The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-09-15
For the Ottumwa Courier.
A Word for Green BOyd Esq.

| For the Ottumwa Courier.
A Word for Green Boyd Esq.
Ansacer fool according TO his o,cntoy, lest he b
arise in hiso,on conceit.-SoLoMoN. e
Now, don't go TO poking Griffin at u.s. Griain's poe
try.-G. d. r. BOYD.
When we read that sprig Of editorial in the
Statesman ofSept. g., labelled unassuming
Modest" we were forcibly reminded, as we
have been after reading choice morsels of its
author of an expression found in Horace
namely, Pariunt montes nascitur riaiculus
mus !" and ifa mountain of bones and flesh
did not hugely labor to produce that pigmv,
pitiful, modest" slang, we are irrevocably
mistaken -t"s #.t Ia
If there he a hundred impartial, reasoning
readers in the County Of Wapello. or else
where, who will say that our ''Pro Tenn"
makeshift has enough mental caliber for a
newspaper censor, and a sufficient amount
| ofjudgement to scan line ofpoetry properly,
we will confess our ignorance, and make
amends by committing to memory Pope's
essay on Criticism, and Hamlet's advice to
the players! In our course of general read.
ing AMI observation we have learned few
maxims, to which we respectfully cali the
attention of Green Boyd Esquire 20 No 80
We have been taught in the pages of the
standard authorities, that the critic should
show the errors in whatever he reviews, en-
tighten the understanding of his readers in
regard to the general principles of compost
ton, bring forward his proofs, and write a
critique worthy the attention of reasoning
minds. '@'-'0.t @',.-3'. ti'~t13'hr N"
But instead Of entertaining his readers by
proper argument, Boyd writes a skeleton
thing composed OF some dozen or two nouns
and verbs and a numerous host of inflated
adiectives culled from some wishy -washy
will o'the wisps of ribaldry destitute of every
sense brt nonsense. '. s'5te@re ese".@ s.H
We have cleaned from able writer's that
it is not good policy to attack any compost
ton the err ors Of which we cannot portray
argunentatively, and with some show of
reason; and when the critic reviews, If he
fail to elncidate the errors, people are apt to
shake their heads at him, instead Of laughing
at the trembling target Of his would be wit
ticisms -'""2 -.A+ t' t's# PATS -''N y
And we heve learned that educated judg-
ments constitute the majority in civilized
and enlightened communities, therefore, if one
be ANXIOUS for his future literary success,
when composing, he win write so as to gain
the appreciation ofthe majority, regardless of
the wolfsh howl Of the false self-styled critic,
and the bestial laugh Of the envious fool '''.
1t appears that Green Boyd Esquire edits
the Statesman now and then.
Well, it is supposed he tries to edit, and
likely performs the duty as well as he can
than which no editor can do more.
We real the Statesman every week we
can, and have pondered Streets leaders, and
Boyd's leaders, and can bear testimony with
those democrats we wot of, who consider
Street "a poor excuse" to edit sour party
paper !" hutare gladly admit that his edito-
rails have grain and half more sense in
them than our whilom editors Green Boyd
Esquire
But the coming ex- County Superintendent
can ''blow," yea, verify like Of wind blast
against a solid rock, with huge force, but
without any effect We believe he can swell
himself up like the frog of Aesop, and with
the same result! And if he edit the States
MN two or the weeks longer, he may ''bloac"
himself some degrees nearer the dominions
of Pluto, and possibly fall into the power of
some PClypheme, and fare like the compan-
ions of Ulyssus as related in the Odyssey of
Homer. r...t.-. .-........ .-.. ......-..
Our poetry seems to annoy Green Boyd
Esquire very muck We have not known
that ne is "a man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief" and have written no rhyme to
add to his sorrow care, and to his G. ief troub-
lie, but as he appears to be burdened like
Bunyan's Pilgrim, the sin lies at his own
door. so s.lr, .tt ..gs .4rrf l-rp,. -,.-,,.
In conclusion we inform him that he viii
gain more friends by not meddling with any,
thing in the lie of literature which he can
not surpass, fr it is known he has not writ
ten aught to match what he has attacked
Suits est. s..s. tt.ar . T. Ii. GRIFFIN.
agency City Sept, 10th. aa vi Boa
as1" hi Fr..r,, WASN'T n gt O.s nn2tgG