Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-07-04
LYING AS A FINE ART.
And the claims Of Rev. Samuel Peters as an
Scribner's Magazine,

, ODiy nave Deen written when he was
thrilling all through with the exhil-
Grating effects of his favorite opium
has devoted some fifty pages to a
consideration, from new point of
riew, of the crime of murder. He
treats it esthetically, as he would a
production of the fine arts. OF course
tits not to be supposed, for a moment
. that Mr.. De Quincy differed in his
!. estimate OF the reprehensible charac-
: Ter oil this crime from other moralists.
In fact, be has not hestated to place
his opinion on record, in this very es-
say to which reference has been made
that murder is can important line Of
conduct = highly improper" But
while he admits this he contends that
as "a grim phagedenic ulcer may be
SO superbly defined and may run so
regularly through all It's natural stages
that it may be regarded by the be-
nevolent surgeon with admiration, and
styled ga beautiful cancer so murder
may have its ideal or perfect state
and while per Sc it is 10 be frowned
upon, yet relatively it may be regard
ed as displaying greater or less merit
IN the murderer; and the very enor
nifty Of the crime may be deemed a
perfection.
we have been reminded of what
Mr. lie Quincy has SAID by the ap>
pearance of a new edition of "The
history OF Connecticut" by the Rev.
Samuel Peters, which was first pub
lished in England in l7sl,-a book
which probably contains as great a
number OF remarkable talsehoods as
any ever published.
Now, professed history, of which
the most remarkable thing that can be
SAID IL, that 1t is tissue of lies from
beginning to end, may be thought to
be entirely without value, and not en-
titled to moments attention. This
wonld be The case, if it were not that
It's very exaggerations and falsehoods
are OF such character as to remove
1t entirely above the range of the or
binary canons of criticism, and to de-
mand that it should be judged esthet.
really, by the nearness of its approach
to ideal lying.
There is, for instance, the well
known book, in which the Baron
Munchausen has given an account of
his travels. Who believes single
one of the marvellous stories with
which it is embcnished Yet the
very extravaganza Of its falsehoods
has raised this book into the field of
high art. Diedrich Knickerbocker's
History of New York is of small
value to history, but how little does
this fact Interfere with its taking
high position among the choicest
specimens of our American literature
SO the talsehoods and exaggerated
statements with which the Rev. Sam.
uel Peters has -embellished his So
called 'History of Connecticut are of
such an amusing character, and dis
plays such sublime Indifference to
truth, that they are not judged of as
talsehoods, but are to be Judged
@sthetlcally; and our task at the pres.
ent time will be only to hold up
the choice passages in the history to
the admiration of our readers, and
then to estimate the claims of the
book to rank as a classic wNh such
works as we have just mentioned
Before proceeding further, it should
perhaps be promised, that the author
of this History of Connecticut the
Rev. Samuel Peters, was a native of
that state, having been born in the
town of Hebron, in 1875. He was
graduated at Yale College, in 1857.
In 1850, he went to England for epis-
copal ordination, and, on his return,
took charge of small Episcopal
church in his native town. At the
time of the excitement which attend
ed the opening struggle of the revo-
lutionary war, he made himself es-
pecially obnoxious to the patriots of
the day by his activity in asserting
the royal claims, and, in consequence,
received some indignities from a mob
of perhaps three hundred persons who
surrounded his house. 1t does not
appear however, that he suffered any
serious personal violence but he be-
came alarmed for his safety, land about
l774, went to England highly exas.
perated against his countrymen, and
especially against the people of his
native state. While in England he
employed himself in reviling the col
onists in the periodicals OF the day !;
. and in 1871, published in London this
History of Connecticut.
rbn hnn1y boe ,Lo
history 1t begins with what profess
es to be an account of the patents un-
der which New England was settled.
Then follows an account of the three
earliest colonies which were estab-
lished within the present limits of
Connecticut. The nature of the gov
eminent is described ; the constitu-
ton of the general assembly and of
the courts; the organization of the
militia the ecclesiastical constitution
of the churches the physical features
of the country its flora and fauna !;
and TO all this is added detailed ac-
: count of each town in the colony !;
and while the whole is enlivened by
anecdotes which, it is claimed, illus
tratc the state of society among the
people.
The book on being published in
London, proved failure, as far as
the immediate object was concerned
for which it was written. It was no.
ticed in the Monthly Review where
: it was SAID, 'We observe in it so many
marks OF party spleen and idle cred
ulity that we do not hesitate TO pro-
nounee it altogether unworthy of the
public attention
Hon. ]. Hammond Trumbull, in a
book lately published, says: Peters
presumed too far on the credulity of
: English readers and on their ill-will
TO America. With less inveter
ate aversion to truth, he might have
impaired plausibility to fiction with
less exaberance of malice, he might
have tickled the English ear with the
absurdities and misdeeds of the'rebels'
a,d bava naSsad for a hup,oriSf