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Leader (1850-1860), 25th September 1852, Edition Town of 2, Page 926, Xittxaintt.

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      Untitled Article

      A collection of the works written by great criminals would not be without its interest , although the literary merit of these works would have but little share therein , for in spite of the once popular theory of the intimate connection between genius and outlawry , one cannot seriously accept the pretensions of criminals to intellectual superiority . Les grands crimes , according to Voltaire , n ' ont ete commis que par des celebres ignorants , and if there be some exaggeration in the remark—if all criminals have not been ignorant men , it is beyond dispute that they have never been remarkable as intellectual powers . Madame Laffarge , who died the other day , has left the manuscript of a work , Bix Annies de Captivite , which will , doubtless , be read with something of the curiosity that followed her Memoires j but no one who ever glanced at those Memoires will anticipate literary excellence , or dispute , in her favour , the position just laid down .

      Madame Laffarge died at the age of thirty-six , at the little watering place Ussat , where , although repulsed from the doors of many houses , she found herself a sort of " lion , " with the halo of celebrity round her headthe celebrity of crime ! She had some fascinated visitors , to whom she gave autograph sentences of the " rose-pink" order . A ludicrous incident happened to one of these visitors : a lady living in the neighbourhood became assiduous in her attentions , until one day Madame Laffarge offered her some refreshments , and an involuntary shudder ran throug h her as she saw Madame Laffarge present the cakes , and stammering out an excuse she departed swiftly . Visiting a Brinvilliers is pungent enough , but eating the cakes she offers . . . . !

      Untitled Article

      In the last Revue des Deux Mondes there is an historical sketch of the Academie Francaise , by Villemain , forming the Introduction to the elaborate work he is preparing , in which he points to the unchangeableness of that Institution in a country where all things change so rapidly , and deduces therefrom that the Academy is peculiarly adapted to the Nation . We agree with Villemain in regarding such an Institution suitable to the tendencies of France , although repugnant to the tendencies of England ; but we do not agree with him as to the reasons of this suitableness . We

      detect in this difference the national differences in regard to Liberty . The French , in spite of their revolutionary vivacity , are essential servile in spirit , loving theoretical Liberty , but determined by their whole intellectual and moral condition to worship despotism , and to delig ht in ri gorous external coercion , political and literary . The pedantic servility of their Literature to what is called " le grand siecle "—their incessant proclamation of " models , " to imitate which is the ambition of all right thinking men—the icalous susceptibility on all questions of established rule , and the desire to

      preserve the language of the 17 th century from innovations—all this adoration of Literary Despotism is not merely a literary taste , it is a national weakness . There is of course a good as well as a bad side to this , as to everything else , and our extremely independent Literature has with the vigour of independence much of the chaotic lawlessness the French dread . If France

      attaches too great Jin importance to fastidious details of style , England is , on the other hand , too indifferent , and admits not only in public documents ( such as Lord Dkiui y ' h letter , to take a current example ) , but also in applauded works , n laxity of diction und a defiance of grammar which a little vigilance would have prevented . With us it sounds almost pedantic to quarrel with a man ' s style . Hut if one may reasonably object to have material work " scamped" by hasty or incompetent workmen , surely

      intellectual work deserves as much vigilance . In the same Revue there is ii narrative of : i journey to Persia ; among other noticeable details we read of the Demon-worship of the Yezidis : u worship the writer seems to regard with more contempt thsiu we can muster . To our minds it seems u very logical religion . Chvitan—i . e ., Satan—is the object of prayer in preference to ( Jod ; for , say these Yezidis , Satan having the power to do evil and to hurt mankind in spite of the divine power , it is wise to adore and propitiate him ; and in reasoning thus , they do not appear to us to be reasoning with less sagacity than do our orthodox divines , who while preaching everlastingly about the infinite goodness , wisdom , and mercy of (« od , are in the same breath calling upon us to pray to that ( jlod as if he were a " jealous ( iod , " a revengeful (» od , nnd a ( . jod of so little

      wisdom that he knows not when to send ram or sunshine , plagues or victories to his adoring children . To propitiate the Devil is a prudent course . lie can hurt us , and is disposed to do . so . Hut to propitiate ( iod ! To ask Infinite Wisdom to turn aside ; from its plans ; Infinite ( toothless to alleviate the mi . vcry it . sends ; Infinite . Mercy to have " nuuey upon us miserable sinners !"

      When orthodox persons complain of the assaults oi heterodoxy , ami talk of " ' their most sacred convictions" being outraged , it does not occur to them that our most sacred convictions art ; equally outraged by I heir . state ments . They say , " Oh , that is a very different tiling 1 " They do not believe in the existence ' of " Cathedral of Immensity . " T / wjf ilo not worship there . If they did if for a moment on some starlight ni ^ ht their thoughts were lifted with their eyes to Heaven , and any sense , however dim , of the Infinite

      Life that animates Creation , were to steal into their minds and to summo up by contrast the strange , fantastic conception which Jewish tradition has handed down to them of The Most High , they would start back at the blasphemy against the Divine Life , and confess that they , too , like the Persians , had been worshipping Satan ! It is some comfoit , however , to reflect , that in spite of the fierce vitality of this Hebrew Myth , the ranks of Spiritualism are daily increasing jn all parts of Europe and America . A book that will materially aid this propagande of more enlarged ideas is the celebrated Discourse of Matters per . tawing to Religion , by Theodore Parker , which Mr , Chapman has just included in his Catholic Series . The eloquence , conviction , and learning of Parker make him an invaluable ally . His piety is as unquestionable as his power .

      Untitled Article

      A WALK INTO SPAIN . A Walk across the Trench Frontier into North Spain . By Lieut . March , R . M . Bentley , When a man writes with the gay and facile pen of a Dumas , muc h is pardoned , in consideration of amusement , which , were the pen less skilful , would call forth the critic's ferula . Lieut . March , consciously or unconsciousl y , writes a book of travels in the Dumas method , but w ith out t h e D umas s t y le . He fills his pages with legends , anecdotes , his t orical sketches , just as the incomparable Dumas manufactures volumes with whatever comes to hand ; but unhappily , h e wants t he grace t h a t s h ou l d

      redeem such method . He writes p leasantly , sometimes felicitousl y , not , perhaps , with sufficient fastidiousness in the acceptance of his diction , ( when we add in a parenthesis that he talks of having laved his wayworn feet in the l i mp id waters of the Lissague , the reader will seize our meaning , ) but on the whole , in a style which carries you swiftly and agreeably to the end . Yet , although we w i lling ly render this tribute to his volume , we are f orced to add , that his style is not sufficient to excuse such bookmaking as must be noted in the narrative of Catalina de Erauso ' s wellknown history . Dumas would have told that story in a way t o force its acceptance j the sixty or seven ty pages Lieut . March gi ves t o it are not accep table . _ _ _ ... , , . _ .. in iv volumabout North

      We make the remark , because ging us a e S pain , the author has recorded so little original observation , and dragged in so much surplusage . A walk into North Spain should have furnished some p icturesque sketches of scenery and manners ; but Lieut . March has been , more occupied with historical recollections , and military obser . vations , than with the tourist's observation . Of the few glimpses at manners , Ave select this : — THE CHICKEN DANCE AND GAME OF GOOSE . " The haile de polios ! Imagine a plump capon , buried in the ground , with its head just visible , and a peasant , his eyes bandaged , making all sorts of awkward attempts to decapitate it . Of course the sightless headsman made a thousand ridiculous mistakes , and , for a long time , unsuccessfully swept his sabre right und left , until a shout of " hondo equina J" ( well done !) from the spectators , proclaimed the lucky stroke , which deprived the bird of its head , and gave the swordsman : i supper , for it became his prize .

      " The juetjo de ganzos had more pretensions than the haile de polios , but was decidedly cruel . l'We young men , mounted on shocking bad horses , and fantastically dressed , according to their ideas of the Grand Turk , successively galloped at a dangling goose , which was to become the prize of the one who managed to cut its head oil' during the rapid transit . " In Fuentarabia , Lieut . March saw another , and still more curious Gamo of Goose , which may bo contrasted with our rustic game of climbing soaped poles : — " . By three o ' clock the shore was lined with spectators ; and hundreds of boats dotted the surface of the Bidassoa .

      " As soon as the municipality , the provincial deputation , and the band of music had taken their places , a trim whale-boat , steered with an oar , nnd swiftly propelled by ten vigorous rowers , darted forwards towards a goose that dangled , head downwards , within a few feet of the water , from the centre of a cord , attached to two poles about forty fecit apart . .., , " In the bow of the boat stood a man wearing an old cocked-hat and a win ^ shirt and trowsers , and us it dashed under the pendant bird tit full speed , he Iirw y grasped its neck , and in an instant was swinging in mid-air , holding on to ^ goose , amid the obstreperous merriment of ' the multitude , whilst person * , '' "" "K ' 1 '

      for the purpose , now ran him up some twenty feet , und then suddenly « - down into the water with a tremendous splash ; a feat that threw the *'"" wjuj into ecstasies . Aguin and again these inseparables—we hardly know whie » ^ the greater goose of the two -were hoisted aloft and plumped into the > ^ J clement , vanishing for a moment in its crystal depths , and then rising Ha - ^ Imustcd to tins Huri \ n-t > , the reasoning biped clinging to the web-footed one ; \ < ^ tem . eity that could only be explained by the fact that it was to become his pi ^ he succeeded in wringing oil" its head . After being ducked , or goosml , ad »«» . J and drawn up for tlui sixth time , dripping like a sea-god , to undergo hiio . it- ^ ^ mersion , he let go in despair , and swam to a bout ,. It was clear the gooM' ' ^ remarkably tough neck , and if the rest , of its body was in the sftino <; OI )( i . ' . ' ^ possessor of tbo teeth that could masticate , nnd of the stomach that could < if , '

      was not < o bo envied . ^ . v ;( . t , ji » " The next comer was more fortunate , and Hiicccedcd in decapitating i , ^ after receiving three cold baths . His predecessor ' s efforts had rendered i ^ » task , and illustrated the old adage that one man reaps what another sows .

      Untitled Article

      Critics arc not the legislators , but the judges and police of literature . They do not make laws—they interpret and try to enforce them .. —Edinburgh Review .

      Untitled Article

      926 T H E L E A PER . [ Satprpay ,

      Untitled Article

      TKNINKMANN'S IIIHTOItY OF JMI IM > SOJMI V . . IlinI , n A Manual of the . History of Philosophy . TruiiHliited from the ( Inrinau of ^"" jNioi " by tlm liev . Arthur Johnson . . Rovim-d , enlarged , mid conlitiuc'l l > y y |; ( , ^ j ,,,. ( ilohn . 1 I'liiloloyical Library . ) ' iann ' ri It wiih an excellent thought of Mr . HoIiii ' h . in ' ^^'''^" V ' nX ' d llll < l Manual of Uw IliMory of P / dlosoph , / , to Imvo it r « -mlit < xl , n ^ „ enlarged . JoIimhoi . ' h tninHlation , jih Hir William Hamilton hi ow '] ji ] oSOvery poor performance , Ibo trnnnlator ' H ignorance oi tho . Knn . ^ j j , hh pliy having greatly minimi him in the uho of terma . Mr . <>• J »*

  • Citation
    • Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 25, 1852, page 926, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1953/page/18/