gcls_courant_011 5

THE COURANT; A SOUTHERN LITERARY JOURNAL. 93
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The Courant.
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COLUMBIA, S. C., THURSDAY, JULY 21, 1859.
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THE COURANT.
Subscriptions for the Courant will be received at the Book-
store of Mr. P. B. GLASS, in this City, where single copies can
be obtained every week.
The following gentlemen have been appointed Traveling
Agents for the Courant:
G. W. MEETZE, JAS. S. BALLEW,
THOS. P. WALKER, W. THOS. WILKES.
W. C. WINN.
Mr. MEETZE will visit Lexington and Edgefield Districts, Mr.
BALLEW, Laurens and Newberry, Mr. WILKES, Chester, Mr.
WALKER, Richland, and Mr. WINN, Abbeville, and adjoining
Districts--during the present month.
We cordially recommend these gentlemen to the kind atten-
tions and courtesies of our friends.
WM. W. WALKER, JR., & CO.
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"HARTWELL MESSENGER."
We are pleased to see that the proprietor and editor of the
Hartwell Messenger have re-commenced the publication of their
journal. Our readers will remember that it was formerly the
Pendleton Messenger, but for some reason, removed to the new
flourishing town of Hartwell, Georgia.
Mr. SYMMES is a clear, vigorous writer, while his associate,
W. D. WILKES wields as graceful and as versatile a pen as any
journalist in this country. "Southern Rights" is the watch-
word.
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LAGER-BIER.
All the world know that Lager is the best friend of tempe-
rance, at the same time that it is the finest tonic in the world.
Our friend over the way, I. D. MORDECAI, has on hand a
large supply of Lager in bottles, so that it may be sent into
families or to persons at a distance.
We have had the pleasure of trying some of it, and we must
say, in candor, that it is extremely good. It is not so strong as
the "buck-beer" but has more body than the common Lager
through the country.
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THE YORKVILLE ENQUIRER.
Our readers will see by reference to our advertising columns
that the enterprising proprietor of the Enquirer is offering some
very strong inducements to subscribe to his excellent journal.
The position of the Enquirer is now, as it has been all along,
very high, and deservedly so--its corps of contributors has
been always a brilliant one and its editorial department has
been presided over with dignity and taste.
No man will find himself a loser by taking a newspaper; but
the contrary; and a good paper is a desideratum in every fam-
ily--such a paper in all respects is the Enquirer.
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"KOLNISCHE ZEITUNG."
In our last number we put among the extracts, one which
contained a good deal of information concerning the "alleged
copy of the sentence passed on our Saviour." There were two
questions leaded, at the head of the article, and from this typo-
graphical presumption, our readers might conclude that they
were ours. But the stupidity of asking when and where was
the Kölnische Zeitung published is none of ours--it came from
the Nothern paper whence we clipped the entire article.
But, to acknowledge the truth, we were very careless not to
have observed and corrected it.
Apropos, can any body tell us anything very definite about
this "alleged copy," aforesaid? The knowledge of it surely
is not confined to Cologne and her Zeitung?
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"LIZZIE CLARENDON."
We are sure that our readers will be delighted to learn that
we have the promise of the MSS. of this highly gifted young
Carolinian, who died only too soon for the good of all who
knew her. Througout her writings there is a subtle spirit of
grace and beauty, the outgushings of a pure heart, and a noble
mind.
We shall publish these memorials with great pleasure, and
once for all, let us assure our readers, that the prime object of
our journal is to bring before the public, the meritorious com-
positions of genius--particularly of Southern genius--whether
the authors be living or dead.
A true poet is a great blessing, in many senses--and they
who have memorials of those who have "gone before," ought
not to withhold them from the public, which must be benefited
by them.
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The Athenæum speaks in this wise, concerning Bryant's
"Letters from Spain:"
"Of Mr. Bryant's book we cannot say much. It is a mere
prosaic diary, written from that sort of stern feeling of imagin-
ary duty that impels dull people to write their travels. This
cannot surely be Mr. Bryant, the American poet; if it is, we
advise him to keep carefully to his poetry, and leave humble
prose alone. It is written in a tiresome, business-like way,
and is as matter-of-fact as the merest blue-book could be, ex-
cept here and there where the author sticks on a spangle or
two of rhetoric.
This book of travels has none of the usual vivacity and fresh-
ness of American writing. There is not even a spice of nation-
ality in it.
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OLD COPIES OF THE BIBLE.
We see from the extract below that our old master, Professor
Barton, is not yet cured of his love for rare books, and that he
devotes his time quite as much to them as to the writing of new
ones, we will guarantee.
The first book mentioned below is doubly valuable, from
the fact that Lyra exerted so great an influence upon those who
succeeded him, that is has been sung,--
"Si Lyra non lyrasset
Lutherus non saltasset."
Truly, we hope that some college will succeed in getting the
valuable collection of our quandum master.
Editors Southern Baptist.:--Dear Sirs; In a late issue of the
Charleston Courier, mention is made of an Old Bible, the prop-
erty of Dr. Mackey, printed in 1522, 337 years ago.
Professor W. S. Barton, of Montgomery, who is said to have
the largest private collection of books in Alabama, has in his
valuable library a copy, S. Latina, cum postilliis Nicolai di
Lira 1485, four volumes, small folio, or large 4to, beautifully
illustrated. This interesting relic of early printing is in a fine
state of preservation, and is highly valued by its owner as one
of the greatest curiosities of his library. It is just 374 years
old, or 37 years older than Dr. Mackey's.
In this class of literature, his next oldest work is Erasmus'
Greek Test., with new Latin translations and annotations, 1516,
343 years old. This edition (1st) is rarely to be met with.]
Then comes a Black letter Bishop, 1580, and several others,
among which is a copy of Breeche's Bible, black letter, 1607.
I have not mentioned a tithe of this collection. I should like
to describe his Latin and Greek Classics, old and rare editions,
but I must leave this till another time. I understand that this
collection will one day become the property of some College.--
Prof. Barton will bestow it where it will do the most good. It
would be valuable in a College or Theological Seminary.
C.
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MOUNT VERNON.
From the following extract, from the Mobile Advertiser, it will
be seen that Madame LeVERT has not tired in her good work,
nor have the the people of Alabama failed to respond to her
patriotic calls:
"We are glad to learn that the 'Appeal for Mount Vernon,'
met a liberal response on the 4th inst., the Vice Regent
Madame LeVert, having received a number of contributions,
both in good wishes and money. We take pleasure in giving
place to the following note, which was sent us by Mrs. LeVert
yesterday:
OFFICE OF THE DAILY MOBILE REGISTER }
July 4th, 1859. }
My Dear Madame:--Do me the favor to accept the accom-
panying twenty-five dollars, ($25,) as a trifling contribution by
this establishment, and its employees, to the object which the
ladies of the "Mount Vernon Association," have taken in
hand with so much spirit and patriotism."
I am very sincerely your friend and servant,
JOHN FORSYTH.
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A. J. REQUIER.
"The New Orleans True Delta republishes the Ode to Shak-
speare, written some years ago, by A. J. Requier, Esq., of this
city, and uses the following language in relation to it; 'The
grand creations of Shakspeare pass before the eye like the
figures of a diorama. It is the finest verse-epitome of the
dramas of that great author that we have yet seen in print.'--
This is not overpraise. The poem is worthy of the subject."
When will our gifted friend--an ornament alike to South
Carolina, his native State, and Alabama his adopted home--
give to the world a volume which shall contain all of his fine
poems? We long to see "Crystalline" and the "Phantas-
magoria," "The Ode to Shakspeare," &c., &c., in an enduring
form. We hope that he will deovte this summer's vacation to
collecting and preparing it for the press.
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THE CLIMAX.
From the last Saturday Press, we clip the following, apropos
of the great national holiday at the North.
A Boston weekly, (the Gazette,) gave, in advance, a clever
burlesque report (by Mrs. Partington Shillaber) of the "Cele-
bration at Frothville." I cannot lay my hand on the paper, or
I should be tempted to extract some of the good things in the
"report." The loudest and best was the inscription, in blazing
stars, I believe, beneath a portrait of the Father of his Country:
"G. Washington--He can keep a hotel!"
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LITERARY NOTICES.
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We have received from the publishers, the following works
by WILLIAM S. BARTON, formerly a resident of this city, and
long known as one of the most conscientious and successful
teachers who ever labored amongst us.

"1. EASY LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMAR; 2. ENGLISH GRAM-
MAR; 3. ENGLISH COMPOSITION."

Without entering into the details of the system upon which
these works have been written, we may say in a general man-
ner, that the plan is substantially that of Ollendorf, which has
been so successfully used in Europe and this country for some
years past. The secret of the success of this system lies in
the fact that all rules are practically applied by the pupil, and
therefore do not remain in his head as a dry abstraction. The
Ollendorf method has almost entirely supplanted all the others,
in the teaching of the modern European languages, and we
doubt not, that when this method shall receive its last improve-
ments, it will take the place of the old fashioned system, where-
in practice had so very small a part. In fact, under the former
systems, a dull, dry, abstract science was taught, and afterward
the practice required to perfect one in any given language
necessitated just such a course as Ollendorf's works put before
the student now at the beginning.
Prof. BARTON'S long experience as a teacher, has shown
him that this is the best method of accomplishing, with the
least labor too, the instruction of the pupil in a systematic and
regular manner. The faulty division of the parts of speech,
the unphilosophical forms of the rules, the lack of proper
classifications and often, even, of examples--have all been
carefully attended to in these volumes. While Prof. BARTON
is not an advocate for the radical ideas which are getting
abroad on the subject of English criticism--while he does not
adopt the novelties of the times in orthography and etymology,
nay, of syntax even; he uses all that is good in the systems of
the "reformers," and has certainly made some very marked
improvements on Lindly Murray and Smith and that ilk.
These books have been carefully examined by a number of
men in every way qualified to judge of their merits, and since
so much more has been said for them, by these gentlemen, we
shall dismiss the subject with a general commendation of the
work, to teachers and parents.

"THE POLITICAL WORKS OF EDGAR ALLEN POE, WITH AN ORIG-
INAL MEMOIR." Redfield: New York, 1859. Blue and Gold.
CHARLESTON MERCURY, for July 9, 1859.

From the "Literary Notices" of the Charleston Mercury, of
the 9th, we extract the following:
"Alas! poor EDGAR! we knew him well--know well that he
did not know himself! This was his misfortune. But we
must not report what we know. Let him sleep. "Nil nisi bo-
nam, &c. One thing we may say--should say--must say.
We note a disposition on the part of certain writers, who are totally
ignorant of the facts of the case, to decry and to denounce those
who have written biographies of Poe.
Something had to be written. How nearly should it ap-
proach the truth? It was impossible to tell the whole truth of
POE! He was unquestionably, one of the most morally wretched
among gifted men! To have refused to tell anything, where so
much was known; to have forborne the pleas which sympathy,
and humanity, and charity were prepared to offer in defence
of error and weakness, would have led, perhaps, to worse con-
jectures of the truth--if this, indeed, were possible. We, who
know much, beg to say, that POE'S biographers must not be
censured! They did their work tenderly. Nobody, to be honest,
could have done it more tenderly. Griswold, who was a man
of many faults, was very forbearing in regard to POE; and,
personally, as we know, had but little reason for forbearance!
His biography is as kind a one as any man, with any honesty,
could have written. POE was, all his life, a victim to his own
wilfulness! Hardly a sorrow, or suffering, or care, or annoy-
ance, that did not spring from himself! And this he knew,
though he did not often know himself!"
It is strange that so many persons who ought to be above the
clamor of Mrs. Grundy, will allow themselves to endorse, in a
lump, a string of stories, such as have been told of EDGAR
POE, and refuted time and again. The "disposition on the
part of certain writers, who are totally ignorant of the facts of
the case, to decry and denounce those who have written bi-
ographies of POE," which has been noticed by the critic of the
Mercury, is, by no manner of means, what he supposes it to be:
it is only the rallying of gallant spirits, to the defence of an
erring, but much slandered man. In Russell's Magazine, for
November, 1858, there was a refutation of many of these absurd
stories; in our last week's paper there was a very clear state-
ment of the facts, wherein it was shown that Graham and Godey
both bore testimony to the good behavior of POE, and trum-
pet-tongued demolished the whining, hypocritical "Biography,"
written by that vulture, Griswold. The idea of the Mercury
saying, "Griswold, who was a man of many faults, was very
FORBEARING, in regard to POE." We scarcely think that of
the readers of POE, a corporal's guard could be collected, who
would agree that Griswold's life of POE was anything but a
monstrous and wilful mis-statement throughout. Behold, then,
as a consequence, that foul article in the North American,
(which POE called, "the ineffable buzzard,') and equally in
the dark as to the facts, Mr. George Gilfillan gave vent to all
his spleen and bombast in one of his papers. Such biographies
as that one by Griswold, can do incalculable harm: people at
a distance, who have no means of ascertaining the truth, readily
take up these statements, and without questioning, in the
most of cases, simply because the editor was chosen by the
poet himself. But this very fact makes the crime doubly dam-
ning; and with all the sins of his evil life, Mr. Griswold, "who
was a man of many faults," committed none so attrocious as
that life of POE.
We refer our readers to the article before mentioned, which
appeared in Russell's Magazine, and to the literary notice of
last week's Courant, as containing a concise and unanswerable
refutation of the slanders which have been circulated in refer-
ence to POE. Not that we mean to say that POE was without
his faults--for he had all the characteristic faults of a proud
and sensitive genius--but we do mean to say, judge him fairly,
hear the pro and con, and do not condemn him on the idle tattle
of such story-tellers as Griswold or the woman who wrote the
vile article in the North American Review, or Gilfillan, or the
multitude of small fry who use POE'S name as the synonym of
all wicknedness.
It is disgusting to hear sentimental young ladies talking of
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