The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-04-16

to have felt decidedly luxurious in tn
late celebration of their eleventh annua
reunion. Among the pieces sung by tn
Yale Glee Club was the ''Lauriger Hora
tius," with its chorus
| subj sunt O pocula
Dutciora melle,
| RiX9 pax ct oscula
kubentis puellB.'
This chorus is reported as ''pretty,
and pretty it is, if we forget the old saw
"pretty is that pretty does" A faithful
translation of this ''pretty" chorus is al
follows:
Owhere are the pale-red wine-cups
| That are much sweeter than honey2
| where is peace after conflict
| And kisses Of the blushing glrlf
This is, indeed, "pretty'' chorus 70
those whose convivlal and sensual dis
positions are not much moderated b,
either age or wisdom. The later Latins
from Horace to Ovid and Lucan, were
very much given to songs of wine ant
women, and their modern namesakes
the French, Spanish and Italians, hay,
greatly improved on their ancestors
The Greeks had their sappho and Ana
creon with their Symposium, which So
crates immortalized by the sublimest O
his philosophical conversations, ant
drinking the whole company dead
drunk while he continued to talk and
drink till day-break, and then walked
soberly over to the Agora to begin an,
other days talk with such as were al.
ways there to hear him. But Socrates
and all the Greek philosophers, from
Pythagoras down, gave themselves
chiefly to the work of subduing the pas.
sions ana Of restraining the emotions
within safe limits. 'In what does Ii.
centious man excel the most licentious
wild beast?" was common and a most
serious question with them.
The Latins were never philosophers
enough to understand the true principle
Of selt-government. Hence Livy did
foul injustice to woman in saying
Initiam tarbandi omnia a temi',a ortam
est-the beginning of all baseness
springs from woman. On the contrary,
the beginning of all baseness, so lar as
woman Is concerned in it, is in man, who
is ever inclined, when unrestrained and
when he is Of an attractive person and
polished in manners, to inveigle woman
into his tolls by appeals to her softer ma
ture, and thus enlist her in his schemes
of avarice or ambition as well as of lust.
In this way woman has generally been
involved in nearly all the political
movements of modern times in France,
often in England, and sometimes in
America.
1t is in suoh convivial celebrations as
that of the Yale alumni, where such
'pretty" choruses are sung, that the ten
der passion is stimulated to resist the
restraining power of the understanding.
The one in question was sung in Latin,
as if it were more genteel to sing Of love
and wine in dead language than in our
own vernacular, In which the people
would understand the song. 1t shows
the desperation with which such follies
cling to even the learned and high-mind-
ed citizens Of the Republic of Letters,
What difference between singing this
chorus in Latin and singing In clear, ar.
ticulate English:
Sand since good wine is rarity here
Wen be jolly as gods on tobacco and beer"
The difference is against the Latin
chorus, because Of the oscula rubentis
puelle, and because tobacco and beer
are comparatively harmless.
The French, with all their procllvity
to the emotional as between the sexes,
nevertheless have much rigid virtue
among the peasantry, and most rigid
maxims among those of high life who are
determined to be virtuous. They have
one which all young ladies should take
to heart: "Ftlle Qai pre,ad Sc vend"-the
girl that takes presents sells herself. Sc
with greater certainty the girl like the
one in our Yale chorus, and especially
the married woman that gives and re-
ceives kisses, is lost.
We know that there is an almost ire
sistible fascination In such convivia
scenes. Balzac says: II Joadrait ctr
un Dieu pour echapper la Jascina ton don
uous entourent la nature ct la sooiete-lt IL
necessary to be God to escape the fas
cination with which nature and society
surround you.
It Is time the reins were drawn upor
progress in the direction Of the emotions
and Of conviyiality. The temptation II
very great to enliven feast with wine
and when the party is somewhat "ele
vated" (not drunk, oh, molly It Is yer!
agreeable to sing Of love and wine, bur
we submit whether citizens Of the Repub
lie of Letters should be found in sucl
company. As to genuine social enjoy
ment, healthy men and women will no
suffer for chaste and lively zest, evel
ON cold water. Tea and coffee are harm
less and sufficiently intoxicating for vir
tuous people. The great scandal tina
is the distinguishing feature OF our err
is a warning that might well be needed.
We beg pardon for having INDUCED II
citations from other languages; but tn