The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1857-10-08

Irving NILIsi by Witus
- -.-.-. -. :. s..s-
enthusiastically delightful letter from n T.
" Ills giving an account Of his recent visit
10 Sunnysidc, the home OF Washington lrv.
ING We extract ~ much ss our space will
admit
Irving came out while we were cychang.
ing salHtations with the group under the
porch his true and easy step, plant mo
ton, admirable sp0ntancousness Of good
spirits and quiet simplicity Of address, Civ
ing him ths pre,CHcc If o man Of hall his
pgr This impression WA somewhat cor
roboratcd, no doubt, by the summer airness
Of his dress, and a certain juveniscencc that
will always be about light walking shoes
aud low croWcd straw hat somewhat
too, perhaps 10y the unchanged crcctness
and compactn,ss Of his we'll proportional
figure bu, did not realize, then nor at
tcrward4 during the day that there was
anything in his mein or appearance but the
healthfulncss Of middle age anything but
the uucompcllcd promp,ncsa aud elasticity
/ Of vigor unaba,cd II was one of thos.
mornings when the inside Of the house il
the wrong side oi the door and 20 ask
us to walk in woall scarce have been "A
welcome MIR, Irving leaned against one Of
the pillars Of the plaza, chatting with Us
10 The tune Of soft air. foliage aYi sunshine,
ill the conversation turning upon the nr-
chitccturr Of the house he took me into his
library to see the drawing Of it as first
built
Oar conversation. i,r the hall hour tina,
We sat IN that little library, turned, first.
upon the habits of literary labor. Mr. lrv-
ing, IN reply to my inquiry, whether, like
Rip Van Winklc, h. had arrived at that
happy age when IaaH can he IDLE with i'm.
punitv said No that he had sometimes
worked even fourteen hours a day. but that
he usually sits in HI. study. occupied, from
breakfast I'LL ljuncr. both of US agreeing
tlai IN lilc'ary vegetation the do is on in
& c morning and that be should be sorry b.
have much more leisnrc. lie thought in
ed, that he .hou'd0 die in harness lie
never hal hcada lie that IL, his workshop
never gave him auy troubc-but among the
changes which time has wrought. one. he
says. il very decided - the dvsirc OF travel il
dead within him. The days are past when
he could sleep OF cnt anywhere with equal
pleasure, and he goes 10 town as seldom as
possible.
Motlcys 'putch Republic lay open on
the table. and Irving said be- had bt,n EN-.
ploy,ng u little vacation IRON his own Iabors
IN reading oi il. II had Interested hun cN.
oc"lingly. How surprising h" exclaimed.
quite encrgrtcally, that so young u man
should jump u, once, lul grown To name
with n big book. SO well studied and cum-
plete, This tarncd the conversation upon
the experiences Of authorship, and h. said
that he was always afraid to open the frs,
copy that reached him If new book Of
hlS own. lie "a, AMI trrmbcd and rcmcm
bcrcl all the weak points where he had
h''n embarrassed and pcrplc>ed and where
he l'lt he nigh, have dcn, better hating
10 think II the book, iu,l,cd. until the re-
viewers had praiscsl il. Indifference to
praise or ccnsurc, h. thought. was 10,
reasonable or natural At least il was i'm
poSs BILE 10 him. Tie remembered how he
had suffered from the opinion of rhia
drlphia critic who, in reviewing the Sketch
Book at lts frs, appear ne said that Rip
Van Wrinkle was silly attempt at hunor
quite unworthy Of the authors genius.
Ny mention oi Rogers, the poet, AMI some
ohcr friends cl Mr. lrviugs, who had All
Il me about him in England. opened win
VI his London rccollccticus. H. was never
mor as,onlshcd. he said than AT the success
OF III, sketch Book, Ills writing of these
stories was so unlike an Inspiration AZ en-.
tlrfy without any feelings OF confidence
which could bc prophetic Of their popularity.
Walking with hIs brother one duh, frggv
sunday. over Westminster bridge he got
To- telling the old Batch stories which he
had heard al iarryton tn his Youth. when
the thought sudleuly 4 uck him" have
II III 20 home and make memoranda of
these for book ~ And leaving his
brother To- 60 TO church. he wen, bark 10
his lodgings and io,tri down all the data
aud the mex, day the dulles, aud dsrkes,
d London fogs--he -, in his rsom and
wrote gu, Sleepy Hollow by the lish,
al a candle,
alluded e. the story hal heard toll a,
Lady Blc'slu'onS OF Irving going To slevp
a, dinner party. and their taking him up
sonly ami carrying him 90 another hou.e
where he wak~i up anil large evening
he shook his head iucr,,luously
Ii was pisrac'ls story, h. said AMI was told