The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-04-14

Giotto, spite of their eloquent advocate Ruskin,
and their able disciples, Hunt and Millais. Art
is to please and if the truth is not pleasant why
don't let US have any of it. Do they think that
their hslo-headed, straight-robed Cimabues and
Giottos will ever tickle the popular fancy like
the warm rife exuberant voluptuous glow of
Correggio and Domenichino? Botherl Let
Hunt paint dead wall, and will paint live
woman that will attract thousand eyes for his
one. 4e
"Why should you and be so very honest,
when we find every one around US otherwise
Why not follow the river? Pdrdi! like sham,
and am only sorry that there is so much of it
in the world that am unable to employ mine
own powers that way so effectively as l other
wise could.
"What think you? fill up the intervals in
my sentimental studies by giving an occasional
hour or two to the composition of a satire, made
up of milk, honey, and rose-water, with just
enough of rennet in it to make it sour on every
stomach, and just enough of aloes in it to leave
bitter taste in every mouth, but SO contrived
as to appear lovely, fair, and sweet. The sub.
ject is woman and crinoline, with superb he
roine, full of every modern virtue and accom-
plishment, whose only fault is, that she does
nothing, after all-Desdemonas most lame
and impotent conclusion"-
She was a wight. II ever such wight were,
To suckle fools, and chronicle small beer"
Al reste: | go about after my usual fashion,
with the beau monde, and laughing at it, peck
ing like daw at every heart that is sleeve
worn, keeping people in general afraid of me,
and-hating those who are not afraid of me.
God though, Claude, Je men ennuie.
wish l had an occupation. Tell it not in
Gath.) l long to be an earnest man. If
had been an earnest man, l should be an
honest man and if / were an honest man,
would be happy man. This does not chime
! In with my philosophy, but have miserably
| intuitive consciousness of the fact Mais-
| did6te! | can't be, now-what use is there to
| worry about it? If not Alexander, then am
determined to become Diogenes, (id est, Di-
ogenes less the filth and singularity of that jolly
| old Cynic,) if 1 cannot be Timon, 1 will be
| Apemantus. If not Achilles, then Thersites
| AS it is denied me to be Shakespeare, elect
| for Voltaife. My motto is, AIT Caesar, dut-
Cdssius!' Do not make myself look lean
| and hungry to you? / am candid. Do you
not see the philosophy of this? Why, old
Dennis is as famous as Pope.
But must drift on, or l shall fill this sheet
without having written what / commenced it
| for.
So the Morninglory has conquered hus-
band at last, eh, and title How she can
aaunt upon it Son Excellenza Lucrezia,
| Contessa di Marionetti! How grand she will be
| to her friends, in her letters home, about the
Palazzo Marionetti, and her caro- Alessandro
L wonder if caro- Alessandro is aware that Mad
| anne Lucrezia's dear mother once took in wash
| ing for living? And wonder, also, if Madame
Lucrezia is aware that caro- Alessandro has
been unceremoniously kicked for cheating at
| cards that his superb Palazzo Maronetti is ir-
recoverably mortgaged, and that his Sicilian
principality is five acre section of Etna-sde,
scoriaestrewn, that would not raise potatoes
| enough on it to support Madame's lap-dog?
know Count Alessandro well, and a more per-
| feet shameless rogue never wore title. How
ever, cest .ja,ste. The Convolvulus' day has gone
by long since. She has been passee, as you can
see, for six years. and, besides, she never re-
| covered from that route by the Fleming. The
| poor dear got all the blame of that disastrous
move-Athanks to your humble servant. who,
| though as deep in as she was not enough of
dear friend to stand by her. She thought to
tease me about matter in which was a little
| sore, and / made her salve the wound in this
| fashion.
BY the way, my mention of the Flemings
| reminds me of you mention of them. So you
| met them last winter in Florence, and they were
universal favorites, Ell? Why, of course they
were. l tell you, Claude, that those people are
walking arguments in support of honesty and
virtue. You may be sure there is no good blood
| lost between them and me-. l hate them, and
they might as well out with it, they despise
me! l assure you it is the truth, and, luckily,
they are about the only people who do despise
| me; so | can afford it. But let them alone
| Chen echaude GRANT Peau froide,' and / have
burned my fingers too often already in trying
to steal their chesnuts out of the fire. Iwould
like to be on their right side, "a. e., on their blind
| side,) but that is piece of luck sigh for in
| vain, and / am rather afraid of them. They
are truly noble family, Claude. Genuine
workers, who have gotten popularity on the hip,
| too-a very rare thing for genuine workers. La
| rene Americaine, whom / once tried to dub
La dame aur Cdmelias, Though the epithet
would not stick, despite scandalloving world
| is still the most magnificent specimen of femi-
ninity that ever beheld. She has seen much,
suffered much, and / believe is now happy,
thanks to herself alone. 4 did not wish it so,
be sure. She is active, and individual, and
helps herself by helping others. AS for the lit
| who are instinctly (because they cannot help
| it) wiser than all of us-one who is happy in
| loving. You have met such. Mrs. Fleming,
| Junior, is type of the class. And yet Though
| L do not believe it, she is reported to have
will of her own, and dares oppose successfully
| some of the cherished projects of her lord. For
instance, -, a lady bored me with long &C.
| count of it the other day, doubtless with some
| charitable object in view.) Mr.. F. thinks that
the children can best be educated away from
| home, where they will learn independence, and
escape the motherhood egotism of house.pets !;
but Mrs. F. is resolved not to part from her
pets, (of whom she has fine pair, boy and girl,)
and has made up her mind to have them in
4 etr cd A III ~ obo
it, do they?' asked i, exultingly. Quarrel
said my informant, with an air of amazement
as if it were something preposterous. Quarrel?
No indeed. Mr.. f. tells Ruth that he thinks
his plan best but that, as there is doubt about
| it, they will try hers first Is not here a mi
rsculous household? She and the elder madam
are engaged in maturing some wild scheme or
other for the reformation of les demOiselles du
pare. A something that is to be neither Mag
dalen Hospital, nor poor-house, nor one of
| those fashionable retreats which women are
so crazy about nowadays, and into which they
entrap divers poor creatures, nominally to be
taken care of, but really to be converted into
menagerie, and Individually labelled, Tanned
| by Mrs So-and-so, blessed are the poor in spir
! it, The Fleming Utopia, however, is nothing
of this kind. They seek to cure, first, all
sense of shame and infany; next, to teach them
that they are not SO confoundedly criminal, after
all, lin comparison with their fellow-mortals y
thirdly, that every woman is capable of taking
care Of herself, and of making her own comfort
able living; fourth, and lastly, that they are
miserable sinners. A proper tissue of imprac-
ticability, this, though it undoubtedly has some
method in it madness. In their drawing UP of
details, l would advise them to consult Elem
ing, who must be well posted, as l understand
that his acquaintance with such matters was
quite extensive during his soiourn in Califor-