of the representation of a sandal, and Molière's old woman could decide upon the nature of comic humor; but it is the artist and connoisseur alone, who can judge, appreciate, and feel the highest order of color, mo dification, and expression. The portrait painter also claims our attention and gratitude. He who gives to our weeping eyes the form of the beloved and departed friend; whose magic touch arrests beauty in its progress to decay, and whose pencil immortalizes the revered forms of the hero and the statesman; the soul-breathing expression of a Washington, a Franklin, and an Ames. Painting may, perhaps, be said to be the acme of the arts, since it charms by so many various branches, and admits of such infinite variety of color and expression; but let not the "verba ardentia" of the poet be robbed of their honors. The lyre of a Milton, a Cowper, a Bryant, and a Wordsworth, can never breathe other than harmonious sounds. Their words melt into ideas, as the objects of nature gather light and color from the sun. Shall we not allow the poet, then, his joys and honors? Shall the emanations of his fancy shine on hearts cold and dead to its rays? No! Through the tear of sensibility we see his power; we feel in the tender accents of the voice that trembles while it reads. Since the pleasures derived from the Fine Arts are so exquisite, both to the artist and spectator, it cannot be doubted that our sources of happi ness might be greatly extended by their liberal cultivation. That arts and morals are materially connected, there is no doubt. Horace observes "Ingenuas didicisse fideliter artes, Emollit mores, nec sinit esse fercs." And could this spirit, this admiration of the beautiful, be generously cul tivated, the genius of our soil might proudly ascend the summit of Par nassus. Public favor is the most powerful stimulus to talent; exhibitions therefore, of the best productions, both in painting and sculpture, will have a tendency to diffuse a general taste, and to inspire a spirit of emulation, from which the most beneficial results may be anticipated. Let us not suffer the artists who now grace our shores to forsake us, for the want of that patronage which it should be our pride and pleasure to bestow We cannot, indeed, expect to rival the treasures of the Louvre or the Vatican; but from the exercise of native talent, and from the specimens of art we already possess, much may be expected. In the cabinets of private individuals in our city, may be found productions sufficient to form a choice collection for public exhibition, and it is to the liberality and patronage of their possessors that we look for such encouragement as shall stimulate the young artist to immortalize his name, and shed a lustre on his country. Example 3d. The Sentiment of Loyalty. Loyalty, in its primitive signification, implies fidelity to a king. Hence a loyal subject is one who promotes as far as possible the welfare of the kingdom, who assists in the maintenance of the laws, and in times of danger is ever ready to defend the life and honor of his scvereign, and to sacrifice himself for the good of his country. This sentiment is natural to the human race. If we analyze our various feelings and emotions, we shall find that the sentiment of love is one of he most powerful passions which nature has implanted in the breast of man; it is the most powerful, because, when excited and kindled, it burns with an ardor almost unquenchable; it warms and spurs the whole mar. on ward towards the accomplishment of its object; impetuous and irresistible, it overcomes all obstacles which rise before it. The sentiment of Loyalty is one of the manifestations of this love; springing from that noble source, it flows onward till it meets the waters of other streams, which it deepens and purifies. Since nature has given to man this sentiment of loyalty, it will always find suitable objects on which to bestow itself. Man was made for love; he must have something to honor, respect, and admire; something usually higher and nobler than himself; consequently, in despotic countries, honor and love are paid by a loyal people to their sovereign, who, being of a higher station, of a more venerated name, or of nobler descent than themselves, is entitled to this respect. In our own country, we venerate the wisdom and prudence of our ancestors, who, in framing the articles of our constitution, provided for the good of succeeding generations; and, at the present day, when we see a citizen devoting himself to the service of his country with that patriotic spirit which characterized our fathers, our affections are aroused, our lips send forth his praise, we hai! him as the defender of the Constitution, and the whole nation rises up to do him homage. In England, recently, that loyalty, which for two preceding reigns had been slumbering, burst forth with redoubled vigor upon the accession of a female sovereign to the throne. At the beginning of a new reign, the loyalty of a nation is always openly and warmly exhibited. But on that occasion, there was something in the fact, that their future sovereign was a youthful and accomplished queen, which excited in an unusual degree the hopes and sympathies of the nation. They hailed her accession as emblematical of peace and prosperity. In the feudal times, in the times of chivalry and the Crusades, the knights were distinguished for their loyalty to the ladies of the court. In those days, the fame and beauty of the lady inspired her champion with courage and strength, and many a battle has been fought and many a vic tory won, under this spirit-stirring influence of loyalty. Those were brilliant days for Europe, when chivalry stood forth in its might, and first gave birth to loyalty, loyalty, which taught devotion and reverence to those weak, fair beings, who but in beauty and gentleness have no defence. "It raised love above the passions of the brute, and by dignifying woman, made woman worthy of love. It gave purity to enthu siasm, crushed barbarous selfishness, taught the heart to expand like a flower to the sunshine, beautified glory with generosity, and smoothed even the rugged brow of war." But how have we degenerated? "The age of chivalry is gone; never, never more shall we behold that generous loyalty to rank and sex, that proud submission, that dignified odedience, that sub ordination of the heart, which kept alive, even in servitude itself, the spirit of an exalted freedom!" But though the sentiment of loyalty has greatly degenerated, it is not wholly extinct; it is now occasionally expressed, but its flame is faint and flickering; should it ever expire, it will go hand in hand with patriotism, and will expire with that faith which gave it life. To conceive truly what we should then lose, we need only reflect, that loyalty is the bond of society and friendship, it unites all the best affections of the heart in one common cause, it holds a sacred place not to be invaded with impunity, it is respected and honored by tle old, and the stories of its valor delight the young, and "Though well held, to foois aoth make XC. COLLEGE POEM. Example. The Pleasures and Pains of the Student. When envious time, with unrelenting hand, Few are his pleasures, yet those few are strong. Whether o'er classic plains he loves to rove, 'Midst Attic bowers, or through the Mantuan grove, The various modes of number, time, and space, - Nor yet, alas! unmixed the joys we boast, And his breast heaves with many a struggling sigh. Need I describe his struggles and his strife, Oft mourns an aching, oft a dizzy head? How the hard toil but slowly makes its way, One word explained, the labor of a day, Here forced to explore some labyrinth without end And there some paradox to comprehend? Here ten hard words fraught with some meaning small, And there ten folios fraught with none at all. Where forms of spheres "being given" on a plane, When some bright thought demands a period round The room oft paced, the anguish-bitten nail? That waste of patience and that waste of time, Enough, no more unveil the cloister's griet, Now bursts the unconscious laugh, now falls the pitying teal Participation heightens every charm; And should the happy student chance to know Sees the descending tear, the swelling breast, Thread, needle, kerchief, dropt in ecstasy,- A rooe whose grace and richness will outvie To count one pleasure more, indulge my muse,- XCI. DISSERTATION. A dissertation is a formal discourse intended to illustrate a subject, and the term is properly applied to performances of an argumentative nature. Dissertations are principally employed on disputed points of literature and science.* *See Bentley's "Dissertation upon the Epistles of Phalaris" and Dø Pau's "Dissertations on the Egyptians and Chinese." |