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EDITOR’S DEPARTMENT.
ATHENS, SATURDAY, OCT. 7, 1848.
Perseverance.
We have chosen a trite theme for our customary
weekly essay, gentle reader, hut it is one that can
not be too frequently presented to the young —to
whom it is a quality of inestimable importance.
It matters little what may be the favoring circum
stances which surround a young man starting on the
career of life —it matters not that he may have
wealth, frieuds, or even great talent, to sustain him
—unless he possesses the talismanic virtue of Perse
verance, he will reach no lofty summit —he will at
tain no commanding position. On the other hand,
it matters little what disadvantages attend his en
trance into life ; it matters not that he is poor and
friendless —nay, that he is destitute of what men
call Genius, or dazzling ability, if he be but strong
in the purpose to achieve his end, he shall eventually
succeed! We cannot over-estimate the value of this
quality of human nature, for it is the kev-stone in
the arch of complete success. It is
“ a Roman virtue,
That wins each god-like act, and plucks success
Even from the spear-proof crest of rugged danger.”
We have seen a tiny insect struggling under a
load larger than itself, and although repeatedly over
come by the burden, never despairing of the end —
never yielding its purpose —never abating its exer
tions —but gathering, it would seem, fresh energy
from each defeat, it has finally accomplished its de
sign and borne the treasure to its secret hoard
Repeated effort seldom fails of success in any en
terprize, however feeble its beginning or hopeless its
results. The history of great men is indeed a re
cord of the trophies of Perseveiance. We will not
positively affirm that Perseverance will yet discover
perpetual motion, or find the philosopher’s stone,
though, by the way, we are greatly inclined to think
that the latter is actually comprehended in the qual
ity we are speaking of —yet, if we adopt the senti
ment of quaint old Herrick, we must believe that it
will be so, for he says —
“Attempt the end, and never stand to doubt,
Nothing’s so hard hut search will find it out.”
One thing we will affirm —that whenever Persever
ance aims at a positive result, it will, sooner or later,
effect it. How many splendid achievements in the
physical, intellectual, and moral world, have been
compassed by men who seemed to possess scarce any
of the requisite powers for their astonishing success.
The world has, perhaps, derided their efforts, re
garded individually, and called their confidence pre
sumption, starting from its blindness only when the
thunders of applau-e at the final triumph of Perse
verance has resounded in its ears. It has not seen,
in its proud indifference, the steps of that progress,
of which the consummation is so astounding. It did
not dream that results so magnificent could flow
from efforts so puny. Yet so it is. The mole may
undermine the walls of a castle, which the cannon of
a besieging enemy have as-ailed in vain. The French
motto, “ Pen et peic,” and its equivalent in our ver
nacular, “ Every stroke tells!” should be borne in
mind by the young man who proposes to himself the
accomplishment of any great object.
“ For Hercules himself must yield to odds;
And many strokes, tho’ with a little axe,
Hew down and fell the hardest-timbered oak” !
T be idea of failure should not be suffered to enter
the mind of him who would succeed in bis purpose.
He must banish it from his creed, and “force his soul
?o to his own conceit” that success shall seem the
°nly possible result of his endeavors. Without a
resolution strong as this, he may, perchance, suc
ceed—but with it, he cannot fail.
\ oung man, whoever you are, and whatever is
- our purpose in life —be it only worthy of your dig
mty as a man and of your destiny as an immortal —
persevere! When yon are beset by difficulties, re
vive to rise superior to them, and thus add bright
ness to the crown of your triumph.
“Do not for one repulse forego the purpose
That you resolved to effect;”
n °. nor f° r a hundred repulses. Remember that
fa difficulty you vanquish gives you fresh strength
i' ,r the contest—each obstacle you overcome lops
something from the height of succeeding ones. Ask
not-—for your life, ask not—“Am I sufficient to the
ut-ignl” That were to doubt, and “our doubts
l!t traitors” that oft defeat our will. Your motto
Oa a if &&&&¥ n.
must be “ Onward.” If you look back you are de
feated, and he who attempts a possible end and ig
nobly fails, sinks beneath the level of him even
whose soul was never moved to a proud daring. Per
severance will guide your weary steps to the steep
“ Where Fame’s proud temple shines afar.”
I
Perseverance will place upon your brow the wreath
of laurel, and in your hand the palm of victory !
Young man — persevere !
1
©ur Gossip Column.
In a recent letter from a friend who had just com
pleted a sea-voyage long enough to make him, al
though a member of the Temperance Society, sigh
for Port ; he thus feelingly descants upon the de
lights of the passage : —“ I cannot imagine what in
ducement would take me on another voyage if a land
journey were practicable—l have had quite enough
of—
“ The sea! the D !
The terrible, horrible sea!
The stormy, tumbling,
Qualmy-jumbling,
Spirit-humbling,
Shingle-stumbling,
Sen-weed-fumbling,
Weaving, crumbling,
Mischief-mumbling,
Growling, grumbling,
Like thunder far off rumbling ”
I tried every conceivable and inconceivable remedy
for tho dreadful sickness which excites no sympathy
in those who, from custom or constitution, are happi
ly exempt from its attack. In the general commotion
which prevailed among the passengers, I was oppo
sed to the rising and wished to be neutral, but I was
at length compelled to take side, and of course, I
went with the majority, though I cannot affirm that
it was the stronger party. As I was a passenger in
a British Steamer, I could not help thinking as I
hung over the side of the vessel, of the oft vaunted
boast
—“Brittania rules the waves.”—
and regretting, as one did before me, that if it be
true, “ it is a great pity that she does not rule them
straighter.” They may sing who will, the delights
of the sea —and I don’t know but the ocean, consid
ered as Hood says, ‘ strictly per se,’ may be very fine
—but I confess I could not perceive it during any
portionof my fortnight’s travel.” We are no stran
gers to the maladie du mer as it is called, though
why it is thus slightingly termed, we cannot imag
ine. A mere malady indeed; we defy Esculapius
himself, to invent a worse one. So we can sympa
thize with our friend M in his feeling reminis
cences of his voyage We cannot suppose
our friend Brantly of the Temperance Banner, in
tentionally abstracted Judge Charlton’s poem—
“ The Tocsin ” —from our columns, without giving
us due credit for it. If we could think so, we should
wish that the Tocsin might ring in his ears —until
he heartily repented and made acknowledgement of
his fault. He is too welcome to anything belonging
to the Gazette, to have need of taking it clandes
tinely ; so we acquit him without even calling for
his defence What do you think of Whis
key I Dr. Johnson—said Boswell, when he was some
what in a spirited mood, having imbibed the arti
cle pretty freely. The Doctor solemnly replied,
“ Sir, it penetrates my soul like the small, still voice
of conscience; and the Worm of the Still, is “ the
worm that never dies.” Appropos of the “ worm
of the Still.” A friend of ours suggested the other
day, that that was a misnomer—for, said he, “it
should have been, “ the worm of the noisy.” ....
Wo have received a communication from a “A
Mechanic,” in which he informs us that he invented
a Conundrum Machine some months ago, but ne
glected to secure a patent. He rather insinuates
that our machine is not quite so original an inven
tion as we suppose.. In describing his machine, he
says, however, “It is worked by a reciprocating
lever, and is not turned at all.” Now here is, at
once, a striking difference to ours, which depends al
together upon “ quips and turns ” / On the point of
speed, “A Mechanic” claims for his machine the
decided pre-eminence, judgirg by our own words
that our’s “ would turn out about one per minute”
—for his, he says, will, “when judiciously worked,
produce two to a minute.” Now, this appears con
clusive — but, in a recent trial, we ascertained that
we had greatly underrated the powers of our ma
chine, and really succeeded in making with it three
conundrums to a minute, in proof of whieh, and for
the benefit of our correspondent, we subjoin them :
Why is a second equivalent to a minute 1
Because it is a minute portion of a degree.
Why is a minute like a motion for adjournment 1
Because it has a good many seconds.
hy is minute like the virtues of our neighbors !
Because it would require many of them to equal
our’s [/tours.]
We do not dispute the excellence of “A Mechan
ic's” invention, and if his machine is really worked
with a reciprocating action, it is not too late for him
to secure a patent for it, in which case we can, of
course, exchange produce with him. Send us some
specimens, at least, Mr. Mechanic! A dis
tinguished literary friend writing to us from New
York, gives us rather a gloomy picture of the present
condition of American Literature. He says: “ Ev
erything here is in a state of wretched stagnation*
The world of books is in dilapidation,—almost in
chaos. The prospect seems to threaten the very
continuance of our poor domestic literature, which
is pretty much driven out of the field.” .... Our
Book Table, through the kindness of our excellent
friends, the publishers, is literally loaded with beau
tiful and valuable works, to which we will pay
prompt and merited attention, while we herewith
expiress our acknowledgements to those who have so
kindly remembered us.
Notices to Correspondents.
Bayard.— Thanks for your letter of the 27th and
its very kind invitation. We would, if we could,
with the greatest pleasure.
W. H. P.—We do not find your article “ availa
ble” for the columns of the Gazette, though possess
ing considerable merit, and indicating a talent wor
thy of assiduous cultivation.
E. T. F.—We are surfeited with rhyme. We
want poetry—which, with all due deference to your
self, yours is not.
Caroline Howard. —Will our esteemed corres
pondent oblige us with some early communication.
(Ffje mean smo Meal s3iess,
The Southern Quarterly Review. Charleston :
Burgess & James.
We hope the people of the South are doing justice
to this only organ of criticism amongst them, but we
fear at the same time they are not; and we must
urge upon those who understand the uses of such a
Journal, to lend their aid to this. We are gratified
that it is in our power to bear testimony to the abil
ity with which the Review is conducted. One thing
alone in its management requires to be amended,
and that is the delay in its publication. The July
number did not appear until September, and now
the October issue is due. Among the articles in this
number we note a pretty fair critique upon the Fu
gitive Poetry of America, to which we may allude
again. There is an interesting paper on the “ Reli
gious Instruction of Slaves,” and another on the
French Republic.
The Daguerreotype, Vol. 11, No. 11.
Circumstances have occasioned delay in tho issue
of this beautiful Eclectic, which, for the Publishers’
sake, we much regret; and we are sure its readers
will be glad to learn that it is established on a per
manent basis. It is, in our opinion, the best work
of the kind extant, and we shall do our readers a
service by bringing it to their notice. We honestly
think it an admirable and cheap repository of choice
British and foreign Literature. The present (semi
monthly) issue contains, among other papers, a spi
rited sketch ofWm. Ellery Channing, and an article
on the Irish Movement fromTait —a curious article
on Cahet’s Voyage En Icarie, from the Quarterly —
an article on “ The Next War,” translated from the
Bremen Gazette —sundry agreeable Collectanea —
Reviews, Notes, &c. Let our readers who are on
the look-out for a valuable Electic send on Three
Dollars for the Daguerreotype.
The Columbian, for October.
This number is embellished with a second of the
“Greenwood” views, the tomb of William Anson
Lawrence, somewhat after the model of the Lantern
of Demosthenes, It is a very beautiful engraving.
A glance at the “ Contents” affords promise of pleas,
ant and not unprofitable reading. We notice a dis
position and effort on the part of the Editor to make
his Magazine a vehicle of high-toned Literature und
elevated moral instruction, in which we cordially bid
him “ God speed.”
Blackwood, for September. New York: L. Scott
& Cos.
Not to appreciate Blackwood is to confess a want
of literary taste, for, notwithstanding its rank tory
ism, it is at the head of English Periodical Litera
ture, where common consent years ago placed it. —
There is, moreover, a redeeming feature in its polit
ical character, and that is an absence of all hypoc
risy. Blackwood is an honest tory —means all he
says, and says all he means. We are content to let
his political views alone, and admire him for his
high-tonod literary excellence. His pages are not
filled with maudlin sentiment and wishy-washy ro
mance. Generally speaking, his articles are of gen
uine merit, whether they deal in fact or fancy.—
Thanks to the liberal spirit of its re-publishers, the
American reader can obtain an authorized, not a pi
ratical edition, for Three Dollars per annum—far
less than the cost of an English copy.
Holden’s Magazine, for October
We are at a loss to understand how Mr. Holden
can give so much and such excellent matter for One
Dollar, as his Magazine contains. Its contents are
exceedingly varied and spirited. The “Fulpit
Sketches” alone are worth the cost of each number,
but they are a small moiety only of tho contents
Tales, Essays, Poems, Original and Selected—and
a copious Review Department, with Editor’s Table
superadded, make up a feast of no common attrac
tion. Holden should be taken by every intelligent
family in the land.
The Western Literary Messenger, for October
Mr. Clement conducts his monthly with iudustry
and taste. The contents are judiciously chosen. —
The half of the present issue is occupied with a foil
Report of the New York State Fair recently held at
Buffalo—a valuable document for present and future
reference. The Miscellany of this number is very
interesting.
Wheler’s Monthly Journal. Brothers Wheler,
Athens, Ga.
If we greet this new aspirant for public favor with
more than common cordiality, an excuse will be found
in the fact that it is a “ native” production, and so
far kindred to our Journal as to be issued from the
same press. It is a neat little pamphlet of 16 pages
—handsomely printed and freely embellished with
wood cuts. Somewhat on the plan of Wright’s Pa
per, it exhibits, we think, moro taste and talent than
that Journal. Its object is to afford instructive read
ing at a cheap rate, and no one will question that it
answers its end. It will be issued monthly, at Fifty
Cents a year, and to clubs of ten for Three Dollars.
The editor of the Journal, Mr. C. L. Wheler, was
formerly of the “ Madison Family Visitor,*’ which
under his administration gained a good name. His
enterprise deserves well of the South, and we hope
will be sustained liberally.
<s>ut 3300fe (Fable.
Publishers and authors who may wish to have their
Books noticed in the “ Literary Gazette” will please send
copies for the editor to Burgess, Stringer k Cos., N. York,
who will send a parcel to him every week, by express.
The Church in Earnest : by John Angei.l
James. One vol. 18mo, pp. 292 ; Boston: Gould
Kendall & Lincoln.
We do not hesitate to say, that the Christian
World is deeply indebted to Mr. James for his con
tributions to her Literature. His name is known
throughout Christendom, and honored whereever
it is known. The present work, is one eminently
needed at this period in the history of the Church.
At no former era, has there been more danger of
lukewarmness in spiritual affairs ; and theprac tieal,
elevated and evangelical views of Mr. Janie; will
doubtless awaken hundreds and thousands to a clos
er perception of the earnestness which is demanded
of them.
The style of the book is well suited to its subject.
The writer is in earnest, and the fervor of his spirit
has kindled his thoughts and inspired his pen. To
give the work a word of approbation, were but a
poor tribute. It should receive the earnest atten
tion of professing Christians of every name, for it is
eminently catholic in its spirit.
1. The Shippers’ and Carriers’ Assistant, and
Marine and Inland Insurers’s Guide —adapted to
the wants of Merchants, Mariners, Insurers.
Shippers and Carriers, throughout the United
States.
2. The Rights and Liabilities of Landlord and
Tenant.
3. The Business Man’s Assistant —containing
the mod; useful Forms of Legal Instruments, &c.
4. The Rights of Seamen : The Coaster’s and
Fisherman’s Guide, and Master’s and Mate’s Man
ual. By J.JR. Butts: New York ;H. Long &
Bro.
We have enumerated the titles of four little vol
umes at twenty-five cents each —a price which bears
no proportion whatever to their value —for they pre
sent, in a nut shell, as it were, the law upon all points
in which the interests of Merchants, Planters, Land
lords, Tenants, Seamen and others are concerned.
It is certarnly needless to commend them : they
speak for themselves —and should be in every one’s
hand.
The Poetical Works of Thomas Campbell.—
New York : Leavitt, Trow & Cos.
We are indebted to the Publishers for a copy of
a very neat pocket edition of Campbell’s Poems,
which will be acceptable to his admirers It is hand
somely printed and very cheap.
Evenings with the Old Story Tellers. Being
a choice collection of Ancient Moral Tales, etc.—
New York : Leavitt, Trow & Cos.
This is a neat edition of the “ Ge3ta Romanorum,*’
and comprises many entertaining stories invented by
the Monks of old, not only to amuse but to instruct;
and under the pleasant guise of fiction they convey
admirable and valuable moral lessons. W e have
been long familiar with these Ancient Stories, and
can bear witness to their interest and quaintness.
TEMPERANCE ADDRESS.
The Father Mathew Division S. of TANARUS., wiil hold
a public meeting at the Baptist Church on Tuesday
night next. Oct. 10th, on whieh occasion an Address
will be delivered by their Chaplain Rev. S. Lan
drum. The public is respectfully invited to attend.
175