The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-06-27

ING NM - hos tno 49, Inc wedding kneiP ~
i su.sS only X Y . s1tso sh !. SON: z. Is other
perhaps is the most regular Of m Mr. H.xhone
the appearance OF :" The Scarlet Letter /"
three years ago. II has the honor Of being Thrice.
Told Tale" - in January, 1889, it was pubhshed
gends Of the Province House" are admirable, and
should have been continued. One great character
stc Of the writings Of Mr. Hawthorne IS the interest
which they display In provincial Life, IN matters re-
latiDg to the old colonial times. He has thrown
grace about that period Of our history that has abso
lutely made 1t romantic, investing Il with sort Of
dreaminess that one would hardly suppose possible
tans Most Of his earlier tales have their times and
scenes in Massachusetts previous to the revelation
or in some other part Of the North American colo.
MES Of England: have always supposed that he
the american Monthly Magaz,ns in 1885, entitled
Gan Octogenary Fifty Years Since, for they are not
only worthy Of him In all respects, but he was con
tributor to that periodical cal and they have many
They were preceded by, paper entitled "Old
Houses" which appeared in the Monthly in Oc-
tober 1887 and athe series is well worth any mans
reading.
In 1916 appeared the second Of Mr. Hawthorne's
works, "Mosses from an Old Manse.n It formed
parts II and Is Of Wiley & Putnam's Library Of
American Books, and like his previous volumes, it
Of the first part-"The Old Manse''- entirely OF
reprints. The name of the book was derived from
the fact that most of its contents written while
Mr.. Hawthorne was residing in the parsonage house
which the Scotch call q Manse-of the late Or.
Ripley who for more than half q century had been
settled the principal church at Concord Mass.
OF the twenty-three pieces In these volumes, about
some for the Boston Miscellany, . shOrtlived
literary monthly; one, "Drownes Wooden Image
for Grahams Magazine, and the remainder, with
the exception Of the first, were old tales produced
Iofo kIns~ Iod a. hat
however mossgrown, they are not exactly Moses
from an Old Manse. Among the best Of these old
acquaintance is Monsieur du Mrroir," which vas
published in the Token, and which is inferior to
very few of its authors productions. C0nsidded
as whole, the Moses" are not 80 good az "The
Twice-Told Tales" though there are some Of their
number which are quite equal both in con
eS1 sna N sDeov The the Christmas
quet" and =" Egotism," and next to then,
and perhaps quite their equals, are Young
Goodman Brown" and !" The Celestial Railroad"
!" New Adam and Eve" which feminine readers
especially admire. 90 The Hall Of Fantasy is
well written piece, and will bear repeated readings
/" The Celestial Railroad" would make John Bun
vans hair stand on end were he alive, and not BAH
1t is an adaptation of the pious tinker's idea %
modern things, and shows how immensely progra
sive they have become in the City Of Destruction,
and at Vanity Fair. and all along the line" OF pl
grimage since the days Of Christian and Greatheat.
and Miss Muchafraid. Rsppaccinis Daughter IL
very powerful production but leaves too painful IN
impression on The readers mind 1t appeared in tie
Democratic Rerie,c for December, 1874, and pD-
fessed to be translation from the French Of N. 10
IAubessne, and is preceded by An amusing criticism
on his own writings by the author. As this criticism
has never been Incorporated into any OF Mr.: Haw
thornes collected works perhaps an ex'rac. nom !.
ter" says Mr.. Hawthorne speaking OF himself under
the French form Of his thoroughly English name,
he seems to occupy an unfortunate p0sluon De
.I.r In .,vNNnR ma
name or another, have their, share in Al
the current literature Of the worid-tnd
the great body of pen-and.ink men, who ad-
dress the intellect and sympathies OF ths
multitude. IF not too refined ut all events TOO re
4 mote too shadowy and unsubstantial in his modes OF
developemep to suit the taste of the latter Glass; ant
yet too popular to satisfy the spiritual or metaIny
steal acquisitions of the former, he must necessarily
find himself without an audience, except mere ana
there an individual, or possibly an isolated Clique
His writings, to do them Just ce, are not altogether
destitute OF fancy and originality; they might have
won him greater reputation, but for an inveterat.
love of aegory, which is apt to invest his plots and
characters with the aspect Of scenery and people 10
the clouds, and to steal away the human warmth
out OF his conceptions His fctions are sometimes
historical, sometimes Of the present day. and sone-
times as far as can be discovered have little orno
reference either to time space. In any case ne
generally contents himself with ayery slight en-
broidery of onward manners, the faintest possible
counterfeit Of real life and ende8vors I'd create an "a
terest by less obvious pccuiarty OF the subject
Occasionally breat of nature, randrop Of pathss
and tenderness or gleam OF humor, VIII fnd y,
make ms feel 90 II, after all we were yet within the
limits of our native earth" This is quite fair crit
cieul for man TO make on his own writings. Will
he recollected that Sir Walter Scott once wrote IN
elaborate review of one of his own novels t0r Tie
London Quarterly.
In 1876 Mr. Hawthorne removed from Concord TO
Salem, having, as already stated, been appolned
Surveyor of the mort of Salem and Beverly by Prei
dent Polk Among the political and literary sen
dial of that time it was currently said that the 81
tors Of the Den.oc,atic Reriew could not pay mn
for the many valuable articles which he had ca
trbuted to their publication and so, having intl
ence," they got him the Office above named. G.
lieve it was all scandal, and that the appointmst
came through Mr.. Bancroft, then Secretary Of TO
Navy. Some years before when Collector Of 1H-
ton, that gentleman had conferred the placeof
measurer on Mr.. Hawthorne, which, however he
did not long hold and it is fair inference thathe
gave him the Surveyorshp OF Salem--Or 0btaine it
for biu-f0r the reason that had caused hiI tU
appoint him measurer, namely, admiration of he
genius of a man whom the world was then too to-
pid to appreciate. A more credtable motive oflc-
ton i would be hard to find. 1t must be admied
that the democrats wiser in the matter Of Ter
airy patronage than the wings and some Of teir
statesmen who never read, and who can scarcely
write. often found the best patrons Of liteIry
excellence. No one, presume, is snch an to
suppose that the democrats care one dime nre
for literature than do the wings, but they kDw
that the literary class is quite numerous, tat
its influence Is not to be measured by he
mere number OF its votes, and that every ddar
which it throws into the scholars pocket will tire,
by peculiar alchymical process be converted ITO
golden eagle for its own use. It is simple hs-
ness transaction nothing more nor less; and il is
continued because il pays WELL AS general ruh,
our literary men dcspise democracy, and hate The
democratic party. Among the many scholars aul
writers Of emiuence in Massachusetts, there is hardy
one who is or ever has been democrat. Mr.. Eme-
son is freesoil whig. Professor Ticknor, Mr.. Pres
colt, Mr.. Longfellow Professor FELTON,, President
Sparks, Mr. Everett, and Mr.. Hillard are all wings
Mr.. Whittier is freesocr with a due infusion o
old-fashioned abolitionzed whiggery, with all il:
love Tor Southern nggers and hatred and distrust oil
Northern white men. Mr.. Brownson is not party
man. Mr.. Palfrey is frcesoiler, and so is Theodore
Parker. With the exception of Sam. D. Bradford
nd his English Is all Greek to the democracy
know Of no first class literary man, except Mr.. Haw
thorne-or even one Of the second class--in Massa
chusetts, who belongs to, sympathizes With, acts
for, the democracy and he only sympathizes with
them, never taking the trouble to vote. II has been
V1