The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-03-05

certain well-known authoress upon an equally
well-known publishing firm. 1t appears
that the lady conceives herself greatly
wronged 10y them, and intends to set forth
her case allegorcally and satirically; and, as
she has been known before to 'sling ink"
which burned like caustie, the public rub
their hands with keen enjoyment in anticipa-
ton of her coming effort.
Now, we know nothing of the merits of this
especial case, and we wish to know nothing.
Whether the lady or her publisher made or
lost ten per cent. by their bargain is a ques-
ton with which, we humbly suggest, we or
the public have absolutely nothing to do.
Scandalous essays, which in old times used to
be confined to illiterate neighborhoods, now,
in this age of newspapers, stretch their un-
known lines over the world. All is fish that
comes to their net. The higher the position
man or woman attains by force of genius or
virtue, the keener is the zest with which
their personal history is seized and dragged
to the light. So universal is this prurient
taste that the natural consequence has
ensued: every man who has gained
local notoriety rushes before the public
with his personal affairs; his silly idiosyncracy
to display his little grievance to moan over.
To measure the time devoted by Congress to
personal explanations and to the display of
purely personal spleen or individual rela-
tions, one is forced to conclude that the ma
chinery of government, instead of being de-
vised for the transaction of national business,
was simply meant to give opportunity to
third-rate men to perk and parade themselves
into public notice. 1t is time that this matter
was adjusted by the simple rule of common
sense. The share which the public owns in a
man is the highest work which he can give them.
The contract honestly filed, the battle gained,
the poem, the picture, the book, which en-
bodies the insight into beauty or truth which
his individual life has taught him. The
world owns royalty in these general truths,
and it must be paid. But when the man OBJ
trudes his own coat or his breakfast or his
wife into notice, he simply commits an i'm
pertinence which natural vanity explains but
does not excuse.
The record has been kept of DR.. Johnsons
cups of tea and Swift's dressing-gown. There
were giants in the world in those days, and
they were but few in number. But is history
to carry the weight of all the indigestions and
old clothes of the mob of gentlemen who
write with ease once week, nowadays? The
sooner the chaff is sifted out of those old
records, as well as the new, the better. By
ron gave MS pictures of Italy and glimpses of
passion which never have been surpassed; for
so much we are his debtor forever; but
there we ought to be done with him
absolutely. Why? Because of these
long ago poems. Should the world sit
with aching head to-day puzzling over
the fact whether his sisters daughter had
a marriage certificate to show or not Why
should we peep and whisper and nod together
over Medora.. Leigh's disgrace, more than Sally
| Jones next door Is it whit less vulgar /?
| If Mr. A writes an essay and Mr.. B. prints it
| for him, the public have a right to demand
| that the essay be trenchant, and that the type
| be clear. So far is their business; then they
| have done with the matter. If Messrs. A. and
B. happen to have a petty sqaubble about
| their 10 per cent, why should the whole Ame-
| rican people be summoned as jury in the
| case any more than to decide why John
| Smiths cow should not invade johnson lot
When the lines are drawn between the work
| and the person, between the contribution to
truth and the scandalous gossip about the
| contributors, the world will move faster
when L learned that nobody was looking at
me-" says Sydney Smith, II ceased to be
diffident." When our public men in and out
of Congress learn how exceedingly small a
portion of the worlds eye they fill after they
have done the work required of them they
will probably be less presumptuous. man
may comfortably enjoy his quarrels; his
opinions of himself and his colleagues may
rate himself with pleasurable complacency
above newspapers or public opinion His
vanity or i'll temper, however amusing, con-
Germ only himself; but when he mounts his
petty pedestal shouting 81, !" for the benefit
of idle gossip-mongers, he only shows how
little he has yet learned of the grave purposes
of life, and how like school-boy he still is in
his estimate of himself or his code of good
breeding.