The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-04-04

vulgar infueocos o. presen, see Before their ey
pee SCI tbe pubic aotous OF the men who achieved
our RI volpDon, noble examples OF steady rect,tuao nag
sea oenial and cheerful se Sacrifice for Ia,
sake Of thtlr country Irving came iao the Yprd WHOM
there great ana Vhuous prime of their
manhood, and passed his youth midst OF tha gene
raj reverence smoh gathered round them as h.y grew
Old william Irving, the father OF the great author WAS
native OF ScoilauGone Of race ia Wnlcn the osunot
OF seneration Ia suoug--snd SCOTTISH woman was en-
poyed as urse In his household is related ia,
osy, While she was walking in the stree.
with her little charge, then Ave wears Old
she saw General Washington in shop, ana
catering led up the boy whom presouted as one to
whom bus name had been given. Tho General turned
laid his hand the chlns head auo gave him his smile
ana hs blessing, little thinking that they bestowed
Ston o future bographer. Inc gentle pressure Of that
hspd Irving always remembered and that blessing. ne
believed attended HIM through life. Who shall say what
true to high and generous amss AT the time tina. Wash.
ingon Irving was born the city OF New York Contained
the war is population had probably diminished. rbe
town was scarcely Quit to Warren etreet Broadway.
little hey was iost among grassy pastures and ul!ed
fields; the Park, In which noe stanos our City Hail,
an open common, and beyond II cleaned in hollow
among the meadows a little sheet OF fresh water, the
Koch, from which sluggish rivuet stole through the
low grounds called Lspenard's Meadows and following
the course OF what Canal street, entered the Had
son WIN the exception OF the little corner OF the island
below the present CITY Hall the rural character
region was unchanged ald the resh Of the country
entered New ferk at every street. The town at that time
coptsined mingled population drawn from different
COUNTRIES but the OF the old Dutch seilers
formed large proportion OF the inhabitants and these
ceased TO use the speech Of their their FIRE
SIDES Many Of them lived in the quaint Old h0uscs bull,
oil email yellow bricks from 10 land with their notched
gable ends on the Streets which have since been swept
away with that language In tho surrounding country.
along its rivers anu b. side it's harbors and in many parts
far DlADd the original char Acter Of the Dutch
was stu less changed. Here they read their bes and
said their prayers and listened to ia tho
trail tongue Remains o. this language yet niger Ia q
few neiehborhooos; but in most the common schools,
and The nruptoDs OF the Yankee the growth OF
population pewy derived from Eurooe have stined the
oil I rpma nher hat
twenty years since the market o. Bergen chartered
Dutch IN the steamers which brought them in the
early morning 10 New York I remember, also,
that about ten years before there were FAINT
lies in the westernmost towns OF Mass ach aset!s
where Dutch was Still the household tongue ana
masons OF the Ed ssh stock, marrying into them,
laughed AZ for speaking 1t 30 badly It will be readily
inferred that the isolation in which the OF language
strange 70 the rest OF Me country, placed these people,
would form them TO character Of peculiar simplicity 10
which there was great deal that quaint
little that would appear comic to their neghbors OF the
Ang saxon stock. 1t was among such a population
trenoly ana hespable wearing their faults the
SIDE and living IL nomey comfort on their fertile aud
ample that the boyhood and early youth Of Irving
we're passed He began white yet BOY to wander abou.
the surrounding country for the love OF rambling the
He became, as he himself writes, familiar with all the
ne9hboring places famous In history fable, knew
every spot where q arder robbery had been
committed or ghost seen--stroled into tho VII
sses, noted their customs and talked with their sages
Welcome guest, doubtless, with bis kindly
ard Ingenious manners ard the natural playful turn his
conve sAtion. dwell upon these particulars because
they help 10 show here how the mind OF Irving was
trained, and by what process he himself master OF
the materials Afterwards wrought into the forms we SO
much admire. Ii IN these rambes that his strong
love OF nature was awakened and nourishsd Those who
only know the island of New York now is see few
traces of the beauty il wore beGe H levelet and
snoothed from side TO side for the builder Immediately
without the little town was charmingy diversified with
heights ana hoows, alternating with sunny open
ngs shining tracks Of rvulets quiet country seats with
hawthorn hedges. came to New York in IsaS. and
well recoleci how much admired the shores OF the Hud
son above Canal street, where the dark rocks uted far
out IN the wster with little bays between, which
dropped forest trees overrun with wild vines No
less beautiful were the shores of the East river,
whore the orchards of tho Stuvvesant estate
reached to cliff beotling over the water, and
st further on were inlets between rocky banks
beauty may formed from looking at what remains of
the native shore of New York island where the tides Of
the East river rush TO and fro by the rocky verge OF
Jones wood Here wandered Irving in his youth, and
allowed the aspect Of that nature which he Afterwards
portrayed so we'll to engrsve itself his heart but hs
familiar with the banks Of the Hudson the extraordinary
beauty Of which he the first to describe He made
acquaintance With the pn,ch neghborhoods sheltered by
its bills, Nyack, Haversraw, Sing Sing and Sleepy Hell
low, and with the majestic highlands beyond. His
rambles in another direction led him to Communipsv
lying in Its quiet recess by New York bay to the then
peaceful Gowanus now noisy with the passage of visitors
to Greenwood and thronged with funerals Hoboxen
Hsrsimus and Paulus book, which has since become
a city. ferry boat dancing on the rapid tdes
took hini over 10 Brooklyn, now our flourish.
ing =; and nn,s Seau,u, neshO0r cty-hen cus
broad low bouses with st0ops in 'front.' oversadowed by
trees. The generals with whom Irving grew up read
the Spectator and the Rambler the essays and tales of
Masko and those Of Goldsmith the novels of the day
were those Of Richardson Fielding and Smollet the re
Moore and Doddridge fresh from the press polic,ans
sought their models Of style reasoning the speeches
Of Burke and the writings of Mackmtosh and Juuus.
These were certainly masters Of whom pupil to
be ashamed but can hardly be said that the style Of
Irving was formed in the school Of any OF HIS ia
TIERS library enriched with authors OF the Elize
delighted, eacin
Chsper and Spenser The elder of these great poets
might have shown him the Of heghenag his genial
bumor with poetic graces and from both might nsye
learned reer mastery his native Engish than the
hat formal tase of that day encouraged Oospers
poems, at that time, were in ever, boGys hands aud
If hts father bad not hoss OF Barns believe that
he no Scochmsn. think We may fairly iufer that
in the way Of writing which prev allied when ns was
youth. was owing 10 great degree, to his studies Ia
the poets, and especially in those Of the earlier English
literature He wed little 10 the schools though he began
to attend them early. His first Instructions were given
when he between four and six years Old by Mrs Aon
Kiln sser at her school in Ann street, who have
had difficulty in getting him through the alphabet
In 1859 he transferred school In Fulton street
then called Partition street, KEEP. by Beu.mn Romaine
who had been soldier 10 the Revolution, sensible mas
ana good discplinarian. but probably Indifferent
scholar and here he continued till he fourteen years
Of He tavorte with the master, but preferred
reading to regular study At ten years of age delight
ed the wid tales Of Arosto, translated by H,ele at
eleven he deep in books Of voyages and travels
which he took school and read by stealth ms
he composed with remarkable eese aud nuency, and
exchanged tasks with the other boys, writing their
COMPOSITIONS while they solved his problems Ia arhms
tic. which he deested At the sge of thirteen he tried
his hand at composing play, which performed bv
children at friends house, and Of which he after wards
forgot every part, even the title Domaine gave up
teaching in 1897 ana in that year Irving entered
school Kept Beekman street by Jonathan lrsh probA
bly, accomplished Of his instructors He left
this school in March, 1898, but continued for time
receive private lessons from the teacher home.
DR. Francis, In his pleasant "reminiscences OF Irving's
early he, speaks Of him preparing enter Columbia
College, and being prevented by tho state Of his health
but II certain that an indifference to the cquson OF
learning had taken possession OF him that age which
he afterwards greatly regretted Al the age Of
entered bis student at lsw 10 the Office Of Josiah
Ogden Hoffman, eminent ad socate later lite
became Judge n one Of principal tribunals II Was
while engaged in his professional studies that he
made his first appearance author | should have
folding Of hs literary Capacities that two Of his elder
brothers were OF decided literary tas.es-wilam
Irving, seventeen years his senior, Dr. Peter
Irving, who In the year 1902 founded dsy paper in
New York, at time when daily paper as no Y