The Orangeburg news. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1867-1875, 1872-08-03
Sydney Smith.

OF man. TO use ms own expressions,
who must either talk, laugh or hurst;
theeonyersation of II mir whose intellect
: bred analogics and picturesque imagery
: las the sun breeds clouds Take him
when or where you might, you never
took hius by surprise; and most of the
brightest illustrations of his wit, like
Douglass Jerold's were those that struck
outoff the spur of the moment, His re-
.,sT5y to the Archbishop of York-"I hear
- Smith you do not approve of much
Sidl6g for the clergy" "Why, my lord
RHerhaps there is not much objection
uu provided they do not ride too we'll, aud
stick out their toes professionally
very keen /; for Sydney Smith could never
J: sta horse, and his diocesan was one of
Vf@EsEh hefse,aen in province where every
1oy was born in saddle, and rides by
instinct. There was touch of the
s-pe9pttieg as we'll as the wit in his reply
st8 ths lady who, arguing in large par.
ty thatit was always high tide at Lon
don Fridge at twelve O'Clock, appealed
to him With, ."Now Mr. Smith it is not
SO? s'ft is used not to be SO, believe
Formerly; but p.rhaps the Lord Mayor
and Aldermen have altered it lately"
Hes traced out the apaogies of thin.s
WITH marvellous quickness A man at
his ssidpreckonsthe amount of his ground.
rent fts95 foot. "Ah, the price of
London footman six foot high, thirty
guineas year." Upon couple OF
takers, ".there is the same d Inference be-
tween their tongues as between the hour
and the minute hand one goes ten times
Us fast, and the otbor signifies ten times
Fasmuch." IF you masthead sailor for
not, doing his duty, Why should you not
weathercock parishoper for refusing to
.sssspay tilhesi Ola New Zealand attorney
."There is n New Zealand attorney
Just arrived in London, with 6s Sd
tattoocd all over his face; and ofillusions
Eve naturally lose illusions as we yrt
Older, Ike teeth, but there is no Cart.
wright TO fix new set into our under
standings. ] have, alas, only one illu
sions left, and that is the Archbishop Of
Canterbury" Combining vivid magma
tion with this brilliant gif, of hitting ND
on analogies, with these high spirits, and
thisteniarkablc duency of expression,
Sydney Smith was, as talker, irrcsti
sasasble;aad except Maoaulay, he general y
talked every guest at table into silence
His habit wasSas he said, to fire righ
across the table, aud to talk upon any
subject that happened to be started,
rarely starting anything of his own.
BysOn calls him, iu Don Juan,
Haa SH;Tlls 4 Nsloudest wit e'er was deafened with
aud that is the general testimony.*
His intellect wus like an electric coil
you touched it, and it flashed OFT in
sparkling corruscations at the touch.
gSS'fhc conversation at one OF Rogers, break
facts turns upon American birds. NV
a dear Rogers" spys Smith, "if VIC were
both in America we should be ia d
Rsandf frathered and lovely as we arc by
Srnature, should be an ostrich and YOU
aan emu; Sir Charles Lyclls book is
brought On the carpet and people won
der what sort ofa spectacle our era will
present to the Sir Charles Lyell of the
next geological epoch. "Yes, Imagine
an excavation on the site of St Paul's
fancy lecture by the Owen Of some
future age, on the thigh bone of NJ inor
Canon, or the tooth of a Dcan-thc
FORM. qualities, knowledge, taste, pro
pensites, he would discover from
them"
of art and polish, as art and polish
were understood by Macaulay you find
assno traces in. Sydney Smith. His daush-
ter calls hin sort Of rough rider of
subjects; and the phrase is an apt one
lie never troubled himself with the
metaphysics or a question: ne never
troubled himself with its trivialties.
Taking up only those topics of talk that
asEsawere ofthe direction personally interest
those topics that were under discussions
in the House of Commons, in Cathc.
drai chapters and at every dinner table,
Sydney Smith selected the most tell
ingpoints aud then sat down to work
these, up with his own vigorous under
ss standing, from what may ell the com
anon sense point of view And his style
is in its way, perfect. 1t is the exact,
mirror of his thought, He wrote as he
TALKED; wuote, that is, with the dash of
o. mnna1,f konr ,n; Z, o., lp ..f Ii .h.