Salmagundi; or, The whim-whams and opinions of Launcelot Langstaff, esq. [pseud.] and others. By William Irving, James Kirke Paulding and Washington Irving. Printed from the original ed., with a preface and notes by Evert A. Duyckinck.

326 SALMAGUNDI.
triumphal arch-the swelling dome, shall crumble into dust, and
the names they would preserve from oblivion shall often pass
away, before their own duration is accomplished.
Yet this passion for fame, however ridiculous in the eye of the
philosopher, deserves respect and consideration, from having
been the source of so many illustrious actions; and, hence it has
been the practice in all enlightened governments to perpetuate
by monuments, the memory of great men, as a testimony of
respect for the illustrious dead, and to awaken in the bosoms of
posterity an emulation to merit the same honorable distinction.
The people of the American logocracy, who pride themselves
upon improving on every precept or example of ancient or
modern governments, have discovered a new mode of exciting
this love of glory; a mode by which they do honor to their
great men, even in their life-time!
Thou must have observed by this time, that they manage
everything in a manner peculiar to themselves; and doubtless in
the best possible manner, seeing they have denominated themselves " the most enlightened people under.the sun. Thou wilt,
therefore, perhaps, be curious to know how they contrive to
honor the name of a living patriot, and what unheard-of monument they erect in memory of his achievements. By the fiery
beard of the mighty Barbarossa, but I can scarcely preserve the
sobriety of a true disciple of Mahomet while I tell thee!-wilt
thou not smile, oh, Mussulman of invincible gravity, to learn that
they honor their great men by eating, and that the only trophy
erected to their exploits, is a public dinner! But, trust me,
Asem, even in this measure, whimsical as it may seem, the philosophic and considerate spirit of this people is admirably displayed. Wisely concluding that when the hero is dead, he becomes insensible to the voice of fame, the song of adulation, or