Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1860-02-14
Goldsmith and his Friends.

Mr.. O'Gorlnan introduced the subject of his
discourse by relating the fable of Hans Anderson,
of little bird so ugly that it was driven from
the barn-yard by its teathered brethren, and af
ter a season of wa dering abroad found itself In
the beginning of spring on the margin of lake,
and found on seeing its shadow reflected in the
water that it was a swan which had only want
ed time to develop its plumage of snow and 70 m
of graceful beauty Ne are not to infer from
the moral of the fable that ali ugly birds are
swans, but that appearances very often deceive,
that those who judge lily do not often judge
very wisely, and we ought to think twice at
least before we condemn others because their
natures are not precisely like our own. There
are ugly birds among men, awkward, wayward
characters, WHO grow up among their kindred
unknown, unvalued, misunderstood, until at last
they try their wings abroad, and moulded and
strengthened in the rough struggle OF life, force
from strangers the esteem and consideration
denied them at home. Ii is haru ordeal, and
few pass through it unhnrt. Society, busy about
its present occupations, loves best the natures
that can be put to use, and has no time to wait
on characters that are slow to develop, and the
instinct Of selfpreservaton leads it to look upon
all who stray from tile irodden paths with a
larm they are outlaws and must be punished
Adventures, scape graces, vagabonds, are among
the mildest epithets that the English language
affords for this obnoxious class. In Ireland, a
country peculiarly prolific in specimens OF the
kind, they are dealt with more tenderly, and the
term genius is applied as the generic appella-
ton of all who despise every form OF vulgar in-
dustrv, live by their wits and go to the dogs
with great rapidity.
The town OF Ballymahon, in the county of
Longford and Kingdom Of Ireland, possessed a
n
bused class in the person of an awkward lad,
fresh from the Dublin University. His father,
minister OF the Church of England, had shortly
before died, leaving behind him an extensive
reputation for piety and benevolence, and wild
ow with young family and scanty stock OF
worldly goods. Henry, the brother Of Oliver,
was already curate of Paliis at salary of 44O a
year, which he eked out by keeping school for
young gentlemen. The second son., Oliver, had
just flushed bis course as sizer, or poor scho-
ar, and was now at home enjoying unlimited
ldleness and the dignifed title OF Bachelor OF
Arts. His other possessions were but slight
He was then 81 years OF age and very few men
of his age had less to boast of. In person short,
coarse, blunt, awkward aad ungainly his face
was very pale, very ugly, and deeply marked
with the smallpox. His temper was htful and
wayward for the most part cheerful and bright,
with careless gaiety and lumor, he was OF apt
turn, moody on small provocation, and Indignant
at some real or tancied insult. 1t was hoped
that his mental endowment would compensate
for his personal defects; but in college his career
had been failure, and though his name had
never appeared on the honor list, there was at
tached to it reputation OF less favorable kind.
| A balliH who had ventured into the hallowed
precincts OF Old Trinity, had been seized and
compelled to swallow the obnoxious writ, and
was then taken to the pump and hydropathcally
treated until he nearly expired. Prominent Oh
the list of those engaged in the exploit was the
name of Oliver Goldsmith. 1t had also been
whispered that the peryerse and misguided lad
composed street ballads which he sold to pub
Usher who dealt III that kind OF literature Tor
i've shi,iings a ballad, and that it Was his dc
| hghc to steal out OF the college at night and
listen to his own productions sung in the dimly
Iignted streets to any bat select audiences. YET
IN spite of all his manifold sins OF omission and
commission he was not altogether without ex-
cuse. His condition in the university must have
been utterly wretched. lie was without means,
and as proud and sensitive as he was poor. His
life was lonely, for pride and poverty make nc
friends and the few shillings he made by the sale
of those obnoxious doggrels were, perhaps needed
" save him from starvation, or were shared
with others whose condition might be worse
than his own, for the poor scholar had, if ever
man had, tear for pity and hand ''open as
day to melting charity Once in paroxysm
OF pity he stripped off his coat and gave it to a
wretch whose raggedness was worse than hia
own, and on another occasion he gave his bed
clothes to sick family, and theE making hole
10 the bed he slowed himself snugly away a.
lnong the feathers. All these things the family
council never heard OF, perhaps, or took no heed
Of, and poor Oliver returned in disgrace. Life
IN village is stupid work at the best spite oil
its charms to the poetica mind, it has never pre-
sented itself to me as very attractive. 1t seems
rather drowsy and somnanoulistic sort of ex-
istence, and Ballymahon century ago was nc
exception to the general rule.
| One OF divers exploits at this time was wor.
thy OF his character. Some choice-spirits were
hanging loose about Ballylnahon, stray jewels
too rich to be left unset. These he organized
into a club, and in George Conways tavern, in
the village. they sang Irish songs, told Irsa sto-
ries, and made night hideous in variety of ways
| The perpetual president of the club, elected by
acclamation, was Oliver Goldsmith No memo
| ry of past humiliation, no shadow of coming
sorrow, crossed him while at the head of this
jovial crew. They looked up to the young grad
| uate as an oracle of erudition from them came
| no sneer al his poverty or nginess to check the
flow of his kind, genial humor. Two years of bis
life were thus spent. They passed away, but the
memory of them fingered around him forever
and in his hours OF misery often shed warmth
and sunshine on his chilled and wasted heart
| He would have been content to dream away bis
whole life in Ballymahon, without thought ol
the morrow; but his family were bent upon his
being an ornament to the ministry, and he con-
sented He was examined by the Bishop and
rejected, to the infinite chagrin Of his family,
and no doubt to his own entire satisfaction.
| An uncle a man of some means and much
generosity, took Oliver by the hand and pro-
cured for him employment long enough to get
ESQ and horse, and he now determined to try
life on his own account, for spite of disappoint
ment, he was still young and full OF hope
| Where then, should he turn but to the mighty
region of river and forest and lake beyond the
Atlantic, which Providence from the first des-
tined to be the adventurer's home? He may
have heard in the lectures OF Old Trinity of start
ling discoveries in electricity by printer in
Philadelphia who had begun to cultivate an &C
oualntance with the lightning Or some skip
per arrived with cargo from James River may
have told him that Bachelor of Arts would
command any price among the first families OF
Virginia or he may have heard that for those
who have been tried and found wanting in the
Old World hope of redemption still remained
in the land of the setting sun. In America he
decided to try his luck, bade farewell to his home,
and took the road to Cork, where the ship lay
that was to bear him across the Atlantic. Emil
grafton to the colonies required good deal OF
resolution in those days, to leave the Old World
III +, noh1o ond andparipp memories and