Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1867-02-07


BY JAS. WOOD DAVIDSON.
SOUTH CAROLINA 4TH FEBRUARY 1857
Paradise Lost.
A panorama illustrating Miton's poem has been
on exhibition in Columbia. We have not seen 1t.
The Plentr pays it an Indifferent compliment;
and the CaroInian thinks it humbug.
We shouldn'tbe surprised.
Out of Nazareth. ..-
John Quincy Adams, son of the present minis
ter to Eng gand, recently made speech lin Boston,
we understand) in which, speaking ofthe constitu-
tional amendment he said: II am glad the South
ern Statesreected it and refused to dshonor their
leaders, dead and alive. I should have despised
them had they acted differently"
The Rural Southerner.
Messrs. Stokes & Co. have not vouchsafed us
any explanation of their failure to meet their en-
gagement with the public.
Some explanation is due both to the public and
to the corps of editors whose names have been
used in this connection.
We, as one of the parties interested, call for the
explanation.
Restoring Columbia.
Our City Fathers are going on with the work Of
reInstating Columbia in her former loveEness and
order We observe they are having the charred
and deadened trees uprooted and living ones put
into their places It will take years for these plant
ings to become what the old ones were, but it is
the only way to restore our beautiful streetgroyes
to their old-time splendors.
Conundrums.
WHY does the Milton Panorama exhibitor
appear to be a gambler in distress?
Because he advertises Paradise (pair o dice)
Lost
2-What kind Of snake was it that tempted
Eve?
We don't know. The Man about Town says it
was either an Adder, lat her, or Moccason (mock
q son, or mock O. SIM or else Boa Constructor.
He AYERS that lady told told him the last answer,
but that he he did not understand exactly how she
pronounced it. We shall inquire.
Spartan Patriotism.
A citizen of Columbia, an artisan Of high rank,
foreigner by birth, has within the past month Ia
ken such stand among the patriots of South Car
olina, as entities him to honorable mention among
the heroes Of the time. The circumstance refer
red to is the birth of two sons to him. added to the
fact that he had seven sons before; thus making
him the father of nine boys. We forbear to give
his name for the present, but it is destined to be
zone Of the few, the immortal, names,
That were not born to die"
at least if he keep on at that rate
The Penitentiary.
We have taken occasion to visit the site of the
new State Penitentiay, now in process of erection,
under the supervision of Maj. Thomas B. Lee,
Architect and Civil Engineer The locality, as
everybody knows, is between the city of Columbia
and the Congaree River It is something like the
third of mile below the Greenvile railroad and
about five hundred feet above the river bank. The
front of the building is to be about five hundred
(500) feet in length, and the thickness from front
to rear is to be about fifty feet It is to contain
five hundred (5OO) cells for men and one hundred
(l0O) for women. The cells measure FIVE by eight
feet, and of ample height, well ventilated, watered
and warmed The work thus far done is the floor
ing of line of cells upon the right wing. This is
granite affair at least foot thick, and decidedly
less easy to Lift than was that of the Ohio Peniten-
tiay (which was four inches thick, we are inform
ed, y through which General Morgan mined his way
80 much to the astonishment of the keepers.
There are about tahundredhands, mostly negroes,
employed and now at work upon our Penitentiary.
This labor can be hired for about seventy-fve (75]
cents day. There is no scarcity of labor It is
rather drug upon the MARKET such as it is.
The granite used in this building is of the same
quality as that used in the new State House, and
sabout equal to the best granite of Quincy Massa-
chusetts. This is quarried along the bank of the
Congaree and Broad Rivers, about three quarters
of mile above the Penitentiary and is boated
down the canal to point opposite the Penitentia-
ry and thence is to be sent up to the building upon
an inclined plane railroad These appliances are
all in process Of preparation and are being pushed
to completion as rapidly as circumstances will al
low.
St. Elmo.
This, as our readers are aware is the title of the
last novel from the pen of Miss Augusta j. Evans,
of Mobile Alabama
This book had been announced as brilliant with
genius, magnificent in word painting, powerful in
plot and intense in iterest." Itwas also announ-
ced as ''the finest American novel ever published,
without any exception whatever"
We consider it superior to both Beulah and
Maoara, as novelSthough tits, like them, choke
full of metaphysics, hardness, obstinacy, and Pc
dantry. It is the same spirit-battle between
hard, poor, proud, pedantic woman and a stern,
heartless, headstrong, ungentlemanly, irreGgious
and pedantic man, that we had, with some varia-
tions of detail, in Beulah and later in Macaria.
The hero is St. Elmo Murray, and the heroine
is Edna Earl. The central scene is in Georgia
and the sidescenes are scattered over the greater
part of the habitable globe 1t begins with du-
el (which the author puts in its true light of nur-
der) and ends with kiss, (which is killing too in
its way, but we like that way)
Those who were pleased with either Beulah or
Macarla will find st. Elmo charming novel The
heroine is said to be like the author. We don't
pretend to know about that; but we do know that
Edna Earl is brimful of spirit and book learning
St. Elmo is described as one who being 'Blase,
cynical, scof6ng, and hopeless, had stranded his
life, and was recklessy strding to his grave, tramp
ling upon the feelings of all with whom he associa-
ted, and at war with world, in which his lordly,
brilliant intellect would have lifted him to any emf
nence he desired, and which, properly directed,
would have made him the benefactor and ornament
of the society he snubbed and derided."
Isn't thata "broth of a boy for you, my dear
sentimental very young lady reader?
Well, this Mephistopheles of hero badgers and