Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-02-17

FAMILY FLoURrnsA lot of choice fall wheat
-four is = - at Benefits mill. See
advertise q:
LATl I've are again indebted to
Mr.. Bel for late and interesting news received
by telegraph. 1t will be found under the appropri
ate heading. Cd
WEST LlBERrY.s- As it is fashionable to
publish an exhibition of business done by various
places, subscriber at this Aourishing town sends
us the following statistics
"There were shipped from West Liberty station,
during the year 1859, by railroad se,2l7 bu wheat
$3.50 bu. corn, 51ls bu. OATS and 800 bu. barley
52,o1s lbs. of -four in sacks, CSC bbls flour, 2S96
live hogs, 23l head of cattle, and other freights
amounting to 24s, CAL lbs.-making in the aggregate
1882, 57l lbs" That is certainly very fair exhibit
for West Liberty.
NARROW EsoApE. - Mr.. VIM. Daugherty
narrowly escaped drowning while crossing the
river yesterday afternoon with load of wood. The
ice broke one side OF his wagon, letting in the
two wheels on that side and throwing of portion
of the load. Mr.. D. being seated top fell off
into the water. He, was completely immersed in
very deep water, but grasped portion ofthe wood
as he came up and succeeded in gaining firm
footing. The horses and . portion of the wagon
very fortunately remained on firm ice and were soon
rescued from danger by the assistance of another
tsamster who happened to be noar.-Daiiy, 14th.
~ In noticing in our last issue the mar
row escape of Mr.. Dsugherty from drowning, we
should have said that he walking alongside the
wagon when the ice gave way. Some of the wood
fell on him and forced him deeper under the water
than he would have otherwise gone. IL was indeed
u perilous adventure and almost o miraculous
esc.ns. The accident occurred in the channel of
the river, about two miles above the city, where
the ice appears to have been partially worn away
by the action of a swift current.-Daily, 15!h.
- John Bowman, convicted of horse
stealing, has been sentenced, at Davenport by
Judge Dillon to two years in the penitentiary This
il the chap who was arrested by Marshal Dill at
this place several weeks ago. He hired horse and
cutter at Davenport to go to Blue Grass, where he
attempted to sell them, and failing there he made
tracks to this city and endeavored to dispose of
them here. He no doubt needs about two years.
correction of his morals.
Our readers must not confeund this scamp with
the honest and faithful lad Of the same name who
has been for two years and over employed in this
office. He is not of that stripe, nor even a forty
second cousin relation.
MAYORS CouRr-Esb. 4th.-Larry Cook
(nephew Of the celebrated Capt Cook, who first
circumnavigated the globel, journeyman printer,
was arraigned for a nsmelsss ofense committed
while he was intoxicated. Fined 81 and costs.
When he went out to borrow the amount from some
acquaintance, an outsider ''put flea in his earl
and he Immediately left for parts unknown. Nobody
regretted it.
VIM. Scheffer, a dull, stupid-looking man, was
arraigned for stealing sundry packages from a
couutryman's wagon and also miscellaneous
assortment of hosiery from clothes line. Plead
that he had spent his last Is cents for whisky,
which was SO mean that it made him steal before
he knew what he was about. Sent to the lookup
for fifteen days. aa
LITERARY INSTITUTE = Ninth Lecture
A full house, as at all the preceding lectures I'M
der the auspices of this association, greeted Dr.
L. Graham, Monday evening. His subject, "Peetry,
and the Poets Mission was treated with the skill
of master hand. The Doctor, it should be observ
ed, is himself poet of no mean talent, and has
made poetry and literature the study of his leisure
hours from business. He defined poetry as the
natural, earnest, selfcreated sefcontrolled, self
impelled uttsrance of the SOUL when it must sing,
either to itself or to the world, in language. 1t
naturally takes the rhythmical form, yet often
find poetry in its highest and most exalted sense in
prose. He held that true poetry should be so COM
plete in utterance and pure in dict;on that it would
be imperfect if it were not just exactly as it is
that nothing should be added to it or taken from
it; and that it should not only possess harmony
melody and beauty, but above all good sense.
Superficial study and the disposition to appear ia
print have ruined the prospects of many who have
hastily published strings of rhymes. Mere poet
asters (whose name is legion) never reflect that
practical, working world will not stop to admire
crude and uncome'y rhymes that are made with too
fatal facility. Those who write rhymes with ease
and publish with little reflection must be content
with ephemeral celebrity. Of this class of poets he
said:
Mere verse makers never attain to respectable
degree of excellence They may be divided into the
following classes ..
l. Those who want capacity, lacking thought,
who have poetical tendency.
2. Those having poetical thoughts, without men
tai cultivation. 500
8. Those possessing in moderate degree the
poetic faculty, with some mental cultivation, with
cut sufficient perseverance to acquire knowledge
of unity in form, style and expression, which are
indispensable to correct and prosperous diction.
Those of the first class are those who usually
steal the ideas and language OF others-plaga
They are like monkeys, awkwardly standing to
warm themselves at the fires of Parnassus that
great poets have k!ndled, having no commission
from the Creator to even think of adding stick OF
fuel to the flame.
Those of the second class compose the great body
of those whose highest ambition is to write rhymes,
without compensation, that shall pass the easy
judgment Of editors of newspapers that have small
circulation. These run no risk of being disputed
whom they write the word Original over stupid
rhymes, though that word may be the only part of
the composition that is original
Those of the third class write for the 'Lady's
Book the fash magazines and that other receipt
acle for literary trash, The New York Ledger
Their productions are rarely good; generally
worthless.
The poets mission, he commended, is not to ex
plain theology. Poetry and theology may, however,
travel together in harmony. 1t is the poets mission
to reverence the Anglo-Saxon spirit of freedom let
loose in the world during the old war-to strip off
the thin, respectable guse of tyranny that is SO
strong, so fashionable, So arrogant, SO lawful, so
full of religious can't and to hold it up in its hide
GUS deformity to the freeman's hate and scorn. He
should boldly assert fact not generally known in
some parts of the world, that free soul is better
than one merchandized; that a deed of real estate
is probably not as valuable in the sight of God
deed of bsnevolence and selfsacrifce for the good
of man. 't
In conclusion, the lecturer noticed the fact that
there has never been much ipducement to follow
the vocation of poetry. The greatest poets in his
tory were poorly appreciated. Miton's compen-
sation for Paradise Lost would not have kept him
dscently clothed. Young Chatterton committed
suicide in garnet, from want and despair Poe
was poor, and obliged to call on his publishers
in advance for the necessares of life. Other exam.
pies were enumerated to show that fame frequently
gives man who died starved good and perma
nent history in marble, though it failed to procure
h;,, tho ,ood kindness of a meal of yictuals How