Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-08-07
THE GAZETTE.
SATURDAY MORNING. ADJUST 7, 1883

SATURDAY MORNING, Ao"osl y 1000
Two MILLIONS: By William Allen Butler, IL
mo. PIP. SO. New York; D. Appleton 4 Co.
"Taks heed-and beware of eovetousness"
is the moral Of the new epic given us by
the author of "Nothing 70 Wear" and we do
not hesitate to class the said epic among the
finest satiricai poems in the language. The
poetic spiritof To-day is objective rather than
subjective; and gathers it materials from the
coarse, striving practical world. To send
the treachant weapon with 80 true an aim,
that it
"Slall pierce yielding joint
In the stout harness OF some veteran wrong
Or full-armsd folly"
ia an achievement that works good; tor none
of the old-fashoued batieriog rams can de-
molisb strongly built error or evil nowadays.
We com mend the authors SELECTION Oh Tue
GRAND and leading Vice of our age Tor the
object of bis caustic and pungent wilt 10 tue
character and life Of Fnkln, the millionaire
large class of successful worshippers OF mo.
ney are portrayed. The proud posseseof Oh
two millions, Firkin was one OF those mel
chant princes who are foes to all hoerei a"u
large hearted dealings.
"You read it in his eye, dull, dark, and stern
Which clutched the light, but grudseu hi"u
return,
In genial chances, through the open cay
And with shrewd suspicion turned away
His hard, square features, like an iron SALE
Locked in his thoughts; no chance, unno'eu wall
OF fugitive feeling, unawares betrayed
The inner man, or mental stock 10 uaae.
The po'tly figure, with It's solvent ar,
u al tho IyOrld the Millionaire,
His purse and person both al fullest length,
And even the higher law which he obeyet,
With all mis- heart and SOUL and mind and
strength, -.
To love his maker, for ne was SELF MADE.
Faith in himself, and the Almighty Dol,
lar, was the great principle OF bis lie, ana
bis religious creed matched it. He believed
10 things tangible which he could measure
BY the test chow much" ''The greatest hap,
piness Of the greatest number" appeared
reasonable; but then bis. greatest number
was Number Doe. and bis golden rule was to
turn every hour to good advantage. Yet be
was not lacking iD the semblsoce ofdevotion;
for ON any Sunday might be seen
"His visible coach, outside the visible church,
With green and gold its sacred front adjoining,
A gorgeous coachman somewhat flushed with
sherry,
A footman, portly with perpetual dinners,
Waited, while FHkin in the sanctuary,
With many other "miserable sinners,
Cushioned the carnal man in drowsy pews,
Dczed over gil,-edged rubric prayer and psalter,
Rose with the music, looked with liberal views
On prima .donnas never known to faiter
In chant or solo, hymn, or anthem splendid,
And still enchanting when the chant was ended;
Then sat or knel,, grave as the altar bronzss,
And went through all the usual responses
Those solemn prayers, and litanies sublime,
The ancient Church first tau ght the lips OF lime,
Thenceforth to sound iorever-as when .:Tst,
Flooded with light, the lips OF Memnoii burst
From their cold stiffness, and rejoicing gave
Back to the food OF Day its tide upborne
OF rarest harmony, wave answering wave
Deep calling unto deep, M, SIC to Morn
These lofty chants, first echoed under domeS
OF starry midnight, or in catacombs
Where, by rude affairs and sepuichral tomps,
Deep in the rocky earth, the vestral cholrs,
Rehearsed their music for the martyr hres
Now sweled from lips of people or OF priest,
To fall on rrkin's without tho least
RESPONSIVE utterance or the faintest notion,
That they had any reference 10 devotion.
He liked the service, but grieve to state,
If il mad been instead service OF plate,
He could have given better estimate
OF its real value for in truth our hero
As to religious feelings stood at zero.
And had il CHANGED the universal Church,
10 eolid phalanY, without break or schls:n,
Had on sudden taken backward lurch,
Two thousand years or more TO JUDAISM,
Or from the Christian plunged into the Pagan,
And on its affairs set up Jove OF Dagon
Firkin would still have worshipped with the
crowd
And at the newest shrine devoutly bowed,
Still offered up his weekly stint of praise,
In heather darkness or the Gospels blaze,
With incense, or burnt offerings, or libatons,
Alike unconscious of the innovations,
Save that he might, perhaps, IN wall street
phrase,
Have noticed slight change tin the quotations"
His wife had dropped and died under the
glare of his rising fortune; but lovely girl
AN adopted child Rachel by nsme-grew
I'D in his house hold--with heart and will
Of Der own; and. instead Of wedding some
bank-director, chose to give her band to
poor genius; for which offence she was ban
ished from Firkin's house and presence -
Her husband lost all in rash speculation,
and died leaving her in the world alone and
stricken with poverty.
The following description CT the million.
ares house, embodies some well directed
satire. The lofty pile was
"Built on the Avenue, in thelatest style
Of Merchant Princes, grand, grotesque and
ford, ''
Out Of the finest freestone ever quarried.
In its erection, as he oft declared
To wondering visitors, no expense was spared,
And had he said no order OF architecture,
'Twoaid have been truer still, as | conjecture.
The builders with their tastes SO fine and funny,
Laid themselves out, as we'll as FiTkin's money,
And in away that beggars all description,
Blended Corinthnan Gothic and Egyptian,
And other Famous styles with classic rarities,
In one grand tumble OF brown stone ,ulgarltles."
1t was tasteless enough without; but with
in with its Heterogeneous mixtures OF decor
alton,
at seemed as if bomb.shell, CHARGED and loaded
With paint and gilt and plaster had exploded,
Without regard to anybody's feelings,
On walls and columns, cornices, and ceilings.
The ambitious plasters had eehPsed the bull
ders, ...
And in their turn were outdone by the giders;
The painters then-besides whose rich adjoining,
The brightest rainbow would have seem'd deep
mourning