New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-05-19

Before the lion. hOSNpll ic'ioohc ''
pa,tcs into his private and personal Scrapbook
.The Ncw-York Suns editorial reference to
The Public Papers of Roswell Pethbone
Flower. a volume of 1922 pages bound III coltec
color he will do well To read it nj least twice.
Both times slowly, and with his whole mind on
il. He will also do we'll to submit 1t to the
careful scrutiny Of the Cornell Professionalism
we cannot just now call by name, though we
know him well enough by sight when we run
across him in the Governors public utteranccs
who has charge of the key 20 the desk IN
which the Governor keeps his English vocabu'
larry and classic illusions. And even after that
il might not be ami,s to call a commission OF
cypcrt, by whom the article should be read
horizontally and perpendicuarly from left 10
richt and then back again; diagonally. criSs-
cross. and bottomSidc up; aS =" straight goods
or possible acroStc; subjected to chemical
tests and microscopy. and tried on the dog
dsintcsratcd, anayzcd and pltchforcd all
over; soaked in some powerful preparation and
hung on a line to dry, 10 make sure that 1t
does not contain some subtle diStllation to WOO
the .umberous sense with treachcrouS softnesS
or some high explosive with a long, far-reach-
ing fuse 1t may be all right, but it Is not
outc the sort of article that should be clipped
and pasted and used rs n certificate of char
aetor without careful examination. Granted
even that il is all right, it would be safer 20
have "Thc Ncw-YorIl Evening Post turn il
into the Latin language before offering it 70
the general public And as nobody in this
sccptcal age puts any trust in a liver pad with
out a picture of the man whom it saved from
a.: Il, I.n ia1
by pictures 81 the Governor before and after
reading 1.-THE sun"
We strongly suspect that our contemporary
was having some fun with Roswell Pottibonc
Flower when II addressed itself TO the consld-
Grafton Of his 322 pages of "Public Papers
bound in coffee c)lor' with the opening rcnUrk
that they wonld doubtless secure an extensive
public reading and arouse no end OF literary
controversy" and proceeded TO set forth their
varied cxccllcnces and beauties. The suspicion
is not dispccd when it goes on to say that he
is "a probable candidate for reelection and
that "what higher official honors await his ac
ccp,ancc no man can forctcll.' When our con-
temporary has fun it is not with It's heels;
there's no horseplay in it. Nor in its moods of
devotion does it club lis yotivc offerings to the
sacrificial altar. IL leads them gently, and
girls them with garlands as they 60
The Public Papers selected by our contcmpo
rary for the bcstowal of its culogy are four in
number: all veto messages The first is OF an
appropriation for changing the course of Davis
Brook and two sentences are quoted to show
chow briskly Governor Flower diSposcs Of tho
deep draft upon the treasury which the bill
proposes" The second is of bill requiring
steam engineers in brooklyn to be citizens
"In disposing of this Inflated measure" says
"'rhe sun" "thc Governor does not emulate
the complex literary style of the late Thomas
Varlylc. Neither does he attempt the verbal
embroidery of Eugene Field" Two sentences
arc quoted to show that he strikes Gan even
course between the two" and expresses ga
fundamental economic truth" in 80 fitting termi-
nolopy." These comments may be read twice
10 once is not sufficiently Illuminating. From
the veto of bill to increase the pay of the
Flatbush police an extract of two sentences is
given without comment. The last of the four
yetocs is of "an act in relation to the study
of vocal music" which is explained as show
inc that "thc Governor is opposed TO com
pulsory vocal music. He is opposed to har-
mony by statute. lie is dead against instruc-
ton in the scales by force of arms at the pub
lie expense Now we may be wrong, but we
repeat, that when our contemporary offers these
four citations to show that these 322 pages of
"Public Papers bound in coffee color will
"scc,irc an extensive public reading and arouse
no end of literary controversy" we strongly
suspect it is having fun with Roswell Pettibonc
Flower. And we throw out the suggestion that
Roswell Pcttibonc Flower would do well to
read the article several times, and consult with
friends about it before he pastes it in his scrap
book.
In an undiscovered manuscript written in
language known only to "The Evening Post"
Of a date anterior to the dynasty of Brennan,
and now covered by the geologic strata of the
Brennan period, but liable to be brought to
light some day by political or other convul-
sion, il is related that once upon time, in the
great city of Nlncumpoopos, Very Success
full Person got himself chosen Magistrate by