Edgar Allan Poe: The Complete Collection

by Edgar Allan Poe

The heathen poets are mentioned three times in the New Testament. Aratus in the seventeenth chapter of Acts—Menander in the fifteenth chapter of I Corinthians—also Epimenides.

The proverb, “Evil communications corrupt good manners,” which is found in Corinthians, is a quotation, intended as such, from Euripides.

Constantine Koliades wrote a book to prove that Homer and Ulysses were one and the same-but Joshua Barnes attributes the authorship of the Iliad to Solomon.

The usual derivation of the word Metaphysics is not to be sustained. Meta physicam is tortured into meaning super physicam, and the

science is supposed to take its name from its superiority to physics. The truth is, that Aristotle’s treatise on Morals is next in succession to his Book of Physics, and this order he considers the rational order of study. His Ethics consequently commence with the words Μετα τα φυσικα, &c. from which the word Metaphysics.

Voltaire betrays, on many occasions, an almost incredible ignorance of antiquity and its affairs. One of his saddest blunders is that of assigning the Canary Islands to the Roman empire.

In a government like our own, in which all power resides in the people, and where those who govern and legislate, do so by the will and permission of their constituents, it will ever be found that the representatives of the people not only maintain the political principles, but likewise personate the moral character of the majority they represent.

Show me a profligate and intemperate representative, and I will guide you to a licentious and drunken community.

A CHAPTER ON SCIENCE AND ART.

Poe was very interested in scientific and technological advances of his day.

Trench’s Paper Mill.—This is, perhaps, the most astonishing machine ever invented.

This statement is nothing better than downright nonsense. It has been more than once demonstrated, a priori, that the control of a balloon in the manner here described is impossible.

SCHOOL-DAYS. SINCE the sad experience of my school-boy days to this present writing, I have seen little

to sustain the notion held by some folks, that school boys are the happiest of all mortals.

READING. “Reading,” says Tessian, in his letters to the prince of Sweden, “is of universal advantage. In perusing the writings of sensible men, we

have frequent opportunities of examining our own hearts, and, by that means, of attaining a more certain knowledge of ourselvess, for we find that we are more sensibly touched with incidents, or reflections, of a certain nature; and on the contrary, that we pass over others without the least emotion.”

The infirmity of falsifying our age is at least as old as the times of Cicero, who, hearing one of his contemporaries. attempting to make out that he was ten years younger than he really

was, very drily remarked, “Then, at the time you and I were at school together, you were not born.”

THE GOODS OF LIFE. Speaking of these, Sir William Temple says:—“The greatest pleasure of life is love—the greatest treasure is contentment—the greatest possession is health—the greatest ease is sleep, and the greatest medicine is a true friend.”

Bells were first brought into use by St. Paulinus, bishop of Nola, anno 409—famous

It is not now, however, my desire to discuss this erudite and prolific theme, but simply and graphically to entertain and instruct unlearned readers with an account of the progress of improvement in a useful appendage to their personal comfort and convenience.

is a great mistake to imagine that the pursuit of learning is injurious to health. We see that studious men live as long as persons of any other profession.

”DO HIS BUSINESS.” That is to kill him. This metaphorical expression is older than many people suppose; for Juvenal, among the dangers of the town, mentions foot-pads, who, he says—“Interdum, et ferro subitus grassatur, agit rem.”

CHRISTIAN ERA. The venerable Bede, the English historian, who published his ecclesiastical history in the year 731, is the most ancient author whom we find using the modern date, Anno Domini.

The custom of beginning the year on the first of January, commenced in France in the year 1564.

AUTHORS. The author of a good work should beware of three things—title, dedication, and preface. Others should take care of a fourth, which is—writing at all.

It shall be the first and chief purpose of the Magazine now proposed, to become known as one where may be found, at all times, and upon all subjects, an honest and a fearless opinion.

In 1825 went to the Jefferson University at Charlottesville, Va., where for 3 years I led a very dissipated life—the college at that period being shamefully dissolute.

came home greatly in debt. Mr. A. refused to pay some of the debts of honor, and I ran away from home without a dollar on

a quixotic expedition to join the Greeks, then struggling for liberty. Failed in reaching Greece, but made my w...

The army does not suit a poor man—so I left W. Point abruptly, and threw myself upon literature as a resource.

H. T. Tuckerman

He is a correct writer so far as mere English is concerned, but an insufferably tedious and dull one.

Ralph Waldo Emerson belongs to a class of gentlemen with whom we have no patience whatever—the mystics for mysticism’s sake.

The late movements on the great question of International Copy-Right, are but an index of the universal disgust excited by what is quaintly termed the cheap literature of the day:—as if that which is utterly worthless in itself, can be cheap at any price under the sun.

It will endeavor to be at the same time more varied and more unique;—more vigorous, more pungent, more original, more individual, and more independent. It

For, in fact, I must deal chiefly in gossip—in gossip, whose empire is unlimited, whose influence is universal, whose devotees are legion:—in gossip which is the true safety-valve of society—engrossing at least seven-eights of the whole waking existence of Mankind.

Philosophical Views of gossip.

Talking of “expresses”—the “Balloon-Hoax” made a far more intense sensation than anything of that character since the “Moon-Story” of Locke.

In Saturday’s regular issue, it was stated that the news had been just received, and that an “Extra” was then in preparation, which would be ready at ten. It was not delivered, however, until nearly noon. In the meantime I never witnessed more intense excitement to get possession

of a paper. As soon as the few first copies made their way into the streets, they were bought up, at almost any price, from the news-boys,

To declare a thing immoral, and therefore inexpedient, at all times, is one thing—to declare it immoral on Sunday, and therefore to forbid it on that particular day, is quite another.

In particularizing Sunday, we legislate for the protection and convenience of a sect;

and although this sect are the majority, this fact can by no means justify the violation of a great principle—the perfect freedom of conscience—t...

The Gothamites, not yet having made sufficient fools of themselves in their fete-ing and festival-ing of Dickens, are already on the qui vive to receive Bulwer in a similar manner.

Dickens is a man of far higher genius than Bulwer. Bulwer is thoughtful, analytic, industrious, artistical; and therefore will write the better book upon the whole; but Dickens, at times, rises to an unpremeditated elevation altogether beyond the flight—beyond the ability—perhaps even beyond the appreciation, of his cotemporary.

I myself did not see the contest; feeling little interest in feats of merely physical strength, or agility, when performed by rational beings. The speed of a horse is sublime—that of a man absurd. I always find myself fancying how very readily he could be beaten by an ass.

Funny

The success of the hoax is usually attributed to its correctness, and the consequent difficulty of detecting a flaw. But we rather think it attributable to the circumstance of this hoax being first in the field, or nearly so. It took the people by surprize, and there was no good reason (apart from internal evidence) for disbelief.

The ‘Moon-Hoax,’ we say, was full of philosophical blunders; and these were pointed out distinctly by Mr. Poe, in the Southern Literary Messenger, at the time of the jeu d’esprit’s appearance.

That the public were misled by it, even for an instant, merely proves the prevalent ignorance of Astronomy.

a Brooklynite “villa.” In point of downright quiet—of absolute atrocity—such sin, I mean, as would consign a man, inevitably, to the regions of Pluto—I really can see little difference between the putting up such a house as this, and blowing up a House of Parliament, or cutting the throat of one’s grandfather.

than which a more ingenious contrivance for driving men mad through sheer noise, was undoubtedly never invented.