THE ATHENÆUM.

Bruce Herald, Volume VIII, Issue 793, 18 August 1876, Page 6

THE ATHENÆUM.

(To the Editor J Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wi.-e in his own conceit. — Proverws, xivt. 5. Though thou shouidst bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him. — lb., xxvn. 22. I will proceed to answer my esteemed friend Mr M Latchie according to his " folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit," and then show that model committeeman several reasons why he should depart from the error of his ways. If Mr M'Latchie had submitted his precious effusion to some intelligent friend, who would have eliminated all tbe cant and small wit therein contained, there would not have been much left beyond " Thomas M'Latchie." His remarks about my future cremation are simply unmitigated twaddle, and quite unworthy of his stupendous, but, withal, grossly illogical mind. He belongs to a class which holds the cheerful dogma that nine men out often are cremated throughout all eternity, aud he cau therefore afford to make merry over the subject. The men who revelled in the tortures of the Inquisition were not unlike my friend Mr M'Latchie, in that they were wofully intolerant of any opinions but those which squared with their ideas of the eternal fitness of things as administered by themselves. I am sorry to have to expose my friend's ignorance of theology, which he has imported into his letter, and mixed up with the names of a Pagan goddess and of MiBrookes, whom he impertinently alludes to as "Tom Brookes." Such a reference would be " rude " were it made by me, but Mr M'Latchie being the writer, it is only a spot on the sun. Mr M'Latchie says that " after the lapse of a millennium or two an appreciative posterity will adorn the pediment of the Athenaeum with my classic bust." Well, sir, an}' schoolboy could tell Mr M'Latchie that, under the circumstances, my " classic bust " will never " adorn the pediment of the Atheuamtn." If Mr M'Latchie will turn to any dictionary he will find that the word " millennium is used to denote the thousand years mentioned in Revelations xx." Let him then peruse carefully (and withal reverently) the twentieth chapter of Revelations, he will learn a thing that he does not know at present, viz., that after Christ and His saints have reigned a thousaud years, Satan shall be loosed out of prison, and shall compass the camp of -the saints about, and the beloved city, with the nations which shall be in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, the number of whom shall be as the sand of the sea : and then fire shall come down from God out of heaven and devour them. ]No, Mr M'Latchie, even accoiding to your creed there is no second millennium. lam sorry to convict a " stoop of the kirk" of ignorance of his test book, but the exposure may prevent Mr M'Latchie from again making a nonsensical jumble of the millennium, Minerva, and " Tom Brookes," under the impression that he is indulging in a piece of " smart " writing. If the uuclassic bust of Mr M'Latchie were

placed on the pediment of the Athenaeum, we might witness Minerva descending— removing J the auricular appendage of that gentleman's bust and substituting therefor the ears of Midas, and binding the temples of her illogical opponent with a fillet of ass-skin. Personalities I do not indulge in, as a rule, but they open the only chink by which to pierce the opacity of some men's understanding, j With regard to the microscopic traces of genius with which I may be endowed, I would express roy firm conviction that if Sam Welter's double-million magnifying glass were brought to bear on. Mr M'Latchie by the most astute microscopist, he would not discover the slightest germ of common-sense — to say .nothing about . "genius'V — in that gentleman, air ivl'Latchie ought to know that genius is not necessarily of such large bulk as stupidity.. If Messrs M'Latchie and Hay confined themselves to the business before the Committee, instead of making puerile remarks about my "extraordinary" conduct, they would find it more conducive to their peace of mind. With regard to my " rudeness," I shall not take any lesson from Mr M'Latchie on "behavior," as I do not recognise bim as an authority on the subject, although he may be the Turveydrop of the Committee, and may be gifted with the suaviter in modo of a Pecksniff. I admit that Mr M'Latchie is the premier muddler of the whole Committee, and I admit nothing else. I care not the value of a brass farthing how my " friend " characterises my " manners" or " bej^ior." I shall do my duty, irrespective 0 f g^fiody's opinion, be they dignitaries of the Church or illogical laymen. The " Cromwellian" language which Mr M'Latchie puts into my mouth I should certainly have great pleasure in addressing to himself and Mr Hay. Adjectives were invented in order to ■be used, and so I used some, without asking the leave of that high and mighty potentate, Mr M'Latchie.

I repeat that the old Committee are solely responsible for the present^outrageously disgraceful state of the Athenaeum. Mr M'Latchie is an expert shuffler, but shuffle he .never so well, he cannot shuffle outside of this fact— not much, I reckon. Instead of throwing obstructions in the way of a logical reformer, lethim retire from tbe Committee and allow me to pursue my reform in peace. That is all I ask. The property of the Athenaeum has been allowed to be squandered ; members have been allowed to have over sixteen books at one time ; people have been allowed to frequent the Library for two years without paying a penny ; books belonging to the Athenaeum have been put up at auction (and sold and the, proceeds paid, to the vendor) by members or ex-members. And yet, Mr M'Latchie objects to a vote of censure and my adjectives. Good Heavens, Sir, why fifty votes of censure and every adjective expressive of contempt in the English language would not be a whit too much. Anybody who would ask a man to give a penny to the Athenaeum whilst it is misconducted as it has been in the past, would be blessed with consummate impudence. No, Mr M'Latchie, I shall not ask anyone to subscribe until I have drummed a little common sense into that cranium of yours, and until I can assure subscribers that the books paid for by them will not be sold by public auction to enrich departing members. "Flaneur" wants to know "what good end -will be served by ivithdrawing from circuJation all mutilated books." Oh, Prince of Dullards! knowest thou not what good end will be served ? Well, I will tell thee, my ignorant friend. It will prevent those books which are now in a decent state from being destroyed. Thou fianst not understand ibis, canst thou, most thicfc-headed mortal ? So long as " mutilated " books are circulated, we . emaot say whether a book returned damaged, has been injured by the last person who read it or -aot, and consequently we cannot ask him to pay io? it. But if none but perfect, books were allowed ft) go out. we co •'♦d- then make everyone who returned a /book damaged pay for it. Besides, example j counts for southing, and the sight of those damaged books has a tendency to make some people not so careful m the books as they would otherwise be. The . .da^ged books could be rebound by a local lUnder fcr- a small jsum. Thou mutfcerest thy thanks, dost thou? Thou art welcome, my short-; si-hted friend ? Take the information, and my pity for the density of perception, most opaque gentleman .? I have come unto Mr M'Latebje delicately, asAgag came uuto Samuel, but 1 «J?JJ not be surprised if I meet with anger like unto i that of the pitiless seer of <*%al. Gratitude is the rarest of human virtues. I have given some more matter, upon which " iefc £he heathen rage " as before. It amuses them, and does not ruffle the aerenjtj of my temper. I am, &c, i W. Sinclair.