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lIU i brothers, they exhibited no sign of weak-1
nes s, but presented an example, I know not,
n this case, whether to say of masculine or
feminine firmness. With unwavering forti
unle- they left their native shores, departing
j n prison-ships, to a distant land. Many
born and educated in the midst of wealth,
no t only renounced its advantages for them
selves and families, but engaged in the coars
est labors, and performed the most menial
services. This they did, not only with re
signation, but with joy. Their example was
inspiring ; and it is owing, principally, to the
firmness of these patriotic Carolinians, that
the name and love of liberty were not extin
guished in the Southern States. From this,
the English knew that they were engaged in
an enterprize much more difficult than at first
{hey had imagined. For the most decided
proof of the united opinion of a nation, and
the surest sign of success in a public enter
prize, is, that woman has engaged in it, with
all the powers of her imagination, which, al
though when calm is more yielding and more
variable than that of man, is, when excited
and enkindled, more tenacious and power
ful.”
—
For the Southern Literary Gazette.
LETTER FROM A TEACHER.
Augusta, Dec. 20, 1848.
Mr. Richards. —I am far from being willing
to be regarded as dictating to you, or even
advising, wherein I think your Journal might
be rendered eminently conducive to important
results Jt professes to foster education, de
velop talent, and cultivate intellectual re
sources. These are all truly desirable ends;
the last two of which may be attained by the
publication of literary and scientific essays of
unquestionable merit. You will permit me,
however, with proper deference to your own
judgment, to express the opinion, that the
occasional insertion of articles, requiring your
readers to exercise their reasoning and dis
criminating faculties, would tend to improve
education, and thus qualify every class of
readers to understand and appreciate all that
you publish for their amusement and instruc
tion. I maintain that every new idea forced
into the unimproved mind, expels one error,
and, in that propoition, prepares the individ
ual for receiving another fact with compara
tive facility. It is a deplorable truth ; that, in
this, the age of steam and electricity, multi
tudes even of those who can read and write,
have their minds filled with the grossest and
most absurd errors. Until these be eradicated,
it is an idle waste of time to discourse wfith
such concerning matters of literature, the arts
and sciences. It is said, (and I believe it, to
a limited extent,) that selfishness, in some
form or other, enters into every act of a man’s
life. If this be true, lam selfish enough to
hope for a time, w r hen every man will rank
among men of learning, for the sum of hu
man happiness will then, surely, be increas
ed, and I will certainly be entitled to my share
of it, and, moreover, be proud of enjoying it.
I believe, then, that it is the duty of every
man, whilst he is laboring to increase his
own stock of knowledge, to make some ef
fort to add to that of others.
It has occurred to me, that a column of
your Journal, dedicated purely to Science,
would be quite an acceptable offering to many
of your readers. For example, such ques
tions as the following, though very simple,
would afford not pnly rational amusement to
such as would take the pains to solve them,
but would assist in training their minds to
grapple with severer and more complicated
ones:
Find two numbers, in the ratio of 3 to 5,
whose sum shall be equal to one-fourth of
the difference of their squares.
What length must be cut from a square,
whose sides are 25 chains, to have an area of
40 acres at the end ?
Show how the writings of Voltaire. Dide
§®®tei ba sa & air biea IE ¥ (BASBinrs.
rot, Duclos, Holback, and others, contributed
to produce the French Revolution.
It is very apparent, now, that he who will
take the trouble to follow out the chain of
reasoning necessary to arrive at correct re
sults in the above inquiries, will be possess
ed of knowledge that will create an appetite
for more, besides stimulating him to seek
food for its gratification.
Whilst on the subject of education, I could
not have a more favorable opportunity than
through the columns of your Journal, to ask
of those who are, like myself, engaged in the
business of teaching, if they do not think
something can be done, and ought to be, to
raise the standard of our profession, at least,
in our own State. We have nearly as many
systems of teaching as there are teachers, and,
of course, they cannot be all right; we have
every variety of text-books, from good to bad
and utterly worthless; we have teachers en-
tertaining different views in regard to the
claims of our native tongue over the modern
anu ancient classics. lam of the opinion, that
if there could be such a thing as a Conven
tion of the Teachers in Georgia, in which a
free, full and friendly discussion of the merits
of the various methods of instruction, could
be had—in which the excellences and defects
of the innumerous text-books now in use,
could be fairly canvassed —an immense a
mount of substantial good would accrue, not
only to parents, but to teachers, pupils, book
sellers, and publishers. 1 dare not ask you
for space in which to elaborate my plan. It
will at once appear to all, that where there
is uniformity in the manner of imparting
knowledge, as well as in the books used, the
teacher's burden will be lightened, the pupil’s
progress enhanced, and the parent’s expense
diminished.
I am enthusiastic enough to believe that
the formation of a Teachers’ Lyceum would
be the dawn of a glorious era in Georgia. It
would not be long afterwards, before we
would publish our own text-books, and thus
sever our dependence upon Northern authors
and publishers for them. We would know,
too, that books compiled or composed by
Southern authors, would not contain para
graphs, sections, or chapters, to be omitted by
Southern children.
I fear I have already transcended reasona
ble limits. If you deem the subject discussed
in this article worthy of the consideration of
your readers, 1 will resume them at an early
day. Yours, truly,
L. LA TASTE.
{jome Correspondent.
For the Southern Literary Oazette.
NEW-YORK LETTERS.-NO. 35.
New York, Dec. 27, 1848.
Dear Sir —Since my last epistle, Winter
has set in very seriously. The gala robe of
Christmas, and the winding-sheet of the dy
ing year, is out-spread upon the earth—so
that we are no longer vexed with the fear of
being unable to greet the one fittingly, or to
bury the other decently.
Despite the falling snow on Friday night
last, the large rotunda of the Tabernacle was
crowded at an early hour, on the occasion of
the Annual Distribution of Pictures by the
American Art Union. Though none but mem
bers of the Institution, with their families,
were admitted, it was very difficult to find a
footing within the hall, even at the early hour
of half-past five. At six o’clock, General
Prosper M. Wetmore, the President, took the
Chair, with a brief and eloquent address to
the thousands of assembled ladies and gen
tlemen, in which he succinctly and very hap
pily glanced at the rise, progress, position
and prospects of the Association, and earnest
m
ly congratulated the members upon its great
achievements in the glorious cause of Art,
and the still mightier results which it so hope
fully promised to effect. Mr. F. A. Coe next
; read (he Annual Report of the Society, from
which it appears that the whole number of
members for 1848, is sixteen thousand four
hundred and seventy-five—being six thousand
eight hundred and nine more than in any pre
ceding yea;, and surpassing the amount of
subscription to even the London Art Union,
which heretofore has been the most extensive
Institution of the kind in the world. The
report of Mr. Austin, the Treasurer, states
the income for the present season at eighty
five thousand one hundred and thirty-four
dollars and twenty-eight cents, with a bal
ance remaining in the treasury of fifty-four
dollars and seventy-eight cents. After an
explanation from the President, of the modus
operandi of the drawing, four distinguished
gentlemen and two young ladies were ap
pointed by the meeting to superintend the
wheels of Foitune. In one of these were
placed tickets representing the whole number
of pictures—four hundred and fifty-four—and
in the other, the 16,475 numbers representing
the names of each and every subscriber. A
number was then drawn from the first wheel,
and the picture bearing the corresponding
figures was awarded to the person whose
name stood, on the subscription hook, oppo
site the number, directly afterwards taken
from the other wheel. So on until all the
pictures were gone; when numbers contin
ued to be drawn from the wheel containing the
names of members, until the medals and port
folios of engravings were exhausted. The
business of the evening was so great, that
midnight had arrived before it was all accom
plished. As picture after picture %as an
nounced from the wheel, a singular noise fol
lowed the simultaneous turning of the leaves
of thousands of catalogues; and when the
names of the winners were read, very divert
ing expressions of sentiment often broke
forth. Atone moment, the announcement
of an unpopular cognomen was greeted with
a general hiss; and the debut afterwards of
a favorite receivedja universal round of ap
plause. Immense cheering succeeded the
reading of the name of “John C. Calhoun,”
which was as heartily turned into a mingled
laugh and hiss, when “New York City,” and
not “ South Carolina,” followed. Fortune’s
favors to the poetess, Mrs. Osgood, were gra
ciously approved ; and when the name of the
distinguished President of the Art Union
turned up among the lucky ones, it really
seemed that an earthquake was shaking the
huge edifice, so hearty, universal and pro
longed was the applause of the audience.—
When General Wetmore was, at length, able
to make himself heard, amidst this mighty
din of congratulation, he thanked both the
assembly and the blind Goddess, for their
kind expressions of good will, but wished
that the fortune had fallen to some other per
son. A gentleman at the President’s elbow
benevolently whispered his willingness to re
lieve him of the prize, if it was very burthen
some to him ; which generous and magnani
mous offer was received with a smile of
thanks!
The great prize of the year, Cole's uVoy
| age of Life,” fell to the lot of a Mr. Brodt, of
j Binghampton, in this State. The pictures
| were very equally distributed through the
land, from Maine and Canada to Texas and
Wisconsin. In Georgia, Mr. Duncan, of Sa
vannah, drew Bingham's “Stump Orator;’’
Mr. W. A. Morrell, of Augusta, the picture
of “ Too Late,” by Glass; and Mr. E. R.
Snyder, of Augusta, Waterson's “ View of
Edinburg.” In Charleston, S. C., the picture
of “ Lake Scenery—Morning,” by T. A
Richards, fell to the lot of Mr. F. J. Porpher,
and “The Mandolin,” by S. S. Osgood, to
the Rev. Dr. Smith. In North Carolina, Mr-
J. R. Blossom, of Wilmington, won Mr. Os
good’s “Drawing Lots;” and Mr. A. J. Fos
ter, of Wakefield, the “Cavalier’s Return, ’’
byWoodville. In Alabama, “Washington’s
Retreat to Fort Necessity/’ by J. G. Chap
man, went to Mr. E. M. Perrine; Mr. Du
rand’s “Dover Plain’ tp S. W. Allen ; “Lake
George, by S. R. Gifford, to Mr. John John’
son; and “Dover Cliffs,” by Joshua Shaw,
to A. B. Morrell—all of Mobile. Several
pictures went to New Orleans, and to other
Southern cities—but I catalogue those only
to places in your more immediate vicinage.
I did not stay to learn the fate of the medals,
and therefore cannot tell you what propor
tion of them are to cross Mason and Dixon's
line. You may, I think, be reasonably sat
isfied with winning a number of the finest
pictures. The Gallery yet remains intact, but
on Friday morning, “Ichabod” will be written,
upon its walls.
While the Anniversary of the Art Union
was in progress at the Tabernacle, the “New
England Society” was commemorating “Pil“
grim Day” at the Astor; and the same Asso-
ciation, of Brooklyn, was assembled at Mon
tague Hall. Ladies were present at both,
and a world of good things were said and eat
en, at each table. “Jonathan” is always in
his glory on these occasions; “Plymouth
Rock*’ never fails to be immortalized, and
the “ Yankee girls’ canonized. At the “As
tor,” a guest, in complimenting Mr. Fuller,
the editor of the Evening Mirror, said—“lt
is well to hold the Mirror up to nature! our
stomachs are full, but our hearts ar c Fuller?’
A fair bon mot, but rather too gastronomic.
The Cholera remains in statu quo , i. e. at
the Hospitals of the Quarantine. A few new
cases and deaths occur daily.
On Thursday morning, a horrible tragedy
was enacted, at the corner of Walnut and
Henry streets, in the eastern part of the city.
It seems that a young and pretty French wo
man, who lately arrived here from Europe,
with a German named Geiger, after living
with him for some months, as she had done
for years, abroad, absconded with anew lov
er, thus raising a tempest of jealousy and re
venge in the heart of the first. In his thirst
to gratify these passions, he diligently traced
out the fugitives to their home, where he in
humanly murdered the man, nearly killed the
woman, and then, took his own life with the
same fatal knife. It is painful to record such
terrible incidents, but I must give you the
shadows, as well as the sunbeams, of current
events.
Some time since, Mr. Edwin Forrest offer
ed prizes of three thousand dollars for the
best, and one thousand dollars for the second
best, acting tragedy, by American writers —
he himself being the arbitox. Among the
vast quantity of matter which he has receiv
ed, he does not find a single play suited to
the stage, but he has, nevertheless, awarded
the second prize of one thousand dollars, to
the production of a gentleman in Baltimore.
This is a sad comment on American Dramatic
Literature.
In view of the present political troubles in
the Papal States, theßt. Rev, Bishop Hughes,
of the Roman Church, has issued instructions
to the clergy of the Diocese of New York, to
add the prayers of Pro Papa , ujrtit, further
notice, in the celebration of th# Mass. The
laity are directed to recite the. seven peniten
tial psalms and the litanies of the Saints, in
supplication to God for tfye protection of the
Church, and the deliverance of her visible
head on earth. His Holiness had better come
to America. We have a high regard for him
here, and will do anything in the world for
him, if he will but leave his toe behind him.
You tell me that your Office, from Editor
to Satan, have all vainly attempted to decy
pher the meaning of “ intempu” in the phrase
“should the. Buonapartists intempu at the
Hustings,” etc., as it appeared in my letter
No. 32. Before your inquiry reached me. a
very learned and critical friend had called my’
attention to the word, and solicited an eluci
dation, inasmuch as the sum toial of “tongue.”
ancient and modern, from the French to the
Chaldaic, had failed to enlighten him. As I
gazed at the mysterious letters, an indefinite
horror seized my mind. I glanced nervous
ly and fearfully at the history of. the French,
275