Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-04-29
Letter from Boston.
Politics and acknowledgements Poetry
-Mts. John WOOd-EmcrsOn-Th Fair
A Novel Lottery,
IrRoM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT.

FoAltNsal pditiCo anu loSuSS III luG CUuiluH taN-
vass like the sphynx OF old, with face 50 dark
and inscrutable that all who examine it turn
away with doubt and perplexity that to some
politicians at least is not very pleasant and any,
thing but assuring, The state of national af-
fairs is such that partizau feeling will undonbt.
eddy soon run strong and high, and even now
we occasionally hear the distant mutternos of
the storm. Recently in the cars two gentlemen
sitting Just before the writer were discussing the
situation and prospects of the several factions
and their leaders, and very shortly regular,
frst-class, windy war of words on political
topics with all the paraphernalia thereto belong
ing burst forth in full fury This was, of course,
endurabe, but while the contest was growing
warm in front, two very obstinate looking indi-
viduals in the seat just behind from a mild,
deSultory conversation, endeavored to reduce
each the others errors on theological tenets to
an absurdity,-an easy task as we all know.
During the course of this mystiyiug process on
one side and the convincing process on the
other, to the writer occupying neutral posi-
ton and assaulted on either by the charges
against and defences of Schurz, Calvin, Purga-
tory, the Philadelphia convention, Sumner. the
pope, aud other personages and enigmatical
problems, it sometimes seemed impossible "con-
fusion could be worse COMPOUNDED" The posi-
ton Of 'enforced neutrality" is not pleasant
predicament under any circumstances, (either
where nation or the individual is concerned
To the lover of ancient and curious lore, the
odd and whimsical in literature, a book entitled
"Macaronic Poetry will prove happy diver
sion for an idle hour. The author New York
lawyer, has gathered the materials con a1aore
at the easy times of inactivity, when their
houors were at the beach and briefs were few,
from the newspapers, musty old books with
blistered bindings, everywhere and has pre-
served them in this more enduring form, pub.
fishing also some macarouics that have stood
the test of centuries with favor uudiminished
OF this latter kind is the famous Latin poem,
of two hundred lines, each word of which be-
gins with &c" A macaronc is a poem that
recognizes no law of orthography, etymology,
syntaX or prosody. 1t is tumble, bearing
the same relation TO legitimate poetry, so to
speak, that opera bouffc does to the regular
opera. ALTERATION, the mixture of several
languages, odd literary combinations of every
sort are designated macarouic, of which two or
three illustrations are given at random. The
first verse of an appeal to German professor is
very ludicrous
"0h, why now sprechen sic Deutsch?
What pleasure, say, can sic haben!
You cannot imagine how much you bother unfor-
tunate knaben."
The following couplet describes quite accu-
rately Cardinal Woolsey, the sound adding
| greatly to the sense:
| "BegOt by butchers but by bishops bred;
How high his honor holds his naughty head :"
The following line on Napoleon reads the
same either way;
| cable was / ere saw Eliza"
| There are quite number of Latin puus, some
very good, as the inscription the witty wag wrote
on his tea chest, "Tudoces, FOR Johnson's felctous
description of his tabby, "Ni cat inter omnes,'
which may possibly prove interesting to high
school scholars, who have dipped a little into
modern languages or the ineXhaustiblc fount of
the classics, though there are in addition word
puzzles, enigmas, ingenious intellectual con-
trivanceS of great variety, in plain, solid, sub
Stautial old English.
| The book is attractively bound, neatly printed,
well arranged; the introductory and explanatory
part is written in pure, delicately humorous
vein that forms an appropriate setting for the
gems scattered through its pages, whose sparkle
and finish leave the reader hiuself to seek and
ENJOY.
| Mrs John Woods appearance at the Boston
theatre upon the opening night, contrary to the
nigh expectations raised by the lady's reputa-
ton and the lavish praise of past generation,
was not marked success An audience mod
crate in size was scarcely once reused above A
languid interest and never to any degree of en-
thusiasm. stale farce was produced before
the buresque, in which the only genuine stroke
OF comedy occurred when a lady, full of raillery
and quite spri9hty, in the course of a conversa-
ton intended to be animated, said to her com.
panion, who was stupidity passive, 'rWhy, Mary
now ecstatic you are" Of the burlesque the
less said the better. The crtiques of two or
three papers were very laudalory, while the
"Globe" with sterner impartiaIity treated the
performance as it deserved. In one respect it
certainly deserves as much reprobatiol as the
Black Crook, for the features so Objectionable
and obnoxious in the diSgraceiul indecencv
which has invoked upon the latter play such
though for what reason it would be difficult to
Tell, and IN reality there is no excuse for it. 1t
Is serious question how much of a play
critic is bound to see, and how much of n hook
the reviewer to read. LISA matter of conscience
and though the conscientious crtic-if ever
there was such an Individuals in duty bound
to see at least one act and to extend his re-
searches beyond the title page, it admits of
| grave doubt in my mind whether the writer of
the critique in one of the papers indefinitely re-
ierred to above was in attendance at all, or at
any rate more than five minutes.
| middle-aged, sedate rather literary LOOKING
audience OF three or four hundred persons was
assembled at Mechanics hall, Monday afternoon
of the present week, to hear Mr. Emerson give
his third conversation upon literature. Precise
| ly why the term conversation" has been en-.
ployed, unless perhaps to prove once for all the
truth Of the well-worn conundrum, whats in
a name?' the writer is unable TO determine. Mr..
Emerson will soon be seventy years of age; he
shows, of course, their burden, though not
grieyously, and presents such living picture of
cheerful, happy old age as might have served
Cicero for a model in the trca Use in which he
endeavors to prove the decline of life, with its
moderate quiet Joys and certainty of the flu.
ture, the best period Of ext stence. Whoever
has seen will always remember the quaint
| figure, the scholarly stoop, the oddly shaped
head, the wrinkles of good nature, that easily
gather in well-worn lines about the eyes. the
Kindly expression, the plain, unpretentious
person and manners. There is something orig.
ina and independent in the train of thought he
developes, which, especially in the ESSAYS.
adorned With graces and pecullarities Of style
that rlyet With unwonted fascination the atlen.
ton closer aud closer. Perhaps no word OK.
presses SO well the essence aud character of his
writings as tue term Emersouian. There are
few persons whose opinions upon questions pcr.
tanning to the wide and complicated range of
subjects in this iuexhaustbe department Of
human activity, more interesting and valuable
more worthy, indeed, Of blind and implicit con
6dencc. The conversation was a spoken essay