New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-02


great reputation in its day, was hopelessly taw-
| dry and tasteless He dedicated one OF his poems
| Cine Invention of LetteTs) to Washington, with
preliminary eulOgy OF which these are the con-
| Guiding lines:
| Could Faustus live, by gloomy grave resigned,
With power extensive as sublime his mind,
| Thy glorious life a volume should compose
| As Alps immortal, spotless as ITS SHOWS,
The stars should be its types-its press tine age;
The earth its binding-and the sky Its page
After hearing this rhapsody, Typographical
critic might be excused tor asking Wnere the lnk
was to come from. 1t is useless, l suppose, h
the 9earth" the binding" or whether this
| binding is to be considered half cali, or run
| calf or Russia, or crushed Levant though, 10
carry out the figure. we NAV suppose tnat a
binding of earth would be tr' e-calf, or az any
| rate pebDed calf. II am never more satisfied"
wrote Washington to Paine, than when see
| the illusions of genius from some OF the rising
generation, which promises to secure our ma
| tiOnal rank in the literary world" washington
meant kindly when he sent these praises 20 the
Young poet, who would have been better OFT
| without them for he haunted the theatre, neg
! lected his profession, married pretty MISS pa
ker, an actress, to the great horror OF Tue
aristocratc Paine household, and dleu at the age
of thirty eight leaving his family utterly dest-
tute. Robert Treat Paine, his father, we'll
known as one of the signers of the Declaration
of Independence, Ielened at last, took ms dls-
sOlute son home to die, and cared 10r the OF
great liking for the MUSES., Who spoiled MS
clever and promising boy after this foolish iash-
ion. ,>,
dare say that Washington has been made the
hero of many epics, published and unpublished.
There Is o curious one, put out in England ABOUT
1909, and reprinted here, which Is entitled
Washington, OF Liberty Restored; A Poem IN
Ten Books. BY Thomas NOrllmore." The aUtnoI
was i'm Englshman or the class whose ideas or
British freedom were utterly outraged by the
seventies OF the long Tory domination, when
treason and sedtion bills were rite, the iaDeas
Corpus act suspended the spy and the lniOfmer
busy, and all who dared to protest IN danger OF
impriSOnment. Under these disc0uraEing CIR
cumstances, Mr.. NOrthmOre relieved his mind
by writing his long poem. William Glfiord, ~
The Quarterly Reoiep (vol 2, D.. 365), tell af0ul
OF il, after the prevailing fashion or literary
butchery and saw the cIitique there long be-
fore | was able TO pick up the poem. II is Il
very singular production: In the Fist Book,
Satan is represented as in great wrath AZ the
prospect OF restoration OF Liberty Dy Free
dum's noblesU bulwark, Washington" In II
council held tor the purpose OF considering tio
intending danger, Satan makes a speech, IN
which he laments the loss OF America, Whence,
he had hoped, as from an earthly throne, ne
eminent to pour upon mankind, Future Opples-
sion, civil wars. and strife" Al this moment,
| "seraphic splendor glided down the sky, And
over Yorktown halted" Moloch, nothing dis
cOuraged orders his warriors to direct their
choicest darts against the American chlet:
Schuyler. and Putnam, prudent Sullivan.
The thunder bolt Lafayette mighty Greene,
L o too successful Gates. WITH Poneroy,
Ward, NJ nlln, Morgan snd PuaSkTs might,
MOultrIe, st. CLAIR, the other Washington,
Lincoln and DEstaing, valiant Roehambeau'
Sumpter, with Marion ami CadwalIader.
And many warriors more.
The Second Book is given M to Revolution
in Switzerland William Fell Fall of GeSsIer."
The Third TO the Revolution in the Netherlands:
In fact, I'VE do not get back to the American until
fla m ia il
the Battle of Bunker's Hill In the Seventh
Book Washington utters prayer OF consider
able length, III answer to which tue Goddess L0,
erty, in u "lucd robe" and pouring around
| ambrOsial fragrance" makes he: appearance
and treasures the hero in q speech as long as the
prayer, Immediately after which the French
army arrives. aud La Fayette delivers beauti.
full address beginning, Noble Washington"
Book the Eighth is an exciting one. Lloer'y
again entering, removes from Washington S eyes
" the film of mortality" and he sees " the inter-
nal host floating above the Appalachian Noun
tans." The Ninth Book brings us to the Battle
of Yorktown, with the novelty of speech by
Lord CORVALLIS. The poem concludes with the
tall OF the stronghold. but l ought TO mention
til It here is "a spontaneous prayer uttered by
the allied forces Oh the morning OF the last DAY
OF the league. Washington enters tn field after
the usual epic fas hon Courage and Terror FOL
low in his train while Victory and Success in
middle air "blaze visb w: and Liberty Re-
stOrein concludes nierrily with the following
line:
And cen the depths of ocean laugh with JOY.
We ought to be very grateful to our good
friend Thomas NOrthmore. esq, Who stood by
us in the struggle for liberty, when we needed
frlen 8 in Great Britain but L DEFY anybody,
| whether Englishman or American, to read his
poem through. feel that did nv duty when
az a cost of ten cents rescued him from street
stall, and gave his vagaboud volume Shelter
from the elements.
did intend b, way of concluding this paper
| to saw something Of the "LIle of Washington;
by Rev. Mason l.. Weems," hut-his UOOk,
| though o phenomenon of absurdlty, has been So
| much talked OF and written about that re-
| fIain. l do so mole willingly because have in
store nugget OF nonsense with which my read
els may not be so we'll acquainted When was
| boy [ used TO hear mentioned an Grafton pro-
nCunced in New Bedford on the anniversary IN
1923, of the birth of Washington, by Daniel X:
Whitaker. 1t was 3 uted by the author, b1t
was never able to obtain a copy until the sale,
not long ago, in this city OF the pamphlets or Mr..
Drake, the antiquarian. Never was there
such extraordinary rhetoric. WASHINGTON Is de-
scIibed as the hero, the philosopher, the pat
riot, the statesman, and the sage-the man who
has raised himself to place in the skies by bis
sanctiiy, and bravery, and talentsj whose pic
ture hangs from the ceilings OF your halls;
whose bust meets you in the great buildings
which curiosity leads you to visit; whose life ls
praised ny orators; whose exploits are chanted
by poets whose name Is engraven on pillars OIL
marble and ON monuments of jasper! Yes! lie
it is who in his actions has bequeathed 10 vete-
rams themes OF wisdom and of prOwess which
touch the heart, delight the memory, and ravlsh
the soul with their spirIt-themrs OF courage aud
of victory. choice in the hi tory of hero -
themes which. good GOD will be fresh with
glory, buoyant with Liberty, and pregnant with
the seeds of immortal lite in the minds OF our
cOuntrymen to the end of time" As this young
gentleman goes On--he was a very young gentle:
mar--the caloric of his style grows hotter and
hotter For instance: Revere the memory OF
Washington! Are not the bursting feelinys
which agitate our bosom sufficient 10 spun us
onward to our. task, wnen, rmnbing Uithin as