Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1860-02-03
Aristarchus and Criticism.

Mr.. Editor The original ARlsTARoHUs
was Greek grammarian, who, many years
ago, criticised the poems of HOMER with
great severity. According to the modern
ssAristarchus," who founders in your
columns, definition is divinity. It is easy to
imagine the views of "Aristarchus" on def.
nitien and divinity. s'Aristarchus" thinks
that labor is curse that the natural and
normal condition of men 10 one of llistless
idleness. ,,a 7s ,.rr.-.s .,.,--, slares, .r,te1
! "Aristarchus" cannot imagine what the
stomach, gastric juice, chime and chyle and
all the aprendages, have to do with labor.
| 1t is pity that ''Aristafchus" cannot go
| beneath the surface. 1t is his misfortune
if he cannot trace the mutual dependencies
| of things If he cannot discover what the
stomach has to do with labor, ither is but
one way to enlighten him. Let him labor one
day without the recognition of the fact that
he has o stomach, or when that organ is not
in a healthy condition, and then, perhaps, he
will find out that ii labor is one thing, and
digestion another. There is at the same time
great sympathy between them Has ''Aris-
tarchus" ever read Esop's Fables If not,
the one entitled the sbelly and the mem
bers" is recommended to his consideration.
| upUSoTS Luut HI LuO aAOtlOGO uSSo VI 0A-
tiquity there were men who, understood as
little Of the connection between the stom-
ach and labor as "Aristarchus" does. It
required practical demonstration to con-
vince them-but who besides "Aristarchus'
would moot such question in the nineteenth
century !? -it,-.r,. a e.. -,.,...,...f .-f, o..
According to s'Aristarchus," while labor
does not include many things which the
lecturer attributed to it, or spoke of in con.
nection with tit naeals much more. The
lecturer doubtless had the charity to suppose
the audience capable of carrying out a
proposition to its natural and inevitable
consequences, or in other words of elaborat-
ing materials presented ITO it, and if
"Aristarchus" is the only exception to this
humane supposition, he should be advised
to study our national motto in its inverted
sense--and be would soon learn that he
was zone 0uteof many." 10 uouz7r2 5GT
| Ii "Aristarchus' cannot imagine what
the English national debt has to do with
labor in Great Britain, if he cannot divine
the connection between the two, if he can.
net see very plainly the effect OF the on one
the other--whose fault is it ? 1t has never
been understood to be the duty of lecturer
to furnish his audience with brains and
if "Aristarchus" cannot understand he
ought to 20 to school. And the same Thing
may be said OF British tyranny and Ameri-
can independence. If these have no influence
upon labor; if they cannot be seen, at a
glance, by any one who is not blind both |
mentally and physically, it would be- labor |
lost to demonstrate the fact. ....yss. ..
Then again, "Aristarchus' thinks that
'sstudy and thought is no labor" If we
were to judge by the evidences which "Aris-
tarclu-"h has placed before US in his famous
criticism, we should be inclined to agree
with him But ''Arisarchus" objects that
there was a lack of eloquence! An eloquent |
man is s:Aristarchus - To,oery language
and refaed style," according to ''Aris-
are indispensable to eloquence ii
Did it never occur to "Aristarchus' that
lis two '.ndispensibles" are incompatible
Who before ever heard of ''fowery language
and "refned style" in the same connection?
1t is not necessary to say that "Arstarchus"
is vulgar-but 'fowery language is an
evidence of vulgarty.
"Aristarchus'' should have given US a
specimen of eloquence, according to ''Aris-
in his communication! 1t is GER
tainly devoid of u 'srefDed style"--and not
only 81, uuI VI IA oeieaoy " lnouSHt. t..
But "Aristarchus' talks of the "literdryl
scholar'' and of the shock his olfactories
encounter when they como in contact with
u flower without perfume ! It's fact that
persons sensiblities may be so deadened as
not to discover perfume except it exists in
that quality and degree which would be
offensive to others.
But "Aristarchus" is charitable after all.
He thinks the lecturer did his best O,
''Aristarous 7" How could you?
1t is consoling that we have an "Aristar-
chus' among US and It is equally console
ing to reflect, that, as Homer's writings sur
sived the attack of the ancient "Arstar-
shus," so the lecturer on Labor" will hav-
a substantive existence, when the modern
''Arstarchus" shall have ceased to criticise.