I do not mean to be disrespectful, but the attempt of the Lords
to stop the progress of reform, reminds me very forcibly of the
great storm of Sidmouth, and of the conduct of the excellent Mrs.
Partington on that occasion. In the winter of 1824, there set in
a great flood upon that town--the tide rose to an incredible
height: the waves rushed in upon the houses, and everything was
threatened with destruction. In the midst of this sublime and
terrible storm, Dame Partington, who lived upon the beach, was
seen at the door of her house with mop and pattens, trundling her
mop, squeezing out the sea water, and vigorously pushing away the
Atlantic Ocean. The Atlantic was roused. Mrs. Partington's
spirit was up; but I need not tell you that the contest was
unequal. The Atlantic Ocean beat Mrs. Partington. She was
excellent at a slop or a puddle, but she should not have meddled
with a tempest.
Sydney Smith
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'Twould tempt the dying anchorite to eat;
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understanding. SYDNEY SMITH That knuckle-end of England--that land of Calvin, oat-cakes, and
sulphur. SYDNEY SMITH Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that... SYDNEY SMITH It is always right that a man should be able to render a reason for the faith that is within him. SYDNEY SMITH Whatever you are from nature, keep to it; never desert your own line of talent. Be what nature inten... SYDNEY SMITH I have no relish for the country; it is a kind of healthy grave. SYDNEY SMITH My living in Yorkshire was so far out of the way, that it was
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Be what nature intended yo... SYDNEY SMITH No furniture is so charming as books SYDNEY SMITH Marriage resembles a pair of shears, so joined that they cannot be separated; often moving in opposi... SYDNEY SMITH A Curate - there is something which excites compassion in the very name of a Curate!!! SYDNEY SMITH Ah, you flavor everything; you are the vanilla of society SYDNEY SMITH The observances of the church concerning feasts and fasts are tolerably well-kept, since the rich ke... SYDNEY SMITH As the French say, there are three sexes, - men, women, and clergymen SYDNEY SMITH Mankind are always happy for having been happy; so that, if you make them happy now, you make them h... SYDNEY SMITH He (Macaulay) has occasional flashes of silence that make his conversation perfectly delightful SYDNEY SMITH That sign of old age, extolling the past at the expense of the present SYDNEY SMITH In composing, as a general rule, run your pen through every other word you have written; you have no... 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