Miscellany

Clve me the lie ; nnd try wheilier I am nol gentleman bom. - WinUr's late. The chivalric Southern member lias been in Congress for quite a nutrihcr of years. It is true, he always protests that 'he is sent to Washington very mich against his own inclination ; nntl he uni■formly affects to decline, with a good deal of sincerity, the honor of a re-election. But he graciously allows himself to be overruled by his friends, nnd, for t'ie sake of the party, accepts the nominntion, still, be it rernembereri, very much against his own wishes, and he modestly hints, greatiy to the detriment of bis sufTering estáte - an "estáte" which, if purehased for ihe amount of his mileage and pny for one Congress, would be a very hard bargain indeed. The calis of duty are iherefore obeyed, and with tinwavering devotion to the interests of the South, and of cours the general welfare of the Union, the distinguished gentleman resumfls his scat. Tlie subject of the present sketch, {o describe hi by negatives, presents, in h0dress, TOanners and general air, the strongest possible contrast to the " Raw Western Member," whom, indeed, he regards wiih a good deal of hauteur and 8'ispicion, keeping him at almost as great B distance as the lady of an ancient Virginia family does plain Mrs. James Maher at the President's levees - although, by the way, the house of the latter dates from the tinne of Brian Borhoime, whilst that of ths former boasts no more remóte antiquity lhan the days of Elizabeth, when the founder carne over in a Government transport. In orie single particular, indeed, the distingued Southern member does resemble his Western colleague; we nllude to the extravagant display of his Unen. The collar and wristbands fis that the right term, fair spinster, if it bs proper to ask thee?) would seem to contain as much of the ar'.icle as is altogether usuallv woin by the rest of mankind; whilst on his ruffled brcast the wanton breezes absolutely riot in the fluttoring profusión. Yet this liberal -employmeni of white, relieves rather agreeably tho sombre hue of the everlasting suit of dark woollen, and communicates to the person an air of elegant negligence, which he indeed very much affects, having read, in Lord Chesterfie'd, that of a fine gentleman that is one of the most distinguished marks. He wears several massive finger-ring, and is rather va-in of his hands, which he may perhaps take the pains to inform you have neverknown uny vulgar employment. It is evident that his foot also comes in for a share of admiration; for, as he lovingly Iets it repose on his desk, he traces its outlines with an interest as keen and apparnt as that with which any shrivelled old nobleman ever gloated on the instep and ankleofthe Taglioni. In a word, the gentleman, though close upon fifiy, is a bit of a fop; and never, for five minutes, since entering college, has forgot, whilst awake, that he is a very Adonis. And, in fact, you will traverse these halls for a day, and meet many male beings less comely than he. He is tal! and well formed, his face is patrician, ('his favorite word)y) his teeth were inserted by Castle, and his wig was made by the famed Cristadora - Cristadora, who knows all the old masters, the incomparable "artist in hair." The cbivalric Southern member does not speak often. He listens in silent but undisguised contempt to the empty declamation of the Western Boanerges, or the specious sophistries of the craftv Eastern men, except when he deerns it proper the mighty South should deliver herself; and then, lifting up his voice, he cries aloud, and spares not. His style is of the lofty, imperial order, and his words re smoken in the hnughty ton of a man accustomed to command. Even wden h seeks to be most conciliatory and persuasive, there is the same un pleasant manner which ofiends the ear one can hardly teil why or liow, bu most effectually closing your heai-t agains ihe speaker. You are thus often led to do him manifest injustice, by arraying against him your insensibly excited prejudices. Were it not for this, the chivalric Southern member would be a much more eflective speaker. He indulges too freely, it is true, in mere declamation, and, like our Western friend, is prodigal of schoolboy lore ; but his language is accurate, aad his periods round and ing. The flowers of his rhetoric are strewn with a liberal yet withal a tasteful hand, and he never sinks into mere bombast. His elocution discovers careful cuitivation, an his gestures are easy and nppropriate. Without any striking qunlities of mind.or much inteliectunl strength, the chivalric member is not, then, altogether destitute of marks of training in a school which hns furnislied so many of those great orators whose names ndorn the legislative annels of the Union. In his speeches, whether n Congress or out of it, the chivalric gentleman is fond of quoting largely from Jefferson's writings, and all his opinions seem strongly tinctured with the peculiaritiesof the political school of that day. He lives, indeed, somewhere about the close of the last century, and seems to apprelend that by the present generation the ancient landmarks nre too little regarded. He firmly believes that the saine sysiem of Government is equally well adapted for every people and everyclime; rejects Montesquieu as a babbler ; and adopting the creed of the Encyclopedists, as found in the pages of Jeflerson. he neglects no opportunity of declaring his belief in its immutable truth. Yet Iet it not be imagined that the gentleman's spirit isburthened by any particular cares fi r the welfare of the rest of mankind. UnlikR the great man whose disciple he professes to be, his heart goes forth on no mission of universal deliverance and peace. So long as his " Hrmicsfic ir-' ''mlions" are intact, the dark places of the earth may still continue the habitations of horrid cruelty, and ancient despotism retain her millions in bondage. The great blernish in the character of the chivalric member, as a public man, is his exclusively sectional feeling. He is, indeed, emphatically "a Southern man.". In his geography, the South is the Union ; and, with him, Southern interests embrace nll that a good citizen of the republic is bound to reeard. He tries every public sieasure solely by its probable bearing on the South, and his tender sensibilices are oflen excited to a painful ricgree of alarm, by appiehensions of danger to Southern interests, when there isreally not the least ground for suspicion. It is thus amusing to waicli him when particular subjeets are under discussion. He is restless and fidgety ; tie looks fiercely around him ; as if challenging assault, and all his " Southern feelings " bristle up, like " Quilla upon the tretful porcupine." He beholds an euemy.in every bush, and, continually raisingpoints of order, fights to the last gasp, in the hope of bringing the debate abruptly to an end. And yet the poor man seems fascinated with the instrument of his own torture ; for, when he speaks,he is repeatedly dragging inirrevelant allusions to the thorny subjects which provoke rnjoinder, and lead to the very controversy which it would otherwise appear he so sincerely deprecates. Altogether, the chivalric gentleman is a ralhei disagreeable ar.d not a very useful member of the National Legislature. In private life, the chivalris member is exceedingly courteous and polite, almosl too much so;that is; there :s an ostentaiion and punctiüousness about him which differ vvidely from the easy self-possession and nice regard for the feelings of others, which constitute true refinement of manners. No one can be a perfect gentleman without being the subject of Christian civilization ; and we are sorry to be obliged to say that the chivalric member has not yet been sufficiently subjected to that humanizing and ennobling iniluence. Thus he talks too much about honor. - He has not learned to conlrol his passions. Triles are suffered to enflame his temper, and his excessive selfishness is constantly leading him to wound the feelings of those around him. For ihat most exalted accomplishment, of which none but the noblest natures are susceptible - a forgiving temper - the chivalric" member entertains the most sovereign contempt. And yet it is the absence of this essential element which makes the boasted chivalry of the South aspurious and a bastard feeling. The chivalric member is a standard authority on all matters pertaining to the duel. He has himself been engaged in several "affairs." He, too, has "sho: his man ;" and yet, alas ! never bas the voice of Jiii brolher's blood, crying from the ground, startled the ear of conscience in its dealh-like slumber. " As you lie down at night." one asked him, "does the visión of your fallen foe never pass before you, awakening your most poignant regret ? " " No ! " replied he, with an oath, for the chivalry can swear, " If it xeere to be done again, I should do il beller ; for, I didnH shoot him through the head f " -