Augusta County: Samuel Franklin Carson to
Unknown, [undated]
Summary:
Carson writes about his love of music.
Music
Music has charms to soothe the savage breast,
To soften
rocks, and bend the knotted oak [illeg.]
It is difficult for me to do adequate justice to a theme so extensive, or to advance any thing new upon it, since (it is that) all the great poets from Shakespeare down have combined their masterly inte[added: l]lects in extolling its glory, and sung their sweetest [unclear: buys] when animated by its genius; so let us be confined to a few points - a very few, and be careful that our muses do[deleted: se] not likewise incite us to take up our harps to sing of its enhancing spells. For a man never feels more sublime and poet-like than when intoxicated by the voluptuous strains of music; and we who do not wish to deal in [deleted: rhymetrical][added: rythmical] composition had better be on our guard when under its influence, lest from the impulse of the moment some sweet little verses come spontaneously forth.
Oh; music, sphere descending maid,
Friend of pleasure, wisdom's aid.
how [unclear: just]
look there, from singing I can [added: refrain]
scarce
Hush, my [unclear: lyne] I shall not sing again.
Who can properly estimate the effect of music upon the human heart, or the magnitude of the great end for which it was
created. In it there is nothing to incite us
[page 2]
deeds; but on the
other hand it animates those more exalted passions of the heart, creates
glorious sensations, and inspires us
"_____ to noble God like deeds."
Music lulls the fretting babe to sleep
- wakens youthful aspirations - destroys the plethora of the sorrowing
heart - reanimates the christian's zeal - creates mental inspiration -
electrifies the poet's fancy - makes the statesman
more eloquent - the patriot more devoted and arms the warrior with twofold courage to face the battle storm, to
rush undaunted upon his foe shouting "liberty or death," and does a
thousand other things too numerous to mention. To me there is music in
almost everything I admire, to me there is
music in a pretty woman's eye, in her sweet voice, and in her smile,
especially if she is one that I Love.
"Ther's music on the sighing of
a reed,
Ther's music in the gushing of a [unclear: hill],
Ther's music in all things, if man had ears
There earth is but an echo of the spheres."
Then to what shall we
compare a man who has neither taste nor ear for music? I cannot better
express myself upon him, than in the following lines from Shakespeare;-
The man that hath no music in his soul
Is fit for treason, stratagem
& spoils,
The motions of his spirit are as dull as night,
Let no such man be trusted.
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If these lines be true, and those on the other hand who are lovers
of music and are [unclear: rotaries] at her alter are the reverse,
a circumspective observer might think that there were never an honester set of boys on earth than these Erskine
boys; not only honest in their dealings with mankind, but as honest and
industrious fiddlers as you'll find any where. The poet might imagine, that
Old Orpheus, or a shade rather in wandering from Phitoes regions had
accidentally shed a musical spell over these classic hills which our young
"music asters" have caught, or then some vagrant disciple of spells in
wondering over the earth had here seated the mortally contagious mania
musica. It is a wonder that these [unclear:
oaks
] around here have not long since been so charmed as to bow their
majestic heads to congratulate the youthful musicians.
Samuel F. Carson
Steeles
Tavern
Augusta County Virginia
Mr Carson I have examined you production with care,
I pronounce it very good in the main some
sentences rather [illeg.], a few words spelled wrong
Tu
