Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-11-13

The truth he sought. the scheme he wrought,
The magic art seemed to see
Upon the ancient river,
Through all the lengthening years shall be
a.
Amusing BurIesq que Sketch of Oliver wen-
dell Holmes.
Vdnity Far has this amusing sketch ofthe
'Autoerat of the Breakfast Table,"
Oliver Wendell Holmes is one of the most
remarkable bricks in the country, as this
brief biography will show. He is the son OF
the Rev. John Home of Edinburg, the au-
thor of Douglas, touching tragedy,
founded on the adventures of one of the an.
cestors of Stephen A. Douglas, who had q
good deal of trouble in finding his mother
"a difficulty under which the family still
laborsl and the sufferings of Lady Randolph,
thew of the Hon. John Randolph, oi
Roanoke. Originally from Holiness Hole,
the infancy of DIR. Holmes was passed in
Boston. The first objects that met his child
ish eyes in the modern Athens were the
State-hOuse, which he has never ceased to
regard with affection. and the Common, for
which he has an uncommon reverence. As
might have been expected from his poetieal
temperament the childhood of Oliver was
rather wild; indeed, he was so wild at one
time that he was actually sent to the tread
mill. The occasion was as follows:
Being one day in want of tail for his
kite, and not finding any thing adapted to
the purpose in the family rag-bag, he crossed
over to the Charleston yard, where the
Constitution was then rotting, and smug-
Cling himself on board, stealthily climbed
the lanyards until he reached the cut water,
where the Union Jack was flying. He ap-
propriated it for his kite-tail, but was for
tunately detected, and sent to the tread mill
for three months. He laughed at his punish
- L .
which, very appropriately, ran the rounds.
His constitution beginning at length to flag,
he's earecruited it by writing about the "Flag of
the Constitution "a spirited little lyric,
which, strange to say, is always incorrectly
printed. The very first line is wrong, for
instead of ....r.,.
cay, tear her tattered ensign down."
it should read, .. s. A-
'I tore her tattered ensign down"
(Win not DR.. Holmes correct the reading
in. variorum edition of his poems? But
perhaps he wishes to vail in mystery this ro-
mantle episode of his YOUTH ~
Freed from the treadmill and the odium of
Imprisonment Oliver commenced the study
of law, but growing weary of John Doe
Richard Roe and the rest of that large legal
family, he turned his attention to medicine.
He served an apprenticeship with O dis
tmguished apothecary on Beacon Hill and,
graduating with distinction, started for Paris
to finish his education. = =
DR.. Holmes has written several medical
works, with alarmingly scientific titles we
shall not punish the readers of Y. f. by
enumerating them), and a volume of poems,
which occasionally smell of the shop, though
they are any thing but a drug in the market.
He resides in palatial mansion on the banks
of the Charles River, not far from the cot
tage OF his publisher, Mr.. Fields 1known in
England under the soWbriguet of Kenny
Meadows) and in sight of the object of his
early admiration, the State-hous His de-
votion to the eupola of the Stated house is so
ardent, that he calls it the Club of the Uni
verse" His and its enemies scout the idea,
which certainly is extravagant, and say it is
but small part of even the Common Wheel
of Massachusetts, -r. . ,..-,l,...' =,
DR. Holmes is great proficient in boating,
so much so that the master with whom he
studied (Martin, the Vegetarian, calls him
his best scholar Query Sculler3) Oombe
the Phrenologist, paid him similar compli.
fnent, saying that he was the best skull in
Boston2 The proximity of the Dr.'s resi-
dence to the spar-yards on the banks of the
Charles, led him to sparring, and he is now
so devoted to the manly art that he never
takes walk without putting on his gloves
His habits are pacific, however, notwith-
standing his connexion with the Atlantic
LIS hlob NOhbiloutlOu W lulS HudRdLlU6 was
the "Autocrat of the Breakfast Table. IL
was originally his intention to have con-
tinued the series ssThe Democrat of the Din
ner Table" "The Sovereign of the Supper
Table, and possibly tThe Loafer at Lunch y
but some injudicious friend persuaded him to
change his plan, and give us "The Professor
instead. We should like to analyze these
works for the delectation of the readers Of
Y. r.; but unfortunately our Ann Eliza is
assent, having gone into the country to see
her sick mother; so we will pass them by,
saying they are worthy Of Y. r., which is
the highest praise thatwe can give them;
DIR. Holmes devoted all his energies to his
profession, and was at last chosen Professor
OF Anatomy of Cambridge in the place of
DR.. Warren, 1.-THE inventor of Warren's
Backing, and the author of Ten Thousand a
Year, which, by the way was the income
which his blacking gave him,) who was un-
fortunately killed ON Bunker's Hill in the
flower of his youth, as the reader Of Ameri-
can History will at once remember "He
was also" a correspondent informs us-with
what truth we know not-"Professor OF
Comparative anatomy and Theology" in the
Massachusetts, Water-cure establishment,
and held the Homeopathic chair in the Allo-
paihic Cemetery. 1t was under his wise
guidance that the practice of medicine at
tanned such uneTTing precision in Boston,
Il that not Two patients in six survived a cali
from the one e-horse ebay"