The opinion entertained of the Messenger, is, perhaps, more clearly
manifested by becoming subscribers, than in any other way; you will
therefore know that it is very favorably received in this section when
I give you the following list of five subscribers.
TO CORRESPONDENTS, CONTRIBUTORS, &c.
We have given the communication of "_Spectator_" the disposition which
he suggested, in case of its exclusion from our columns. It is due to
the writer to state, that we lament with him, the innovations upon the
ancient simplicity of Virginia manners, which are daily becoming more
popular and fashionable. We remember well the time, when an attempt to
introduce public _waltzing_ between the two sexes, would have been
sternly rebuked, by those who now not only tolerate, but encourage it.
We think, however, that his satire is too severe and pointed; and
might, possibly, do more mischief than good. We are aware that satire
is almost the only weapon by which customs violating propriety, can be
driven from society,--and especially from that circle which, _par
excellence_, is called the _first_; but then, to be effective, the
arrow must be keen and elegant; and neither barbed nor tipped with
venom. We are not sure either, that "_Spectator_" strikes at the root
of the mischief. Why should he level all his wit at the poor girls, and
suffer their fathers, and mothers, and brothers, who aid and abet the
custom complained of, to escape censure? Young females, just entering
into society, are liable to receive the strongest impressions, from
those who are most likely to share their confidence. It is one of the
privileges of the sex too, to be won by assiduous attentions; and, if
their heads are sometimes made a little giddy by adulation, it is less
imputable to them as a fault, than to those flippant flatterers who
pour the "leperous distilment" into their ears,--and as often laugh at
the fruits of their own folly and insincerity.
We beg leave to say to our worthy young friend, and frequent
correspondent, who resides somewhere in a nearly due north line from
the Metropolis, that we had pledged our pages to an answer from another
quarter to the "_Note to Blackstone's Commentaries_"--before the
receipt of his essay on the same subject. With respect to his _poetical
effusions_, we hope he will not take the remark amiss, that, whilst we
should like to gratify him, by their insertion--we fear that he has not
bestowed sufficient care upon most of them--to authorise the belief,
that our readers would also be gratified. We ask him candidly, to say,
whether he does not think that the following stanza, in the "_Lines to
Lillia_," might be considerably _improved_.
"Take the verse and oh if joy,
Blooms to print one votary there
Bear the strain with thee and brightly
Thou shalt in its joys share."
We confess that we cannot very readily perceive its claim to the rank
of poetry, nor indeed penetrate its real meaning--though it is
probable, that, owing to the peculiar character of the hand writing,
the language of the writer may not be truly represented.
We have a number of favors on hand which we shall attend to as speedily
as possible. Among those whose exclusion from the present number we
particularly regret, is the article on the _fine arts_.
We have received the poetical communications of a writer who chooses,
for some reason or other, to sign himself "_Fra Diavolo_;" but too late
for our present number. We shall publish them in our next, according to
his wish, "as poetry" (and very fine poetry it is,) but with some small
omissions which we _must_ make, not so much for the sake of our
"orthodoxy," as for that of common decency, which the lines excluded
would, in our judgment, grossly offend. Such things indeed, may be only
"dramatic," and quite in character for a "Lover Fiend;" but we do not
choose, for our part, to deal with one of his cloth, in any form or
shape whatever. We have, in fact, no sort of taste for German
"_diablerie_," which, in our judgment, sins against good taste, as well
as against good morals. In saying this, however, we must not be
understood to insinuate any thing against the character of our
"unknown" correspondent himself, who, for aught we know, may be the
very pink of virtue and decorum. We only speak of his pieces "as
poetry," and not as articles of his creed, which we should be sorry to
suppose them. Indeed it is sufficiently apparent to us that, in the
worst parts of his verses, he is only affecting something that is
foreign to himself, but which he happens to think very fine; and we
regret that he should thus fancy to imitate such vicious models as
Byron, Shelly, and other gentlemen of "the Satanic school," as it has
been called, who, we think, have had their day. It is a pity, in truth,
that he should do so; for he has evidently a fine vein of his own, and,
we are confident, would do better if he would only dare to be a little
more original. Let him reform his poetry, then, (we do not say
himself,) and we will give him "a fair page," at any time, for the
effusions of his genius, which, we can truly assure him, we shall
always be happy to receive, and to display.
We thank our correspondent D. for the Parody of the Lines on the Death
of Sir John Moore, which he has so obligingly sent us; and which, we
think, is worthy of all the praise he gives it--for the _poetry_. We
believe, however, that we have seen it in print more than once already;
and we must reserve our columns, as far as possible, for original
matter. We are of opinion, moreover, (though in this we may be
singular,) that it would not be exactly right, or in good taste, to
_profane_, as it were, one of the very finest odes in our language, by
associating it in our remembrance, with a burlesque imitation of it,
which might rather injure its beauty in our minds. Indeed we hate all
parodies; or, at least, all such as cast an air of ridicule over their
originals; because they give us a lower and baser pleasure, for one of
a higher and purer strain. So we hope our friend D. will excuse us for
shutting his article out, (good as it is in its way,) and send us
something better for it, from his own pen.
* * * * *