New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-11
A PEA FOR THE PLUMP.

The Fat Mems organization, in fact the or
ganization of any truly fat man, must perfOrce
have claims upon our attention, not to say our
wonder. 1t is 3 large ASSOCIATION and its In
fuence is widespread. Any measure which fat
men combine to carry must have weight. Should
they resolve to exercise a pressure upon public
affairs we fear that common interests will have
to give way. Conspiracy with such body OF
men, be it mercantile or social or political,
counts at the start upon an impregnable back
ground Of defense, and an overpowering irwin
cibillty of temperament. Withal they are a
most useful body in the widest sense of that
word. The very wheels of progress are in
some manner oiled with the substances Of
these comfortable men. In short, anything
which they do in common ought to have the
interest Of an event Whether they sleep like
happy herd or open their eyes together,
whether they laugh as it were in chorus, and
shake themselves like an undivided sea, or
whether five hundred of them feed like one,
they must be delight TO generous imagin-
atoms.
Now we have made more than q tailor's
allowance for tho extent and character of the
Fat Movement; but here at tho eleventh hour
comes somebody TO scold us as libeler.
Good humor and fat reciprocity produce
a. each other" says this unnecessary champion /;
"and where there il none of tho former there
" can be but little of the latter and that un-
healthy" Though the lean ghosts of Hood
and Phoenix stare at u.s. shall we have tho
heart to deny this one monster virtue so dear
to the heart of every fat mani Think of them
for moment without it-no better than with
cred gOurds or collapsed balloons. WAS ava
rice ever the sphincter of fat mems hearts ~
We should think not. ado they ever combine
to run up the price of provisions Z"
We hope not. job in health was
"fat,p says our berater, "fOr he mentions lean
." ness among his Affections" But We did not
undertake to be the advocates of emaciatiOn.
We might have ventured a speculation with
reference to the seeming difficulty IN many
instances of Jobs doctrine Of the resurrection
IN the flesh but we let that pass. "By far
I" the latest man | ever knew" proceeds our
critic, twas the courteous and kind-heGrted
cd. II. L., Member of Congress for several
"years. In bulk he was equal to three ordinary
mortals, and, to his credit, his heart seemed
proDortionally enlarged. Intellect in him was
Gas unclouded as in that lean trio, Alexander
"Stephens Henry Clay, and John c. Cal
houn." But was 1t not, not to put too fine a
point on It, rather fat intellect We should
marvel to think what fires Of intellectual rage
and domestic affection would consume the
planets if fat mems hearts and brains were al
ways in proportion to their bodies,
Far be it from our purpose to exalt skin and
bone. Heaven knows it is no crime exactly to
be fat. Moral men have done it, preachers
and the like, public benefactors at that. Portly
men of religious habit could hardly have
sinned by neglect of penance In the good old
days their fat was sufficient modification
but we forbear. There is no law we know
against getting what is usually called full, and
IL school were open tomorrow for tho train
ing of youth in tho way they should waddlo,
we doubt not it would have in round numbers
great many pupils. The cherubs are
plump, and the young loves are Wad-
diloves. There would seem to be q
distinct and privileged place in creation for
good fat men and boys-a kind of Fatland
hero and hereafter. Even the plump must die,
not always of apoplexy, we hope-and t.is
consideration brings to mind that "the sighipg