New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-06-04
ICoininunicateu.l

Ever since mother Eve evinced such de-
sire Tor knowledge into the construction and
taste OF pippin, the human race has possess.
Ell desire to kno~. 'Know thyself" was
an almost divine injunction, but we, disinter-
ested mortals as.we are, so forgetful of self.
ihterpretedit Know thy neighbors. While
IL may not be q most laudable ambition to
know ones neighbors, still the purpose for
which the Information is sought. may be wor
thy OF considerations
The whole literary world was puzzled over
the authorship of the letters of Junius. and
up 10 this time no solution to that yexed
question has been reached, and now comes
the sold Boy in Spects" with his facile nen
his graceful phraseology, and his eloquent
dlction, to set our sarants agos When you
meet friend on the street, the first question
he asks, is: "Who is the 'Old Boy in
Spects: p"
Numerous are the coniectures as to who
THIS new star can be that has SO recently
flashed upon the literary armament with
bright CLEANS that win for it at once "of the
first magnitude'
We must confess ourselves to have been
sadly puzzled, and with a heroic devotion
and singleness of purpose, which must have
characterized our ancient friend Dogenes,
when looking for his honest man, we took
down an old copy of the ERA and pressing
It's mouldy columns to our lips, vowed an all
hallowed VOW, that we would find the "Old
Boy or perish in the attempt. So, aming
ourselves with pen and paper, we started on
cur first expedition after this golden fleece CO
the result of which we propose to give to our
friends.
Alter some time spent in fruitless search,
we discovered some slight traces of him; SO
rcdoubling our energies, we at last found a
person whom we thought answered the des-
cription that had been given us, AS we ap-
preached the figure, cur ears caught the
words:
surely, surely, slunbcr is more sweet than
toll, the shore
Than labor in the deep mid-ocean, wind
and wave, and oar,
., rest We, brother mariners, we will not
wander more.'
Thin king that these words were addressed
to us, in the language of Stanley, we cx-
claimed: "We have come long way to find
you.' The ilustrous parsonage was great
y alarmed at finding himself discovered, and
would have fled, but assuming an humble
mien, we informed him thus:
Stay, gentle hermit of the day,
And guide our lonely way,
when our little speech was cut short by the
Old Boy raising a black silk umbrella, and
eXclaimng in a voice that made our knees
palptate: " You impudent rascal, what do
you want"" The truly brave respect cour-
age, though it be that Of despair. SO wish
ing to proptiate, we fastened to assure him
| that we were innocent Adventures, whom
love of glory, and thirst for renown, had sent
in quest OF him, and that we would deem il
great honor to be granted a few moments
for friendly converse.
| After much persuasion, and the assurance
that we were not an investigating committee Of
Congress, our object was at last accom-
plshed
We will endeavor to describe him. I'M
agine short, rotund figure, clad in blue coat
and vest, with light pants, gcnteel presence,
good features, broad and intellectual fore
head, a mouth around which played smile
which bespoke harm to neither child or in
sect; dark eyes, " whose piercing brillancy
took something wiZard-ike and mystical
from the very spectacles through which they
shone'; his face is adorned with a pair of
side-whskers, and though deep into the
shade OF life, he has decidedly youthful ap-
pearance and all the vIvacity of a French
man. lie is very intelligent, possessing an
extensive and surprising knowledge of men
and things of the past; he is remarkable for
his conversation, having iluency of language
that was really charming. He delighted to
recur to the days of his early life when he as
Ethiop stretched forth his powerful arm, and
the pigmies, whose only claim to publicity
was their impudence, fled from " as from the
glance Of Destiny"
After being lectured to some extent by the
Old Boy, on the depravity of the world, on
the wickedness in young mems coming to
the front, and on the general tendency of
young intelligence not to yield to aged igno-
rance, we left him to his reflections, feeling
quite positive that Fortune, in making him
an insurance agent, had spoiled a good
preacher. We bow our heads and think what
'might have BEEN" X. y. T.
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