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Leader (1850-1860), 29th November 1851, Edition Town of 1, Page 1139

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      Untitled Article

      Two weeks ago we commented on the position of tbe Belgian pirates in boldly calling their piracy a branch of " commercial industry . " The Americans farther . Mere euphemism does not content them . The Anglo-Saxon mind is " nothing if not practical , " and swiftly proceeds to make its opinions facts . Accordingly , the Americans having once reasoned themselves into considering literary piracy as a " branch of industry , " bethought them that " native industry " should be " protected . "

      Therefore they enacted , that whereas a duty of ten per cent , was imposed on all foreign books entering America , the duty should be twenty per cent , on all books that Americans were reprinting ! What more just ? Shall " native industry " be exposed to the competition of the foreigner ? An honourable commercial firm has undertaken to reprint an Eng lish work , thus giving employment to American capital and American labour , besides giving honour and wide reputation to the English Author , and shall this firm see its efforts thwarted by the

      Englishman himself sordidly venturing to compete on American ground ? "A question not to be asked ! " To prevent so unwarrantable a check being given to native industry an additional ten per cent , of duty is added , and then let the Englishman " come if he dare " ! This fact should be widely circulated . As regards England and France , our contemporary The Litprary Gazette has furnished us with a translation of the principal clauses in the Treaty just signed at Paris , and we borrow from it the following : —

      " A . rt . 1 . From the period at which , conformably to the stipulations of Art . 14 , hereinafter mentioned , the present convention stifll come into force , the authors of work * of literature or art , to whom the laws of either country now insure , or shall in future insure ihe right of property or authorship , shall be authorized to exercise the said right on the territory of the other country , during the same time and within the name limits as would be allowed in the

      latter country to the right attiibuted to authors of works of the same nature if published there ; so that the reproduction or piracy by persons of one country , of any work , of literature or art published in the other , shall be treated as if it were the reproduction or piracy of works of the same nature , ori < , in ; illy published in the former country . Moi cover , the authors * . > f one of the two countries shall have the samp action before th tribunals of th » - other , and

      enjoy the same guarantees against piracy or unauthorized reproduction , as are or may hereafter be granted to authors in the latter country . It is understood that the words , •• works of literature or art , ' used ut tbe beginning of this article , comprise the publication of books , dramatic works , musical compositions , drawings , paintings , sculp'ures , engravings , lithographs , and any other production whatever of literature or fine arts . Therepr .-sent-tives of authors , triin-lutoi-B , composers , painters , sculptors , or engriivera , shall eijoy in every respect the same rights "s those which the present convention grants to the authors , translators , composers , painters , t-culptors , ° r engravers themselves .

      " Art . 2 . The protection gmn'ed to original workt * s extended to translations . It is , nev . rthi lens , well UndeiNtood that , the object of the present article is Hiere . ly « o protect the translator in so far as his own translation is concerned , mid not to confer an exclusive light of translation upon the first translator of any Wl wnatcver , except in the cases and within the limits mentioned in the following article . " Ait . . ' { . The author of any work published in one ° f the two ' countries , who shull have declared 1 'um in' /¦ "itioa of reserving his right of translation , shall , U ( > m tlu ! day of tin : first publication of the truusla-| , » ' » of his work , authorized bv him , enj •» during

      Uv < - yearn , the privilege of protection against- the l > ul » li (; . it ioii of any traiiBlutioii of the sumo work , "" authorized by him , in the other country ; and this 011 t . hef ., 11 win- conditions : —1 . The original voik Kliall h ( . registered and deposited in one of the two •¦ ' intricH wit | , ia a p ,. rio , i of three nonths from the uay ,, | t , | u . | j rMt , m | , | j ( . ati , m m t . he other country . Ihonirhor must have declared his intention of r ! ' « 'Tving to himself the right of translation on tho ^ U < pa <; ,, | , j wor ) t ; J A , 1 ()|| Ht a p Iirt of t li ,. Hiid 'Jl'iorized triuishuion must have appeared witliin a J ' > r oi t | lo date <> f registration and deposit ol' the u K » uul ; und tho whole-of it inuat have appeared

      within a space of three years from the date of the said deposit . 4 . The translation must have been published in one of the two countries , and be registered and deposited , as directed in Art . 8 . As regards works published in parts , it is sufficient that the declaration by which the author reserves his right of translation , be expressed in the first part . Nevertheless , in so far as regards the period of five years assigned by this article to the author for the exercise of his privilege of translation , every part shall be considered a new work ; each shall be registered and deposited in one of the two countries within three months from the day of its first publication in the other . Art . 4 . —The stipulations of the preceding articles shall apply also to the representation of dramatic works , and to the execution of musical compositions , in so far as the laws of each of the two countries are , or may be , applicable in this respect to dramatic or musical works , publicly represented or executed for the first time in the said countries . Nevertheless , in order to have a right to legal protection , in so far as regards the translation of a dramatic work , the author must publish his translation within three months

      after the registration and deposit of the original work . It is understood that the protection stipulated by the present article is not intended to prohibit bona fide imitations or the adaptation of dramatic works to the respective theatres of France or England respectively , but only to prevent pirated translations . The question of imitation or piracy shall in all cases be determined by the tribunals of the respective states , according to the legislation in force in either country respectively . "

      Untitled Article

      In noticing the unjustifiableness of the mode of attack upon us by the Guardian and the Church and State Gazette the other day , we said then what we say now—that however pained by the attacks of a journal such as the Guardian ( the character of which made it an honourable antagonist ) , to the Church and State Gazette " we cannot award even the dignity of contempt . " With a naivete , quite charming to men of our gay turn of mind , that Journal avows its inability to comprehend

      how it cannot yet have reached that dignity Imbecility is ever serenely unconscious . Smarting under the pain of unapprehended " superciliousness " the Church and State Gazette returns to the attack three column deep . It returns with the old foolishness . It returns with the old animus intensified . It returns with the same display of bad morals , bad taste , bad logic , and

      bad English ; and cannot understand how it should be so low in the scale of journalism as not to have arrived at the dignity of contempt ! It docs not seem to understand that before any object can raise so strong an emotion it must manifest at leist perverted strength ; where there can by no possibility be admiration , there cannot be contempt . All feel contempt for a criminal ; but who feels contempt for an idiot ? In polemics , before you can arrive at the dignity of that hostility which one journalist feels for the errant strength , the dangerous tendency of another , you must first show that you have strength to be perverted , that you have power to become dangerous . Now , in you , Sir , we cannot recognize such strength : not even the great exaggerator Fear can magnify your small circulation , and still smaller character , into something formidable . If we noticed , and again notice you , it is not , believe it , from any sense of your importance ; but simply as an illustration of what men who profess to he the guardians of religions truth will condescend to in the way of vilifying opponents . In this your peculiar integrity in useful : it gives the measure of your moral worth . As the readers of the fjendcr art ; not , and could not be , rentiers of the Church and State Gazette , und vice versa , you fancied , perhaps , your amiable , misrepresentation would escape detection ; hut for the instruction of our readers we shall cite two specimens of " Church and State" morality . In an article on Mr . Mayukw's writings on " Our Street Folk , " there occurs tliia passage : — " Follow Mayhew where Jicbuh loved to go , to the haunts of tho publican and sinner , to the daily walks of the halt , the lame , and the blind . " Can any passage he more innocent ? Yet , see what " honest , honest Iago , " makes of it : —

      " We are not surprised to find one of the religious phases of the Leader illustrated by a comparison of 1 Jesus' with ' Mr . Mayhew' ! Both are evidently considered , though the sane is not stated in so many words , as excellent men who loved to look after the poor . So much for the religion of the dignified contemporary whom we . have unwittingly and involuntarily tempted into anger and incivility . Can more remain to be censurably noticed ?"

      Pray note the tender sense of honesty here . Our religion is " illustrated by a comparison of Jesus and Mayhew "—there being" no word of comparison hinted ; nay more , in the article to which honest Iago refers it is distinctly s . tated that Mr . Mayhew was opposed to our views , so that had the comparison been made , it would not have " illustrated " our religion . But " honest Iago " has not done yet" the worst is still to come . " It may beremembered that Mr . Julian Harney has emphatically expressed his disapprobation of certain views advocated by the Leader . As we have never flinched from free discussion , we have

      allowed correspondents to express their opinions m our columns , even when their expressions carried something of contempt with them . We printed Mr . Harney ' s vehement protest ; printed it in the department called " Open Council , " where a distinct warning is given that , inasmuch as the Council is open , we are not responsible for any of the opinions there expressed . Iago knew this as well as he knew his own delinquency , and yet the temptation to follow the crooked way was too strong . This is what he says : —

      " But all this is nothing to a contribution , or rather contributions , in the last number of the Leader , signed G . Julian Harney . ' The name is not unknown . They who have daily to read and record the progress of things are pretty familiar with this gentleman ' s very strong views , whether on religion or politics . In the last number of the Leader he is permitted to record his ideas of men and things ; and the Leader , we conclude , deems it part of its duty , as public journalists , ' and so forth , to place such matters before its patient public . "

      After an extract from Mr . Harney ' s letter , Iago continues thus : — " Blood ! blood ! nothing but blood seems to satisfy the leaders of a deluded people . Revolution at home—society uprootedand women unsexed , " &c , &c . After these citations you will perhaps understand , O Church and State Gazette ! something of the

      feeling yon inspire in us . You say we threaten •" war" with those who direct censure against our principles . Reassure yourself : we war on ' y with those who are formidable . In a literary sense you do not exist Believe it , yon have no existence whatever ! We say to yon , what Martial said to his libeller : That is not written which is not read ! — " Ver . siculos in me nurmtur ser hero Cinnu : Non scribit , cuju * carmina nemo legit ! "

      Untitled Article

      LUCRETIUS IN ENGLISH . Lucretiut on the Nature of Things A I ' l . ilonophii-. al Poem , in hix HOOK * . Liti-rnlly tnui lau-d into KiikIihIi t ' ro-e , by th » K . v < nn . l John Selb y Watson . MA . To which in adjoined tho I ' o" ic 1 Version ol John Mutton ( Joori . ( ituhnV Cl . iHsicitl Library . ) 11 . •; . U ,. hu . Lucrktius was not only a majestic writer , he was also a great thinker . Few such verses ate to be found in the I . a in language us those which harmoniously utter the great thoughts of that earnest man . In delicacy and sweetness , in a

      certain Grecian accent the elm > in of which is ( indefinable , Ovid sometimes , and Catullus oftener , may he compared with Lucretius ; hut it is only notes in their voices that recal the plenitude of hi . s singing . There is a gravity tempered by sweetness , a high , dignified earneHtneKs , such as no Roman but be seems to have sustained . Moreover , his poem is a great reflection of the speculations of antiquity , and has an historical interest independent of its intrinsic value .

      We call the attention of our readers to the volume Mr Bohn has recently issued , containing both a literal prose und a paraphrastic verso translation of this mighty poem . Those who have forgotten their Latin , or who have never learned it , will find , thin volume worth deliberate study ; let those who have a . smattering take down their text , and with thin literal version by their Hide diligently attack it . I low much of tho beauty will enciipe them wo cannot venture to specify ; but none of the meaning

      Ntmitnrj.

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      Untitled Article

      rvii-icsare not the legislators , but the judges and police Fi ^ ra'ure They do not make laws—they interpret and fvvto enforce them —Edinburgh Review .

      Untitled Article

      Nov . 29 , 1351 . ] STfle neatrer . H 39

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Nov. 29, 1851, page 1139, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1911/page/15/