The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1839-05-18

LITERARY STyLE-A writer in the North Ameri-
can Review, believed TO be Gov. Everett, maintans
that the style Of Washington Irving Is more pure
than that Of any living English or other writer and
worthy TO be compared and estimated with Gold
smith, Steele, and the best OF the English classics
The Edinburgh Review has repeatedly expressed
the same opinions: and they have been recently
called mind says the Evening Star, by the delight
ful articles which Mr. Irving is contributing To the
pages of the Knicke, booker Magazine He has
three four in the number oil that popular periodi
cal for Nav, which serve to show. that The rich
graces of his style spring from exhaustless ioun
Tain. Beautiful as he has always written, a quota.
ton or Two from the articles in question, will show,
that Ae at least can "excel himself" Take the fol-
lowing picture Of the American Boblink, which is
contained in his Birds Of Spring." which will be
found in our columns to-day. Il succeeds equally
charming description Of the season at which the bird
arrives:
This is the chosen season OF revelry OF the Bob
link. He comes amidst The pomp and fragrance Of
season his life seems all sensiby and enjoyment,
all song and sunshine. He Is TO be found In the soft
bosoms OF the freshest and sweetest meadows; and
is most in song, when the clover Is in blossom. lie
perchcs the topmo tnig NJ tree or ON some long
Haunting freed, and as he rises and SINKS Nth The
breeze ponrs forth succession Of rich fRkiing notes.
cro,cdng 0ae upon another, like The 0ntp0nring meio
dg of he SKI lark and possessing The same rdpturous
character. Sometimes he pitches from The summit 81 a
tree, begins his song as som as ne gets npon the
sring and fntters TREMENDOUSLY dorn to The eaTth If
opcrtome lcih The enstaey al ms orn music. Some
Times he is in pursuit Of his paramount; always in
iul song, as il he would win her BY his melody and
always with the same appearance Of intoxication and
delight"
his first visit 10 Sleepy Hollow, in company with the
/ renowned Diedrch, whose name the Magazine
bears, he gives us the following and more perfect
| sketch never came from the writer's pen:
1.-THE genius ofihe place seemed TO hail its future
historian. All nature was alive with graduation.
The quail whs,led greeting from the corn-feld;
the robin carolled Of praise from the orchard
the loquacouS ca-bird few from bush to bush, with
restless wing, proclaiming his approach in every
variety Of nole and anon tcouid 1ck about and perk
inquiNtrey into his face, as If 10 gel knowledge If
his Physognomy; the icoodpecker, also, tapped tat
too on The Aoliom appletree, end then pecred knooing
" round The trunk, 10 see Aop the great Diedrieh
tSed his Saiutati0n; srhiLc The ground sgairyei
pered along The fence, and occasionally chisked has
| tail orer has head, By ray Of a hasza!
| The same characteristics are observable In an
other passage. How many modern novrlistS would
have written page after page, TO depict this simple
scene:
"But / have said enough of the good old
times of my youthful days; let me speak Of The Hol-
low as found it, after an absence Of many years,
when il was kindly given me once more to revisit
| the haunts Of my boyhood. It was genial day. as
approached that fated region. The warm sunshine
was tempered by slight haze, so as to give dreamy
effect TO the lar dscape. Not breath of air shook he
foliage. The broad 1appaH Sea toithout a rip
pie, and The soops rih drooping SAILS slept lis
CLASSY boS0m Columns Of Smake fran burning brush
rood hsiiy fran the folds of The hills the OPP
poste side ofthe riuer and so,cy expanded in mdar
The distant 0,cing of c0tc, The noontde cr0iring
coek coming family TO the ear, seemed 10 illustrate
rather than disturb, The drorsy quiet Of the scene"
| Human nature, and domestic scenes are alike
happily placed before us Glance, for instance, at
this picture Of the interior Of Sleepy Hollow Church:
GAS the dominic generally preached by the hour,
bucket OF waller was providenty placed on bench
near the door, in summer, with tin emp beside il,
for the solace Of those who might be alhirst, either
| from the heat of the weather, the drouh Of the
| sermon.
Around the pulpit, and behind the
| vereDd eray-headed ea,hern.vi:aged men, whomI
regarded with awe, as so many apostles. They were
stern in their sanctty, kept vgant eye upon my
eggling companions and myself, and shock rebuk-
ing finger atany boyish device to relieve the tedious
ness of compulsory devotion. Vain, however were
all their efforts at vigilance. Scarcely had the
preacher held forth for half an hour, 10 one Of his
inermnable sermons, than il seemed as u The
drowsy influence of Sleepy Hollow breabed inoahe
| place: one by one the congregation sank into SUM
! Der; the sancfed elders leaned blck in their peMs,
spreading their handkerchiefs their faces as VI
to keep off the flies; while the locusts in the neigh
boring trees would spin out their sullry summer
notes, vieing with the sleep provoking tones oil the
dominic" .....
With such model in prose, as Irving, and in
poetry as Halleck, we look to the influence OF the
Knckerbocker as most salutary upon our literature
--------------------
|