The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1871-05-09

he represents may be pushed up to the
summit Of universal success and popu-
larity,
Thus, this deadly poison to good taste
and morality found in the sensational
school of American literature to-day is
gilded and sugar-coated for the popular
mind.
The slang element in American litera-
ture at the present day is less objection
able than the sensational, as it does not,
like the latter, directly assault the princi-
pies Of morality and chastity. 1t is objec.
tionable only on account of its inherent
vileness, and its violence to good taste.
1t is compact of coarseness, grosseness,
and vulgarity
A thought, however genial, witty or
noble. if disguised in filthy, squalid
and ragged expression, exctes pity or
contempt rather than respect and admra.
ton. The expression should be the child
of the thoughts legitimate offspring.
The "Bigelow Papers" the best effort
in the field of slang literature, considered
from purely literary point of view, is
pitible failure. Not that this work is des-
titute of whitening satire and genial
humor, but its noblest thoughts, which
should have been arrayed in princey
habit, appear to us in garments of desti.
tuition and beggary.
A coin of value, lost in the depths of
filthy gutter, fails to excite an ardent en-.
thusiasm in the efforts of those attempt.
ing its recovery.
In the most happy expressions of the
poet and prose writer in our language
in each famous couplet and striking SEN
tence, that have become familiar house.
hold words-stamped, as it were, indel.
IDLY upon the public mind, the dignity,
tho sweetness and the grace of the ex.
preston, invariably approximate, if not
equal, the inherent nobility of the
thoughts it uttsrs.
That the gifted author of the "Bigelow
Papers" whose admirable prose essays
at once challenged the highest respect
and admiration of every philosophical
mind, should have worse than wasted so
much valuable time in the production of
an effort, that has done so much to Wit
late the popular taste is with some, to
say the least, matter Of sincere regret.
Provincial expressions, crowded with
idioms in which false syntax, bad spell
ling and hobbing numbers seem to con-
tend for prominence, strung upon some
thread Of quaint, unique humor, are read
and praised to-day as genuine poetry.
AS result, the press is being deluged
by such stuff as is found in 1.-THE Fate of
Fighting Dog" and "Heathen Chuee,"
by Bret Harte, and Little Breeches''
and "Jim Bludso," by John Hay.
What would be thought Of Emerson,
Bryant or Whittier if either should per-
petrate any such atrocious ribaldry as
the following, and the attempt to palm
it off upon the public as poetry.
"But the old woman allowed she'd he blessed il
he did,
And snatched up nm old shotgun
Which was fired and peppered his diaphragm
With bird shot number one.
They toted him home a window blind,
And the doctor cured him up
But he never was known to fight agnin
Or, own another purp.
Folks may turn up their snootS at this ere rhyme,
don't care for that
All want to show is that fighting durgs
May tackle the wrong Tom cat"
Or this:
/ "He weren't no saint-them engineers
Is all pretty much alike
One oife in Matches mdu the hM.
And another hre in PIKE.
A keerless man in his talk was jim,
And an awkward one in row.
But he nsrer funked and he ntVer hsd,
l reckon he never knowed how.
"IIe weren't no saint-but at judgment
I'll run my chance with Jim
Long side Of seme pious gentlemen,
That wouldn't shake hands with him
He sees his duty dead sure thing,
And went for it thar and them
And Christ amt going to be too hard
On a man that died for msn."
What pure, chaste, noble sentiments
what refined morality is this What units
in thought
GONE wife in NatcheE under the hill
And ANOTHER here in Pike
"But he never hunked and he "''s. h'd."
"And Christ aint going to be 10, hard
On man that died for man
The first quotation will be recognize,
us a part of Brete Harte's popula
poem (?) entitled "The Fate ofa Fghtin,
, Dog" and the second as belonging to on
by John Hay, entitled Jim Bludso.
Now respectfully assert, without fear o
contradiction by any person of good ,st
that if either Of the above quotations, 0
: ii either poem, considered as whole
from which the above quotations are take
. is genuine poetry, then the following
= description of u lite" that occurred be
tween two roughs in Arkansas, that me
y many years ago in Southern paper, be
U longs to the same class
"They fit like rival Thomas cats,
Q Or like a brace of mad he rats
J., Hair, teeth, skin, buttons flled the air
;. Around, where fit this fighting pair,
Until at length all scattered round,
! They lay in bits upon the ground
}, So dreadfuly this pair they fit.
k As they struck, tore, and gouged and bit"
!. Now. iftho world has gained a grea
n poet in Brete Harte or John Hay, then
# assuredly lost one in the unrscognize,
r author of the Arkansas "fite"
The unknown author certainly exhibit
g greater metrical merit in his production
# than his modern rivals, to say nothin
!. about the grim, graphic suggestiveness o
the heroic in the easy-howing laconi
/. couplet:
~ "until at length all Sc Uttered round
, They lay in bits upon tae ground"
a In all candor, it is safe to assume, ,ther
is nothing in the Fate Of the Fightin
N Dog" "Heathen Chinee," or "Jim Blud
b so" that equals in literary merit the las
q couplet quoted
;. Now does this wretched stuf-thi
>. coarse, vile, jingling slang deserve tn
a name of poetry Is this patchwork Q
provincial expression, hobbling meter
>. false syntax, and bad spelling-destitut
!, in each of its elements of ideal complete