第 3 节
作者:一意孤行      更新:2021-02-21 12:14      字数:9321
  On Brannigan street 200 feet;
  Thence at right angles westerly;
  North…west…by…west…and…west…half…west;
  West…and…by…north; north…west…by…west;
  About
  I kind of dodged; and the boot…jack broke the looking…glass。  I could
  have waited to see what became of the other missiles if I had wanted to;
  but I took no interest in such things。
  INTRODUCTORY TO 〃MEMORANDA〃
  In taking upon myself the burden of editing a department in THE GALAXY
  magazine; I have been actuated by a conviction that I was needed; almost
  imperatively; in this particular field of literature。  I have long felt
  that while the magazine literature of the day had much to recommend it;
  it yet lacked stability; solidity; weight。  It seemed plain to me that
  too much space was given to poetry and romance; and not enough to
  statistics and agriculture。  This defect it shall be my earnest endeavour
  to remedy。  If I succeed; the simple consciousness that I have done a
  good deed will be a sufficient reward。** '**Together with salary。'
  In this department of mine the public may always rely upon finding
  exhaustive statistical tables concerning the finances of the country;
  the ratio of births and deaths; the percentage of increase of population;
  etc。; etc。in a word; everything in the realm of statistics that can
  make existence bright and beautiful。
  Also; in my department will always be found elaborate condensations of
  the Patent Office Reports; wherein a faithful endeavour will at all times
  be made to strip the nutritious facts bare of that effulgence of
  imagination and sublimity of diction which too often mar the excellence
  of those great works。** '** N。 B。No other magazine in the country
  makes a specialty of the Patent Office Reports。'
  In my department will always be found ample excerpts from those able
  dissertations upon Political Economy which I have for a long time been
  contributing to a great metropolitan journal; and which; for reasons
  utterly incomprehensible to me; another party has chosen to usurp the
  credit of composing。
  And; finally; I call attention with pride to the fact that in my
  department of the magazine the farmer will always find full market
  reports; and also complete instructions about farming; even from the
  grafting of the seed to the harrowing of the matured crop。  I shall throw
  a pathos into the subject of Agriculture that will surprise and delight
  the world。
  Such is my programme; and I am persuaded that by adhering to it with
  fidelity I shall succeed in materially changing the character of this
  magazine。  Therefore I am emboldened to ask the assistance and
  encouragement of all whose sympathies are with Progress and Reform。
  In the other departments of the magazine will be found poetry; tales; and
  other frothy trifles; and to these the reader can turn for relaxation
  from time to time; and thus guard against overstraining the powers of his
  mind。
  M。 T。
  P。 S。1。  I have not sold out of the 〃Buffalo Express;〃 and shall not;
  neither shall I stop writing for it。  This remark seems necessary in a
  business point of view。
  2。  These MEMORANDA are not a 〃humorous〃 department。  I would not conduct
  an exclusively and professedly humorous department for any one。  I would
  always prefer to have the privilege of printing a serious and sensible
  remark; in case one occurred to me; without the reader's feeling obliged
  to consider himself outraged。  We cannot keep the same mood day after
  day。  I am liable; some day; to want to print my opinion on
  jurisprudence; or Homeric poetry; or international law; and I shall do
  it。  It will be of small consequence to me whether the reader survive or
  not。  I shall never go straining after jokes when in a cheerless mood; so
  long as the unhackneyed subject of international law is open to me。
  I will leave all that straining to people who edit professedly and
  inexorably 〃humorous〃 departments and publications。
  3。  I have chosen the general title of MEMORANDA for this department
  because it is plain and simple; and makes no fraudulent promises。  I can
  print under it statistics; hotel arrivals; or anything that comes handy;
  without violating faith with the reader。
  4。  Puns cannot be allowed a place in this department。  Inoffensive
  ignorance; benignant stupidity; and unostentatious imbecility will always
  be welcomed and cheerfully accorded a corner; and even the feeblest
  humour will be admitted; when we can do no better; but no circumstances;
  however dismal; will ever be considered a sufficient excuse for the
  admission of that lastand saddest evidence of intellectual poverty; the
  Pun。
  ABOUT SMELLS
  In a recent issue of the 〃Independent;〃 the Rev。 T。 De Witt Talmage; of
  Brooklyn; has the following utterance on the subject of 〃Smells〃:
  I have a good Christian friend who; if he sat in the front pew in
  church; and a working man should enter the door at the other end;
  would smell him instantly。  My friend is not to blame for the
  sensitiveness of his nose; any more than you would flog a pointer
  for being keener on the scent than a stupid watch dog。  The fact is;
  if you; had all the churches free; by reason of the mixing up of the
  common people with the uncommon; you would keep one…half of
  Christendom sick at their stomach。  If you are going to kill the
  church thus with bad smells; I will have nothing to do with this
  work of evangelization。
  We have reason to believe that there will be labouring men in heaven; and
  also a number of negroes; and Esquimaux; and Terra del Fuegans; and
  Arabs; and a few Indians; and possibly even some Spaniards and
  Portuguese。  All things are possible with God。  We shall have all these
  sorts of people in heaven; but; alas! in getting them we shall lose the
  society of Dr。 Talmage。  Which is to say; we shall lose the company of
  one who could give more real 〃tone〃 to celestial society than any other
  contribution Brooklyn could furnish。  And what would eternal happiness be
  without the Doctor?  Blissful; unquestionablywe know that well enough
  but would it be 'distingue;' would it be 'recherche' without him?  St。
  Matthew without stockings or sandals; St。 Jerome bare headed; and with a
  coarse brown blanket robe dragging the ground; St。 Sebastian with
  scarcely any raiment at allthese we should see; and should enjoy seeing
  them; but would we not miss a spike…tailed coat and kids; and turn away
  regretfully; and say to parties from the Orient: 〃These are well enough;
  but you ought to see Talmage of Brooklyn。〃  I fear me that in the better
  world we shall not even have Dr。 Talmage's 〃good Christian friend。〃
  For if he were sitting under the glory of the Throne; and the keeper of
  the keys admitted a Benjamin Franklin or other labouring man; that
  〃friend;〃 with his fine natural powers infinitely augmented by
  emancipation from hampering flesh; would detect him with a single sniff;
  and immediately take his hat and ask to be excused。
  To all outward seeming; the Rev。 T。 De Witt Talmage is of the same
  material as that used in the construction of his early predecessors in
  the ministry; and yet one feels that there must be a difference somewhere
  between him and the Saviour's first disciples。  It may be because here;
  in the nineteenth century; Dr。 T。  has had advantages which Paul and
  Peter and the others could not and did not have。  There was a lack of
  polish about them; and a looseness of etiquette; and a want of
  exclusiveness; which one cannot help noticing。  They healed the very
  beggars; and held intercourse with people of a villainous odour every
  day。  If the subject of these remarks had been chosen among the original
  Twelve Apostles; he would not have associated with the rest; because he
  could not have stood the fishy smell of some of his comrades who came
  from around the Sea of Galilee。  He would have resigned his commission
  with some such remark as he makes in the extract quoted above: 〃Master;
  if thou art going to kill the church thus with bad smells; I will have
  nothing to do with this work of evangelization。〃  He is a disciple; and
  makes that remark to the Master; the only difference is; that he makes it
  in the nineteenth instead of the first century。
  Is there a choir in Mr。 T。's church?  And does it ever occur that they
  have no better manners than to sing that hymn which is so suggestive of
  labourers and mechanics:
  〃Son of the Carpenter! receive
  This humble work of mine?〃
  Now; can it be possible that in a handful of centuries the Christian
  character has fallen away from an imposing heroism that scorned even the
  stake; the cross; and the axe; to a poor little effeminacy that withers
  and wilts under an unsavoury smell?  We are not prepared to believe so;
  the reverend Doctor and his friend to the contrary notwithstanding。
  A COUPLE OF SAD EXPERIENCES
  When I published a squib recently in which I said I was going to edit an
  Agricultural Department in this magazine; I certainly did not desire to
  deceive anybody。  I had not the remotest