New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1873-09-18
ProonAsor J. r. sa IN psOu, IL

Our friend, the smiling Professor, is noted
for his howery. or eloquent language.
Whether he is dscoursing on the planetary
system, phrenology, the science of law, or,
like Daniel Pratt, the great American trav-
eler, on The Saving Realities of life, he is
equally at home, just as profound and quite as
clear. He lately startled the world, which
thought him recuperating" after the Long
raid on the justices, BY delivering an address
at West Philadelphia. Afterwards we were
informed BY telegraph that he had consented
TO " crate" before the assembled wisdom of
Camden, and Colonel John McKec's Camden
regiment, on the 18th ofSeptember, and that
to this celebration Messrs. Douglass, Langs-
ton, Purvis, and host Of smaller fry orators
had been inrited. Friday brought the report
Of the colored centennialists, telegraphed,
we suppose, like Dr. Pcterman's report, ex-
clusively to the organ" The synopsis OF
the first speech was somewhat mixed, and
slightly bewidering. In this last, the pro-
fessor comes near being crushed or drowned
amid the wreck of matter or the wash Of
words. AT West Philadelphia the orator
talked at everything except the centennial.
In the Camden Grafton all history and
Geographic Unirersslie are exhausted to such
an alarming extent that we have fears of the
Professors ever finding any more illustra-
tons.
Our friend is both metaphysical, disquisi-
tional didactic, moral, and reflective. Some
times, indeed, he scars to the Hottest heights
of originality in his unique cancellations and
interpretations and improvements upon that
glorious language in whlchWlckllTe preached,
shakespeare sung, and Milton wrote. We
were permitted a glance at the advance
sheets" of the Camden Grafton, and might
have distanced our enterprising contemporary
by printing it in advance of its delivery; but
editorial honor forbade.
There was one part Of the speech which
greatly exercised us. 1t was the proposition,
made in good faith, we presume, by the Pro-
fessor, to erect here at the capital monu-
ment to John Brown. One unsightly, incon-
gruous, anachronistic pile now breaks upon
the gaze Of the traveller, after entering our
city, like dismantled lighthouse, and robs
him ever after Of rest. Springfield, Illinois,
has an unfinished group to the memory of
Abraham Lincoln; mass of resolutions and
minutes of meetings is the Philadelphia mon
ument to Thaddeus Stevens and the model
and thin subscription list is Boston's con-
tribution to the brave Colonel who was
"buried with his niggers." Let US not
compel our grannies and aunties to go down
into the long stocking for their spare pennies;
but rather, dear Professor, spare them the
infection, harrow not up their easily excited
sensbilites and the unutterabe and in
Vulnerable progeny Of multitudinous nations,
corruscating from the immensely Of space,
will rain down in an eternal phosphores-
cent shower, the divine beatitudes of an
omniprescential beneficence upon the classic
dome of your capital Uranium.
Ahem! swords, words!" Slave, bring on
your inkhorn, and a freshly killed goose,
that we may extract quill. We would
"scrawl strange words with the barbarous
non ,,