The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1867-03-28
Sydney Smith.

miuHiSu Will lIc AuSAC VI JOY -pcIAs--
the Rev Sydney Smith, whose profound
ilearning and brilliant wit made him the
delight of so many circles the highest
in rank and the Hottest in mind.
have been often cheered by what
Talfourd calls his '.cortiial and triumph
ant laugh and have heard him preach
one of those marvellous sermons which,
manifesting q power infinitely higher
than mere eioquence. convinced the un-
I derstanding, informed the mind, and pu-
rifed the heart.
I have known other witty gentlemen
who, perhaps, ornamented the church
rather as gurgoyles than pillars, by which
it is at once sustained and decorated;
but no such idea ever associated itself, in
my mind, with sydney Smith. either ia
private or in public, although his talk
may have been in the one case. as some
one has said OF him, "a torrent of wit,
fun, nonsense, pointed remark, just oh
servation, and happy illustration" and
in the other collection of quaint com
parisons. strange SMILES. and sparkling
/ epigrams, which sometimes startled
congregation accustomed to the ordinary
routine of defamation or dullness.
4 Sydney Smith was of portly figure,
stout, indeed clumsy, with healthy
look and a self enjoying aspect. He was
rapid in movements as well as in words,
1 and evidently studied ease more than
dignity. In his youth college friend
used to say to him: ''Sydney, your
sense, wit, and clumsiness always gives
me the idea of an Athenian carter - and
certainly in his age those who saw or
| conversed with him, as stranger, would
have little idea that he was dignitarv
of the Church and a canon of st.
! PauFs
As he was one of the wittiest so was
he one of the soundest as he was one of
the wisest so was he one of the best of
men His censure was always generous,
his sentences ever just. Prudent, con-
siderate. charitable, and humane, he was
the very opposite of those professional
wits who seldom speak except to stab
of those political reformers who have no
.oleration for virtue-in adversaries Of
those social ameliorators who are good
Samaritans in words, omitting only the
penny and the oil at the inn and by the
wayside.
Society is full of anecdotes of his
| brilliant wit, and there are none of his
! friends, or even acquaintanees, who did
not possess gem or two that had fallen
| from his lips One of his ready replies
may serve as q sample. 1t is said that
Landseer proposed to him to sit for his
portrait. His proposal was met by the
memorable answer of King Hazeal to the
1 prophet Elisha; .'Is thy servant a dog
/ that he should do this thing? ?''
/ 1t will be easy to imagine that by
common place people he was much mis-
understood. The buoyancy of his great
heart was mistaken for levity, and the
odd manner in which he sometimes put
| things for irreverence. As illustrations
l may quote the words which it is said
| gave offence to a ''serious" and venera-
| bic lady, one fine summer morning;
"Open the shutters and let us glorifv the
room" :" the shudden shock sustained by
a sensitive woman of uncertain age. when
the month of June made the MONDAY
sultry; "Let us take off our flesh and sit
/ in our bones; - the terror of another old
/ lady when he told her he chained up his
/ big Newfoundland dog because he had a
passion for breakf:.sting on parish boys
Reading memoirs of him, one almost
ceases to wonder at the alarm expressed
! IN the features of the simple gentleman
who actually heard from Mr.. Smith him
! self that he had an intense desire to
/ 'sroast quaker" and may fancy the
I terror of Juvenile delinauents brought
before him when he exclaimed, "John,
bring me my private gallows !" His
Joke has been told in many ways Of the
advice ne sent to the Bishop Of New
Zealand, mot to object to the cold curate
and roasted rector on the side board,
hoping he would disagree with the man
who ate himself" 1t is not difficult to
picture his face OF broad humor, lit by
an internal laugh, when the man who was
compromising a history of Somersetshire
families applied to him for information
ffo - uaA
answer: Il regret, sir, / cannot contrib
ute to so valuable a work, but the Smiths
never had any arms, and invariably
sealed their letters with their thumbs
/ shall not tire my readers If / relate
one Of his practical jokes. 1t lis but one
! of many such The story is told by his
daughter in her memoirs of her father
one of the best monuments ever placed
by child over parents grave 1 heard
it long before it was written. The vicar
of Edmonton was dead; his son had been
bis curate. and his family was preparing
to leave the house that was endeared to
them by holy memories and happy asso-
Citations. 1t is a melancholy fate to
which the families of all clergymen are
subjected, while it is rarely, indeed, that
out of a narrow income, with numerous
responsibilities. money has been saved
to obtain another. While they were
grieving-hopeiess and fruitless. as il.
/, seemed-enters the Canon of St Paufs ::
, present the son and three delicate dauQh-
tiers. The widow was Hill of sorrow
gone and sorrow to come. Mr. Smith
began by asking the character Of a ser
want who was leaving them, making that
: appear as a motive for his visit After
a while, he said: 1T is my duty to tell
you that 1 have given away the living of
I Edmonton, and am sure the new vicar
| will appoint his own curate.'' There
, was monrnful look, but the blow vas
expected. oddly enough" Mr. Smith
continued, s'his name is the same as
yours ) have you any relations Of that
e name: There Was melancholy an
: swer-.sNor' by a still more singular