The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1859-09-14
Newspapers.
BY JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL

Wonderful to him who has eyes to see 1t
rightly, the newspaper. TO me, for example,
sitting on the critical front bench OF the PIT IN
my study here at Salem, the advent OF my
weekly journal is that Of strolling theatre,
or rather of a puppet show, on whose stage,
narrow as it is, the tragedy, comedy, and iarce
of life are played in little Behold the whole
huge earth sent to me Mechanically IN a
brown paper wrapper
Hitherto to nv obscure corner, by WIND, or
steam, on horseback, ON dromedary back. IN
the pouch of the Indian runner, or clicking
over the magnetic wires, troop all the famous
performers from the four quarters of the globe.
Looked at from point of criticism, tiny pup
pets they seem all as the editor sets his booth
upon INV desk. and officiates as Snowman
Now / can truly see how little and transitory
| Il life. The earth appears almost as drop
Of vinegar ON which the solar microscope OF
the imagination must be brought TO bear IN
order to make out anything distinctly:
The sn;malcule standing there, in the pea
| Jacket. is Louis Philippe, just landed on tne
| coast of England. That other, in the grey
surtout and cooked hat, is Napoleon Boneparte
| Smith, assuring France that she need appre.
bend no interference from him in the present
alarming juncture. AT that spot Wnere you
seem to see speck of something IN motlon, y
| an immense mass meeting. LOOK Sharper, anu
| YOU will see man brandlshlng ms mandilaes
| m an excited manner. This is the great So
and-so defending his position amid tumultaous
| and irrepressible cheers. That mhmtessima
creature, upon whom some score OF others, as
minute as he, are gazing IN open-moutned al
miration, is a famous philosopher expoundng
| to aselect audience their capacity for the mnn-
| lite. That scarce observable pufiet OF smoke
and dust IS revolution. That speek there
| is reformer justarranging lever with winch
/ he is to move the world. And 10! there
creeps forward the shadow of a skeleton that
blows one breath beneath its grinning teeth,
and,aIl our distinguished actors are whisked
off the slippery stage into the dark beyond.
Yes, the little show box has its solemn
suggestions. Now and then we catch a
glimpse Of q grim old man, who lays down q
scythe and hour glass in the corner while he
shifts the scenes. There, too, IN the dim back
ground, d weird shape IS delying. Sometimes
he leans upon bis mattock, and gazes, as
coach whirls by, bearing the newly married
on their wedding jaunt, or glances carelessly
at babe brought home from christening
Suddenly (for the scene grows larger and lar
ger as we look) bony hand snatches back {
performer in the midst of his part, and hin
whom yesterday two minutes (past and flu
| ture1 would not suffice, handful of dust il
enough to cover and silence forever. Nay
| we see the same leshless fingers opening tt
clutch the Snowman himself, and guess no
without shudder, that they are lying in wal
/ for spectators also.
Think Of it for two dollars year | buy
a season ticket to this great Globe Theatre
whose scene shifter is Time, and whose cur
tain is rung down by Death
Such thoughts will occur to me sometime
as am tearing off the wrapper Of my news
per. Then suddenly that otherwise too oftel
vacant sheet becomes invested for me with
strange kind of awe. Look Deaths ant
marriages, notices of inventions, discoveries
and books, list Of promotions, of killed, woun
ded, and missing; news of fires, accidents, Q
sudden wealth, and as sudden poverty.
hold in my hand the end of myriad invisibl
electric conductors, along which tremble tn
Joys, sorrows, wrongs, triumphs, hopes, ant
despairs of as many men and women every
where. So that upon that mood of mint
which seems to isolate me from mankind asi
spectator of their puppet pranks, another su
pervenes, In which feel that !, too, unknown
and unheard of, am yet of some import to m,
fellows. For, through the newspaper here, d
not families take pains to send me, an entir
stranger to them, news of death amonl
them Are not here two who would hav
me know of their marriage And, stranges
of all, is not this singular person anxious t,
have me know that he has received fresl
supply of Dimity Broisgins But to nom
of us does the present (eyen for momen
discerned as such) continue miraculous. w
glance carlessly at the sunrise, and get uset
to Orion and the Pleiades. The wonde
wears of, and tomorrow this sheet, in whicl
vision was let down to me from heaven
shall be wrappage to bar of soap, or tn
platter for beggar's broken victuals