The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. I., No. 3, November, 1834Various
History
The Southern Literary Messenger, Vol. I., No. 3, November, 1834
Various
American literature -- 19th century -- Periodicals
Yet why do I talk of Demosthenes? In the following sentences the author
admits that Mr. P. copied too closely after Cicero and Demosthenes. "He
desired to be eloquent; he thought of Demosthenes and Cicero, and his
heart swelled with ambition. He remembered not that he was to be a
lawyer, and that Demosthenes and Cicero were declaimers. He who should
look to move a body of Americans in a court of justice by the best
thundering of Demosthenes, would only make himself ridiculous." Very
true; and this may certainly prove that Mr. Pinkney might have been a
greater _lawyer_, by bending the whole force of his mind to that one
pursuit; but it has nothing to do with the premises. The ground is here
changed; this is not the point to be proved--not the quod erat
demonstrandum. The point to be proved is not the _propriety_ of
displaying eloquence before a jury, but that Wm. Pinkney was never
meant by God for an orator; that he has no property of mind or body to
make one. This is assuredly the scope of the extracts. Had Mr. P. not
aimed at _ornament_, his ashes might have passed undisturbed by the
author, who allows that he was decidedly the greatest _lawyer_ in
America, but is very angry that he was not the greatest in the world.
In spite of all this, however, Pinkney "pursued his way like a
conqueror, and had well nigh established himself as the high priest of
eloquence in America." Why, what a stupid, blind, misjudging race we
must be, to think of choosing a man for our high priest of eloquence
whom God never meant for an orator, and who had no property, not one,
of mind or body, for his business--and never to awaken from our folly
until this writer tore the urim and thummim from his breast. "The
giant," he says, "is gone down like a giant to the household of death,"
and there should at least have escaped the imputation of baseness which
deserved shooting. How _giants_ die, I pretend not to know; but imagine
such giants die pretty much like other people; and it seems to me
perfectly ridiculous to talk of a man's dying like a giant. At that
awful hour, the littleness of the greatest genius is a subject of
melancholy reflection. I will only add that I know nothing of this
writer. If his object was to guard us against the mischievous effects
of a false taste in eloquence, he cannot be angry with me for wishing
to guard against the equally bad effects of a false taste in criticism.
NUGATOR.
THE DANDY CHASTISED.
In this metropolis a real, downright exquisite is rarely to be seen.
Curiosity may be gratified by a good description of the animal as
exhibited in other places. The following communication is from one
residing in a city much more fashionable than ours. Its author seems
well informed in the science of æsthetics; and it is to be hoped that
he will exert himself to correct mistaken impressions as to the
beautiful. Further notices by him may be beneficial.
C.
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