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772 ¦ THE LEADER. [Literary
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IaH>RISON,MKXT 11Y COUNTV CoUHT JuDGBS.—...
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LIT ERATUBE.
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1 LITERARY NOTES, ETC.
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The author of "Vanity Fair" took occasio...
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LliADKHa OF THE KKFOJtMATION— J-ulhor, O...
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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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Advisers. Priestly Training Is A Bad Pre...
return to the middle ages with all the inconveniences of the feudal statute , consequently an anomaly in the nineteenth century . The Roman code is made up of the most confused and multiplied laws , renewed and added to at the election of every fresh Pope . Its enactments , enactorsand adininistrators are all equally heterogeneous , discordant , and retrograde . The only rule observed would appear to be , that the tribunals should be composed of the most ignorant and venal men in the state , many of whom arc superannuated , or Lave been dismissedin disgrace from other offices . The highest posts , both civil and criminal , are filled by prelates frequently utterly ignorant of all legal studies , or by young men just emerged from ecclesiastical academies . The application . of bad laws is thus confided to worse administrators . The sentences
pronounced by them are the clearest proof of their ignorance and injustice . It must ever be invpossible to establish a system of liberty and free , discussion under the government of a power which lays claim to infallibility in spiritual matters , and rests exclusively upon the principle of authority . Italy can never be powerful and united so long ^ as it embraces such an element of weakness and . disunion within its very centre , as a state neutral from the necessity of its nature , and isolated from all
social and international interests . It is a curious anomaly that Italians are now looking to Napoleon III . to assist in conferring freedom upon them , when it was due to him that the Roman states were g iven back to ecclesiastical bondage after the revolution of 1848 ; nor is it less strange to see him as a despotic sovereign in league with revolutionists and republicans against the despotism of the Continent . The tyrants of Italy have fair ground for saying to the Emperor of the French : " First cast out the beam
from thine own eye , and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote from thy brother ' s eye . " Those who place the greatest confidence in Louis Napoleon ' s disinterestedness in the present war , must feel that he owes the Italians an indemnity for the ill office he performed in' restoring the Papal Government . When Rome was without a-Pope in 1848-49 , by very few Italians was the loss of the Pope and his Government felt to be a calamity . On the contrary , the hope and presentiment then took birth in Rome , and almost throughout the length and breadth of Italy , that Rome will be truly great and Italy independent
and free , when the priestl y form of government shall have disappeared for . ever , to give place to a comprehensive government adapted to the whole Peninsula . If the temporal power of the Pope were abolished , then would follow the discussion of the Question , as to whether the chair of St . Peter might not be transferred advantageously to some other site , so as to leave Italy entirely free to form plans embracing the government of the whole peninsula , whether unionist , fusionist , confederative , monarchical , or any other . But under existing ciz'cumstances these considerations may well be left to the great and witin of n tsioiiinit Potirtnv rl A rrnfrl in 1-firlnlfi l ? l — V & \ 1 AVlWVdl
Tf J | 0 V > DlUlfV ^ OAliUAl VCtVUMA , AAA ^ UAV | ** , aw * casoli , SalvagnoH , and others—wlio are now so ably and temperately conducting the country through * the perils of a transition state . They and the Italians in general are , however , very desirous of the moral support of the British nation , and are anticipating great advantage from the libqral influence of Lord John Russell as Foreign Secretary of State . The advice of England wift be ¦ hi ghly appreciated when the period arrives for the readjustment oi' the several states of Italy . If this nation can but preserve its neutrality , and the French maintain their promise of abandoning the Peninsula avhen they have secured its emancipation from Austria , then , indeed , we may hopo to soo realised Italian unity and nationality .
772 ¦ The Leader. [Literary
772 ¦ THE LEADER . [ Literary
Iah>Rison,Mkxt 11y Countv Couht Judgbs.—...
IaH > RISON , MKXT 11 Y COUNTV CoUHT JuDGBS . — The committee appointed by the Law Amendment Society to consider this subject have issued a report strongly condemnatory of the present law and its results . In the year 1858 inoro than 11 , 000 persons wore committed to prison by the county court judges , for various periods , for debts and costs not exceeding 40 s ., and in many cases for a much lower tynount . The report declares the opinion of the committee that the law should bo altered—first , by putting an ond to Imprisonment when the amount recovered by the judgment does not exceed 40 a . i secondly , by abolishing the power of commitment merely on account of tho debtor ' s non-attendance ; and thirdly , by providing that no debtor shall bo imprisoned more than once for tlie samo debt . *
Lit Eratube.
LIT ERATUBE .
1 Literary Notes, Etc.
1 LITERARY NOTES , ETC .
The Author Of "Vanity Fair" Took Occasio...
The author of " Vanity Fair" took occasion to vindicate ( by implication ) the conduct of the Lite rary Fund from the strictures of Mr . C , Dickens and his adherents , and to administer some very hard verbal hitting to some anonymous writers , who in a recent number of an illustrated periodical , had called the Literary Fund the " Rupture Society . " Finally we may mention that 1 , 6001 . was subscribed . We hear from Russia that a few weeks " a « o the of St at
Bishop . Petersburg , a meeting of the Holy Synod , proposed to excommunicate Alexander Herzen , the well-known exile , now living in London All the bishops , with the exception of the metropolitan of Muscovy , consented to the motion directed against the able man who was the bold originator of a revolutionary movement in the realms of political literature in Russia ; but the Emperor refused his sanction to the resolution of the episcopal heads of the Church , and reprimanded the dignitaries .
It is announced that Mr . W . II . Ru-sell is going to S witzerland , in order to find a quiet retreat in which to write the history of his adventures in the East . Messrs . Routledge are to be the publishers of the work . . . The Vienna Press states that Prince Metternich has left three volumes of memoirs , or rather notes , all relating to important political events , written by himself at the time of their occurrence . We find the following remarks in the Critic of this week : — "In the paper which Dr . Guy read before the Statistical Society , on Tuesday last , lie examined the somewhat interesting question as to the duration of the lives of men connected with
literature . If . what he maintained be exact , the pen to most persons who use it , certainly to poets , is indeed a ' lethalis arundo . ' We are not , however , altogether satisfied with the Doctors statistics , and hope that poetry is not so nearly allied to death as he intimates . Dr . Guy gives us the names of eight Roinan poets , chosen , we suppose , for their celebrity . Striking a mean between the ages of Tibullus and Martial , he proves that the average duration of life among the Roman poets was only forty-eight and a half years . Tibullus is stated to have died at Jjthe age of twenty-four , and Martial is selected as the longest-lived among Roman poets . To both of these statements we demur . It is a moot
point which has called forth more than one ponderous tract front German critics , as to whether Tibullus did not live at least fifteen years longer than Dr . Guy allows . Anil Juvenal , both in poetical fame and length of days , may well occupy the placo assigned to Martial . Taking , then , the next on Dr . Guy ' s list , Persius , who died at 30 , and Juvenal , ¦ who died at 81 , we get an average of 55 years ; and by statistics , at least as trustworthy as Dr . Guy ' s , add 6 £ years to tho average life of lloinan poets . We might also reasonably object to the list of Roman historians given , among whom we have Joseph us and Terence . The only Terence that we know of was a poet . There is nearly as
mucli to find fault with in the list of English poets given by Dr . Guy . Wo trust that poets in general are neither no poverty-stricken nor unhealthy as secim to be popularly believed . In considering the statistics in the paper , however , it should be recollected that they are made up of figures representing very select lives—the lives of men who have attained celebrity , which is always a very exceptional condition . Taking tho whole body of men who have achieved fame by intellectual pursuits , it will generally bo found that that they have done so under circumstances eminently exceptional . Some men never could havo amount of labour
genial pursuit of literature , and give up politics altogether , the world would be no loser by the exchange . He touched delicately upon the " arguments and controversies " that have prevailed , but , he added , "I rejoice to see that even those arguments and controversies , though they may have retarded the progress , have not sufficed to ' . reverse it , . or I may venture to say not sensibly to retard it . This institution , like other things great and good , was born and maintained in adversity ; but it has steadily advanced , and in its advance it has been favoured by the combined efforts of those who were possessed of the most abundant means and the highest station , as well as those who have testified their good will
¦ - ? - . . TVTOTWITHSTANDING the engrossing cares of - « - * a contested election and daily ministerial and political consultations , the Chancellor of the Exchequer found leisure on Wednesday to preside at the dinner of the Eoyal Literary Fund , which celebration passed off without anything to mar the festivity of the day . In proposing success to the institution , Mr . Gladstone spoke for nearly an hour—a verj 1 : fair allowance for an after-dinner speech . Perhaps there is no other orator of the day who would have ventured to test tlie patience of his auditory to a similar extent . The right honourable gentleman , however was in Ins happiest mood ; and , indeed , tlie remark was made then as it has been made before , that were he to devote his abilities to the more
confrom slender resources . It is an institution which I believe I am justified in saying , has advanced from year toyear- —utmost from day to day . It may not be able to cover the whole field that is open to its benevolent enterprise , but it is able to cover a large portion , and a continually-increasing portion , of that field ; and meetings such as-this , to whatever criticism they may be open , will , I hope , at least have the effect of warming our hearts towards one another , and to the objects of the Literary Fund , and inciting us to the support of what is undoubtedly a work of true humanity , of true philosophy , and of , I believe , the truest wisdom . Sitting , as you do , in the presence of at least one
highly-distinguished foreigner ( Prince Frederick of Holstein ) , you will permit me to say that I dwell with great satisfaction upon what I may call the world-embracing character of this institution . There is something in 'the character of letters , which , although it does not refuse the impress of nationality , affords one of the best , the most interesting , the most affecting , and the most innocent channels for the conveyance of national feeling , yet declines to admit nationality as a fetter nnd a bond . It is a brotherhood which includes the citizens of the republic of letters—and that brotherhood is as firm as our common flesh nnd blood . " Mr . Gladstone spoke of the tendency of'the elevated pursuits
of literature and art to render their devotees in many cases less capable than they would otherwise be of bringing down their minds to the ordinary cares of life , so that it may constantly happen that one belonging to this brotherhood will come innocently into distress when an ordinary man not engaged in those peculiar pursuits would not be likely to become dependent upon the benevolence of others . And ( said he ) together with that defect , rendering them less capable of the ordinary details of human affairs , there is , as we have all seen , a peculiar susceptibility of organisation which renders the mind more sensible to the power of pain and care upon him , and that pain and care when once they have
assumed influence over him , fall directly upon what , to use the language of political economy , we may call his productive power , so that the whole combination of those circumstances , together with the liabilities attaching to his profession , and which attach to it in proportion as his profession is devotedly followed , at once constitutes a peculiar case of necessity , and a peculiar right to assistance . Mr . Gladstone vindicated tho policy of the corporation in according a preferential aid to authors of the " severer" class of works , rather than to those who had produced compositions which attained
au immediate but ephemeral popularity , and concluded in tlie following terms : — " I rejoice ' to think it i » in tuu country that for the first time the happy idea lias been conceived of founding an institution for tho purpose of administering to tho peculiar needs and claims of authors v and I feel u profound conviotion that in this country thoro is no insurmountable difficulty in finding the funds of that institution -with so liberal a hand that they Shall become thoroughly adequate to meet the groat purposes which wo havo in view . " Mr . Thackeray and Professor Oven were both prosont , and made speeches in return for their healths being drunk .
attained ominence but through an requiring stamina , industry , and sobriety for its performance , such as Lords Brougham , Campbell , Lyndhurst , & c . Others die young from sheer poverty of constitution , and yet aro famous . Others , in tlie excitement of the poetic temperament , ana the impatience of a long struggle with tho vorld lor bread , kill themselves either voluntarily or involuntarily—Chatterton being an example of tho one class , and Poo for the other . So far as tho general conclusions of this papor went—that industry 13 more wholesome than idleness , and a rogulflr mo than an erratic one , thoro can bo no doubt of tlio truth of tho conclusions . "
Lliadkha Of The Kkfojtmation— J-Ulhor, O...
LliADKHa OF THE KKFOJtMATION— J-ulhor , Onlvln , Latlmor , Knox . My Jolui Tullooh , JLU- > . --VYlllliiiu JlluokwooJ and 8 on » . Tnj 2 au sketches arc formed from tho subatunco of lectures delivered by tho author nt tho Edinburgh Philosophical Institution hwt spring . They do credit to tho writer ' s perception nnd nowor oi style . Of course , our readers are familiar with tho aotaus of th < 3 lives of tho four theological horoos , wliofco portraits Dr . Tullooh has hero painted . On 0 remark wo would make , as forced upon us nuke bv all : these men delivered the world from superstitions to which they wore themselves enslaved .
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Citation
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Leader (1850-1860), June 25, 1859, page 16, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_25061859/page/16/
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