Study Club. Conducted by Stanley Schell. Authors of the Nineteenth Century. A SERIES OF CRITICAL STUDIES OF THE WRITERS AND THEIR Copyright, 1899, by Stanley Schell. No. 1.-WASHINGTON IRVING. LAYING THE FOUNDATION OF AMERICAN LITERATURE: On the 28th of October, 1636, not quite sixteen years after the landing of the first Pilgrims at Plymouth, the general court at Boston voted £400 toward a school or college, -thus laying the foundation of American literature. Two years later, John Harvard, an English clergyman of superior education, who had been scarcely a year in the colony, gave £800 and 320 volumes in aid of this "school or college." Thus began Harvard College, at Cambridge, Massachusetts. Around this venerable institution and its colaborers, William and Mary (1693), Yale (1701), the College of New Jersey, now Princeton (1746), and King's, now Columbia College (1754), cluster the names of the creators of American literature. THE KIND OF LITERATURE PRIOR TO 1810: A glance over the field of American literature prior to 1810, shows mainly theological and political writings-the outgrowth of the great questions of church and state to which the settlement of the colonies and the trouble with the mother country gave rise. The first books produced in the colonies were written by Englishmen, and according to English style, and while they are valuable and interesting contributions to history, they are for the most part of little importance when regarded as literature. Entering the Eighteenth Century we meet Benjamin Franklin who left to American literature the wisdom of an honest and a great mind. To the end of the century, the writers succeeding him, wrote chiefly on political subjects. Thus, in a rapid survey, we find comparatively few attempts in this country up to the beginning of the present century to cultivate literature for its own sake and little attention paid to artistic style and finish. Between the theologians and the statesmen were the poets, the essayists and the romancers. These, however, occupied a comparatively subordinate place, for here, as in general, we must estimate the value of a literature, not so much by the character of the subjects with which it deals, as by the power of mind it evinces in dealing with them. I. Washington Irving, the Founder of American Literature. His Personality and Work, with Selections. With the opening of the Nineteenth Century appeared the real founder of American literature-Washington Irving, the first American man of letters to gain distinction abroad as well as at home. All American writers preceding him were mere imitators of the style of the mother country. Irving's style was, at first, to some extent influenced by the English literature of the Eighteenth Century, for his gentle satires on society and discourses upon topics of the time, contributed to The New York Morning Chronicle and to Salmagundi have quite the Addisonian flavor. But he soon developed an independent style. In "Diedrich Knickerbocker's History of New York,"Irving was the first to employ that kind of humorous exaggeration which has been so much abused by later American writers. In his delightful "Sketch Book " he portrays character scenes, whether American or English, with equal appreciation and with the same felicitous charm. Here appear some of his most famous creations-Rip Van Winkle, Ichabod Crane, Katrina Van Tassel. A three year's sojourn in Spain afforded materials for an interesting "Life of Columbus" and for other charming books. Irving loved literature for its own sake, and not as a means to the attainment of some social, moral, or political end; and this trait also differentiates him very sharply from his predecessors. When he began to write the field of letters was unoccupied. His position in American literature is thus unique, and will always remain so. Among his later publications are a brief but admirable "Life of Goldsmith," and the "Life of Washington" in five volumes. For this great work, Irving made a long and careful study of original documents, and his picture of the illustrious leader is sympathetic, but without undue partiality. Irving was by nature admirably fitted for a literary career. His writings show the man, with all his characteristic excellences and limitations. His style is the man, simple, unaffected, easy, graceful, and pure. The obvious merits of his writings won for them an appreciation quick, general and permanent. He was the first who raised American literature to a height at which it might find rank with that of other nations. His genius was rather cosmopolitan than national; and, though an American in heart as well as by birth, he was not less a man in hearty sympathy with all men. It is this spirit pervading his writings which has given them a wide, warm, and lasting appreciation. There is in his writings a spirit larger than art and higher than genius, which wins not so much admiration as love, such as the author in his own person would win. It is his own simple spirit of truth and love, animating a fit and characteristic literary form. In this series representative writers of the nineteenth century in Europe and America, will be considered. In choosing names, it is, of course, to be understood that no editorial judgment is presumed as to general literary rank. The literary and other qualities particularly adapted to the field of WERNER'S MAGAZINE are the sole criteria. The following authors, whose life and works have already been presented in the magazine, will, of course, not be considered again: Sir Walter Scott (in the issue of July, 1899), Oliver Wendell Holmes (August, 1899), and Rudyard Kipling (October, 1899). A CRITICAL STUDY OF IRVING'S WORKS. 1. WIT: "Letter from Mustapha Ruba-dub Keli Khan, to Abdallah Eb'n Al Rahab, Surnamed the Snorer, Military Sentinel at the Gate of His Highness' Palace," from Salmagundi. [See page 243 of this issue.] 2. HUMOR: " 'Antony Van Corlear," from "History of New York," by Diedrich Knickerbocker. [See page 244 of this issue.] 3. ROMANCE: "The Triumph of the Christians," from "The Conquest of Granada." [See page 245 of this issue ] SELECTIONS FROM IRVING'S WORKS. i. LETTER FROM MUSTAPHA RUB-A-DUBKELI KHAN TO ABDALLAH ED'N AL RAHAB. [See Recitation and Declamation Department of this issue.] II. ANTONY Van Corlear, THE TRUMPETER. "Now it came to pass, that about this time there lived in the Manhattoes a jolly, robustious trumpeter, named Antony Van Corlear, famous for his long wind; and who, as the story goes, could twang so potently upon his instrument, that the effect upon all within hearing was like that ascribed to the Scotch bagpipe when it sings right lustily i' the nose. "This sounder of brass was, moreover, a lusty bachelor, with a pleasant, burly visage, a long nose, and huge whiskers. He had his little bowerie, or retreat in the country, where he led a roystering life, giving dances to the wives and daughters of the burghers of the Manhattoes, insomuch that he became a prodigious favorite with all women, young and old. He is said to have been the first to collect that famous toll levied on the fair sex at 'Kissing Bridge,' on the highway of Hellgate. "Tothis sturdy bachelor the eyes of all the women were turned in this time of darkness and peril, as the very man to second and carry out the plans of defense of the governor. A kind of petticoat council was forthwith held at the government house, at which the governor's lady presided; and this lady being all potent with the governor, the result of these councils was the elevation of Antony the Trumpeter to the post of commandant of wind mills and champion of New Amsterdam. "The city being thus fortified and garrisoned, it would have done one's heart good to see the governor snapping his fingers and fidgeting with delight, as the trumpeter strutted up and down the ramparts twanging defiance to the whole Yankee race. In the hands of Antony Van Corlear, this windy instrument appeared as potent as the horn of the paladin Astolpho, or even the more classic horn of Alecto; nay, he had almost the temerity to compare it with the rams' horns celebrated in Holy Writ, at the very sound of which the walls of Jericho fell down. "Be all this as it may, the apprehensions of hostilities from the east gradually died away. The Yankees made no further invasion; nay, they declared they had only taken possession of Fort Goed Hoop as being erected within their territories. So far from manifesting hostility, they continued to throng to New Amsterdam with the most innocent countenances imaginable, filling the market with their notions, being as ready to trade with the Nederlanders as ever-and not a whit more prone to get to the windward of them in a bargain. "The old wives of the Manhattoes who took tea with the governor's lady, attributed all this affected moderation to the awe inspired by the military preparations of the governor. and the windy prowess of Antony the Trumpeter. There were not wanting illiberal minds, however, who sneered at the governor for thinking to defend his city as he governed it, by mere wind; but William Kieft was not to be jeered out of his windmills-he had seen them perched upon the ramparts of his native city of Saardam, and was persuaded they were connected with the great science of defense; nay, so much piqued was he by having them made a matter of ridicule, that he introduced them into the arms of the city, where they remain to this day, quartered with the ancient bearer of the Manhattoes, an emblem and memento of his policy."—"History of New York," by Diedrich Knickerbocker. Chap. iv. III. THE TRIUMPH OF THE CHRISTIANS. The Christians were alarmed one evening by the sudden blazing of great fires on the mountains about the fortress of Bentomiz. By the ruddy light, they beheld the flash of weapons and the array of troops, and they heard the distant sounds of Moorish drums and trumpets. The shouts of "El Zagal! El Zagal!" echoed along the cliffs and resounded from the city; and the Christians found that the old warrior-king of Granada was on the mountain above their camp. "The spirits of the Moors were suddenly raised to a pitch of the greatest exultation, while the Christians were astonished to see this storm of war ready to burst upon their heads. . . . All night the signal-fires kept blazing along the mountains, rousing and animating the whole country. The morning sun rose over the lofty summit of Bentomiz on a scene of martial splendor. As its rays glanced down the mountain, they lighted up the white tents of the Christian cavaliers, cresting its lower prominences, their pennons and ensigns fluttering in the morning breeze. The sumptuous pavilions of King Ferdinand, with the holy standard of the cross and the royal banners of Castile and Arragon, dominated the encampment. yond lay the city, its lofty castles and numerous towers glistening with arms; while above all, and just on the profile of the height, were descried the tents of the Moor, his troops clustering about them, and his infidel banners floating against the sky... Be "One of the first measures of the Moorish king was to detach a large force, under Reduan de Vanegas, Alcayde of Granada, to fall upon the convoy of ordnance, which stretched for a great distance through the mountain defiles. Ferdinand had anticipated this attempt, and sent the commander of Leon, with a body of horse and foot to reinforce the master of Alcantara. El Zagal, from his mountain height, beheld the detachment issue from the camp, and immediately recalled the Reduan. The armies now remained quiet for a time, the Moor looking grimly down upon the Christian camp, like a tiger meditating a bound upon his prey. The Christians were in fearful jeopardy-a hostile city below them, a powerful army above them, and on every side mountains filled with implacable foes. “El Zagal had conceived a plan to surprise the enemy, which he flattered himself would insure their ruin and perhaps the capture of King Ferdinand. He wrote a letter to the Alcayde of the city, commanding him, in the dead of the night, on a signal-fire being made from the mountain, to sally forth with all his troops, and fall furiously upon the Christian camp. The king would, at the same time, rush down with his army from the mountain, and assail it on the opposite side; thus overwhelming it, at the hour of deep repose. This letter he dispatched by a renegade Christian, who knew all the secret roads of the country, and, if taken, could pass himself for a Christian who had escaped captivity. "As the sun went down, and the long shadows of the mountains stretched across the vega, El Zagal pointed with exultation to to the camp below. Behold,' said he, the unbelievers are delivered into our hands. Now is the time to show the courage of men, and, by one glorious victory, retrieve all that we have lost. Happy he who falls fighting in the cause of the Prophet! he will at once be transported to the paradise of the faithful, and surrounded by immortal houris.' The words of El Zagal were received with acclamations by the troops.. "The camp-fires of the Christians were gradually extinguished. No drum nor trumpet sounded. Nothing was heard, but now and then the dull, heavy tread of troops, or the echoing tramp of horses-the usual patrols of the camp, and the changes of the guards. El Zagal restrained his own impatience, and that of his troops, until the night should be advanced, and the camp sunk in that heavy sleep from which men are with difficulty awakened; and, when awakened, prone to be bewildered and dismayed. "At length, by order of the Moorish king, a bright flame sprang up from the height of Bentomiz; but El Zagal looked in vain for the responding light from the city. His impatience would brook no longer delay, he ordered the advance of the army to descend the mountain defile and attack the camp. The defile was narrow, and overhung by rocks; as the troops proceeded, the came suddenly, in a shadowy hollow, upon a dark mass of warriors, who, with a loud shout, rushed to assail them. Surprised and dis concerted, they retreated in confusion. When El Zagal heard of a Christain force in the defile, he doubted some counterplan of the enemy, and gave orders to light the mountain fires. On a signal given, bright flames sprang up on every height, from pyres of wood, prepared for the purpose; cliff blazed out after cliff, until the whole atmosphere was in a glow of furnace light. The ruddy glare lit up the glens and passes, and fell strongly upon the Christian camp, revealing all its tents and every post and bulwark. Wherever El Zagal turned his eyes, he beheld the light of his fires flashed back from cuirass, and helm, and sparkling lance; he beheld a grove of spears planted in every pass, every assailable point bristling with arms, and squadrons of horse and foot in battle array, awaiting his attack. "In fact, his letter to the Alcayde of Velez Malaga had been intercepted by the vigilant Ferdinand, the renegade messenger hanged, and secret measures taken, after nightfall, to give the Moors a warm reception. El Zagal, furious with disappointment, ordered his troops forward to the attack. They rushed down the defile, but were again encountered by the mass of Christian warriors, and again repulsed. A sharp action was kept up through the night. The cliffs echoed with deafening uproar, while the fires blazing upon the mountains threw a lurid and uncertain light upon the scene. "When day dawned, and the Moors saw that there was no cooperation from the city, they slackened in their ardor; they beheld also every pass of the mountain filled with Christian troops, and began to apprehend an assault in return. Just then King Ferdinand sent the Marquis of Cadiz, with horse and foot, to seize upon a height occupied by a battalion of the enemy. The Marquis assailed the Moors with his usual intrepidity, and soon put them to flight. The others, who were above, seeing their comrades fly, threw down their arms, and retreated. One of those unaccountable panics, which now and then seize upon great bodies of people, and to which the lightspirited Moors were prone, now spread throughout the camp. They were terrified, they knew not why, nor at what, and throwing away everything that could impede their motions, scattered themselves wildly in every direction. . . . In vain did El Zagal and his knights attempt to rally them; they were left almost alone, and had to consult their own security by flight. When the tidings of this rout and of the safety of the Christian army, arrived at Cordova the city went into transports of joy and gratitude. Solemn processions were made and te deums chanted in the churches, for so sig nal a victory."-"The Conquest of Granada," Chap's xvIII. and xix. IV. ADVENTURES OF THE PARTY OF TEN. "The detachment of ten, when they separated from Captain Bonneville at the place where the furs were embarked, proceeded to the foot of the Bighorn Mountain, and having encamped, one of them mounted his mule and went out to set his trap in a neighboring stream. He had not proceeded far when his steed came to a full stop. The trapper kicked and cudgeled, but the mule refused to budge. The rider now cast his eyes warily around in search of some cause for this demur, when, to his dismay, he discovered an Indian fort within gunshot distance, lowering through the twilight. In a twinkling he wheeled about, and in a few moments was among his comrades. He was jeered at for his alacrity in retreating; his report was treated as a false alarm; his brother trappers contented themselves with reconnoitering the fort at a distance, and pronounced it deserted. "As night set in the usual precautions were observed. The horses were brought in and tied, and a guard stationed over them. This done, the men wrapped themselves in their blankets, stretched themselves before the fire, and were soon in profound sleep. "The camp fires gradually died away; all was dark and silent; the sentinel stationed to watch the horses began to nod at his post. After a time, a low tramping noise reached his ear. He half opened his closing eyes, and beheld two or three elk moving about the lodges, picking and smelling and grazing here and there. The sight of elk within the purlieus of the camp caused some little surprise, but, having had his supper, he cared not for elk meat, and, suffering them to graze about unmolested, soon relapsed into a doze. "Suddenly, before daybreak, a discharge of firearms, and a struggle and tramp of horses, made every one start to his feet. The first move was to secure the horses. Some were gone; others were struggling and kicking and trembling, for there was a horrible uproar of whoops and yells and firearms. Several trappers stole quietly from the camp, and succeeded in driving in the horses which had broken away; the rest were tethered still more strongly. A breastwork was thrown up of saddles, baggage, and camp furniture, and all hands waited anxiously for daylight. The Indians, in the meantime, collected on a neighboring height, kept up the most horrible clamor. |