New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-30


cooking the dinner, though she may be willing
to eat it, or for darning papa's hose, to say
nothing of her own. When young person dis
covers the facility with which rhymes can be
tagged and our syllable English meters counted
upon the fingers, and manifests passion for
wasting time and the midnight oil in that way, in
stead of weak praise and bewildering stimulants,
there should be firm but kindly words of dis
suasion. 1t should be pointed out that to a
certain extent poetic forms and poetic materials
have been exhausted-that what can be SAID or
sung by the majority has been said or sung
already-that only an uncommon genius can
evolve novelties lOf inspiration or OF dictlon
worthy of the worlds attention. The patient
should be reminded that mere imitation ls not
oily unworthy Of self-respecting mind, but
that Il can never, for any period of time worth
considering, secure the most limited pubic
attention. To do that tolerably when Is Oh no
value unless it be done as well as possible anu
TO be contenhd with mcdiOcrlty and even vain
of it, is to hOpclessly belittle the nina ana 10
consume the precious spring-time OF life III
pursuits which, because they are frivolous,
must also be enervating. The youth who tried
TO stretch the bow Of Achilles may nave
thought that be did stretch it just little, but
the bystandgs knew better.
Young people OF the present time are In TWO
ways tempted to become the makers OF DOCKS
they are eager for fame and they want TO
make MONEY. In tho plcasantest way, we beg
leave TO assure them that the general chances
of securing either are hardly worth reck-
oning. OF the first, it must DO noticed
IL H. fame
been the fortune of very few, and any other
IS but an eyancscent notOricty, and unworthy
the ambition of any mortal. The juvenile mind,
in its muddled aud Green-sick condition, con-
ceives that to be talked of, to be praised 10y
those whose praise is worthless, to achieve a
printed book and to sell of it several editions,
and to secure for it favorable criticism from
men who have not taken tho trouble to read
1t, is fame. OF that perennial love and admi-
ration transmitted from century to century,
which two or three great spirits have won, our
callow ncopbytes have but the dimmest notion.
The fame which they seek is the fame
of fortnight, or at the most
of month. There lies before us
n little volume Of Latin verses written about
eighteen hundred years ago, and which dur
ing all that time have been the admiration of
scholars and the despair of imiators, who
sought in vain TO catch their light and careless
graces Their author said, half in jest, that
he had "crectcd monument harder than
brass" and, with tho hyperbole of poetry,
that he carried his head among the immortal
stars-and he was right. Although of servile
descent, he was, while no lived, cOurted by
the most noble and powerful of his time /;
during tho dark ages his works were pre-
served and Transmitted with monkish rover
cnce and With mOnksh assiduity; they
have been turned by the first hands
into every elegant language; they have
been reproduced with all the sumptu-
business OF tho topographic art. and Of all the
arts TO which Il is Kindred; and at this very
time not few Of the best classical scholars
are engaged in translatng into the English
tongue their immitable beauties. This Is fame,
for it is the fame Of Horace.
Young gentlemen and ladies who think that
editors are severe. and that publishers are can
tious-wc wish. for our own part, that these were
more so-beOre they commit themselves to
life of poetry. should ask their hearts and
conscicnce5 if these tuneful little things which
they have thrown of have any chance of being
read and admired eighteen centuries hence.
If not. then it would have been as
well with tho world, as well, or better,
with the writers, If they had not been
written 40 all. Life is too short to be wasted
even in the most mclodious hummng and
strumminc For most, tho hard, practical
view of eSis,,uco is the view which is safest
and best. Not that fancy should be altogether
chilled. o. the Imagination never allowed n
holiday; not that intellectual Injuries are to
be- quite discarded; not that the diversion of
rhyme my not at rare intervals be permitted.
But mt tbs time, when we hope that many of
our rcadrs are arranging their pursuits for n
disappointing new-year, and when there
seem to lie more verses coming to market than
is usual o1cn in December we trust that our
words of counsel and of caution will not be
4.