New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-12-19
NEVSpApER NOTORIETY.

There is an American ass. calling himAeif
| Sergeant Bates, who has just been pedestrian
izing about England bearing aloft the Star
Spanglcd banner. What, as reasonable being,
he did it for, we don't know. What possible
good could come of such a travelling exhibit
ton surpasses our comprehension. 1t is not
stated that the Sergeant took up cOntribu-
tion-that would have been a proceeding too
sensible to be in keeping with such n farce.
No; the Sergeant simply wanted to make IA
show Of himself, and to prove that the Ameri-
can flag could be carried from Lands End to
John 0Groat's without personal injury to the
bearers truth we venture to suggest, stand
ing in no need of demonstration, and of no
value whatever when demonstrated. Bates has
been toddling about in this mountebank way
for several months and having reached Lon
don and taken up his residence at the Lang
ham Hotel has written such a foolish letter
to The Daily Neus that upon reading it we
should have blushed for our country, if we
had not long ago lost the power of blushing
at all. The propensity of donkeys to write to
newspapers is one with which, for our sins,
we are intOlerably well acquainted. Nine hun
bred and ninety-nine absurd people address us
every day, to our exceeding great botheration,
and with no good result except to diminish
the annual Post-0 Office deficit; but nobody ever
sent us a more laughably absurd letter than
the Sergeants to The News.
There is in this letter, however, one state
ment which is encouraging, given though it
may be in language of exasperating elegance
and beauty. Medical men have informed
"me,n writes the bold Bates, /" that an injury
(which | received in my chest during the
late war will before many years send me
" marching over the gloomy trails leading to
- the tbOrny jungles of the condemned, or
" along the bright ways leading to the flow
"ery kingdom of beautiful and indestruct-
"ble world, in the hower-strewn valleys Of
(which lie the encampments of the Forgiven !"
God bless the medical men for this opinion
Thanks for the consOlatOry diagnosis Whether
Bates is to go to the thOrny jungles or
4" the fower-strewn valleys is none of our
business. He must settle that matter with the
proper authorities. The point which we con-
slider important is, that the Sergeant may go
soon to a place in which he will not be able
to write any more letters of this kind, for
want of newspapers to which they can be
written. To be sure, he seems to he excel
lenIly wen quhllneu In respect OF style 10 set
up as a spirit-rapper, but the only way in
which he could annoy us then would be
through the medium of the spiritual newspa-
pers, which we never read. We beg leave to
say Good bye!" to the Sergeant a little in
advance.
Bates seems to be exceedingly grateful that
he was not mobbed while journeying with the
banner, and he thanks all England for not
tearing him in pieces, with a gush which is
perfectly thrilling. He says: 81 thank the
thousands of Englishmen, English women,
"and English children whom have met for
their generous, unreserved, warm hearted
greetings, at the roadside, in the valleys and
on the hills, in every city, town, and viii
"lagen Poor Bates the people evidently
thought him insane, and did ptifuIly treat
him accordingly. Perhaps they were not
wrong. We too would not be hard upon the
Bateses. and the Great American Travellers,
and the George Francis Trains. and others
like them itching for notoriety We must say,
however, that they return evil flor good, and