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and disdains the idea that any employment, how
ever lowly, or any style of dress, no matter how
unfashionable can by any possibility degrade him,
or lessen by the most trifling of fractions the full
quantum of his self-respect. Really there is some
thing sublime about the old fellow’s nonchalance !
And why, pray, should he not take the world as
easily and proudly as those who think themselves
his betters 1 A beggar in truth, he is not, and a
merchandize in rags and iron, to which we may
add matches, is a perfectly legitimate employ
ment. The first departments of his business may
be condemned by the unthinking as both stale and
heavy, but who will deny that the latter branch is
worthy of ail the prai?e which should accompany
a system that contemplates general enlighten
ment ? Peter, in tact, may be considered as a
Philanthropist, whose matchess although not
made in Heaven, are excellent for a sick chamber,
and not a whit more explosive than some we have
seen in ate, which date their origination to
the Kingdom above. And then, the style in
which he offers them 1 easy, graceful and persua
sive, as if he said—“ Sir ! you will find my matches
good: no one should pretend on any account to
be matchless; remaining in the dark without the
possibility of illumination is imprudent, very ! I
have known interesting infants die of the croup in
houses destitute of matches, merely because of the
impossibility of bringing light to bear upon the sub
ject in time : ah ! Sir ! what a mournful thing that
is! moreover, the want of a match, only one, is
apt to make us overrate our sagacity in the mat
ier of localities, to step high, when we should
walk cautiously, to move in a circle, when we
should follow a straight line, and finally to be
precipitated into the midst of crockery, or to break
our noses over the baby’s cradle, cruelly to its
discomfort, poor thing! as well as ours ; ail, Sir!
for the want of a match. Now, Monsieur, you
are a reasonable man ; a father too, I am sure ;
your sensibilities are touched ; I see it*. In short,
my dear Sir! here are a couple of boxes ; you
may have them for a song.” All this Peter’s man
ner conveys as plainly as words, and the individ
ual who can resist him, must be a very hard
hearted person. For our own part, we never see
him approaching with a collection of the aforesaid
matches in hand, without cultivating our benevo
lence, the consequence of which is that we (Pe
ter and ourself,) are the bestot friends, and he has
consented to sing—when occasion offers —“La
Marsaillaise” for us, in the best of styles. But
more of that anon.
AMERICAN ANTIQUITIES.
In an able and copious work upon “American
Antiquities,” by Joseph Priest, published at Alba
ny in 1835, it is attempted to be proved—and we
think upon specious evidence—lst. That the pri
mary inhabitants who peopled this country, came
on by land “at ceriain places, where it is supposed
once to have been united with Asia, Europe and
Africa, which places have been torn asunder by
the force of earthquakes and the irruption of wa
ters, so that what animals had not passed over
before this physical rupture, were forever excluded ;
but not 60 with men, as they could resort to boats.
SOUTHERN LITERARY GAZETTE.
2d. That as it respects some of the ancient nations
who may have found their way hither, we per
ceive a strong probability that not only Asiatic
nations, soon after the flood, but that also all
along the different eras of time, different races of
men have colonized different parts of the Conti
nent. 3d. That America was peopled before
the flood, and that it was the country of Noah,
and the place where the Ark was erected.'” To
the last of these conclusions we demur. The au
thor has made out a strong case, but by no means
an invincible one. As regards the two first con
clusions, we are prepared to agree with him. The
consequence is, we shall never again be guilty of
so gross an anachronism as to speak of America
as the “New World.” If it has been peopled
since the time of father Noah, it is old enough.
H Jjiali of Sogsip.
Laments for the Dead.
The past year has indeed been signalized by the
departure from amongst us of many wise and gift
ed spirits, upon whose “like” it may never be our
“lot to look again.” The last of those who have
passed away, has been mourned with the elo
quence of sincere grief throughout the length and
breadth of the land. The sagacity of analysis,
the warmth of eulogy, and the pathos of poetry,
have all been called into requisition, to express
the general and profound appreciation of the ge
nius and the viitues of the statesman, who iu the
very agonies of dissolution, uttered the sublime
exclamation “/ yet live /” Among the poetical
tributes upon this subject, the following, by Thos.
Buchauan Read, which we take from the Phila
delphia Bulletin ,” is the best that we have seen.
THE GREAT ARE FALLING FROM US.
The great are tailing from us, —to the dust
Our flag droops midway, lull of many sighs ;
A uatun’s glory an a people’s trust
Lie in the ample pall where Webster lies.
The great are falling from us, —one by one
As tail the patriarchs of the forest trees;
The winds shall seek them vainly, and the sun
Gaze on each vacant space for centuries.
Lo! Carolina mourns her steadfast pine,
Which, like a main-mast, towered above her realm:
And Ashland hears no more the voice divine
From out the branches of her stately elm.
And Marshfield’s giant oak, whose stormy brow
Oft turned the ocean tempest from the West,
Lies on the shore he guarded long,—and now
Our startled Eagle knows not where to rest!
The Wit of Sarcasm.
We cummeud the following to all, young per
sons especially, who think that mere brusquencss
of manner entitles them to the name of wits. It
contains some wholesome truths :
“To be sarcastic is thought by some people a
proof of ability. Such individuals are like a pack
of Chinese crackers thrown into a crowd, contin
ually exploding in every direction, but with grea
ter noise than injury. There is more ill breeding
than wit in a sarcasm ; and more ill nature than
either. True wit does not consist in abuse, but
in profound wisdom tersely expressed. Nothing,
therefore, can be further from wit than sarcasm,
and where they go together, oue is pressed into the
service, and is not a legitimate ally.
“Nevertheless, we know many, mostly young
persons, who set up for wits on the score of sar
casm. They are usually very conceited, or very
foolish, or very uuamiable individuals, and by no
means the terror to others they p er?ons
of sense are no more affected by their s r .^.
than mastiffs are by the yelp of a lap-dog ds *
real wit never condescends to reply to them.
have known many of such sarcastic persons in our
experience, and always found they cured them
selves of this childish habit as soon as-they grew
up ; or, if they did not, that they remained child
ren in their tempers to the end of their career. It
is a mean sort of revenge that seeks to gall ano
ther’s feelings by sarcasm ; for where it chances to
be successful, it is like the copper shot of the Mex
icans, which gangrenes the wound.
The Theatre.
During the next week, our Theatre opens
with the most encouraging prospects of success.
The whole building has been thoroughly refitted,
and with a talented corps dramatique, and the
present enterprising managers, we predict a sea
son of the most brilliant character. We trust that
our community will support the drama in such a
manner as to remunerate those who have been
put to no little expense to secure for them the
bast Theatrical company that the country affords.
The Caxton3.
This novel, which for depth of learning, pa
thetic description and profouud philosophy, is re
ally a most remarkable work, can claim in point
of construction absolutely no originality whatev
er. Any person who will compare it with “Tris
tam Shandy,” will be surprised at the perfect iden
tity of construction, style, nay ! even of compari
son, and almost of language between them. In
fact, the “Caxtons” may, in some respects, be
considered as a sequel to Sterne’s production,
and to say that it has fairly caught the spirit and
fire of the original, is praise, which Bulwer alone
of living Novelists could have justly earned.
A Great Invention.
What an age of progress is the present! Noth
ing is impossible iu the nineteenth century. Sci
ence seems nearing the acme of her triumphs. If
the following experiment be successlul, steam may
be deprived of employment:
“A Mr. D. S. Brown announces, in an English
paper, that he has invented a ship to reach Amer
ica in lorty-eight hours, and make the voyage to
India and back in a lortnighi. His theory is by
making the bottom in the form of two inclined
planes united upwards, to throw’ the whole hull
of the vessel upon the surface, and by construct
ing the hull of lighter materials, in geometric
shape, he hopes to give to a steam-ship the velo
city of a rail-road locomotive.”
Faith Stronger than a Stone Wall.
The Spirit of the Times , always full of good
things, tells the following anecdote, which it very
properly considers too racy to be confined to pri
vate circles:
“A negro preacher was holding forth to his
congregation upon die subject of obeying the com
mands ol God. Says he, ‘Bredren, whateber
God tells me to do in dis book, (holding up the
Bible,) dat I’m gwoin to do. It 1 see in it dal I
must jump truo a stun wall, I’m gwoin to jump
at it. Going troo it ’longs to God —jumping at it
’longs to me !’ ”
“Reflections of a Tailor.”
Tlie editor of Harper’s Magazine inquires con
cerning the authorship of the poem entitled as
above, and beginning with “Day puts on his jack
et,” &c. We are somewhat surprised that the
November 6,