Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-02-09
Last Refuge OF an ImbeciIe.

refuge of a scoundrel." Asking it.
self questions and answering them
from an Encyclopedia is the last
refuge of a paper which has had
two dezen conductors, several sus-
pensions, and which is doubtless
about to suspend again shortly, mot
withstanding deluge of pumpkins
and cabbages-we need not say
that we refer to the Los Angeles
Star. The copy of that journal
which reached us yesterday con.
tained three questions, which the
Star addressed to itself and proceed
ed to answer. We shall pay no at
tention to the order in which they
occur, but shall answer them at
our pleasure, oonvioting the Star
Merateur of inaccuracy in every
instance.
The second question which the
Star propounds to itself, and the
first which we answer, is, "What
and where was the Colossus? ?n
This, on the face of it, is a rather
embarrassing question. 1t is
somewhat equivalent to the query,
"W hat were the super-substantia
and subtilized Ingredients of the
mundane attributes OF the late
Akoond of Swat ~ The Star, how.
ever, is equal to the emergency. 1t
proceeds to say:
The Colossus was simply q gigan-
tic statue. In ancient times the
Colossi were very numerous, espec.
tally in Egypt. The one more
usually referred to stood on the
island of Rhodes, in the Mediter-
ranean sea. 1t was bronze statue
of Apollo, 105 feet high. 1t was
tumbled down by an earthquake,
and after lying PROSTATE for nearly
a thousand years was sold to some
Jews by the Saracens.
Now we deny this. We know
whereof we speak. When we are
called upon to be classical and re-
condite We are responsive to the
situation. The fact is, if we yield
to our inner impulses, we are moth
ing if not classical. Minerva is said
to have sprung fully bedizined, and
done up in the latest Parisian
fashions, straight from the brain
OF Jove, and we claim that we
made our advent full-fedged from
the brain Of Lemprlere. Conse.
qsently his dictionary is at our fin.
gers ends. The Colossus of Rhodes
was dedicated to Helios, the Greek
God of the Sun, and could net,
therefore, represent Apollo. Helios
was the son Of Hyperion and
THETA. He was the patron Of
Rhodes. Apollo was popularity
supposed, by the ignorant and big
oted ancients, to have been
the son of Jupiter and |
Latena. He was regarded as an
enemy of the Titans, to which race
Holios belonged. The statues of
the Colossi amongst the Romans
were dedicated mostly to Apollo,
but the Colossus of Rhodes was
supposed to be representation of
Helies.
The first question in this learned
trinity of inquiries Of which the
Star acquitted itself, and the Sec
ond in our arrangement, is "Who
is the author OF the poem COM
mencing,
uEha . fn l., I,
hero sleeps,
And lovers around her are signing"
The Star ascrl5es the authorship
of this sublime poetic effusion to
Thomas Moore, an Irish poet. This
aspersion of the Star does o gross
injustice to local pset, the Hon.
Jesh Talbot. To our knowledge
Josh was the author of these touch
ing lines; and, considering his
services to the Workingmen's par
ty ia sLos Angeles, services rend-
cred notwithstanding the fact
that Josh is at heart q good Demo-
crat, the ingratitude of his organ
must strike Josh to the quick.
He has big soul, however, and
can afford to smole smile of su-
~ AOiiC oAoN0iA W SuOh puily CllOTlS
to diminish his we'll earned literary
reputation.
To the third question of the Star,
which, through a gross typograph-
ieal error, appears to be the second,
"Who is the author of the saying,
These are the times that try mems
souls" that journal softly sybillates
to itself the magic name, "Themas
Paine" Wrong again; and, if pos
sible, more grossly wrong than in
any of the preceding examples. The
real author of that epigrammatic
phrase was the celebrated Bill
Poole. This famous gentleman ac-
quilted himself of three consecu-
tive memorable utterances. The
first was, as he felt that the wound
which Baker inflicted was serious,
"these are the times that try mems
SOULS" Seeing that his obtuse at
tendant did not seem to compre-
hend the epic grandeur of his
words, he said, plaintively, "Mose,
my mutton's coOked.n Realizing
that he was about to die, and that
"last words" of fitting dignity
were needed, he raised himself on
his elbow and exclaimed, "I die a
true American