprinted here is promised by his son,
am not aware that any American pen has yet sketch
ed the career of this eminent writer. His best known
contributions to periodical literature have been, Men
OF Character !" originally written for Baotpoods
Aaganm and afterwards repubshed in 1885, in two vol
umes Cakes and Ale"a collection oquaint, thought
full essays and his contributions Punch which have
been read by many thousands in America The "Caude
Lectures probably did more to establish that periodical
its present position than any other single production in
It's witty pages and indeed since the demise of Jerrold
and lamar Blanchard and the withdrawal by death and
other causes of two three contributors Punch
has lived upon its past popularity rather than its present
mo - ~