Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1859-01-27

IN TEE DISTRICT or CoLUnpIA.
PoETRr AND WoMAN.-This was the subject
OF lecture at the Smithsonian Institution, last
night, by DIR. F.. Y Reese, editor Of the Metho-
dist Protestant, Baltimore. The audience was
large aud apprecistive. The lecturer commenced
oy saying that the Rev. DR.. Plummer, In lee
ture before Young ladies' Institute in Wheel
ing, Va, said to the principal: ''Sir, hope that
you will not undertake to teach poetry here. IL
any OF your young ladies are gifted with the
olvlne afhatns, and IL will come forth, let 10
come, but do not undertake to force it, Like
shouting at church, II should no: be practised
from sense Of duty merely, but should be spOn-
taneous and without efort.n The lecturer said
he agreed with the eminent divine, as well as
with the ancient philosopher, that pOeta pnSci-
tEr, ron mt, that poet Is born, not made His
design Ia selecting this subject was not to per-
suade young ladies' that they must all become
poets in order 10 be true women, but to put them
aud their brethren In the way Of STUDYING and
spprecianng true poetry, and pronting by Its
beautiful teachings Hazlitt called man a no.
etical animal. IL was true that every man had
more or less Of the poetic feeling about him.
which might be defined as a state Of intense in
sensioilityi but the genius to transfer poetic
thought to poetic diction, and thereby coinmu-
nicate the feeling to others, was rare The gross
materiaiity Of the age, speculation and money
making, had in great measure stined the spirit
Of poetry in the world. The busy, BUSTING
money-seeking crowd looked upon the poet, as
they lostled him In the street, as an idle dream
dSKluma
forth upon the world, and consider every bod v
crazy but themselves. The true poet was the
sanest and most practical of men. Truth WAS
MS sentiment and his Practice-truth to nature
and the noble destiny Of man. The measured
nle and metrical anay' of words did not consti-
tute poetry; neither did the strained Jingle of Ia
bored rhyme. Unless there was poetry in the
thought and the sentiment, no arrsy of words
could make amends
The lecturer spoke Of the afectation Of would
be poets, signing for impossible things the SEN
slole man and true poet would shrink from
Milton was true poet, the majesty of whose
diction was In keeping with the sublimity of his
thought. shakespeare, in his career as success
fol playwright, had coined into words the true
Poetry Of Nature, I'm almost every department Of
life. A true poet, placed in com panionship with
common men, was great blessing. He was a
high priest In the Sanctuary of Nature The
lecturer eloquently recited several choice nIeces
from Tennyson, Longfellow, and Mrs Brown
Ing. IL was true, as HaSlitt had said, that man
was poetic animai but bis most poetic mood
was when struck by the tender passion; when
laboring under the inspiration of woman The
lover was always a poet-and the poet ALWAYS
lover, Tor the true man, which true poet must
be, Is never insensible to the magic power of
bright eyes, ruby lips, and graceful ringlets
The TroubadOurs were a race Of poets ins Dired
by womaA, ali along the line.
The lecturer, referring particularly to the SUBJ
1ect OF Woman, said II must be confessed that
her domestic relations were not ALWAYS the most
favorable for the cultivation Of the fine arts
stIl she has her peculiar sphere Of feminine
power. He was not In favor of this Amazonian
doctrine Of women's rig ht-ism. He did not con
slider thiz the rig bit way for woman to achieve her
big hest destiny. She had her natural sphere to
operate in, from which she could not denart
without Injury to herself About the relative
capacity Of the sexes for Improvement much had
been said and written to no purpose The term
great was generally applied to men and their
achievements. He thought that there were cases
where u might properly be applied TO women
ana anu tnelr works Of genius and Of love. There
was Caroline Herschell who had a CAPACITY of
mind 10 estimate the distances between the
spheres, and level AZ ease In the realms of space
Lady Jane Grey, Joan OF Arc, Florence Night
lngale, and hosts Of ether heroic women who
might be mentioned had certainly achieved
deeds ofgreatness. The lecturer ment oned SON q
women who had exceIled in poetry, among
them Joanna Baily and Mrs Hemans He paid
ALLOWING tribute TO the poetic genius OF Mrs
Browning, whom he considered Christian
Poetess Ia the fullest sense Of the term He re-
Of the Cbild'scry for Bread. The lecturer sho wed
bis own appreciation OF true poetry Ia the choice
selection Of gems and flowers that he had made
Tor tne entertainment OF his audience.
USING POWDER KEG FOR KINDLING wooD
Yesterday morning friend Of ours, who Is a
boOkkseper In an Avenue wholesale store, feel
Ing rather chilly, undertook to build roaring
nfe In a hurry. He succeeded Looking about
Tor dry fuel, his eye rested on what he took for
an empty powder caSk, and which struck him as
exactly the thing. He accord ngIy crammed II
Into the IRE, drew his coat tails under his arms
and backed up, as near as possible, to the genial
heat In about the shaking OF lambs Ia ,
however, tremendous eK plOsion took place our
friend was thrown forward with q violent Jerk
and frightened nearly out OF his wits; he made
~Orm-frnce tracks for the door, to dodge the
shower Of bricks, which he thought might be
travelling in his direction. The cssk, IL is sup
posed was not entirely empty, though, fortu-
nately, not enough remained to do serious dam
age. Our friend, after satisfying himself that
the worst was over, resumed MS place at his
ledger; but II was noticeable that the entries
therein, Tor some hours AFTER The explosion, were
written with stephen Hopkin.isG.lik e scrawI
IL place of the usual bold hand Of the book
keeper.
MARKET THIEvEs.-John Bell, colored, WAS
arrested for the larceny OF four turkeys from a
country dealers wagon. Ohcer King conducted
HIM TO the office Of Justice DOM when develop
ments duplicating several others were made, and
Bell WAS taken 10 the guard house to be retained
until the other parties are arrested
OHcer A. X. Allen, arrested Sylvester Haw-
kins, slave Of n. Suit, OF Maryland, for stealing
corn from one dealer In market, and selling Il to
smother dealer. The dealer who bought il was
Just about emptYing the corn, when he was In
FORMED that he was purchasing grain that be-
loIged to his neig hbOr. The OoY was lodged in
the guard house 10 await the order of his master,
and the penalty (stnpes) in his case.
FUNERAL OF Mr.. CHA. THoM, The funeral
OF the late Charles Thoma, IA well known and
much respected butcher Of Centre Market which
large number of the relatives and friends Of the
deceased, who participated in the last h0nors to
the dad at the st. Mays Catholic Church
Tue Presidents Mounted Guard, Capt. Peck, Of
which corps the deceased was during life an
active member, turned out In full uniform to
take part In the obsequies. At the church the
funeral rites were Administered by Rev. Father
Ally. after which the corpse was taken TO the
vault in rear of St PatTick's Church, where IL
was deposited by the officers OF the Quad, who
had charge of the ceremonies. The usual mill
faFU Infa hen AraA hwrfl
CENTRE MAEKET business this morning was
rather inactive, though the supply was fully up
TO the average in respect to quantity and quality
The sales Of poultry and pork were not as brisk
as previously. The prices remain substantially
as al The elose OF last week reported In the Star
OF 81 urday evening The constant attendance
ofseNsTal policemen at the Centre Market does
much 10 prevent dePredations upon the stalls and
wagons OF dealers and secures general observ-
uni cb ID ~