Newspapers / The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, … / Nov. 8, 1901, edition 1 / Page 3
Part of The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
jrwretiWviiWf * ***?;; <zvr; |The National Period f of American Literature | BY LORENZO SEARS, LIT. D? | Profrmor o American l. 'eraturr in lirowii I nlveraitu. N V.?Washington Irvto&Mjmor ist end Historian. X t ." year which saw tbo United t ? ahs admitted Into the eoui E : ww.aii of nations a child ^ ^ was bora In New York city wl.o should eventually bo o<m ?1 worthy I" sit amnny the mak ers of literature la llu-land. T*li!s luinor 1 id not been accorded to any of 1. s predecessors, however Interest ing til. o!. gical, p )li;;< al or scientific emanations rrom America had liocn to fortrs devoted to such dlscu -in: s. Tin* Irving family, though with u proclivity lor letters, were not descendants of a long line of cultivated ancestors, as was often the case with New l.ng tund authors. Young Washington himself v. as through his school days at 10 and, though a bookish boy, was also a stroller over Manhattan Island with a keen eye for what was going on and a wistful gaze after the sails that tilled awn.v It r lands remote. "The History of New York From the Beginning of the World to the End of the Hutch Dynasty," with its accounts of the unutterable proceedings of Walter the Doubter, the disastrous projects of William the Testy and the olilvalric achievements of Peter the Headstrong, came very near being what the author asserted, " the only authentic history of the times that ever hath been or ever will be written." If history is a reproduction of life, as well as a record of events, no better representation of a former age to Illustrate and ridicule the ongoings of a later one will likely be made by any successor of Diedricb Knickerbocker. For example: "Such was the happy reign of Wouter Van Twiller, celebrated in many a long forgotten song as the real golden age, the rest being nothing but counter feit, copper washed coin. In that delightful period a sweet and holy calm reigned over the whole province. The burgomaster smoked his pipe In peace. 'The substantial solace of his domestic cares, after her daily toils were done, sat soberly at the door with her arms crossed over her apron of snowy white without being intuited by ribald street walkers or vagabond boys, those un lucky urchins who do so Infest our streets, displaying under tl.e roses of youth the thorns and briers of iniquity. Then it was that the lover with ten breeches and damsel with petticoats half a score Indulged in all the endearments of virtuous love without fear and without reproach. Ilapp.v would it have been for New Amsterdam could it always have existed in this state of blissful ignorance and lovely simplicity; but, alas, the days of childhood are too sweet .to last." "The Sketch-Rook of Geoffery Crayon, Gent," is what its title implies, a col lection of short, suggestive outlines ol narration and Incident struck off with the fidelity to nature and certainty of touch which belong to an accomplished artist. A few masterly strokes reveal much more than themselves and inti mate possibilities far beyond the limited range which the author allowed him self. For example, everybody knows how Kip Van Winkle has been expanded toy the dramatization to which Joseph Jefferson has given a masterly interpre tation, and .vet it is a dull Imagination which has not seen the vagabond Itip. liis dog and gun and termagant spouse and what was left of these after a 20 years' nap as clearly portrayed in suggestive lines of Irving. "He looked round for his gun, but in place of the clean, well oiled fowling piece lie found an old firelock lying by him, the barrel Incrusted with rust, the lock falling off and the stock worm eaten. He shook his head, shouldered the rusty gun and turned his steps homeward. He had now entered the skirts of the village. A troop of strange children ran at his heels, hooting after him and pointing at his gray beard. Tlie dogs, too, not one of which he recognized for an old acquaintance, barked at him as he passed. Strange uames were over the doors, strange faces at the windows?everything was strange." This is a jiortrayal to whose realism little can be added by brush or the living picture. It may be supt rbly represented, but it was all there before the ordinary read er, set in simple words, but always the right ones in the right place. "It was with some difficulty that he found the way to his own house, which he approached with silent awe, expecting every moment to hear the shrill voice of Dame Van Winkle. He found the house gone to decay, the roof fallen in, the windows shattered and the doors off the hinges. A half starved dog that looked like a wolf was skulking about it. Hip called him by name, but the cur snarled, showed his teeth and passed on. 'My very dog,' sighed poor Rip, 'has forgotten me!'" This seems simple and easy to do. The reader thinks that it is the very way he himself should have described the old fellow If he had seen him. To test the matter, let the habit of Franklin be imitated. Head the story once more and rewrite it; then Irving. compare revisions. After this the greater achieve ment remains of inventing or, if it was an adaptation of a German legend, of adapting the character to the drowsy atmosphere of the Catskills. The genius which produced this, the "Legend of Sleepy Hollow," and 30 other sketches was instantly recognized in England. Walter Scott's quick appreciation and generous assistance brought the new author into pleasant and prolitable relations with the chief publishers of London, and after Scott, Byron and Murray led there was nothing that did not follow. An American had found his place in the fraternity of letters and without bating a jot of his patriotism or sparing the truth in speaking of English prejudices, established himself for live years in the literary metropolis, where he could best do his ?work and find a market for it. Irving, however, was coming to be a cosmopolite. England did not keep him too long. By 1820 he is in I'aris hobnobbing with Thomas Moore, follow ing up the theaters, catching notes of applause from across the channel, then going back to win an English triumph on English soil in his "Bracebridge llall." No native could linve pictured the life of a country squire more to the ?satisfaction of all England. There was much in it with which the author him self had sympathy, as well as with the people he describes. As if in half apol ?ogy to Americans he says, "I can never forget that this is my fatherland, and yet the circumstances under which 1 have viewed it have been by no means such as were calculated to produce favorable impressions." He then remarks that close observation will often change opinions, hastily formed, of a national ?character which shows its rough side llrst. Special mention is made of the reception accorded to the essay in "The Sketch-Book" on literary feuds be tween England and America and the "generous sympathy in every English bosom toward a solitary individual lifting up his voice in a strange land to vindicate the character of his nation." Tills indeed is the eminence which Irving occupies, higher than that of toeing our first man of letters in the order of time. lie was a peacemaker in An age of misunderstanding, Jealousy and hostility. The ill feeling consequent upon two wars had not wholly subsided. In letters there was independent aspiration on one side, complacent superciliousness and sharp censoriousnesa on the other. In this very year Sydney Smith contemptuously asked, "Who ever reads an American book?" The one man who was nble to reply to the taunt could do it in his "English Writers on America." A few sentences will show the large and generous spirit in which this was done. After observing that impressions of this country had been gained from the worst kind of travelers lie remarks that the prosperity founded upon political liberty afnd the general diffusion of knowledge cannot be overlooked; that it is of more consequence to England than to us ttiat justice be done and resentment allay ed; that, "possessing the fountain head whence the literature of the language flows, it is in her power to make it the medium of amiable and magnanimous feeling, a stream where the two nations might meet together and drink in peace and kindness." And to Americans lie said; "Let it be the pride of our writers, discarding ail feelings of irritation, and disdaining to retaliate the llliberality of British authors, to speak of the English nation without preju dice and with determined candor. While they rebuke the indisicriminating bigotry witli which some of our countrymen admire and imitate everything English because it is English, let them frankly point out what is really worthy of approbation." The entire essay shows Irving in the character of a broad minded, fearless daysman between the two countries in n sphere more impor tant than diplomacy. "The mere contrstk of the sword," he says, "are tem porary, hut the slanders of the pen pierce to the heart. They rankle longest in the nobhst spirit: they dwell ever present in the mind. Trace hostilities to 'their cause and they will lie found (o originate in the mischievous effusions of mercenary writers who concoct and circulate the venom that is to inflame the Kcnerous and the brave." Of Irvlng's later and more pretentious labors a corresponding amount might be said. They were the result of a wish, that came with advancing years, to do more monumental work. After the "Talcs of a Traveller" had been thrown off as in his opinion the climax of his lighter diversions, for writing was no task when the mood seised him, lie then entered uikui the most prolific period of his en reel at the age of -Hi. The year 1S_'<; found him nt Mad rid to begin ills "Life of Columbus." This occupied two pleasant years and was succeeded by the "Companions" and this by the "Conquest of Granada" and "The Alhnmbra" before 1SG2, when lie returned to America after a 17 years" residence in Kurope. These lurgi r achievements brought him academic honors from Oxford and the medal of the Loyal Society of Literature, with uo end of applause abroad and at In irte. Then, after ten years of light writing about this and that, tours, recollections, legends ami biographies, caine the "crowning honor of his life" in the mission to Spain, to be signalised by bis crowning work, the "Life of Washington." With the last volume of tbia he nmy lie said to have ended bis days at the Sunny*ide retreat on the batiks of the river be loved and whoso bordeis he had peopled with legendary beings recalled from the shadowy and dreamy years of the old Dutch dyuasty. [Copyright, 1900.] TO CELEBRATE AT ROANGKE. Governor Aycock's Eloquent Address in Seconding the Move. The Anniversary ot Sir Walter Ral eigh's Attempted Settlement to be Observed bv the State Historical Association. . At the meeting of tin- State Literary and Historical Associa tion held in Raleigh, Octolier 'J'J, Maj. (iraliatn Daves,of New Hern, proposed that the Association observe the lundingof Sir Walter Raleigh's colony at Roanoke Is land by holding a nieetiug there next year, (lovernor Aycock, our Educational tiovernor, seconded the move in the following able address: '"I rise for the purpose of second ing the motion of my friend, Major lira hit m Daves. The mo tion is not made too soon; indeed we have neglected this important duty until it becomes almost a I source of humiliation to us to make it. The event which wej propose to celebrate is one of im- j portance. The colonizing of the) province of North Carolina was one of great significance, and al though the first attempts to set-) tie this State proved unsuccess ful they laid the foundations for | the later settlement which meant so much to theworld. Wherever the Anglo-Saxon sets his foot he becomes a permanency. He loves acre and will not for any con sideration yield them to another. Where he has once become f stab lished he is a fixture and he car ries with him the infinite love of home and out of that grows a respect for government and the power of self-restraint which makes government a possibility i and a success. "He nas conquered theearth by his love of hoine and has found success in curbing his own desires and passions. The leader of the great movement for the coloniza- j tion of the new land may well be declared to beSir WalterItaleigh A soldier, a scholar, a statesman, a navigator, a discoverer, and admiral, he was, taken all in all, j a most remarkable man and his death endears him to us as one who suffered much for the great things which he had done. We can say of him with Fitz Green Halleck, of Marco Bozzaris, '"We tell of thy doom without a siffb, For thou art Freedom's now, and Fame's. One of the few, the immortal names. That were not born to die.' "Still if his fame had been de pendent upon North Carolina people he would only have been remembered by theuamingof our capital city for him. "In studying his illustrious ca reer with a view to seconding this action I had occasion to seek in- J formation and 1 naturally sought j it in our State Library, but I! could not hud a history of the man who had settled our State, i I am a trustee of the State Li- j brary and 1 confess a sense of shame to be compelled to admit that we have in it no life of this good, great and illustrious man.; I promise you that the study of! his career shall be rendered easier I in tVld fllfn tin lilt flin m,n,.L....A ? AT ! iii me mime uj tut: jjuiuiioet; ui many books relating to his life. | It is high time that we learned something of him who first colo nized our State and the celebra tion of that colonization on the island where his colony first land-1 ed will in itself teach us something of the great man for whom we have named our city. "In the morning of the twen tieth century, in the dawn of an educational revival, we can do' nothing better than to turn back to our beginnings and study care-1 fully the heroic self-sacritices of those who planted in order that we might reap. Amongthe pion eers there was none so great,! there was none so good, as Sir Walter Kaleigh, and if we could learn from his life and his death the lessons which they teach us we would have the greatest State in the world. On the night be fore he was to have been executed he wrote a letter to his wife from which it is not inappropriate that1 I should quote. 'I can 110 more,' he said, 'time and death call me away. The everlasting, power ful, infinite and omnipotent God, who is goodness itself, the true life and true light, keep thee and thine, have mercy 011 me, and teach me to forgive my persecu- j tors and accusers and send us to meet in his glorious kingdom.' In this spirit he lived, in this spirit j he wrought, in this spirit he died ! and I can but think while we have forgotten the man we hnve re membered his teachings, and that the uprightness and virtue of our j people, tlieir confidence and hope' iii God have found a strength and support iu the life ol this admir able man. Let us. therefore, with united purpose celebrate the set tli ig of this i oloiiv. Let us pub lish to the world our admiration for the man who <lid so much for us. Let us declare to tin- earth that we appr ? -iute his work and that we glory in his noblelifeand in his unjust dea'h. In do ngthis thing we are but publishing our selves in line with the new educa tional zeal of the State. Those of us who have passed out of the schools and can never more at tend them will show to the child ren of the S ate that ihe history of great men is to us stili an in spiration and is a subject worthy of t heir study and appropriation. 1 earnestly, as the Governor of the State, speaking w ith the au thority of ihe people of North Carolina, second the motion for the celebration on Roanoke Is land of the landing of the first colony of the province of North Carolina. The event ought to be made one of great mgnincHJice, of far reaching results. It ought to show to the world that a pure, unmixed Anglo-Saxon people are not onl.v capable of self-govern ment, but have long memories and a gratitude which extends through centuries, for no people who are ungrateful can ever be truly great. 1 promise you, la dies and gentlemen, that no power of the State which can properly be exercised shall be wanting to make the event which you pro pose to celebrate a noble and irn posing one, and 1 am proud of the opportunity of thus identify ing myself and iny administra tion with the movement which you have inaugurated. In con junction with your establishing of rural libraries this event gives you the right to the gratitude of all North Carolinians and par ticularly to the gratitude of him who would prefer to be known as one who favors the education of all the people of the State than to have any other honor which in any event might come to hint." Booker Washington's School. The 19th annual report of the Tuskegee institute for the year ending with May shows an at tendance of 125M students. The average age is 18% and none under 14 years have been admit ted. Twenty-nine states are represented and six foreign coun tries, including Cuba and l'orto Rico, which furnish 14 students. Besides the regular students there is a training school of 1(>0, and a night school, which has an attendance of 88. An afternoon cooking class i?-also maintained for women. The total thusj amounts to 1514. In many re spects it has been the most pros perous and encouraging year of the school. The total amount of money received for the school for general purposes was$189,-1 000, of which $112,000 was used for current expenses, and the remainder to meet prior obliga- \ tions. The e >dowment fund now J amounts to $252,000. It now costs annually about $100,000! to operate the institution. Of] this amount about $32,000 can | be counted on certainly from; various sources, leaving approx imately $68,000 additional to be raised each year.?Ex. ECZEMA'S ITCH IS TLTSTURE. Eczema is caused by an acid humor in the blood coming in contact with the ikin and producing great redness and in flammation ; little pustular eruptions form and discharge a thin, sticky fluid, which dries and scales off ; sometimes the skin is hard, dry and fissured. Bczenia in any form is a tormenting, stubborn disease, and the itching and burning at times are almost unbearable; the acid burning humor seems to ooze out and set the skin on fire. Salves, washes nor other exter nal applications do any real good, for as long as the poison remains in the blood it will keep the skin irritated. DAD FORM OF TETTER. r i i uin'c years i had Tetter oti iny hands which caused them to swell to twice their n ituralslze. Fart of the time the disease was in the fo m ? ,f run ning sores, verv pain ful, a nd causing me much discomfort Four doctors said the T' tter had progressed too tar to he cured, ami they could d > not hi i g for me. 1t ""k only three bottles of S. S. S. and was completely cured. This was fifteen years bku, nun a nave nevet since seen any sijtn of mv old trouble." ? MM. L,. B. Jackson, 1414 McGee St., Kansas City, Mo. S. S. S. neutralizes this acid poison, cools the blood and restores it to a healthy, i natural state, and the rough, unhealthy skin becomes soft, smooth and clear. cures Tetter, Ery- i sipelas, Psoriasis, Salt 1 Rheum and all skin diseases due to a pois- j oned condition of the | Diooa. send lor our book and write us i ?bout your case. Our physicians have made these diseases a life study, and can help you by their advice; wc make no charge for this service. Allcorrespondeuca is conducted in strictest confidence. THE SWIFT SPECIFIC CO., ATLANTA. CA. sss MAKE HOME HAPPY. We know nothing you can buy that u uld add more to the happiness of your home than A GOOD ORGAN. We want to sell you one. We keep the ESTKY, a strictly high grade instrument. Headquarters .u Ii F. Smith's Furniture Store. Call and see these Organs. BENSON ORGAN CO., Robert F. Smith. RPXKHN V C Joseph G. Smith. > C. 010 2m. H ardware! Fitz Lee and Wetter Stoves l OIt COOKING AXI) IIKATING. Big stock of Farm Implements, Carpenters' Tools, Builders' Material, Cutlery, Tinware, Crockery, Paints, Sash, Doors, Blinds, &c. always on hand. GOOD STOCK OF GUNS OF THE BEST MAKES. We Have Taken out License to Sell Pistols. COUNTRY MERCHANTS. We are prepared to give you wholesale prices on Nails by the keg, Tinware, Cobblers' Shoe Nails, Axes, S. & W. Cartridges Everybody asked to come and trade with us. Clayton Hardware Company, C. W. CARTER, Owner and Proprietor, D10?tf. CLAYTON, N. C. "herald and home and farmT ONE YEAR EOR $1.25. NEW FALL GOODS. My new stock of Dry Goods, Notions, Millinery, Cloaks, Capes, Shoes, Hats Caps, Clothing and Gents' Furnishing Goods is now complete and up-to date in each depaitment. IN DRESS GOODS. I have a full line of the latest weaves and colors in dress goods. Also a full line of trimming in silks, velvets, gimps, braids, jets and applique. SHIRT WAIST GOODS, My line of shirt waist goods is ' bang-up." I have a nice line of silks, flannels, all wool Albatross, Percales. 11 in beautiful shades. My Millinery Department is Full and Complete. I have put in a full stock of ihe latest shapes and colors for fall and winter. Also full line of CAPS for misses and chil dren. Ladies wishing anything in this department will find Miss Beckwith at her jost ready and willing to serve them in a strictly up-to-date style. SHOES, SHOES. % + .V SHOES. SHOES. .V I carry a full line of Zeigler Bros ' fin shoes for ladies, misses and child en, the best shoes made for wear. Every pair war ranted. I also carry a full stock of other makes of fine shoes for men, ladies, misses and children, which are first quality and you can buy them very cheap. CLOTHING! CLOTHING! I have put in a full stock of clothing of newest make-up styles in all sizes for men, youths and children. Prices from $1 to $12.50 per suit. Also a nice line of PA NTS from $ 2 to $5. Aso 1 have a good line of FINE 11 ATS, all colors, and a good line of GENTS' FURNISHING GOODS. Don't buy your sroods until you get my prices, as I am sure that I can save you money, as I discount all of my bills and will give my customers the benefit of it. YA/. G. Yelvington, SMITHFIELD, N. G. FARMERS Can Save Money BY BUYING MONEY-SAVING TOOLS. 11/_ _i to send catalogues of each Is 6 Wall I of the following to every ? Farmer in the State. WRITE A POSTAL CARD FOK ONE: The CORN CROP can be doubled by using a HIISKKK and SHREDDER. It husks the corn and delivers Into wagon or crib and shreds or cuts the stalk and fodder at the same time into splendid feed and delivers it into barn or stack. PEED MILLS, which grind corn and cob or shelied grain into meal. HAM) or POWER FEED CCTTEHS, with travelling feed table. HORSE POWERS with FEEI> MILLS attached, and for running Feed Cut ters, Wood Saws, etc. FANNING MILLS for grain and seed. GRAIN DRILLS, both disc and hoe. Hogtries, Carriages, Wagons and Har ness, from the finest to the humblest. We have the largest stock in the South. SORGIIl'M MILLS and Evaporator*. W IRE FENCING of all kinds. The best and cheapest and will last a lifetime. Wood rateut SWING CHCRNS by far the best. hum) yok catai,ooi;ks of any of ti. ?vk. THE IMPLEMENT COMPmNY 1302 1304 East Main Street, : : i RICHMOND. VIRGINIA
The Smithfield Herald (Smithfield, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
Nov. 8, 1901, edition 1
3
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75