Harper’s Weekly – February 20, 1858

Harper's Weekly archives ^ | February 20, 1858

[Homer_J_Simpson]

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[Homer_J_Simpson]

Free Republic University, Department of History presents U.S. History, 1855-1860: Seminar and Discussion Forum
Bleeding Kansas, Dred Scott, Lincoln-Douglas, Harper’s Ferry, the election of 1860, secession – all the events leading up to the Civil War, as seen through news reports of the time and later historical accounts

First session: November 21, 2015. Last date to add: Sometime in the future.
Reading: Self-assigned. Recommendations made and welcomed. To add this class to or drop it from your schedule notify Admissions and Records (Attn: Homer_J_Simpson) by reply or freepmail.

Link to previous thread

[Homer_J_Simpson]

The Washington Monument at Richmond, Virginia – 1-2*
Editorials – 2
The Lounger – 2-4
Bohemian Walks and Talks – 4-5
The Old Lull House – 6
The New Capitol of Canada – Ottawa City – 7-8
Native Life in India – 8-10
My Last Ball – 11-14
A Fearful Balloon Adventure – 15-17
An Interview with Aaron Burr – 17
The War in Mexico – 17-20
Miscellany – 21

* This article says the second tier of the monument includes a statue of Lee. That could be “Lighthorse Harry Lee, A stalwart of the revolution, friend of George Washington and father of Robert E. Lee. But according to the National Park Service, the statue is of Andrew Lewis. Can anyone familiar with the monument explain the change or account for the error? Was Harper’s Weekly reporting fake news 160 years ago?

[Tax-chick]

I don’t know how women kept those dresses from falling right off.

[Tax-chick]

Maybe it was Richard Henry Lee. The men all seem to have been Virginia legislators and members of the Continental Congress.

[Tax-chick]

Wikipedia also says it’s Lewis. Andrew Lewis was a significant figure in Virginia in the Revolutionary and pre-Revolutionary periods. He died of illness just as the Revolutionary War was ending. (Just learned this; I’d never heard of him before!)

Harper’s illustration shows Lee’s name, but photos show each statue with the name cast upon its base, not shown on the stone of the monument, which shows only WASHINGTON.

It looks as though Harper’s has some inaccurate into.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

That makes sense but it still leaves the discrepancy between the Harper’s Weekly picture and the National Park Service write up. I just tweeted @NatlParkService about the matter and linked the article. Maybe they will respond.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Fake news!

[Tax-chick]

Interesting bit with Aaron Burr’s ghost on page 17. I’m not surprised that the author associates Burr with Poe: they had many traits in common.

[Tax-chick]

It’s possible their artist did not actually see the monument but drew from a description.

[rdl6989]

Very interesting.

[rdl6989]

A little more info:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Washington_Monument

[Homer_J_Simpson]

It’s possible their artist did not actually see the monument but drew from a description.

Or the illustrator had a photo that didn't show that side and worked from a guesstimate.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Continued from February 17 (reply #23).

The Diary of George Templeton Strong, Edited by Allan Nevins and Milton Halsey Thomas

[colorado tanker]

“Betwattled.” New one for me. I have a vague feeling I’d better not use it, though.

[Tax-chick]

I noticed that interesting term, too ... and I suggest you not use it in most situations.

[colorado tanker]

I looked it up and in 1858 it had a benign meaning, something like smitten, but in light of some modern slang I agree I’d better not use it! :-))

[Tax-chick]

The wild lives of actors ... nothing changes.

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Charles James Mathews’ Wikipedia page isn’t as judgy as George is.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_James_Mathews

[Tax-chick]

Mr. Mathews probably knows Edwin Booth, America’s premiere tragedian, and his handsome but rather unpredictable little brother.

[BroJoeK]

It appears that the shorter vulgar term is actually older, originating with Norse berserkers, when they weren't fighting.
So the longer form came later, perhaps in an effort to gussy up the old girl with a more respectable prefix, and a somewhat different meaning, now surprised, distressed or confused as in romance.

Turns out, the word is not always vulgar.
A village in the Shetland Islands;-)