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B©HSP©iB 9 S MIPAOTMIBOT.
J ,
ATHENS, SATURDAY, AUGUST 26,1848. j
The Value of Books. I
It has been said by someone, that to be ignorant j
at the present day, is not so much a misfortune as a
crime; and we think that no argument is necessary
to illustrate and enforce the truth of the sentiment, j
Most assuredly, ignorance is now criminal, and, as a
general rule, the man who lives in ignorance, and
dies in ignoiance, will have a fearful account to
render for neglected opportunities and slighted privi
leges. It is unquestionably true, that no man can
live in the neglect of his mental nature, without ex
periencing consequent evils, any more than he can
live in the neglect of his body without paying the
penalty of physical suffering. It is the bounden du
ty of every intelligent being to improve and elevate,
to the highest possible degree, the faculties and
powers with which he has been endowed ; and, since
the intellectual nature of manissuperior to his physi
cal organization, it necessarily follows that the claims
of the former upon his attention are paramount. We
pursue the argument no further, but seek, in a brief
mariner, to urge the importance of cultivating a taste
for reading as one of the chief means of intellectual
development. Books are the reposiHries of thought,
the exponents of science, the store-houses of know
ledge ; from which may be gathered precious wis
dom, to cheer the heart, illuminate the understand
ing, elevate the soul, enliven the affections, and give
vitality and energy to all the powers of human na
ture.
It is from books that the student derives the noble
lessons that incite him to noble exertions. All that
is great and glorious in the history of the world, has
been preserved for our admiration in books; and
words are vain to express their value or their influ
ence upon all the relations of society, and upon man’s
future destiny. That there are evil books—fountains
of pollution, degrading to the intellect and destruc
tive to the soul of man —weakens, in no degree, the
force of our position. The value of water is not di
minished one whit by the ( vistenee of impure or bit
ter fountains. The air we breathe is not the less a
blessing of inestimable worth, because there are found
noxious and deadly gases. We might multiply
these illustrations, but it is needless. The authors
and readers of impure books will share the sad fate
of him who distils and drinks poisonous waters, or
who generates and inhales deleterious vapors. Ihe
existence of evil books only exalts the value of the
good, as the pure air and clear water are increased
iu value by comparison with deadly miasma and im
pure fountains. A taste for reading, then, .should
be instilled into every mind; and the time to accom
plish this is the season of Y outh —for universal testi
mony is borne to the difficulty, if not the impossi
bility, of achieving it in after-life. The precious
season of Youth, unimproved by much judicious and
careful reading, the golden opportunity, is lost and
can hardly be recovered. It is to the young, then,
and to those who have youth in their charge, that we
now appeal, and urge them, by every consideration
of present and future good, to learn the love of books.
This may not be done, either wisely or effectually,
by indulging in too much light reading—the staple
of the cheap issues of the press. As well might the
hungry man attempt to satisfy the demands of his
appetite, vigorous and by consuming the
bon-bons, syllabubs, and pastry, which succeed a
substantial dinner, as for any one to undertake the
supply of his intellectual wants, with the froth and
frivolity of fictions and romances. He may, it is
true, feed so long on these as to have impaired the
powers and destroyed the true appetite of his mind —
so that it now surfeits itself on trifies, and cares for
no other food—just as the glutton may have destroyed
his real appetite by sweets and delicacies, until he
pampers an enfeebled body by such vanities.
There is, at the present day, an abundaut and ex
haustless supply of useful, instructive and elevating
hooks, furnished at a price which renders them easi
ly accessible to all classes. None are so poor as not
to have it in their power to command a small and
well-selected library; and none who have any per
ception of the value of knowledge and mental cul
ure, will willingly forego such a source of improve
ment and delight. A good book is a treasure beyond
pnee. It is a never-failing source of gratification;
and when it is remembered that a day’s wages of an
§©©IFS S& Ei LJTSiiAAT ®AS lIHF g ♦
industrious laborer will buy several instructive vol
umes, the force of the sentiment with which we be-i?
gan this article will be apparent.
In conclusion—for we have reached our usual lim
its —we commend all who read these paragraphs to
cultivate a taste for reading, and, our word for it>
they will be not only the wiser, but the happier, for
their pains. We will, on some early occasion, sug
gest a course of reading for a young man of limited
time and means, to derive solid and pleasing instruc
tions.
The Agricultural Fair.
The special Report of the State Fair at Rock
Mountain, which we expected for our Journal, not
having come to hand, we must make such brief re-,
cord of it as the imperfect notices in our exchanges
will allow. The number of persons in attendance
was probably over ten thousand, but the attractions
in the way of novelties and specimens of skill, do not
appear to have equalled public expectation. This
may be accounted for perhaps by the usual exaggera
ted nature of anticipation, and also by the infancy of
such exhibitions in our region of country. We doubt
not, that each successive fair will be more attractive
than the preceding ; and their influence on the pro
gress of Arts and Manufactures in the South, cannot
fail to be marked and important. From the South
ern IVhig, we learn that four premiums were awar
ded to citizens of this town, a fact which we chroni
cle with sincere pleasure. They were as follows :
To Messrs, llodgson, for a splendid four horse coach;
to Van Houten &. Barrett for a superior buggy ; to
Barry & Fagan for a pair of elegant boots, and to
the Athens Manufacturing company for the finest
specimens of cotton yarn. We cordially repeat the
language of our contemporary —* 4 We are truly proud
to record the success of our respected friends in their
several branches of domestic industry, and hope the
day is not far distant when Georgia, which is des
tined to become the great Empire State of the South,
may be one of the foremost manufacturing States in
the whole Union. Let domestic manufactures be
fostered and encouraged among us, and then will our
people become really independent and truly prosper
ous.”
£ije 2Ltterar ff&’orUL
The New Series of Washington Irving’s complete
works will he commenced on the first proximo, with
his “ Knickerbocker’s History of New York.”
The admirable story, now appearing in Black
wood, called “ Tho Caxtons —a Family Picture,”
is attributed by the knowing ones to Sir Edward
Bulwer Lytton.
J. Fennimore Cooper’s new novel, “The Oak
Openings,” is about to appear from the press of
Burgess, Stringer & Cos.
Geo. P. Putnam announces for next month, “ The
Life, Letters, and Literary Remains of Keats,” by
Monckton Milnes.
Prof. Stuart, the distinguished Linguist and Theo_
logian, has resigned his post at Andover, in conse
qr* > \ce of ill health.
Elje SlTSorlir.
The Present Crisis in Ireland.
The long expected “ crisis” in Irish affairs has ar
rived, and, at the latest dates from England, civil
war was raging in various portions of Ireland. Some
accounts represent the Rebellion as completely crush
ed in the outset, while from others we are led to infer
that the victories of the Government forces must be
repeated, before the oppressed are effectually and for
ever overcome. The revolution began at Balingarry,
by an attack of the populace on the police. It re
sulted in the overthrew of the former, with considera
ble loss of life. The Government has offered a boun
i ty for the arrest of O’Brien, Meagher, and several
others, who are reported to have fled, with many of
the insurgents, to the mountains. The 4 Felon’ and
| ‘Nation,’ organs of the disaffected, have been sup
pressed by a withdrawal of the stamp privilege. A
large military force occupies the whole disaffected
1 region of the province. The insurrection may possi
bly assume the nature of a guerilla warfare; but,
; even in the fastnesses of the mountains, the insur-
I gents could not long be secure, especially in tJie ap
! proaching season of rigor, when cold and hunger will
[ stare them in the face. We cannot find, in the re
ports already received, any indications of hope for
| the poor, down-trodden sons of Erin. The Orange
men and the soldiery will maintain the integrity of
tho Government against the factions.
Affairs on the Continent.
Pakis. —There are no reasons to apprehend an
early disturbance of the quiet which prevails in this
city, under Cavaignac’s administration. The Mod
erate Party in the Assembly seems to be gaining
ground. The trial of the insurgents continues at the
military tribunals. There are 9,000 prisoners now
lying in durance in Paris, implicated in the June In
surrection.
Russia. —A subsidence of the Cholera in St. Pe
tersburgh is announced, though, on the 14th ultimo,
there were 312 deaths in that city from this scourge,
our (Sosstp Column*
Dear Reader, we wish you could have been with
us, the other night, at the house of a friend, in our
sister State of South Carolina, to have witnessed a
wedding-scene; the like of which is probably iot
recorded in the annals of matrimony. Our friend is
a clergyman, and, on the evening in question, he in
formed us, at the tea-table, that he had been called
on to do the irrevocable for a very singular couple,
and expected them to appear that night. The bride
to-be was the daughter of a lazy, good-for-nothing
man, in the neighborhood, who lived upon her indus
try, and had forbidden her to marry the man ot her
choice —a poor, but industrious fellow —because ho
would thou be compelled to do something for his own
support. He had even gone to the barbarous excess
of beating her, and, in order to avoid his still unap
peased anger at her determination to be married, she
had been obliged to leave her home and hide herself
in the woods. The bridegroom made known these
facts to our clerical friend, who readily consented to
place the persecuted woman under the protection of
her lover; and the latter promised to “hunt up
Betsy, and fetch her to the house soon arter night,
fall.” We waited, after our evening meal, until past
the usual bed-time, but the candidates for matrimo
ny did not appear; and at length the lady of the
house retired, and we were on the point of doing so,
when the barking of the bouso-dog announced visit
ors. It was now eleven o’clock, and we scarcely
looked for the bridal party. They came, however,
four in number, and were ushered into the parlor of
the cottage. Mrs. C reappeared to witness
the ceremony, before which we must take a peep at
the visitors. The two females were striking con
trasts to each other ; the one very tall and of mas
culine appearance, and the other below the average
size. The two men were scarcely less ill-matched;
the one was apparently a boy, about sixteen, and the
other a well-grown man. The whole party, on en
tering the parlor, passed around and shook hands
with each of us, without uttering a word; after
which, they plumped themselves into the chairs pro
vided for them. The females were dressed in what
were once white gowns, but which were so bedrag
gled with dew and dust as to give them a saffron
hue. The party looked troubled and bewildered.
Presently, Mr. C .approached and requested
them to rise. They did so, and lie commenced tho
ceremony. When he came to the part which re
quires the joining of hands, he was about to unite
the couple standing in the middle of the line —the
small woman and the large man—when, by the evi
dent perplexity of the party, he discovered that
something was wrong, and it appeared that the ex
tremes of the line were the actual candidates for bri
dal honors. Accordingly, the parties changed pla
ces, and our boyish hero stood by tho side of his
Amazon sweetheart. With infinite difficulty, our
friend proceeded with the ceremony, and made them
“one flesh.” After the benediction was pronoun
ced, they all sat down with the utmost gravity—the
bridegroom twirling on his fingers the new hat which
he had bought for the occasion, and which comport*
ed badly with his old coat, contracted pants and
brown boots. Smothering our merriment, we waited
their further motions, and, in a few minutes, the
bride addressed her husband as follows:
“ Jemes, I think as how we mought as well put
out.”
“ I’m ready, Betsy, when you say the word.”
With that they rose, and, once more shaking
hands with all of us, in perfect silence they departed.
They must have heard, we fear, the merry peal of
laughter which rung out, unrestrainedly, before they
could have got outside of the little garden, in front
of the cottage. Thus ended a midnight wedding
in South Carolina—a veritable history, upon our edi
torial word and honor! .... The author of
“All About” pleads the pressure of unavoidable en
gagements and labors, as an apology for the tempo
rary suspension of his papers under that title. We
regret very much that it is so, as we have now sev
eral scenes engraved and ready for the press, so soon
as the MS. can be furnished. He promises, howev
er, an early resumption of his pen in our service, and
we shall welcome him very cordially, especially as
his next field of illustration is in the Carolinas. . .
. . We clip the following pretty conceit from the
last number of the Literary World:
IMPROMPTU.
They say that dreams of Angels tell
Sweet tidings to the lover true;
1 ask of you, love—say they well.'’
My dreams this moriiing told of you !
We regret that we cannot treat our readers to
Punch's illustrations of the “ Cold Earth Cure,” as
they appear in his budget of July 29th. They are
capital, indeed, representing the patient in all the
stages of his immersion in the ground—first up to the
arm-pits, and, finally, up to the neck—leaving only
a resemblance to a cabbage above the ground ! We
hope to find room for the letter-press next week. As
an illustration of Truth on Tomb-stones, Punch gives
us the epitaph of a Clown, which ransitnply, “ Here
r ~ r ■.Y-P'lT 1
Notices to Correspondents.
Stephenia. Your article is on file for publication,
and will appear very soon.
Alton. By an oversight, your poem was not put
in type early enough for insertion in the present num
ber, and stands over until next week.
P. S. M. Wo return your MS. as directed.
J. A. T. We design to introduce “ Uncle Simon”
to our readers at an early day—perhaps next week.
P. Q. We know it is impossible to please every
body ; so we have adopted the rule of trying to
please ourself , and if wo succeed in that, we ‘rest
from our labors’ every Saturday night with a grate
ful spirit.
Phil. Your rhymes are positively shocking!—
Who but yourself would have attempted to mako
feature and sweeter jingle 1 We must let our read
ers see how you succeed in the attempt— *-
“ Oh ! lowly Susan tlmu to mo
Art than the rose-bud sweeter,
Thy eyes are brighter than the stars,
And charming is each feature!”
We recommend you to try a stanza, and introduce
the following equally perfect rhymes: poet—goat ’
<Dur Book Cable*
Orta-I \dis, and Other Poems. By J. M. Leg are.
Boston: William D. Tickuor &. Cos.
A volume of poems by a Southern Poet, is almost
a phenomenon, and our readers will allow us a little
more than the usual space for noticing such a pro
duction. We scarcely open the pages of a New En
gland or Northern Magazine or Review that wo do
not observe notices of new collections of verse of which
the majority, as might be expected, are tolerable
only, and therefore, intolerable —while to the few bo
longs the meed of praise. It the South were equally
prolific of poetry, we might, in our capacity of Re
viewer, have acquired a skill in dissection, pruning,
or whatever it may be criled, such as is exhibited in
our more favored contemporaries. As it is, however,
we cannot, if we Avould, deal harshly with an obhv
tion so rare as that which is tho subject of our no
tice ; and it was with kind and tlmnklul feelings to
ward its author that we opened his little volumo and
glanced eagerly over its dainty pages.
Our purpose is not to subject the poetry of Mr.
Legarc to critical analysis, or to enter into any
elaborate review. A candid notice of his book is
what we aim to give—and if it be in a tone of praise,
it will bo but a sincere tribute to the actual and not
ordinary merit, which his verse exhibits. Mr. Lc
gare’s poetry is marked by a studied quaintness—
amounting to a positive affectation, to which we are
disposed to object. We admire quaint thoughts,
pretty conceits and novelties in verse when they aro
evidently the outspeaking of tho poet’s mind —when
they are natural, in other words. Perhaps Mr. Lc
gare does not ajfect the peculiarities of his verso—
but we confess they seem not exactly “ to tho man
ner born.” We discover them in the structure of
his stanzas —in the frequent inversions of his style—
in numerous obscurities of sense —and, we add more
over, in occasional departures from the established
laws of verso-making.
The titles of some of his poems are obnoxious to
this charge. The title of the book is taken from the
name of a clever specimen of Latin versification on
the last two pages of the volume. With equal fit
ness the author might have called it “ Qua) Pul
chrior”—and perhaps with even mure, “ Ornotbolo
goi,” which is the longest piece in the book. Tho
annexed stanza is from a poem to a Lily.
“ Thou in the lake dost see
Thyself: So she
Betjolds her image iu her eyes
Reflected. Tints did Venus rise
From out the sea”
Have we not here a defect ive picture from the mis
use of it preposition 1 The maiden does not see “ her
image” reflected in but to her eyes, in the lake.
The general tone of these Poems is lofty and yet
tender. They appear to be chiefly personal, a vein
which is not often worked to the popular admiration.
There is, however, a grace and delicacy about them,
which cannot fail to charm the reader. Wo think
some of them are very beautiful. For example—
“ Haw Blossoms,” “ The Reaper,” and “A May
Morn.” The second of these will be found entire in our
“Southern Eclectic.” Mr. Legare’s poetry has
certainly the charm and merit of originality. He is
no servile imitator ; and in despite of a few manner
isms, he writes well and worthily. We hope he will
attempt higher themes than those which have hith
erto engrossed his verse. His muse should sour—iG t
it is not in rustic haunts and shady nooks that she
will find her truest inspiration.
In concluding the brief notice of the very neat vol
ume before us, we heartily recommend it to our rea
ders as highly deserving of their regard. It con
tains true poetry—the indigenous growth of our own
sunny land. The people of the South should foster
every man of genius in her borders—and by so doing,
she will, by and by, make to herself a name among
the wise and learned.
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