Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-02-16


TO bring our existence to a Summary close by send
ing us another speech, thinking doubtless that Its
pOrusal would put quietus upon any Northern
man. That the readers Of the Leader may see the
dsbOlcaI purpose Of the writer, We make some e1-
tracts from this last production, which is styled
The Romance Of Reform" ian address delivered
before the Young Mems Association ofNOIth Bend.
Published by request" Read and reflect on the
inhumanity Of the man who would ask another
to rad the whole pamphlet. Ills fundamental
axiom be lays down 10 the arst four lines, as thus:
ITO chldo the Feprehenslble is an impulse Of
humanity, but TO mpersonato tho transgressor, Is
10 surrender In guilt This surrender comedies an
implication absolute as Il Is universal Of mans re-
lhtiOnship rs transgreasor, aud Of his involvement
In the lmilless expansion Of exeeptionable under
lakings."
By this be doubtless means the Romance Of
Reform, and then be asks the exceedingly natural
question "Where lies the Romance Of Reform Z .
aud filed with the dlViHe G6lahis, responds In
glowing poetry:
at fathers 10 mercy the faults Of the stage,
It mothers for heAihen the political sage,
Il pumps up for the Senate the bile OF corruption and
It's credentials to save them iromh ell ."Yes
IN fares the land, 20 lasting ills prey"
Where priests predominate aud men decay
We are then told that the Romance Of Reform
''lies mott glitfsriNg phdntasms." but
being revolutions commenced In the fsnc-
ful bounds OF human probabilities without recog-
niEng the standard OF national WORTH which are
effeotuated by convictions ever accompanying
distorted fancy Is etheticaly unwarrantable.,'
That's perfectly clear now and no doubt need
exist as to the precise meaning Of the Romance OF
Reform. But can our orator inform an inquitive
world in what version Of the Scriptures it is related
that the erisly inclined Elijah divided the waters
Of the Jordan That Elijah i0as the man we are
told as follows
"The casuist reads in vain Of q
Jonah leaIin in penitence his oily cavern for the
dreaded rebels beyond the sea no waving flag or
booming caunon hailed the Tesufrecton-uO mar
tial band or Hebrew brother proclaimed his well
come-ers be announced with stirring elOquenOe
their awful doom. de reads in vain OF Elijah with
his mantle dividing the JOrdan-tO his son be-
queathing his spirit, and to the grinding teeth Of
the forest he resigns bis scOfers TO be waited by
steeds of FIRE TO mansions OF bliss"
Turning now from ancient to modern times, he
summarily consighs all reprobates to an exceed
ingy torTld region, in little flowing rhyme, aud
then adds
But consignatious of this sort may by some be
deemed assumptive and prophetic, heartless and
unknd-by some Goals Of abuse or sighs OF re-
venge-emAnating from the vortex Of savage phil
anthT0py-by some as sediments drizzling from
kegs Of uDbridled passion 10 irIigato the thrOais
oil a parched up humanity-by some as the belch-
ing shot from the steepings Of boiling frenzy TO
scald and melt their tender brains
The allusiOn to Sediment of kegs" aud ''irri.
81 - hap i1,y
and must have told immensely upon a Kentucky
or Tennessee audience Fearfully then does he
interrogate them as to ''Ssngers death scene :"
"Can we picture him on the confines of life agOn-
izing and helpless, and not have one word Of en-
couragement on his entrance TO the heavenly pOr-
tails that the degenerate have lost counterpart
not one groan from Calyarie's Summit, or one can
nonade from hells artillery to memorize their
victory III"
Truly does be say "such interrogatories no puck.
cred up prejudice, or stiff kneed hypocrisy has
ever concerted" He then
"Marvels not that camissdes aud mUnopolies are
-obsequious as the pendulum Of that clock on the
mantlepiece of Eternity commenced that vibration
to which diadrom seems century, and cen
tury an eternity"
What on earth does that meant He then goes
on to tell the exceeding Romance Of something
(what il is we cannot ind Out) and gives bis i'm
aginative steed the rein, as follows;
Romance to the Christian, checked for the
steamboat whose captain is Jesus, to land with
pilot whose harbor is Heaven, Romance to the
sinner, mounting an express with different con-
ductor 10 run by the steamer whose depot is not
heaven. Romance to intrepidity, spangling its
epaulets with roses Of innocence, TO dance TO the
music Of heavens light infantry. Romance to
maignancy, drilled on the muster ground in Beel
zebub's valley-to open its batteries when devils
may rally"
The student Of natural history will DO well to
note the following sentence in which he describes
conflict of the Walrus and shark, in which the
former gets Worsted until,
around him the dugOng-the leOpard-the
molusk-now gather to pick up their meal"
Our space is small for further extracts but really
we must not omit few of bis startling images and
iancies. One would think be was Edgar A. Poe
and Websters Dictionary simmered down to q
point Just look at this:
at matters not whether roses are red, or eyes
diVerge-for the efulgenee of one viii lumipate
that lonesome valley cOrdlalize by Its scintllla
tons his welcome from earth-sud secure for him
patent in the gas lights Of the skies; but the de-
clinatiOn Of the eye blending with It's reflections
Al
ducts-hres up the vaults Of the nasal dome, and
is fed by sulphur from hell's gasometer. For pools
to them are puddles still Realities to the student,
tumbing the Jumps for q whisky tOddy and REFORM
ing his classmate by holding his head. Reality to
the gambler picking his dice in iHiamies bottles
to throw double skies from Romance, his bowl"
There is considerable Of such reform going on
among classmates we imagine-perhaps Williams
College could tell Of some experience of that kind
Ehl
Here is an "easay on man" that beats Pope "all
hollow"
"Nan, that being who dates his perceptions from
human pantries-ere he has smiled mid the blankets
of trundle-bed innOcence-Or Teeled 10 panialets
Of froliesome joy-must leave the hacienda With its
foliaged laWns-must slide down the mountain OF
slippery temptaiiOn-must tumble mid the erags
Of icy manevoence-must feed on the lizards Of
crawling fancy-must be snapped with the lashes
Of ivory tailed scorpions-and be chased by the
sharks Of rsmediless woe-for he is at best but q
subsidized agent Tor monarchizsd realm.
Here too is an essay on woman
"Some Of our ladies find this Romance mid
founces and ostentatiOn-mid luxury and eXpence
mid snatteTerl Of French peppered with Latin
of Latin salted with Greek-Or Of Greek hashe1
with German" ..-
But we must lay aside the scissors. Through
the whole twenty pages, ingenious combinations
of high sounding words, astonishing imagery ant
astounding metaphors follow closely one upOr
another until it is big with fun and OverhOwinG
with the incomprehensible. We will switch OF
with one more figure of speech,
"They would feed deaths locomotive with oi
and water-and when with nimble wheels--lim
Der joints-sod sporting pipes it is fired for thu
| track Of glOry-as the draw bridge OF life i
elosing-they would fly for the CLASSY portals
and when with shiyering fear-aching hOpe-ani
pallid cheek they approach mortalites Junction
they would join the express Of Jordan--anu
having entered immOTtalities depOt-thcy wout
wrap them in the ieicles Of deaths cold mantle
and lay them in the graveyards Of endless woe.
All aboard, with Tenny for runner"