The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1881-12-10

His boots filled with water as if they were pumps;
Till stated with rapture, he steals to his bed, g. u
With glow in his heart and a cold in his head"
DIR. Holmes is Cresus in the possession
of telling SMILES and wcll-chosen illustra
tions. Listen as he sings =
where, oh where are life's lilies and roses -t
Nursed in the golden dawns smile?
Dead as the bulrushes round little Moses ~
On the old banks of the Nile
Or another instance might be given of
sweet young girl, where e|A-i
"Her hair dropped down her pallid checks
Like sea weed on a clam" @rEH
Or vet another. where tailor describes
evening as
Day has put on his jacket, and around
His bosom buttoned it with stars"
DIR. Holmes is a wit, and like all true
wits he can touch the pathetic chords of
our nature His poem ''The Chambered
Nautilus, for exquisite thought, delicate
sentiment and poetic beauty, is unsurpassed;
but the genius that enabled him to write
this masterpiece is everywhere evident in
his work. His tribute to the death of our
late President was concededly the best writ
ten. and far surpassed the verses of Long
fellow and the late lamented DIR. Holland.
Through all his writings there is an occa-
sional line of sadness, but it only varies the
warp of his thoughts and shows the wide
range of his power His humorous poems
are more numerous than his sombre ones,
because the nature of the man prefers cheer
fuIness to dependency, and laughter to
weepinr If he is fanciful it is never with
ont purpose. The Indian hunter of the
Amazon kills the turtles which sun them
selves on the islands Of that river not by
shooting directly at them, but so expert is
he that, standing on the bank, he aims his
arrow at such an elevation that at certain
height it turns, descends, and almost lnva-
riably pierces the turtle in the middle OF the
back, Thus it is with DR.. Holmes. When
he shoots his poetical darts in the realms OF
fancy, his genius so aims them that they
alieht at the proper time and place and I'M
press the object desired. When the sun
shine of his poetry enters our hearts 1t car
res with it some benefit either a valuable
moral. a gentle reproach, or bit Of deli
cate sarcasm that may eat ont some OF the
corruption Of our nature.
As an essayist DR.. Holmes is unapproach-
able and unique The taste, charming style
and originality of his volumes at the break
fast table have won golden words every
where. They bear the true imprint Of
genius and stamp him as one of the great
est essayiste the world has ever produced
He has the humor Of stone without his in
decencv. the wit of Dryden without care
lessness. the elegance Of Addison without
his slowness. the genius of johnson without
his ponderosity, and the geniality of Lamb
without his affectatiOn and conceit, Through
all his prose runs a ripple Of poetry like the
passage of quiet stream over its messy bed.
He is indeed wonderful in the exquisite ell
egance of his diction, the comprehensive
grasp of his subject, and the charming
vet plain and practical OF Its
essential phases. The inspiration, to use
his own expression, comes to him III a
thought, tangled in the meshes of a few
sweet words-words that have loved each
other from the cradle Of the language but
have never been welded until now lie
is more than an essayist-he is Il teacher,
philosopher, preacher, confidential adviser,
an old friend. He talks to lis and for us
he opens unto us a new store OF high and
ennobling thoughts-he touches the foun-
tains of generous emotion that lie deep III
our breasts-he help to make our lives
brighter, more joyous, more loving and more
forgiving. He is ever genial, witty, thought
! full and wise; and modesty that browning
charm which virtue seems to set as her seal
upon intrinsic merit, fits we'll on him to
whose character it is merited ornament.
No eulogy can be too great for this de
lightful and genial autocrat He has i'm
pressed his individuality on the American
mind, and has done us more real good than
at first appears. The stream Of his life
drops nothing but golden grains Of wis
dom and mirth as it flows along" and his
words are like Glover seed to the fair winds
sown," that fall into some heart and bios
som into deeds of Kindness and love- His
books are powerful not only to delight, but
to elevate and purify. They are springs Of
buoyant sentiment and sparkling cheerful
ness along life's weary way. No trouble,
discord or vexation can stife their winsome
joyousness. Open at all seasons to all who
will consult them, Use will but enhance their
value, time will find in them new beauties
and unborn generations will drink from
them the same refreshment and hope which
we have experienced and by which we have
been benefited.
The SHOWS of over seventy winters have
wasted their wilderness on his head, but
that gentle nature, bathed in waters more
youth-producing than any which Ponce De
Leon eyer sought, still retains its cheerful
sunshine and proves the truth Of his own
words when he says:
For him in vain the envious seasons roll
Who bears eternal summer in his SOUL"
Time has not plucked the flowers from
the garden of his heart, but they still bloom
in all the fragrance and beauty of youth.
May many years be youchsafel him to de-
light, to bless, to epnoble and to purify us,
and
/ yet though the ebbing of times mighty river
/ Leave our young blossoms to die, A .
! Let him roll smooth in his current forever,
Till the last pebble is dry"
An Elastic Cuticle.