The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-05-16

him OF the little reputation he has lett for good
workmanship.
this book was COLLECTED, revised, and edited
by Mr. Charles G.. Halpine, we should suppose
that some offce-boy had put II together with the
aid of a pastepot and PAIR OF scissors No
attempt has been made to arrange the various
articles selected. Some are written in the char
acter of Miles 0'Reilly; some in that of the cor
respondent of the tribune; some In that of the
editor of the Herald; some in that of Mr.. Hal
pine. One of the poems appears twice in this
book. There is no index.
examples of this itch for notorety multi
ply upon us as we turn over these coarse pages.
Here Mr.. Halpine avows himself the author of
the lyric, Tear Down that Flauntng Lie his
vanity getting the better of his prudence; and
yet at the date when that poem was written Mr..
Halpine was pro'slavery Democrat and for
years afterwards he was quite an active local
politician of that party. Then come accounts
OF bogus banquets and quotations from imagi-
nary albums, all written in order to persuade
the reader that Miles 0Reilly was received IN
good society and had his verses read at great
dinners, between the speeches of Anderson and
Dix. Recollections OF the war follow, in order
to give the impression that MIR. Halpine was an
active soldier, when in fact his only mill
tary duties were those OF secretary, and
as he really saw very little of the war,
and passed no inconsiderable portion OF
his time in this city-as the articles in his book
plainly shOw-his 'Iecollectons' may be as
bogus as his banqUets, and are, at any rate, ,open
to luspcion. Just as he claims to have origi-
mated Mr.. Benefits editorials, so, in another
portion of the book, he presents himself as the
real author of General Hunters letters because
he acted as the Generals amanuensis And yet
he commits this fagrant and objectionable
breach of confidence and deCorum with no i'll
feeling towards General Hunter, whom he lauds
as q soldier but not as "a wiiter.' The chapter
on Fenianism he parades as having trebled the
numbers of the BroGherhood but surely no
rightminded person can take pride IN having
thus assisted to delude his poorer and more
Agn
gigantic swindle ever perpetrated under the
cloak of patriotism. Is it too much to say that
a volume composed of such ingredients is a dis
reputable specimen OF literary prostitution?
"1huS far we have only spoken of the faults of
this form. All this rubbish will have to be
cleared away before Mr.. Halpine can make any
enduring reputation, and we believe that he has
talent enough to make one he chose. His
imagination is good, his language forcble,
hls influency remarkable, and his YER
satilty extraordinary. Give him con-
science and he can achieve iair place in litera-
tgre. But he must understand, once for all, that
the Miles 0Reilly sham is no longer acceptable,
that excellence of manner does not atone for
badness OF matter, and that one more book like
this will be too much for the public patience.
Baked Meats was hastily pitchforked toge.
ther,' says the author. We advise him to take
up the pitchtOrk and toss his book out of sight,
"A number of Byron's letters, formerly in the
possession OF his friend Hodgson, to whom they
were addressed, was lately sold in London. The
first, which was dated Newstead Abbey Novem-
Der g. 1908, brought twelve guineas; a second,
dared some six years later and interesting from
its reference to Miss Milbanke, then about to
become Lady Byron, realized f6 lOs.; a third,
f3 12s. In the last, Byron desires Hodgson to
inform Drury that he has treasure for him-a
whole set of original Burns letters, never pub
lished or to be published, since they were full
of MI nd
However" Byron adds, "they are curiosities,
and show him quite in a new light. The mix.
ture, or rather contrast, of tenderness, dehcacy,
obscurity, and coarseness in the same mind is
wonderful" volume of autograph letters OF
Mrs. Siddons brought at the same sale f31 los.
The LEGISLATIVE SATURDAY.-There was an
ancient custom in New England, introduced
from England or Scotland, of deyotlng portion
of the schoolboy's Saturdays to committing and
repeating the "Shorter CatechIsm.' Why it
should ever have been called shorter" is q mys-
terry to us. Growing out of this custom, no
doubt, the lower House of Congress is in the
habit of deyoting its Saturdays to similar per-
torrance. 1t is not exactly catechetcal, though
to some extent a rehearsal of obscure doctrines,
badly committed to memory. As it is growing
into settled innovation, let us briefly describe
this curious legislative performance.
A citizen of this republic, soournipg at Wash
ington, saunters up the avenue on Saturday.
He has been fixing his eye on the white dome of
the Capitol, with the black speck on the top of
1t, until he reaches the gate and is informed, on
inquiry, that IL is Saturday, and the Senate is
not in session. The "Senaten may have gone ON
the Potomac to Mount Vernon or in the cars TO
New York or elsewhere; or fragments Of it, not
eXiled from the White House at the other end OF
the avenue, may have gone thIther with friends
from their own State, and be waiting patiently
or otherwise, in the Presidential ante-roOms.
But our novice Is at the gates of the Capitol,
and he has found out that the House is in ses-
sion. as is indicated by the flag still floating at
its end OF the building. He gropes his way
through hall and corridor, escapes the gritins
that lie in wait with oranges aud photographs,
and contrlves to stumble into the gallery of the
House. The hall is rather sombre daylight
struggling IN drearilY from the top; but even
the liebt of duh day makes the gliding glare
painfully He observes the two little flags over
the Speakers head, and has taken his seat be-
fore perceivlng that a man is on his legs, behind
one of those little gingerbread desks, haran-
guing the House. He cannot hear a word he
says, partly because the man does not talk loud
enough, but chiefly because no one is paying
any attention TO HIM.
But few members are in their seats and these
are busy writing, an exercise that they vary
with another that somewhat amaZes our friend.
He tries vainly, and would like to catch word
or two of a speech that seems to elicit such ter
rible applause. The members are constantly
clapping their hands with great but not pro-
longed energy, at which little hogoblin pages
spring about, running as if TO relieve each sur
charged member OF his enthusiasm, and our friend
gradually discovers that the hand-clappIng
is not applause, but mode of summOning
the pages.
He gazes in bewilderment on the Babel before
him. The man is reading his speech, and does
80 from printed copy, and as II he were paid
by the line TOR It. The pages skin about. The
members clap their hands: People come in and
look at the show with stoical apathy, and then
| 90 ont again. The man finishes his reading and