The daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1878, 1865-09-17
COLUMBIA.
Sunday Morning, September II, 1855.
Thieving ms One OF the Fine Arts.

Thteving One OF the Fine Arts.
1t has not hitherto been customary to re-
! cognize thieving as one of the fine arts,
| though the moral propriety of the practice
| has long been admitted. It is that venera-
BILE bigwig Lord Coke, we believe, who
| records stealing Us one of the legitimate
| modes, in FORMER days, for the acquisition
of property. It came under the law of
I Desceaks among the Scottish Highlandens
| But all the ancient processes were rude,
| violent, heathenish, and implied nothing
graceful; no elegance, no art, no ingenuity,
no such polish and dexterous elegance of
| manner, as distinguishes the modern ope-
! rator. When we take review Of the field
during the last four years, in allsections. :
see the superior facility with which the trans
fer of property was made from one hand to
another-how men could insinuate their
fingers into their ncighbors pockets and
coffers-with what smiles on their face,
what gentle words on the tongue, with
E-1..2. '.s!ars1r.,ss oe :.i1 sut; 1,.uuer, what
courtesy, ease and loving assurance-we
cannot but rise to proud consciousness of
the superiority of. our own over all preced-
ing times Briefly, stealing, from, being
originally q most rude, ungracious and
offensive practice, has risen into the rank
OF fine art; and already the professions are
crowded., the competitors are numerous,
and 1t is dlfiicnlt to say where the limit can
oe found to the continued progress of an
art SO attractive in it's own exercises, and 80
well calculated to reward the professors.
The laws OF this art are not yet sufficiently
defined, perhaps to enable us to dispfsy
them as SO many rules for the proper educs.-
tlon Of the young. But this we NAV say,
that 1t cannot be practiced as we practice in
the ordinary professions, admitting .uere
hod-men and drilled sergeants to it's exer
else. Thieving implies an original endow-
mont-a gifts briefly an evidence of &C.
MUS, and genius itself is sort of outlaw1y,
giving full opportunity for the Development
of every sort of power. Nothing can stale
It's infinite variety; and we feel that we are
rapidly reaching condition when this one
art will supercede all others. The ambition
of men will no longer persuade them into
the professions; and to be II mere politician
will satisfy no appetite for distinction.
Then1is viii be given up for Mercury, and
instead of the antiquated law. s'Thou shalt
not steal" it will be written boldly, dropping
the negative, ''Thou shalt do nothing else
but steal.' And the ordinary lesson to the
professor VIII read, us in the ancient book
called the Bible, "What thy hands find to
take, that take with all thy heart and all thy
SOUL, all thy strength and all. thy fingers.
Amen?' As great men inevitably succeed
each other in all the professions, we are not
without hope and consolation, even when
we record the demise of a distinguished
master. We have but recently been ap-
prised of the death of one of the most
eminent masters of the art that South Ca
rolina has ever produced. Our poor little
State rich in other representative and typi-
cal minds has held but a humble rank,
among sister States, in this branch of the
fine arts. But we certainly produced one
master in the person of David Theophlusi
Hines. David~is dead, we are told; foully
murdered, it is said, by some miserable
wretch, who enyied his greatness, or, pos
sibly, with the ambition of Erostratus, who
aimed to acquire glory for himself as de-
stroyer Of glory in another. We know not
the particulars OF Hines death, and would
like Z get them from some good authority
Such, men must not be allowed to 90
out from hfe like farthing candle
The grave OF such man must not be left
in obscurity. There should be some memo
rial, for verify, he was the only great master
Of the art. ever born in South Carolina
Let us trust that, in the glorious times about
to be inaugurated all old things
shall pass away, and all things shall become
new-when we shall have fully gotten rid of
vulgar morals, effete principles, vain tradi-
tions and common humanities-DavidH Hines
Will nave successor-nay, many successors