The Daily Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Or.) 1876-1883, 1882-03-10
Literary.

glorious government like ours TO
encourage the fine arts; to foster
literature and to induce such a de- |
gree of culture on the: part Of It's
citizens as shall make them COM
pare favorably with the. old world
denizens who look upon US as be-
ing crude and new. Whether this
be so or not it is as well to put
such charitable construction on
certain of the governments acts:
a considerable degree Of charity is
at times needful to cover some of
Uncle Sans pranks.
Sometime ago the happy idea
originated in the brains of some
one in authority, that our consuls
should make themselves useful as
well as ornamental, by furnishing
monthly reports from the countries
where they are stationed. These
reports are duly transmitted and
published by our paternal and be-
nevolent government in pamphlet
form, and for the last five months
have been duly arriving on our
desk in this northwest corner of
the national dominion. They fill
a hitherto existing vacuum in the
literary world: the system is so or
nate, so severely classic, so varied
in subject and so perspieuous in
detail that the work in question
though not a thing of beauty is in
deed a Joy forever.
The Patent Office reports were
in former years our unfailing So
lace-in hours Of despoudency or
seasons Of respite from cares Incl
dent to the, profession, but new
JOY fills our soul when we peruse
the effusions of those genial spirits
who represent this government in
other and dryer chimes; and who
are paid big money by our good,
kind tax payers, the American
people for furnishing such pabu-
lum to any one who cares TO read.
These essays are on every subject
under the sum- and some of them
range beyond that useful luminary:
nothing is too high, or too low, or
too deep, or too hot. or too heavy
for our friends the foreign consuls
to ponderously discuss. We never
realized before what vast amount
Of budding knowledge but awaits
the consulship appointment ere it
bursts into bloom, and disdaining
to blush unseen or waste its sweet
ness on the foreign air, sends fra
grant monthly missives across the
sea to gladden. the hearts Of those
<bay3,a lafe loi,,,l
Looking through these rare pro-
ductions we find many priceless
gems OF thought scattered along
the shore of the great ocean of
statement. For instance, our good
consul Dockey. writes from Leeds,
England:
Stree trade might be Grst-rate
thing. in an unreal or communiStic
world, but it will not do in ours.
Policy governs nations as we'll as
individuals, and it is quite possible
that there should be all policy and
no principle in some special appli-
cation of free trade, which | must
say would constitute very dis
creditable exception"
Far be it from US to cri ticize, but
mall humility we meekly suggest
that if the government would issue
supplement, or extra, or some
thing, with an explanation as to
what that means, it would be to
US a source of infinite satisfaction.
In a. communication from the
gentleman who reflects honor upon
his country at Ottawa, Canada, we
find that '.labor is fairly remun err
ated," and that "the country is re-
garded as being in a highly pros
porous condition" This gives US
the worth of our money as far as
: Canada is concerned.
/, Mr.. Rider, in charge OF the IA
: -tion's honor at Copenhagen, tells
US that ''the expansion in dairy
thrift develops SO rapidly that be-
fore one has time to look around
it is, found to be IN quite another
stage" We do not at present re
call any passage in Scott or Byron