The Republican journal., 1871-03-16
A Brilliant but Sad Career.

| l know nothing in fiction wilder OF
more romantic than the life of Richard
Brinsley Sheridan. The son of an Irish
actor, endowed with the most brilliant
and varied gifts of nature, high spirit,
noble presence, imagination, wit and
eloquence-all those qualities that win
the admiration of men and the affection
of women-yet without a shilling in the
world to call his own, without either of
those recommendations which form the
passport to the highest circles of English
society--high birth and university honors
rose by the mere force of his genius, and
rose almost at a bound, to the highest
position in the ranks of political and So
cial life at Il time when political and social
life in England was tainted by the mar
rowest and most exclusive spirit that has
ever distinguished the aristocracy Of that
country. He held that position, and held
it with eclat. all through long life, the
rival Of wits like Coleman and Horne
Toohe; of orators and statesmen like
Pitt and Fox and Burke, and of men of
genius like Byron and Scott. He died al
most in the arms of Sheriff's officer,
and was buried with honors almost regal,
with princes of the blood for his pail
bearers, in the sepulchre of great kings
and statesmen. 1t was brilliant but sad
career, full of startling contrasts, marked
by many humiliations and many victories,
by great failures and great successes; :;
and yet now, when one asks what re-
mains OF that success, it is not easy to
frame an answer. A speech or two,
which no one now thinks of reading, eX-
cept to trace in its vivid colors what he
thinks the false taste of the age in elo-
quence and wit; the tleeting recollection
of a new epigrams and bon mots, and
two or three sparkling contributions to
the literature of the drama are all that
remains to mark the genius of the man
who for thirty years was The pride of
the palace, the bower and the hall"
Chambers Journal
THE ONEIDA COMMUNITY, IN New Y ork
is 4 curious phase of society Every
man is the husband of every woman, and
every woman the wife of every man.
Such community, one would think
could only exist by q standing miracle
But things are not SO bad there as might
be supposed, according to their own rep
reservations. They have ladies' meetings
there, and at these meetings one after
another gets up, folds her hands meekly
over her flour sack otherwise her dress,
lets her eyelids droop, and returns thanks
in the incest manner imaginable. The
last ladies' meeting is reported in the Cir
cular cit is almost proverbial of the un-
regenerate woman remarks the editor
of that paper, who exhibits extensive
knowledge Of outside matters, ''that the
more she has the more she wants the
more devoted a man is to her welfare the
more eXacting she is.N And then he
shows that the Community women are
Just exactly rs they should be- and mostly
because they have good husbands, not
to say a good many of them. The men
OF the Community" we quote from the
report ''are constantly providing Us with
new comforts and luxuries," said one ;
''let us be grateful and express our thanks,
and not bother and tease them with mi
nor wants that can well be put aside" "
''Women in the Community do not have
to coax their husbands for things they
need, but everything is furnished before
we as, ii, sand another; ''let us then be
smiling and cheerful. and do all in our
power TO make home pleasant And so
around; every one gave grateful testi
mony, and expressed 4 desire to enjoy
the present instead Of longing for adj
ditional comforts in the future