The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1874-06-12

-
S "have their nominatives understood,
, | as Tyro has we'll said. So much for tn
. | grammar part of the criticism. But m
! | critic objects also to the fgurGtiUe ant
: GLLegOricdL aspect of my poem, AM
would bring me to account for uslnl
the expression in the third line of thu
} first verse, Thou most beauteous of hu
man flowers" as abiding to some Inn
aginary being or flower, nothwith
standing its qualifying word human.
In looking over a poem few days
since OF Miss Matte Griffith, of Ken
lucky, and which was pronounced by
the late Geo. D. Prentice, as faultless,
and its authoress to have enough of the
genius of poetry in her soul to make
| two poets, L find precedent Tor my
critics Objectionable figure, where she
| alludes to beautiful young lady as
| human fOIUeT. Many of your readers.
| Messrs. Editors, will doubtless remem-
Der Mr.. Prentice as the late editor and
| poet of the Louisville Journal, and some
| of them at least will regard him as all
| together as capable of determining what
| should be acceptable in pOesy as my
| critic, and his equal perhaps in anything
else, If not even as great as his own con-
ceptlons may be of himself. Ii, there
fore, the expression in dispute is allow
able, and we can refer to young lady
10 such terms without ethereGtiztng or
transforming her into an inanimate
flower, may we not then ask that her
pathway be strewed with flowers? This
being admitted, my critics criticism OF
one flower strewing the pathway of an
other flower, fails entirely. Her human
tdn9t6tttty then still being preserved,
may we not be permitted to strew her
way with flowers, call her star, ascribe
to her soul, and invest her with feet
Nfnrr fy,l
have her to dream some for us?
But again. My critic don't like the
the name 'aChjte Yiolets," thinking per-
maps that they too are imaginary.
Now II my critic is a single man, land |
l presume he is and bachelor at that |
would advise him to visit at once some |
beautiful and accomplished young la |
dy," as fair as the fairest of flowers and |
as modest as the white violet, whose |
emblem is, 81 must be sought to be |
found" and | am satisfied she can en-
nShten him rs to the entity of these |
pale nuns of nature bowed in prayer" |
and many other things concerning flow
ers, love and love of flowers, which may |
add much to the stock of dreams Gin his |
philosophy" 1t is altogether possible |
now that visit to such an one land |
though incOrrigible as he can be- may |
awaken in his soul that feeling divine,
(tor what is more powerful in female
than modesty, and especially when ac>
companled with beauty?) which may
finally lead on to ch 4uge in his estate
from that of SinqLe 2UretchedncsS to one
in which in all probability he will soon
be enabled to withdraw his sympathies
ana affections from "shOrt~winded and
eplzootic steeds, " even though they haYe
been the pegasi of bards, and place them
on more interesting and LOUeLy objects.
should such be the fate of my critic, his
friends may soon observe quite change
also for the better as regards his dispo-
sition and amability for "fedgling." In
stead OF burning, kissing and bouncing,
which is said to be characteristic of such
IA nights OF the Quill" he will now
think better OF himself and "the rest
Ofmankind."
Some one has written that the life of q
crltlc shows itseltin the knitting up ofthe
RACIAL features, aud finally, in producing
contracted and peculiar physiognomy,
which might mislead an epicure to con-
cIude that the good landlady of the crits
lc was not in the habit of getting up
square meals for her boarders.
This was even tracea6le in the lady
critic of the late DIR. McGuftey, the great
educator OF the University OF Virginia.
In one OF his lectures while travelling
through the west, two or three years
before his death, in speaking of our
prOneness to Criticise everything that ;
lid not emanate from ourselves, he rela~
led story which occurred a nLmber of
years ago, of an American lady from
1ne of our Northern cities, while at the
Grand Central or one of the other first
class hotels in Paris, France. While
seated at the table in company with |
young gentleman, who was also from
he United States, and wishing to APP
pear tC him very cOnYersant with the
French language, she commenced a
very severe criticism on the gram nar
u an old gentleman who happened to
De seated opposite to them, and who was
also at the time in an animated discus
'lon. After dinner the young gentle !
nan had the curiosity to know the name
)f the old man who had spGEeu ''such
miserable French and on enquirinp ~
some one, he was told that y was G,i-
.0t, the great SGUdnt.
IheSe illusions to Prentice and Gui>
,E' are OH made to show that the 5yedt
'lso nave been criticised as well as the
cry hua}tts, with whom [ inclu1 lie nv I
elf. - my
a word more and have done, The
asst line OF the last stanza, where the obs
e0t or my verse is alluded to as a
Flelad In heaven" my critic terms the
most remarkable OF all the remarkab les
u the poem. And when he tries to re-
.llze that she may be Lost one at
hat" his superlat;yes at once reach
heir climax.
AoW IN conclusion 1 desire to say /
nat entertain none other than the
lindest feelings for my critic and wish
nm very well both III this world and .
ne world to come, for regard him as a
gentleman ana scholar" and would
eadIly tender BIN if knew him, my
good offices" in any honorable enter
'TtSe to which he might aspire; but I'M !
ess he will in future cease to be guilty a
II the very heinous sin. so graphically
described by the great and lamected DR.. =
ThofnWell, of the Presbyterian church,
II 'attettpt to set bounds to poesy /
!ud painting God on canvas" he will, 1 c
ear, very much, when he comes to /
hdtfte off this mortal coil" be also lost,
md not in heaven either-6m an that .
ther place. Hs* y