A STUDENT'S JOURNAL. (Addressed to a Friend.) PART FIRST. [In publishing this Journal, which was originally designed only for the perusal of the friend to whom it was addressed, we omit, of course, whatever is of a private or personal nature. We take the liberty, also, of omitting some other passages, which seem to us rather absurd, and altogether unsuitable for publication.] Monday, October 3d. *** Albums are truly the scape-goats of modern geniuses-alas that they do not escape with their burdens to some wilderness! October 4th. * * * I lately met with a catalogue of books for sale in New York-and found on the list," Milton's Paradise Lost abridged." The name of the barbarian who perpetrated this sacrilegious act, was not given--"let it rest in the shade." 66 October 6th. *** What do you think is the most striking characteristic of the present age? It is often called, and with some truth, “ an age of light," and "an age of improvement. More correctly has it been described, as "the age of puffing," and the "mechanical age." It is the age of bustle, of superficiality, of steam; an age of knowledge rather than of wisdom; an age in which men look at every subject, but seldom look into any thing. *** October 7th. *** The question has been asked, "Is it better to do nothing or nothings?" What think you? I am sometimes inclined to prefer those people who are absorbed in trifling pursuits, to those who seem never to have any object in view. For a young lady to spend six months or a year in adorning a piece of muslin, for the purpose of exhibiting it to the admiring gaze of fifty or a hundred persons, at the first party she may chance to attend after the hyper-herculean labor is completed; or, to sit down idly, with the senseless lamentation that she has "nothing to do ;"—which is the best? It is too difficult a question for me to decide. October 8th. This is certainly the age of blunders. Almost every thing now, is done in too great haste to be well done. The mind marches too rapidly to make very close observations on the countries that it passes through. Soon the march of mind will be quite too feeble an expression, to use in describing the movements (I will not say, progress) of the human intellect-even now, methinks, the whirl of mind would be a more appropriate expression. *** I am ready, sometimes, to say of many modern books, and of nearly all newspapers, what David once said, in a hurry, of all mankind. Here is a number of the Westminster Review, and in its quarterly list of books, I find Captain Marryatt's "Jacob Faithful," among " Polemics!" Here is a recent number of one of our most respectable monthly magazines, containing a regret that Coleridge's "Biographia Literaria" has never been re-published in this country-and yet, this very book is the i only one of Coleridge's prose works that has, to my knowledge, reached a second American edition! Here is a newspaper, that tells us what Charles Wolfe said on the death of his children, and another containing information of some poetry on the death of his wife-but, that Charles Wolfe never made any remarks on the death of his children, or wrote any poetry on the death of his wife, is sufficiently obvious, from the fact that he was one who could say with Burton, "I have no wife or children, good or bad, to provide for." He came so near being married once as to-wish to be--but this wish was never gratified. [We take this opportunity of recommending the "Remains of Charles Wolfe" to the attention of our readers. The only American edition of this work with which we are acquainted, is the one published at Hartford, in 1828, by H. & F. J. Huntington.] October 11th. Hazlitt 66 coat October 9th.***The sermons of some preachers are like a of many colors," but not at all like a "coat without seam." *** October 10th.*** Why is it that some young ladies, (to say nothing of older ones,) dread solitude more than famine, sword, or pestilence? 66 says, no man is idle who can do any thing." I am inclined to think there is some truth in the remark; yet, there are young men and maidens," who seem to regard themselves as geniuses, for no other apparent reason than because they are too idle to make any exertion. * * * I heard a lady say, the other day,' that she was "too old to learn." She will be older when she reaches heaven-will she be "too old to learn" there? *** 66 October 12th.--I think that the novel-denouncing critics have, generally, written on the subject of fiction, with as little wisdom as those who have gone to the opposite extreme, and certainly with less wit. It seems to me, also, that no critic has yet appeared, who has shown himself at all capable of rightly appreciating the works of Sir Walter Scott. * * * 66 "A good physician saves, if not always from the disease, at least from a bad physician," says Richter. So the Waverly novels have saved many from reading worthless books. * * * October 13th. *** Happiness, unlike wisdom, is not found of them that seek her, but of those who, intent on their duties, are too busy to run after her. Trifling pleasures are enjoyed most, by those who are absorbed in important pursuits. *** A blind submission to the opinions of great men, is indeed to be guarded against-but even that seems to me far better, in the young and ignorant, than the present fashionable want of reverence for the aged and the wise. October 14th.***"Of what use is so much study?" says a lady. Of what use? Be kind enough to tell me, Madam, of what use is food to the body? There is the same necessity of nourishment for the mind, unless we choose that our whole earthly existence should be a "living death." *** October 15th.*** I observe that some writers, in certain religious periodicals of the day, not only attack the opinions, the arguments, the 27 DESULTORY THOUGHTS ON SATIRE, ITS RESTRICTIONS, &C. consistency of their opponents-but descend so low, as to betake them. selves to that worst kind of censoriousness-motive-hunting. They are not content that God alone should read and judge the hearts of menbut seem to think that He stands in need of their assistance. Assistance, did I say? nay, rather, they seem inclined to take the whole business of judging into their own hands. October 16th. If our Creator had thought, as some good people appear to think, that the imagination was to be crushed rather than cultivated, the Bible would have been a very different book from what it is. *** October 17th.***"A word spoken in due season, how good is it"-and an ill-timed word, how mischievous-and oh! the vast preponderance of the latter, in ordinary conversation. *** How much more originality there would be, in conversation, in writing, in conduct, if all dared to give themselves up freely to every innocent impulse-instead of trying to make themselves as different as possible from that which nature designed them to be. *** No brilliancy in conversation can, to my mind, atone for the want of straight-forward earnestness-perhaps the word downrightness would better express the quality I refer to. Wit and pleasantry are very good things. I like them much, but not always. I like to hear those with whom I converse, sometimes talk in sober earnest. October 18th. *** I intend soon to publish, for the benefit of the rising generation, a catechism, containing the most important notions that prevail extensively among the risen generation. The work begins thus-Ques. "What is the chief end of man?" Ans. "To make money." Ques. "What is the chief end of woman ?" Ans. "To understand and practise, the laws of etiquette and the art of display." I beg of you to bespeak, for this forth-coming catechism, _the_patronage of all your friends and acquaintances. E. F. X. DESULTORY THOUGHTS ON SATIRE, ITS RESTRICTIONS, &c. Are there Satire and severity are often erroneously confounded. not many persons, without any powers of wit or satire, who are more severe in conversation than the satirical are? It seems to me that such is the case. I have listened, in many assemblages of ladies and gentlemen, to the most sweeping condemnation of their neighbors, and the conversation was all very well, (at least so the majority of the company seemed to think,) so long as there was not the slightest approximation to wit;-but if, perchance, some gentleman made a remark, less severe than those which preceded it, but having in it something to excite a smile, then I have seen, a sudden revival of conscientiousness, in those who had been foremost in the work of pulling to pieces the characters of the absent; and, suddenly, I have heard the most edifying remarks, on the sin of indulging in satire. From such proceedings, I have gathered this direction for speaking ill of one's neigh 28 DESULTORY THOUGHTS ON SATIRE, ITS RESTRICTIONS, &C. bors-You may do it, to any extent, if you will be sober, and dull, and deliberate, in the matter, and intermingle with your barbarous severity some occasional, most serious and heartfelt regrets, at the inconsistency, and folly, and wickedness, of your victims; all this you may do—but beware of playful, unpremeditated satire,—for that is unpardonable. Do not misunderstand me. I am not defending that satire which indulges in personalities. I think the faults and follies of the age, are always a fair subject for sarcasm; and, by the way, I suspect that there never was an age or country, that offered more various and abundant materials for satire, than the present age and our own country. But the satirist should beware of holding up individuals to ridicule. There is, to be sure, now and then one, so entirely, uniformly, and voluntarily ridiculous and contemptible, as to render himself a fit subject for the severest satire. But such characters, to the credit of human nature be it said, are very rare. To satirize individuals is, for the most part, wholly unjustifiable. It is easy to make almost any person appear ridiculous; and this, without any great exertion of intellect :-but to treat the characters of our acquaintances thus, would be as absurd as it would be wicked. It seems to me that, to discuss characters in general society, indicates a sad want of intelligence and good taste, as well as a deficiency of kind feeling and christian principle; and whether it is right even for friends, in private, to talk freely of all the peculiarities of all their acquaintan ces, is rather a difficult question to settle. When there is a good motive for so doing we need not hesitate about the propriety of it—but, is not this good motive often wanting, in such confidential discussions ? In general, I think, we should say nothing about any person, that we should be unwilling to have come to the knowledge of that individual; or, if there are cases when it is right to violate this rule, we should be sure that our unwillingness to have our remarks repeated, arises merely from a desire to spare the feelings of another, and not from selfish motives. But, after all, the best rule on this subject is, to cultivate constantly the kindest feelings towards every one, and let our words take care of themselves. One thing more, and my homily is ended. As we grow older, if our characters improve at all, we find ourselves less and less disposed to make sarcastic remarks upon individuals. I think those who do not find this to be the case, are either quite destitute of moral principle, or entirely heartless. In youth, we may ridicule the follies of others, in utter thoughtlessness-to amuse our associates, or for the mere pleasure that always results from the exercise of any newly-discovered power;-but, as we advance in life, if we become more thoughtful and intelligent, if our taste becomes more refined, if we acquire new strength of moral principle; above all, if the trials that we must necessarily meet with in life, have any of the softening, elevating influence upon our characters, which they are designed to exert ;-we cannot help growing less sarcastic and severe, more tolerant, more regardful of the reputation and the feelings of others. G. C. R. A COMPLIMENT FOR NOVEL READERS. FROM COLERIDGE'S "BIOGRAPHIA LITERARIA." As to the devotees of the circulation libraries, I dare not compliment their pass time, or rather kill time, with the name of reading. Call it rather a sort of beggarly day-dreaming, during which, the mind of the dreamer furnishes for itself nothing but laziness and a little mawkish sensibility while the whole materiel and imagery of the doze, is supplied ab extra, by a sort of mental camera obscura, manufactured at the printing-office, which pro tempore fixes, reflects, and transmits the moving phantasms of one man's delirium, so as to people the barrenness of an hundred other brains, afflicted with the same trance or suspension of all common sense, and all definite purpose. We should, therefore, transfer this species of amusement, (if indeed those can be said to retire a musis, who were never in their company, or relaxation be attributable to those whose bows are never bent,) from the genus reading, to that comprehensive class, characterized by the power of reconciling the contrary, yet co-existing propensities of human nature, namely, indulgence of sloth, and hatred of vacancy. In addition to novels, and tales of chivalry in prose or rhyme, (by which last I mean neither rhythm nor metre,) this genus comprises as its species, gaming, swinging or swaying on a chair or gate; spitting over a bridge; smoking; snufftaking; tête-a-tête quarrels after dinner, between husband and wife; conning, word by word, all the advertisements of the daily Advertiser, in a public house, on a rainy day, &c. &c. &c. THE YOUNG LADY TO HER DOG. YES, Elphin, yes, I understand, I know you love me well, I read, within your sparkling eyes, So, sit you calmly at my feet, When I was young, some years ago, My parents' love was all I asked,— That love so sweet and mild. When I came out," and looked around, Then, first, it seemed to me, So many kind hearts had the world, That some my own might be. |