The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1876-01-20
Poetry and WJt-Sometainx Tntere.ttup
AeouI the Late George ID. Prentice.

Aeout the Late George ID. Prentice.
MIR. John James Pratt is engaged upo
the grateful task of collecting together tb
poems OF George ID. Prentice, which he wi
+ shortly publish, together with biographi
cal sketch This is labor of love on th
part OF Mr.. Piatt, who won his literar
spurs In the service of the great America
journalist, and he brings TO the undertak
ing the devotion of friend. the apprecia
non OF poet, the impartiality of a critic
ana That literary ability which contribute
70 emoaln In attractive form the memor,
"i man whom IL would be a national dIs
grace to forget.
II VIII be questionable whether in afte
years Mr- Prentice will be regarded in tn,
individuality of poet, editor or wit, but a:
combination of the three; and We see from
tue advance sheets before US that Mr.. Plat
u appreciated this fact. But as the ,Br44r
Prentice as the e1i poet, we gladly r. Rove the
opportunity of adorning our Christmas
number with few of the lines from the
versatile pen of the gifted and lamented
writer
with regard to Mr.. Preutice's happy
,luughts, his biographer says:
/ Enough of them have kept well, how.
ever, to justify the reputation for abundant
wit and humor which Mr. Prentice so long
enjoyed, enough of them worthy to rank
with the best good sayings which are
| quoted from Hook and Lamb and Sidney
Smith and Douglas Jerrol !, or others oi
the famous wits of England Let me ven
ture to repeat few, (but it is so easy to
miss the best IN such collection, even
when one thinks he finds them), as l hap
pen to turn to them in the volume:
''Fhe editor of the Statesman saws
more villainy is on foot. We suppose the
editor has lost his horse"
''James Ray and John Parr have started
locofoco paper in Maine, called the Demo
crdt. Parr, in all that pertains to decency,
is below zero; and Ray is below Parr.''
"'H Have changed?' exclaims Governor
P. We don't know That depends
on whether you ever were an honest man. y
''The Washington Globe says that such
patriotism as Mr.. Clay's will not answer.
True enough, for it can't be questioned"
1.-The editor of the -- speaks of his
lying curled up in bed these cold morn
| ings.' This verities what we said of him
some time ago, he lies like a dog"
''The Philadelphia Ledger says that Clay,
Calhoun and Webster are behind the age.
Then the age must be tail foremost"
a young widow has established pistol
gallery in New Orleans. Her qualifications
as teacher of the art of dueling are, of
course, undoubted she has killed her man. "
MIR. William Hood was robbed near
Corinth, Alabama, on the thirteenth instant.
The Corinth paper says the name of the
highwayman is unknown, but there is no
doubt that he was Robin Hood"
"a new Democratic paper in North Car
olina is CALLED The Rising Day. 1t ought
fO ha I.,A H. "a
shadow of the Globe"
''Mr. John Love was recently lost during
passage from Texas to Mexico. We had
supposed that no Love would ever be lost
between those countries" ... .-
''The Globe says that Mr. Clay is sharp
politician No doubt about it, but the
editor of the Globe is sharper"
''Messrs. Bell and Topp, of the North
Carolina Gazette says that ''Prentices are
made to serve masters Well, Bells were
made to be hung and Topps 10 be whipped" !"
OF a more general character few witt
cisms and ,epigrams may be given:
''Wild rye and Mil5 ..-Hg,eV1HeVe !, that
regions 2l1H sR29sdesrt Ss deserters in advers,tv whom
the sun sets, and all is dark, our shadows
refuse 10 roffS-T us.n
ga well known writer says that fine
coat covers multitude of sins. 1t is still
t,uer that such coats cover a multitude of
sinners" a
'tWhen mans heart ossifes, or turns to
bone, he dies at once; but if it petrifies, or
turns to stone, he invariably lives too long
for any useful purpose"
"'What would you do, madam, if you
were gentleman Sir, what would you
do if you were oneP" . .r.
whatever Midas touched was turned in
IL - xuif In
gold and he'll turn into anything"
Possibly the following extract from a let
ter, in answer to a challenge, is the most
valuable legacy which Mr.. Prentice left to
posterity, and it will be well for young and
old idiots, with duelng proclivities, to read
it attentively
II am o-believer in the dueling code.
would not call u man to the field unless he
had done me such deadly wrong that
desired to kill him, and would not obey
his call to the field, unless 1 had done him
| so mortal an injury as TO eutitle him, in my
opinion, to demand an opportunity Of TAX
ing my life. | have not the least desire to
kill you, or to harm hair of your head
and am not conscious of having done any
thing to entitle you to kill me. l do not
want your blood upon my hands, and dc
not want my own upon anYbody's. Imight
Weld much to the demands of a strong pub
lie sentiment, but there is no public senti
ment, nor even any disinterested individua
sentiment, that requires me to meet you, Of
would justify me in doing so. is -
81 look upon the miserable code, that II
said to require two men to go out and shoe
at each other for what one of them MAJ
consider violation of etiquette or punctiliC
in the use of language, with a scOrn equa
to that which is getting to be felt for it b.
the whole civilized world of mankind.
am not afraid to express such views in tn
enlightened capital of Arkansas, or any
where else. l am not so cowardly as T.
stand in dread of any imputation on IN
courage. l have always had courage enoug
to defend my honor and myself, and l pre-
sumo always shall have.
Yours most, etc.,
s'GEo. ID. PRENTICE.
Amongs the poems of this volume the ey
rests upon the following, which is so swee
and loving and melancholy that we give
in full to our readers as one of the numerou
} gems which adorn its pages:
WRITTEN AT MY MOTHERS GRAVE.
The trembling dew-drops fall
Upon he shutting flowers; like souls at rest,
The stars shine gloriously; and all
Save me, are blest.
Mother, 1 love thy gravel
The violet, with ia blossoms blue and mid,
Waves DER thy head; when shAll 1t wave
| Above thy childf