The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1865-12-16


number Of the Atlantic Monthly. GeneraiGar-
field, having helped to finish the rebellion and
laid aside his sword and revolver, has taken
up his classical spear, and, by single touch,
has demolished the Senator's fanciful fabric'in
the Straits Of Messina-with the Sirens singing
themselves hoarse, Charybdis believing to
Scylla, Scylla bowling to- Chsrybdis, and Ulys-
ses stopping the ears Of his companions with
wax, all at the same time and in the same
locality--a piece Of literary mosaic work with
more unites in it than the old classical
drama. How the distinguished Senator got so
mixed up is a marvel. We wonder now that
he did not get in something about the political
status Of the Roman freedmen.
But General Garfield did not finish up bis
work as thoroughly as Grant did with the
rebels. We read the Senator's article cursorily,
and not only noticed the geographical blunder
about the Sirens, but several other inaccura-
cies, which we proceed to point out.
AT the foot Of page 74s he speaks of "the
Monastery of ST. Gall, in France" We have
heard of the great Benedictine Monastery of
ST. Gan, in the Swiss canton ,of that name; and
we believe the French, in the Revolutionary or
Consular period Eve forget which,, when they
were knocking things into ,ps ell over Europe,
had something to do with secularizing its bene-
6ces. But when the Senator says st. Gall 10 In
France, he is as much out ofthc way as he was
in,anchosing the Island of the Sirens alongside
of ScyliA, and we are constrained to say to
him:-sMr. Sumner, you are weak in geog-
raphy, both ancient and modern, and you
must go down to foot"
At page 1853 he speaks Of Palestine and
Jerusalem, where God wasborn Of virgin"
&C.. Where? In Palestine or at Jerusalemf
This isvery loose writing, Mr. Sumner, and Is
unworthy Of you. We do. mot pretend to be
strong in ecclesiastical history, but we have
long Had the impression THAT the Saviour of
mankind was born in Bethlehem. We fear the
Senator has neglected his New Testament as
well as his Odyssey. But, after all, his mistake
is not more remarkable than that Of his Brother
BeecAcr, who with less excuse, being in the
cifursh,) thought the Feast Of the Resurrection
came on Good Friday.
At page 751 the Senator quotes an anOny-
nous Latin poet, who speaks Of Lucan as sing
ing "the praises of Cesar" in the Pharsalia.-
Mr.. Sumner ought to know that Lucan was one
of Crsar's chief traducefs, and he should net
have allowed this Misrepresentation to pass
without notice. Pompey was Lucan's hero
OF Pompey he says:-
Stat magni nonainis ambra;
and
Prosiluit busto, semusiaque memhra relnquens,
Degeneremque rcSum, sequltur convexa Tonants.
And of Cesar he says =:
Non in esesare tantum
Nvmen erat nee fama ducts;
~ -Gaudeassue WAN fecssc.ruina.
What should we think at this day OF writer
who should place Pompcy above Caesar as
military leader? Niebuhr says:-sThere can
not be more unfortunate epic than Lucan's
Pharsalia;'' and his opinion Is worth quite as
much as the anonymous Latin poets. Some OF
Lucan's comments on C@sar's lid;son with
Cleopatra In his tenth canto casts the delica-
cies Of the Strong case into the deepest shade.
After ali, what did he know aboutit? He wis
born eighty years after Caesars assassination;
and his narrative no doubt consists Of scan
dial picked up i'm the Roman Forum century
after Cleopatra's festivities with the great con-
queror. Besides, Lucan was in bad humor
when he wrote the last cantos of the Pharsalia.
He and Nero were at loggerhesds, like two
school-boys, about their verses. Mr.. Sum-
ner's anonymous Latin poet ought TO have
said that Lucan sang the praises of Pom
pey; and II the Senator had been a
thorough scholar, or had even read the
Pharsalis, he would have corrected him. The
truth is Mr.. Sumner should give up the classics
as long as he is burdened with the foreign affairs
Of the country, or else he should take time to
be accurate. BY the by, we see that Mr.. Speaker
Colfax has put General Banks at the head Of
the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the lower
House. Now that Massachusetts, has monop.
oily of Lord John Russell, Louis Napoleon, the
Emperor Macmillan, President Juarez and
Senior Ortega, besides the cotton factories, We
hope that indcfatigable community will be suf-
fcicntly occupied without coming on here at
short intervals, as has been their CUSTOM 10
sec whether our underpinning Is in order.
One word more to Senator Sumner before
parting We do not intend to interfere with
| his vocation in the Senate We leave to him
all modern international matters. But in that
| department Of our foreign relations which con-
| Germs the ancient Greeks and Romans we feel
licensed, on general principles, to take an
active part; and II he will 60 out Of bis proper
domain and venture on classical ground, he
must walk with circumspection or he will DC
tripped up, as we understand he has been once
or twice in the Athens Of America. He should
bear in mind that he cannot make many more
such false steps without getting the reputation
] Of q superficial scholar.