Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1858-03-26

IoHn @. sAxE--Ths celebrated Lecturer and
Poet. entertained our citizens three successive
evenings during the past week, with bis sparkling
rhythmicai and charming prose oratiOns. As we
briefly adver,ed 10 hts poem Of yankee Land"
on TIE ESst evening in our last issue. we only
notice now his two last Lectures. The second
evenings entertainments, was prose essay on
"Poetry snd Poets" OF such noble theme, Mr..
SAKE spoke as only Poet might speak not with
the rhapsodical fsrvor, and garish sentimentasm
Of the ledgling versifer, but with the philo ophc
analysis, and quiet mastery Of the ripe scholar,
and man Of genius. Too thoroughly imbued with
the dignity Of hts theme. pander to popular no.
tons of the poetic art, he addressed only the
chastened conceptions Of thorough culture and
perchauce on that account, may have dissapo: nj
ed some, who prefer the foaming rush Of shall
low rhodomontade, to the deep and silent flow Of
true poetic appreciation. Dressing his subject in
no gaudy and Haunting ,oIors TO please Initiated
tastes he touched only with the delicate and grace
iul huss Of ''nature's own sweet and cunning
hand" Commencing with the various deini-
tons Of Poetry, and giving his preference to one
Of Coleridee's "RhythmicaI expression of beau
tful thought" as perhaps more nearly catch
ing this spiritual essence, within the rude grasp
Of language he sported with his audience
around the fiowery base Of the Parnassian mount,
but had the good sense not to essay its long and
arduous ascent in the limits Of an hours dis
course Now ripping the mirthfu surface with
the exuberant play Of his genial humor or spark
ling wit. anon, with easy and graceful transition
he touched those deeper chords Of the soul which
truth and beauty can only reach. As the brief
space Of lecture permitted not glimpse OF
"Divins Poesy" from her "bliud old bard of
sco's rocky Isle" to the present day, we were al
lowed only glance at her moderate favorites =
But we have not spa TO further oh racterize this
admirable production. without ntglecting the clo
sing lecture, which was the Poem of the
"MoNET KISG"-Our expectation was strained
'"to the top of it's bent" by the enthusiastic
comments Of the press, wherever 1t had been sp O.
ken, but we fonnd II even exceeded In the fine
conception and m ,sterly execution of the ideali-
Zation on which tho poem rests. The conception
Is that Of genuine poetic fancy, and so far as we
know is original with Mr.. SAFE, willis the ex-
rcution Is scholarly and clean cut throughout =
In this poem. the potent influence of money is
personifed a mighty monarch, more powerful
than any sceptered potentate aud ruling with
universal sway. In strain Of keen, yet withal
good humored s,tirc, the poem holds up to laugh
ter, though at times scorn, the thousand instan-
Of the ridiculous aud bind and ften disgrace
full homige Of his minioas. Here di closes, as
we readily seq, rich v In of aillery, whic b
Mr.. SaIes inimltable wit and humor has work ed
",ost successfully. Here, imbedded IN the golden
are evealcd oil classes and occupations; now
the Doctor smoothing the dying pillow of some
old G esus with affec mate assiduity, whilst his
poorer eIghbor sis left 10 nature, suffers and
gets WE'LL" now the lawyer transforming fends
iutO augois with the magic of golden fee; now
the "elf-denying parsOn, leaving his beloved AocA
to 40 "whcrs larger salary and duty points the
way"
But as Milton has made gentleman Of his Sa-
tauic Majesty, SO Mr.. SAKE has not neglected to
bestow upon his terrible hero some Of the better
attributes ofh umanIty. The picture, drawn with
30 loving touch of those Of his subj cts, who
scatter the svset charities Of life along their daily
walk. and wal. not for death to make some grand
atonemont Cor these neg lscted duties, presents a
There are many other points we would ike to
notice In this pc m, did our limits allow, partc-
alary the just censure of the church arch tecture
of our country, for its inc ongruty of design aud
ornament. as the result OF barbirous worship of
the "Money King" The wide sweep Of the
poets wing touched, for moment. upo n topics
Of remotest separation In the vast field of mode rn
speculation. and even spritualsm came ia for lis
share OF satire. The keen and polished weapon
of hts railery laid PROSTATE this Appolyon which
,he pOnGerOus mace of the philosophers logic had
failed TO demosh.
In conclusi' n, we venture 10 predict this poem,
when published, will give Mr. SAKE still greater
claim to the little of ''the Hood Of America
which Holmes only now contests with him.
We had inieudei to devote paragraph. to Mr.. |
Sixe's marvellous social qualities, but the unin-
territorial length Of our article forbds us and
We can only say, in these graces, wherein most
Literary men have been so lamentably deficient,
be has In our opinion. no superior. In the free
atmosphere Of the social circle, his spOrtive fam
cy runs riot with exhubeance of mrthful con-
ception, and his genial humor aud sparkling wit,
play with their lambent flame, or dazzling corus.
cations, "upon the manners living as they rise.'
The qualities of the truest humOrist, the richest
fancy, combined with judgment and common
sense, that is practical il Is vigorous, make
his stable talk" compare favorably with that of
the beat Wits, Poets, and Philosophers, chroni-
cled by admirng listeners, We can assure Mr..
Sake the impression he made on our people, is
most catering, particularly upon the female por-
ton and we should not wonder IL he was not
troubled with as many feminine epstles Bay
ard Taylor but we hope he will not make the
same public public expose of their admiration, as
did that uugaant Individual
foLLocK & WAooESER, are in receipt Of alarge
pa Of their Spring Stock of Clothing, and wO