The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-06-23

for its supposed sympathy with actions which |
in 1866 the Uu;ted States government highly
approved" What authority has England for
using the Last expression. when 1t is well
Known that we were only left cut Of the Treaty
Of Paris by a trifirg technicality advanced by
the then Secretary Of Statef We no more re-
cogniaeG p-ivateering thsn than we do now.
After all the confusion of argument that we
End In the English journals it is amusing to
read their comments upon the New YORK
HERALD, without which it is hard to cay what !
the writer's on American affairs in England
would do. However, we are glad to find that
this journal has been Of 80 much more service
to them in the cause of enlightenment than, 80
far as we can Judge, any Of their journals has
been to us, and our worst wish Is that notwith-
standing all that they have found TO surprise,
vex, mystity. terrify and bewi,der them in our
columns, they will still continue to profit by
their effects as much as usual; and we give
them full permission to say what they like
about tho New YORK HERALD, and to quote its
contents as largely and as often as they please
Tux AGE OF Poetry Come AT LAsr.-It Will
uo ARCHAEOLOGICAL tuot q cuOIt AlAlo ukv DutAUCI
Of gentlemen formed themselves into Ma
tionsl Anthem Committee, and offered prize
Of five hundred dollars for the best and uosg
appropriate hymn, and further SUM of fiys
hundred dollars tor the music of the piece
Here was prize for some great unknown poet
and musician The committee, however, ii
would seem, thought they had done too much
of thine. "a : ko, hon
that they have withdrawn the amount originally
offered for the music, although the award for
the poetry RENAME as before.
People entertained various opinions about
this mode of searching for something better
than the "Star Spangled Banner" or "Hsl
Columbia" and many for the first time awoke
to the knowledge that we are without any song
comprehensive, prophetic and patriotic enough
to be considered in the light in which French
men regard The "Marseillaise," and the Eng.
lish "Gcd Save the Queen"
Giving an order for so many lines of poetry
at such price, of course looked very like CIV
ing one for so many yards of something Of q
very different and much more tangible charac-
ter; but the poets appear to have taken no
offence at being asked to write to order; for it
is not thing that occurs every day and it is not
every poet by any means that makes five hun
cred dollars by his poem. That they took the
! offer in very good part is indeed evident from
| letter which we published yesterday from
the secretary of the committee, wherein it is
| stated that over eleven hundred and fifty COM
| petitoIs have sent in their manuscripts, and
that the time for the reception of more has
gone by. The secretary may well say that the
public will see at once that the examination
| and comparison Of such mass of matter must
be work Of some time. The poets must
! therefore be patient, and not bore the commit
| tee by personal inquiry for Gan answer" But
if they do, it will, we are told, be of no use:
for the first announcement of their decision
will be made publicly.
Now, a happy idea occurs to lis, and we
suggest without hesitation that the manuscripts
ought to be placed in Barnum's hands without
delay, that large hall somewhere in the city
ought to be taken, and that recitations of all
the poems ought to take place therein on sue
| ceesive nights. The authors might be allowed
the privilege of reading their own compost
lions, which would add greatly to the interest
and entertainment, as the public would then
have an excellent opportunity of approaching
the merits Of each particular poet, and OBJ
serving his eye while Gin fine frenzy
rolling" This would certainly be treat Of the
rarest order. Moreover, in these times of
trouble and excitement, when there is dearth
of popular and peaceful amusements, and An
almost total lack of variety, these Rotations
would come in charmingiy. And one great
advantage would be in the variation of the pro.
gramme every night Even if twenty of these
patriotic gems of poesy were given on each &C.
casion, the eleven hundred and fifty would
still run through fty-seve nights; and with the
price of admission at fifty cents and full houses,
nice little sum might be raised for the benefit
Of the Patriotic Fund. If this result is accom-
plshed, the eleven hundred and fifty national
hymns will not have been written to no pur-
pose, nor the labors of the committee be with.
out use. What say the poets, Barnum and the
public Truly, the age of poetry has come at
last.
The LESS WORK THE LARGER THE PAY~-It is
curious fact that wherever any branch of our
government-federal, State OF municipalities
any advertising patronage to bestow the lions
share is always given to those journals which
have the least circulation. The less capable
they are of doing the work the greater appear
to be their claims on public officials Thus we
find, by recent statement of the City Comp
troller, that out of the twelve newspapers that
received the Corporation advertising during
the year 1860, the journal having the smallest |