The New York herald., 1860-09-18


| tious and sectional candidate for the Presi
dency.
The Poets and the Presidency.
! The aphorism generally accredited to Be
ranger, but undoubtedly much older i" Let me
write the songs for nation. and care not who
makes its laws" cannot, we fear, be pleaded in
mitigation of punishment by the ballad mougers
who concocted the forty or fifty poetcal effusions
which we printed the other day, and Of which
another instalment is given elsew here A grea.
deal Of just censure has been written in relation
| to our civil and criminal code; but it must be
| apparent to the meanest conception that faulty
| as our laws may be, our songs are even worse
| We cannot admit, for moment that the coun.
| try could be safely governed by either the dis
ciples Of Themis or Apollo, as they are here ex.
pounded.
The political Pegasus has assumed, how
ever, a vast deal Of importance during this cam
paign and he has been mounted by SO many
aspirants that his health bas been materially in
jured. He no longer gallops, canters or trots
smoothly. He rears up before, and he kicks
out behind. He interferes, he limps, he halts
and goes upon three legs. He il like Petru-
chio's Rosinante, possessed with the glanders,
and like to nose in the chine, troubled with
windgalIs, sped with spavins, and stark spoiled
with the staggers." II the poor old fellow can
no. do better be ought to be turned ont In Mil
tonian pastures and permitted to die comforta-
bly, among his ancient friends. Such, however,
is not the charitable intention Of the bards who
sing the praises Of the several candidates for
the Presidency. They have none Of the quality
Of mercy in their competition. They do not
sweep the Tyre with the gentle touch Of the
heavenly Nine; they pitch into 1t with what the
| muscular Christians would call a sockdoisger.
They, In point of fact, punch the heavenly Tyre
In its classic head; they blacAen its eye, they
bung its nose, knock lite teeth down its throat,
jump and stamp upon 1t, and are even base
enough to kick II when in & rccumbent position.
They bave knocked up Pegasus. hopelessly un-
strung the heavenly lyre, and created the most
irreparabie discords among the tuneful Nine
Look, for example, at the laureates OF Mr..
Douglas. They are, we believe, the more
numerous Of the bardlings One OF them sings
Of an imaginary conversation between Uncle
Abe and Long John Wentworth, in which we
have the most delightful quairains, such as
this
Said oii Long John 10 Abraham,
A looking very plant,
| We must oevise some humbug plan
4 To kin tie LILLE Giant.
which we submit as one Of the morceaux Of
the collection.
There Is a song for Brcckinridge and Lane, to
the air, Don't you wish you may get it, which
is rather an unfortunate selection. In another
delightful lyric, the republic is, by q happy
figure of speech, likened to wagon, "a noble
vehicle, built in seventy.six, and driven by
George Washington through stormy politics"
Then We are informed that upon this wagon
box, in sweet commune, sat the late lamented
Msssrs. Webster and Calhoun; that Henry Clay
drove the concern at that blissfuI period; that
Mr. Cass was "at bis side,r and never did
the Union take safer Union ride" A Douglas
song, TO the same favorite air, has assumed that
S. A. j. Is the genuine, only original democratic
| candidate, because democratic usage has
spoken out anew. and nominated Stephen A., to
every section true" which ought TO settle the
question Of regularity so far as the poeucal a..
pect Of the affair Is concerned. A rhymster,
who affects the Star Spsngled Banner" metre,
earnestly inquiries for that band ever glorious
and true, when danger besets, and high courage
Is needed, to the good ship Of State both CON-
mander and crew. and desires to have II dis
tnody understood that the watcaword has
been given" The question that mex, presents
iueli Is, whether the said "watchw word shall
pass unneeded.' We trust not; for. indepen-
IDENTIFY Of the danger to the Union. we might. in
the threatened contingency. be obliged 70 suf-
fer another poem, in addition to the horrors Of
civil war and other disagreeable things.
We come now 10 o Bell and Everett lay, also
to the tune Of the S. S. B. In this we are re-
| quested to "Hark 10 the swell OF sweet voices
that well from harmonious throa,s In accord
with our Bell (pun), and are further informed
that "they are The voices Of peace, tor the
whole nation knows, that woman il with ms
where Everett goes" A Lincoln song Iikens
Honest Old Abe TO Robin Hood, who was a
common and notorious thief. The comparison
seems rather an unfortunate one. In another
Of The Lincoln songs there is nm elegant RIFE.
renee 70 Mr. Hamlin; Il d declared that che re-
publicans will give them (the democrats)
Ham enough this fail,r that II will be served
up "neat and plain and Just imported from
old Maine" nautical friend OF Mr.. Douglas
wishes all the friends Of that eminent states.
man that's scattered DER the land.- TO give
ear, for be is going /" TO build Douglas ship,
miraculous specimen Of naval architecture,
TO sal upon the land.' The pho, OF this sin.