New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-04-04

in broad, low houses, with stoopS -
y with whom Irving grew up reaa 1s
Suec,ator and the Rambler, the essys novels OF the
Mackenyie and thoee of Goo smIyn III, . "a snoIlet
DAY were those Of RehardsOp with the pages Of
the religious world we're occupisu So, the press;
mnnab More and Doddri6ge ffeen rom ,ue ip
1or,lcops sought their modsis Oh ~ - Of Maokino
! IN the speegnts Tna,e were certainly masters OF
bnr No nnp needed 10 be aenameu, ous J. eau n
ba aid that the style Of lsVDg was formed III tne
school Of any Of them ms F;,shs,baD and he
areS,ea V e are TOLD in reading CHANGER and SPen-
The elder of the great poets Ingst nave sno ~n
him the art of Tightening his Renai hnmoi WIN poelc
1aess and from both he might have learned freer
9Sas,.Tv over his native English than the somewhat
formal taste of that day encouraged Cowper poems,
Al that time were in eyerybodys hands, aud IL hls
father ba0 not those of Burns, we must believe tnat
he was DO Scotchman. think we may fairly n'er
that if the style of Irving took bolder range than
was allowed in the way of writing which prevailed
when be was youth 1t vase wing, in grea, degree,
to his stndes in the poets, ana especially In uhose oi
the earlier Engh literature.
He owed little 10 the schools, though he began 70 at
tend item early 1Iis frat instructions were gwen
when he was betv four and SIX years DID, by Mrs
Ann KimafteT ST Der school in Ann street, VINO seems
10 have had come difficulty getting him through the
alphabet r. 1889 he was transferred to school IN
Fulton street, then called Partition street. kept py
Bepi9min Romano, who had been soldier IN the
Revolution; a sensible man and good dlscplnallan,
but probably an indifferent scholar and here he con-
| tinned till he was fourteen yeas OF age. lie was
favorte with the MASTER bat pre- er reading 10 reg
uler study. At ten years OF age ne aengntea Ia no
wild taller Of AIiosto as translated by iooe at eleven
he was deep in books of voyages and travels which ne
tfok 10 school and read by stealth. AT tnat time ne
composed with remarkable lse and tuency ana ex-
changed tasks with the other boys, writing sher com
| TIC which he detesed. AT the age OF thirteen, ne
| tried bis hand at composing play, which was per-
formed by children at friends house, ana OF "n'ch
| he aterwafd forgot every pant, even the title.
Romano gave up teaching in 1877, and IN that year
Irving entered a school kept in Beekman street by
Jonathan Irsh probably the most accomplished OF hle
Instructors He left this school IN March, 1875, Dut
continue for time to receive private Lessons from the
| same teacher at home. DIR. Francis, in his pleasant
"reminiscences Of IrvIngs early life, speaks OF him as
preparing to enter Columbia college, ana as o.lng
nreyened by the state OF his health but At is certain
That an indifference TIE acquisition OF learning had
taken possesei n of him at That age, which ne alter
ward greatly regretted.
At the aye Of sixteen he entered his name as sfu-
dent AZ law in the office of )eiah Ogden Hoffman, an
eminent advocate who, in later lite, became Jodge
in one of our principal tribunals 1t was while engaged
in his professional studies that he MADE ns nfs appear
| apce IS an author. / shonld have mentioned among
| the circumstances thai favored the unfolding OF his
literary capacies that two Of his elder brothers were
men Of decided literary tastes, William Irving, some
seventeen years his senior, and Dr. Peter irving, VINO
in the wear 1902 found daily paper in New-York,
at a time when daily paper was not, az now, an en-
erprise requiring large outlay OF capital out an ex-
pertinent that might be tried aud abandoned WIN NIUE
| risk DIR. Irving established TIE Morning Chronicle,
and his Younger brother contributed series OF essays
bear pe the signature OF jonathan Odstyle, OF which
| Mr. Dnychnck, whose judgment willingly accept
saws that they show how early the author aired the
style which much charms us in hrs later writings
In 1904, having reached the age OF twenty one,
Irving, alarmed by an Increasing weakness OF the
| chest visited Europe for the sake OF his health. lie
taed directly TO the south OF France, landed az Bor
deaux ia M4y passed two months 10 Genoa, made the
tour Of Sicily and crossing from Piermo TO Naples,
nYoceeoed to Rome Here he formed the acq uantance
| Of Washington Allston, who was then entering on
career Of art raodnary that OF Irving III itera
tore With AllstOn be made long rambles IN the pic
tute que peighbolhood OF that old city, visited tne
galleries Of tie palaces and villas, and studied their
works OF art with delight that rose . enthusiasm. He
thought of the dry pursuit Of he law which "aitsd his
return to America aud for which he had incnaron,
and almost determined 70 be painter Alls IL encour-
az ed him 10 die dlepCson and together they planned
tie scaeme Of life devoted TO the pursuit OF ART IL
was fortunate for the world that, Irving reflected on
the after doubts in his mind which tempered
hs entbutasm aid led him 10 different destiny. Inc
tw friends separated, each to take his Own way TO
RECOMMENDATION TO become one OF the greatest OF
painters Irving to take his place among the great
est of authoTe Leaving Italy, Irviog passed through
Switzerland Fran ee resided In Paris several months,
tIayeled through Flanders and Holland, went to EGG
land and returned 10 his NAIVE country IN oO6, alter
an abseBce Of two years.
at the close of the year he was admitted to practice
| as an attorney .at-la~. He opened an office, but
coud not be said that he became practitioner
lie BEGAN the wear 1907 with the earliest Of those liter
aIy labms which have won him the admiration Of the
world On the oath of January appeared in the form
Of a small pamphlet the first number of a periodical
entitled Samag und" the joint production OF him
SELF his bI other William and James X. Paulding. The
elder brother contributed the poetry, with hints and
outlines for some of the essays but nearly all the prose
| was written by the two other associates.
When " Salmsgundi appeared, the quaint old Dutch
| town in which Irving was born had become trans
formed 10 comparatively gay metropolis. Its popu-
latjon of twenty thousand souls had enlarged 10
than eighty thousand although its aristOcradc cass
had yet their residences IN what seems TO us now the
narrow space between the Battery and Wall street
| The modes and fashions OF Europe were imported
| fresh and fresh. " Samsgundi" speaks Of leather
bieeches az a the rage for morning dress and flesh
colored smas fol- an evening party Gay eeqqiPages
dashed through the Streets A new theaer had risen
in Park row. the boards OF which Cooper one OF the
finest of declamers was performing wded houses
The churches had multiplied faster than the places OF
amusement; other pubic buildings OF magnihcence
hitherto unknown, including our present City HALL mad
been eIected TammbDy Hall, fresh fom the hands OF
taste for pictures and the of Michael Paf the
famous German picture dealer III Broadway, were
favoIe lom ge for such as we then had
who amused themselves with making him talk OF
Michael Angelo. Baston Springs were the great
fashionable watering lace OF the country to which re-
sorled the planters Of the South with splendid equip
ages and troops OF shining blacks IN livery.
SalmaguDd satiriz ID the follies ana rdculed the
humors OF the time with great prodgaty of wit and
10 less exnbeJance Of good nature In form IT reese n
bes The Taller" and that numerous brood OF peri
odicsl papers 10 which the snccess OF The Taller
and Spectator" gave brth bat 1t IS In no sense an
imitation. lis gaety is its own It's syle OF humor is
not that Of Addison nor Goldsmith, though ii has all
the genis spirit Of thes, nor is 1t borrowed from any
other writer. II is far more Goicksome and Joyous,
yet tempered by NAIVE gracefulness. "Salmagundi"
manifestly written without the fear OF criticism
before the eyes Of the authors and this of per-
freedom in a. q n