Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-04-16
Why Washington Irving never Mar
ried.

r1ed.
Much mystery has attached to the eel
ibacy of Washington Irving. While up
on every other point or popularity of the
great writer s character and career his fa-
miliar friends have taken pains to inform
the wide circle of his admirers, an aggra-
waiting reticence has always met the ques-
tionings of those who were curious as to
why matrimeny made no part of his ex-
perience. There were occasional and very
vague references made to ''lang syne"
love-so dimly distant in the past as to
have the air of traditiOn-and the man
ner of mentioning which made Irving ap-
pear the model of constancy, if not the
hero of romance. But the circumstance
of his bachelorhood remained simple
patent, unexplained fact; the theme of
many wanderings, the warp and woof of
much imagining-nay more, the substruc-
ture of thousand sweet sympathies out
gushing from other hearts whose loves
hand not been lost but gone before, 1t
is doubtful if a secret of the soFt-all
things considered-Was ever before so
carefully and completely kept. For once
the impertinent were held at bay, the
prying were baulked, and the sympathetic
even, discouraged. The set time for its
disclosure had not come, and surely, when
his intimates and relatives were debarred
from the remotest reference to the sub
ject in the hallowed home circle of the
literary bachelor,-it was but proper that
the truth should burst forth upon the
world, if at all, in Irving's own selected
time and his own pashetie language.
1t was while engaged in writing his
History of New York." then a young
man of twenty-six, was called to mourn
the somewhat sudden death of Matilda
Hoffman, whom he had hoped to call his
wife This young lady was the second
daughter of Josiah Ogden Hoffman, and
the sister of those two talented men,
Charles Fenno Hoffman, the poet, and
Ogden Hoffman, the eloquent jurist. In
her fathers Office Washington Irving had
essayed to study law, and with every pros
pect, if industrious and studious, of
partnership with Mr.. Hoffman, as well as
matrimonial alliance with Matilda. These
high hopes were disappointed by the de-
cease of the young lady on the 10Th of
April, 1909, in the eighteenth year of her
age.
There is pathos about Irving's recital
of the circumstances of her death, and of
his own feelings, that is truly painful and
tear-impelling. He says-''She was taken
i'll with a cold. Nothing was thought of
it at first; but she grew rapidly worse and
fell into consumption. cannot tell you
what ! suffered.
saw her fade rapidly away; beautiful
and more angelic to the very laat. I was
often by her bedside; and in her wander
ing state of mind she would talk to me
with a sweet, natural and affecting elo-
quence, that was overpowering. l saw
more of the beauty of her mind in that
delirious state than ! had ever known be-
fore. Her malady was rapid in its career,
and hurried her off in two months. Her
dying struggles were painful and protrac-
ted. For three days and nights did not
leave the house, and scarcely slept.
was by her when she died, all the family
were assembled round her, some praying,
others weeping, for she was adored by
them all. was the last one she looked
unon II
cannot tell you what horrid state of
mind was in for long time. | seemed
to care for nothing; the wOrld.was a blank
to me. Invent into the country, but could
net bear solitude, yet could not enjoy so
ciety.@There was dismal horror cOntin-
ually in my mind, that made me fear to
be alone. had often to get up in the
night and seek the bedroom of my broth
er, as if the having human being by me
would relieve me from the frishtful gloom
of my own thoughts. Months elapsed
before my mind would resume any tone;
but the dependency had suffered for a
long time in the course of this attachment
and the anguish that attended its 'catas-
trophe, seemed to give turn to my whole
character, and throw some clouds into
my disposition, which have ever since
btn1 oFout II =
l seemed TO drift about without aim or
object, at the mercyof every breeze; my
heart wanted anchorage, was naturally
susceptible, and tried to form other attach
ments, but my heart would not hold on;
it would continually recur to what it had
lost; and whenever there was a pause in
the hurry of novelty and excitement, !
would sink into dismal detection. For
years could not talk on the subject of
this hopeless regret; | could not even
mention her name; but her image was
continually before me, and | dreamt of
her incessantly."
Such was the language in which Irving
DOuiNO lOIln llS SOIIOMS anu Stlb
rieS, in letter written many years ago to
a lady who wondered at his eelibacy and
expressed wish to know why he had
never married. Can words more graphic
ly describe the shipwreck of hope, or more
tenderly depict the chivalric devotion OF
q faithful lover? How sweetly, too, does
Irving portray with his artist-pen the lin
eaments of his loved onel He says in the
l. I <1f L., kI.ol
more had reason to admire her Her
mind seemed to unfold itself leaf by leaf,
and every time to discover new sweetness.
Nobody knew her so well as l, for she was
generally timid and silent; but |, in man.
ner, studied her excellence. Never did
meet with more intutiye rectitude of
mind, more native delicacy, more exquis-
ite propriety in word, thought and action.
than in this young creature. / am not
exaggerating; whatI say was acknowledge
ed by all who knew her. Her brilliant
little sister used to say that people began
by admiring her, but ended by loving
Matilda. For my part idolized her. ii
felt at times rebuked by her superior del
icacy and purity. and as if was coarse,
unworthy being in comparison"
Irving seldom or never alluded 10 this
sad event, nor was the name of Matilda
ever spoken in his presence. Thirty years
after her death, irving was visiting Mr..
Hoffman, and granddaughter in draw
ing out some sheets Of music to be per-
formed upon the piano, accidently brcnght
with them a piece of embroidery which
dropped upon the floor. "Washington,"
said Mr. Hoffman, "this is piece of poor
Matilda's workmanship" His biographer