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No. 389, September 5,1857.] THE LEADER. ...
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ICitmitttre,
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¦ - ?—:— - . ¦ Critics are not tlie legi...
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The Magazines for September rarely have ...
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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No. 389, September 5,1857.] The Leader. ...
No . 389 , September 5 , 1857 . ] THE LEADER . 357
Icitmitttre,
ICitmitttre ,
¦ - ?—:— - . ¦ Critics Are Not Tlie Legi...
¦ - ?— : — - . ¦ Critics are not tlie legislators , but the judges andpolice of literature . They do not make laws—they interpret and try to enforce them . —Edinburgh Review . ?
The Magazines For September Rarely Have ...
The Magazines for September rarely have much chance of being extensively read , but this year the chance falls below the customary average , the season being unusually fine , the harvest early , and partridges abundant — more abundant , it is said , than for thirty years past * As an illustration of this , take the following fact touching one of Diana ' s lawless foresters , whose success is generally a pretty good index of the legitimate sportsman ' s prospect . A poacher , living near some extensive preserves in a western county , had concealed in a room of his cottage on Monday evening forty-five live partridges ( netted in a series of successful night excursions daring the preceding week ) , which , were knocked on the head before dawn , and on sale in . the Bath poultrymarket early on Tuesday morning . But , besides the attraction of the sport , there is the charm of the country , which never looked more beautiful than now . Woods and lawns are opulent in the ripened fulness , and majestic in the queenly calm of summer life ; gardens and orchards bright with fruit and flowers . The foliage never was more rich , the verdure never more deep , early autumn fruits never more mellowed , sunny , and abundant . These stormy days that make London sloppy 3 dim , and miserable , only give a fresher tint and fuller life to the country . The brighter sunlight but chases across the hills the violet shadows of flying clouds , gives a diamond sparkle to the dripping foliage , and exhales a sweeter scent from the freshened herbs and flowers . What wonder if London is absolutely deserted ? The season was longer , and the town more intolerable than usual ; and when Parliament at length broke up , tlie few stragglers that remained to a man forsook it and fled . At tliis moment the metropolis is a desert . The parks are deserted , the squares solitary as churchyards , the mighty forest of interminable streets silent as the grave . The spell that hushed the palace of " Sleeping Beauty" has fallen on the great centre of life and action , and all is still . The cabman is motionless on . his box , the apple-woman at her stall , the dog over his bone , even tlie young urcluns in the street , who were wont to revolve , as'living wheels , round , crowded omnibuses , remain fixed in antic forms , like sculptured imps of the Hyperborean race . Round the outer ring of this enchanted circle , in the usually less frequented parts , a few stragglers may still be seen ; but on the extravagant supposition that two mutual friends are still to be found in the neighbourhood , each carefully avoids the other , neither liiiriniT + lm cfcronnrlli nf m » nrl fr » nr > nfF » s « ln < 5 AYis +. pn r > A in eiipli n r » l «> f »» of . cn /> li o
time . The magazines naturally remain unread in . deserted libraries and readingrooms , and we must say "that they generally justify such neglect , by being at this season of the year scarcely worth reading . This , however , is not altogether true of them this year . It is our pleasing duty to report that they are better than might be expected . JBlackwood continues 'What will he do with it , ' and ' Scenes of Clerical Life . ' The chapters of the latter , always good , grow in interest , and arc happily contrasted with IBuiaveb I / y . tto : n ' s affected writing and stilted sentiment . One cannot help feeling , indeed , that there is a covert satire in introducing these stories "together , the inflated , superficial feeling and exaggerated style of the one being a striking foil to the serene depth of insight , the delicate handling and perfect naturalness of the other . It is difficult to give an adequate notion of these qualities by extract , us they pervade and give vital unity to the whole rather than special brillianey to detached parts . The following passage , however , is worth quoting : — Mr . Jerome ' s was not the only mind that -was seriously disturbed by the idea that tho curate was overworking himself . There wero tender ¦ women ' s hearts in which anxiety about the state of bis affections was beginning to be merged in anxiety about trie state of his health . Mass Eliza Pratt had at one time passed through much sleepless cogitation on the possibility of Mr . Tryan ' s being attached to some lady at a distance—at Laxeter , perhaps , where lie had formerly held a curacy ; and her fine eyes kept close -watch lest any symptom of engaged afFections on liis part should escape her . It seemed an alarming fact that his handkerchiefs were beautifully marked with hair , until she reflected that ho had an unmarried sister of -whom he spoke with much affection aa hia father's companion and comforter . Besides , Mr . Tryau Lad never paid any distant visit , ' except one for a few days to Iris father , and no hint escaped him of his intending to take a house , or change his mode of living . No ! ho could not be engaged , though ho might have been disappointed . But this latter misfortune is one from which a devoted clergyman has beon known to recover , by tlio aid of a fine pair of grey eyes that beam on him with affectionate reverence . Before Christmas , however , her cogitations began to take another turn . She heard her father say ¦ very confidently that " Tryan was consumptive , and if he didn ' t take more care of Iiimeolf , his life would not 1 ) 0 worth a year ' s purchase ; " and sliamo at having speculated on suppositions that were likely to prove so false , sent poor Miss Eliza ' s feelings "with all tho stronger impetus into the one channel of sorrowful alarm at tho prospect of losing the pastor who had opened to her a now life of piety and self-subjection . It is a sad weakness in us , after all , that the thought of a man ' s death hallows him anew to us ; as if life wcro not sacred too—as if it were comparatively a light thing to fail in love- and reverence to tho brother who has to climb tho whole toilsome steep with us , and all our teara and tenderness were duo to the one who ia spared that hard journey . Tho Miss Linnets , too , -were beginning to take a new view of tho future , entirely uncoloured by jealousy of Misa Eliza l ' ratt . _ " Did you notice , " said Mary , one afternoon when Mrs . Pettifer was taking tea ¦ with them—« ' did you notice that bhort , dry cough of Mr . Tryan ' s yesterday ? I bunk ho looks worso and worse ovory week , and ^ 1 only wish I know liLs aimer ; I
would write to her about him . I ' m sure something should be done to make him give op part of his work , and he will listen to no one here . " "Ah , " said Mrs . Pettifer , "it's a thousand pities ais father and sister can't come and live with him , if he isn't to marry . But I wish -with all my heart he could have taken to some nice woman as would" have made a comfortable home for him . I used to think he might take to Eliza Pratt ; she's a good girl , and very pretty bat I see no likelihood of it now . " " No , indeed , " saidJRebecca , with some emphasis ; " Mr . Tryan ' a heart is not for any woman to win ; it is all given to his work ; aud I could never -wish to see him with a young , inexperienced wife , who would be a drag on him instead of a helpmate . " " He'd need have somebody , young or old , " observed Mrs . Linnet , " to see as he wears a flannel wescoat , an' changes his stocking when he comes in . It's my opinion he ' s got that cough wi' sittin' i' wet shoes an' sfockias ; an' that Mrs . Wagstaff ' a a poor addle-headed thing ; she doesn ' t half tek care on him . " " Oh , mother ! " said Rebecca , " she ' s a very pious woman . And I'm sure she thinks it too great a privilege to have Mr . Tryan with her not to do the best she can to make him comfortable . She can ' t help her rooms being shabby . " " I ' ve nothing to say again' her piety , my dear ; but I know very well I shouldn't like her to cook my victual . When a man comes in hungry an' tired , piety won ' t feed him , I reckon . Hard carrots ' ull lie heavy on his stomach , piety or no piety . I called in one day when she was dishin' up Mr . Tryan ' s dinner , an' I could see the potatoes was as watery as watery . It ' s right enough to be speritial—I ' m no enemy to that ; but I like my potatoes mealy . I don't see as anybody ' ull go to heaven the sooner for not disgestin' their dinner—proridin' they don ' t die sooner , as mayhap Mr . Tryan Avill , poor dear man !" 11 It will be a heavy day for us all when that come 3 to pass , " said Mrs . Pettifer . " We shall never get anybody to fill up that gap . There ' s the new clergyman that's just come to Shepperton—Mr . Parry ; I saw him the other day at Mrs . Bond ' s . He may be a very good man , and a fine preacher ; they say he is ; but I thought to myself , what a difference between him and Mr . Tryan ! He's a sharp-sort-of-looking man , aud hasn ' t that feeling way with him that Mr . Tryan has . What is so wonderful to me in Mr . Tryan is the way he puts himself on a level with one , and talks to one like a brother . I ' m never afraid of telling him anything . He never seems to look down on anybody . He knows how to lift up those that are cast down , if ever man did . " The fourth part of ' New Sea-side Studies , ' still written at Jersey , is full of scientific interest . Old questions are treated in a novel manner , and new ones started and pursued with the accuracy and success of a genuine and experienced scientific hunter . Amongst the former is a discussion on the nature and conditions of pain , designed to prove that it does not exist at all among the lower animal organisms . As an illustration of the latter , read the account of vision , which disproves the common notion that images of objects are reflected on the retina , by showing that they must he formed , if formed at all , on the black pigment layer at the back of the eye . 'Memoranda from "the Manzanares * gives a pleasant sketch of Madrid , its architecture , manners and customs , population and environs . The view of Spanish character , given by the writer , is far from nattering : — -
Spaniards have preserved a grave courtesy of manner , what we call a gentlemanly bearing , and a scrupulous regard for certain etiquettes and forms of speech ; but this is merely skin-deep , the very thinnish varnish ; they can be both rude and brutal upon occasion , and , as a general rule , to which , of course , there are most honourable exceptions , they are neither hospitable not serviceable . They excal in a profusion of polite phrases and generous offers , but if you look to them for performance , they are sadly wanting . Everything they have is yours , verbally , and as long as you do not take it ; the Spaniard whom you are introduced to for the first time , begs you , on parting , to know him for your friend , to bear in mind that his house and his horse , and everything that is his , are not his but yours , and conjures you not to fail to have recourse to him si se qfrece alyo—if in any earthly way he can be of use to you . He tells you all this with an earnestness and vivacity very apt to carry conviction of his sincerity , and itis amusing to -witness the embarrassment of an uninitiated foreigner , who thus finds himself overwhelmed , by a perfect stranger , with longwinded professions of the warmest friendship , and . of the most ardent desire to endow him with all his worldly goods , and render him any possible service . The foreigner , however , if not very dull , soon finds out that all this verbal liberality and love are only an unmeaning ceremony , and he learns to take them for what they are , mere palaver , and for what they arc worth , -which is exactly nothing at all . If he be so simple , after either short or long acquaintance , as to take his Castilian uu jried de la lettre , and to ask him to take trouble for him , or to do him a service of any kind , it is ten to one that the other will refuse or shuffle out of it . As to hospitality , Ford , to whom , although an unsparing critic , a keen insight into Spanish character and feelings cannot be denied , says that a Spaniard ' s idea of it is to dine with every one who asks him , This is true enough , and is to be accounted for only by a complete blindness to the advantages of reciprocity , or else by a conviction , which a Spaniard is likely enough to entertain , that when he dines with a foreigner the whole of the honour and advantage is for the host . If you go into the room where he is feeding , he points to his dish of beef and beans , and asks you if you will be pleased to cat . In reply , you wish him luenprovecho ( that it may profit him ) , and , if you are wise , you decline : in the first place , because a Spanish dinner is usually a bad dinner ; and , secondly , because , in reality , he neither wishes nor expects you to accept , and would be rather annoj-ed than otherwise if you did . Frmer has a long and interesting paper on ' Magpies , ' full of curious anecdotes about that mischievous imp of a bird . Take the following as a specimen : — The story to which we now call the attention of hucIi of our readers as are not fast asleep , -was forwarded to us by one of those hard-working clergymen by whom the church is supported but who do not derive much support from , the church ; and we will give it in his own words . Tho story , writes he , to which you refer , proves the truth of Sydney Smith ' s observation that whatever powers of oratory a parson may have , all command over the attention of his audience is at once lost when a bird makes its appearance in the church . . Such certainly was tho case when Jack , u magpie , well known in tho villago of , in tho county of Kent , for his mischievous propensities , entered the village church in tho afternoon of Sunday , July 20 th , 1852 , during the time of divine service . Our friend hopped quietly in at the open door , and , for a time , surveyed the congregation , recognizing many a friend wlio was wont to greet him with words of kindness And familiarity ; but , upon this occasion , Jack was surprised at finding that no notice was taken of him . At laat ho acoincd determined that ho would not bo thus overlooked , and down tho middle aialo ho marched knocking at
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), Sept. 5, 1857, page 17, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_05091857/page/17/
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