Notices of New Works [pp. 583-584]

15....Aj.,..e8 _f _ e ~g r
The topic selected by Mr. HOLCOMBE for discussion
before the Alumni was the true ends of a great University and the'means by which those ends are to be acconmplished. In the treatment of it, he has pointed out with
great clearness and candour some of the defects of the
present organization, and has urged the importance of
remedying them, with a force which cannot be resisted.
The want of a more thorough system of instruction in
the School of Ancient Languages, by which the beauties
of the classics may be wedded to the memory of the stu dent, at the same time that his mind is instructed in phi lology, is very gracefully handled, and no alumnus can
read what Mr. HOLCOMBE says on the subject, without
feeling its truth. We mean no reflection upon the worthy
Probfessor of Ancient Languages, who is, doubtless, altogether as learned and laborious a person as the most eru dite Dutchman that ever put a Greek root into his pipe
and snmoked it-when we say that while his Lectures may
impart to the student an insight into the structure of the
Latin and Greek languages, they utterly fail to give
him any perception of the genius and eloquence of Greece
and Rome. The two things are quite distinct from each
other-to study the ancient languages after the German
method alone is like forever groping in the crypts of a
great minster, leaving unvisited the magnificent interior
above, with its vaulted ceiling, its storied windows, its
antique carvings and the glories of the canvass which
look down from its consecrated walls. Mr. HOLCOMBE
suggests the proper change in the school-that of an associate Professors hip of Anci ent Li tera ture.
Tile lack, too, of an his torical department is made the
subject of some excellent r emar ks by th e orator, but as
,we hope, by and by, to present our views on th i s subject
at some length in the Messenger, we forbear to do more
here th an allude to it.
We wish we could quote as largely as our t aste would
incline us to do, from this ad d ress. But we can only pres en t t he fo llowing fervid passage on the importance of a
nativ e literature. Let it be widely read and acted upo n:
'-Literature being the only form in whic h the finest sentiment and opini on of the stat e can reach the miasses,
whi ch wield its political power, may be regarded as the
most important o f th e conservative elements of the future
It is eminently fitted to cure the peculiar in firmitie s of
democratic society, to introduce a train of benignant arts,
and ring as it were the go lden age of human i ty. Ameri -
can literature is charged with an i ndepe ndent but s ublime
mission. I t belongs to her, to iediate between the angry
passions of op posing par ties, to heal the wounds of sec tional strife, to cement by a cohesion stronger than laws,
a distracted people, to preserve the integrity of nation al
history, and to hold up in its true light, both before our
own ti me and future ages, the character a nd condicon of
that great region of the confederacy, arou nd which ignorance, prejudice an d fanaticism have sp rea d their darken ing mists. Domestic slavery has inpressed such distinct
and peculiar features upon Southern society, that it can
never be comprehended or appreciated by the rest of the
world, without a class of native authors, Southern born
and Southern bred, to interpret between us and them.
Northern men of the most enlarged patriotisms seldom
visiting us at home, and then in a ceremonious way, look ing at us through imperfect lights, and judging us by false
standards, catch only the sharp points which rise up above
the face of our institutions, and are unable to form a fair
and intelligent estimate of our character. Hence our
history, our moral and social habits, our opinions, all the
circumstances of our condition, are discoloured by the
Proud as we have always been of our State University, and fondly as we cherish the associations which cluster around our Alma Mater, we are conscious of regarding with a yet higher interest its condition and its hopes,
since we have read the admirable address of Professor
HOLCOMBE. A more elegant contribution to the fleeting
literature of the day has not been made anywhere, from
the groves of immemorial Harvard "bosom'd high in tufted trees," to the seats of science in the sunny regions of,
the South. Mr. HOLCOMBE has acquired a considerable
reputation as an accurate and laborious lawyer and has
enriched the learning of his arduous profession with several works of a high order of excellence. His accession
to the School of Law in the University as Assistant Professor was hailed as a most fortunate event for the institution, and when we heard of his selection as the Anniversary Orator of the Society of Alumni, we felt assured
that he would not fail to present views worthy of serious
attention. But we confess we did not expect an effort so
lighted up and purpled over with the glow of eloquence,
so richly adorned with the graces of literature, so imbued
with the true spirit of classical learning. We did Mr. Hol.
com.be injustice. The fraternity of the quill are apt to
undervalue, we think. the literary pretensions of men belonging to other professions, and concede with reluctance
to the lawyer or the physician an exalted position in letters; supposing in the one case that the ever increasing
demands of medical science would leave little time for
literary cultivation, and in the other, that devotion to the
pleasant disquisitions of COKrE and F;ARaNF., and light
reading of that sort, would incapacitate the mind for the
enjoyment of COWLEY and SHAKSPEARE, GRAY and
GOLDSMITH. Mr. HOLCOMBE is a striking proof of the
contrary. He has not, like Pope's heavy sergeants, who
"shook their heads at Murray as a wit," grown dull in
the reading of the black-letter; he has kept his early
love of letters unweakened by the constant labours of
his calling, he has exercised it indeed, in ranging, with
observant faculties, over the luxuriant fields of authorship
and has narrowly explored
1853.]
Notice,g of Netv ks.
583
Reflects the flower. tree, rock, and bending heaven,
Shall he reflect our great humanity
And as the young Spring breathes with living breath
On a dead branch, till it sprouts fragrantly
Green leaves and sunny flowers, shall he breathe life
Through every theme he touch, making all Beauty
And Poetry for ever like the stars
L. M.
Fredericksburg, Va.
otirto of 39tw Worko.
A.,,q ADDRESS DeZivered before the Society of Alumni, of
the University of Virginia, at its Annual Meeting
held in the PiibZic Hall, June 29th, 1853. By JAMES
P. HOLCOMBF,. P,ublished by order of the Societv.
Richmond: Macfarlane& Fergussoii. 1853.
The mighty dominion of genius and lore
And the infinite circle of song.