The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-05-09
WASHINGTON IRVING.
His Youth and Early Manhood.
ON the New York Evening Post, April "A.

mOdesty, mad lair appreciation OF the eS@
TEEN in which he was held by the literary
world, and several years before his death
he committed to the care of his nephew,
Pierre M. Irving, his letters. "Somebody
will be writing my life when l am gone"
he told him, sand I wish you to do it."
The nephew has partly completed this
Injunction of bis celebrated uncle, and Put
nam sends us the first volume of "Ihe Life
and Letters of Washington Irving" (pub.
lished to match the National Edition of Ir.
Wings Works., giving the history of Geof.
frey Crayon from his birth to his thirty
fifth year.
The present generation know Washinng-
ton Irving only as popular writer and
genial and beloved old man, who resided for
long years at his pleasant country home on
the Hudson. With his early life they have
little, if any acquaintance. 1t is only to
our older citizens that Irving was anything
but the loving and loveable old author, and
the quiet resident of Sunnyside.
This book, however, shows Irving as a
boy-very much like other American boys
fond of pleasure, active in character, yet
often indolent and lazy-no better and no
worse than other young men of his time.
He was no precocious genius. Hundreds
of lads have exhibited symptoms of litera.
ry talent, which, had they in after life at.
tanned literary celebrity, would have been
referred to and paraded as proofs of remar-
kable precocity but, as they subsequently
have won no distinction, have naturally
been forgotten even by themselves. And
in IrviDg's boyhood we perceive no eXtra>
ordinary predictions of the skill and talent
which distinguished him in after life.
IRVING AS CHILD.
He was born in this city, in two story
house at 13l William street, about half
way between Fulton and John-a site now
occupied by one of the long row of brick
stores which extend the entire block. His
father was a strict Presbyterian, and
brought up his family in that faith, al
though nearly all of them subsequently
joined the Episcopalians and one of the
first pictures we have of little Washington
is the little child playing he was preacher,
and, with the minimizing mimicry of child
hood, administering the sacrament to his
brothers. The strictness of the father, who
took gloomy view of religious matters in
general, and made the Sabbath the most
dismal day of the week, go wearied the
children of Presbyterianism, that Wash.
ington, when probably too young to fully
appreciate the solemnity of the rite, went
stealtbiy to Trinity Church, and was, with
the other candidates, confirmed by the
Bishop. He was also, by the way, baptiz-
ed in an Episcopal Church-St. Georges,
in Beekman street.-the Presbyterians at
that time worshipping in the building dur
ing part of the day.
The child received his name from similar
causes to those which induce Italian moth.
ers, as they think of Garibaldi, to call their
boys Giuseppe. WashiDgton's work is
ended" said Mrs. Irving, sand the child
shall be named after him." The story that
the boy was brought to General Wash
ipgton by servant girl is con6rmed-and
nobly did Irving afterwards prove his right
to the name and blessing of the Father of
his Country.
Irving's school life was varied by frequent
but brief attacks OF tender passion. His
first boy love was girl who played the
part of Marcia to bis Juba in Addison's
Cato rat school exhibition. The lady
admitted that Irving was a nice handsome
boy, but too MttJe-and this contemptuous
addendum extinguished his love. When
about twelve years old, the books of travel
and particularly Robin Crusoe and Sipbad
the Sailor, which he had read by stealth,
aroused in him strong desire to be a sal.
lor, and be determined to run away. But
to prepare himself for the fare and bed he
might expect on shipboard, he undertook to
discipline himself by eating salt pork when
ever he could get it, and by sleeping on the
bare foor-a regimen which soon caused
the total collapse of sea-going enterprise,
and cured him of that idea. His first lite
rary undertaking was satyrical rhyme on
one of his schoolmates, for which the au,
thor was rewarded with sound thrashing
by the object of his satire. Later be con
tributed some poetry to the Weekly Muse-
un, small periodical published in Peck
slip by one John Harrison.
HIS YOUTH.
AS his father prohibited all theatrical
amusements, Washington and bis brothers
used to visit the theatre--tben on the north
side OF John street, between Broadway
and Nassau-by stealth. Indeed he did
not recoil from duplicity, really reprehensi-
bic, to enjoy this stolen pleasure. He would
go early to the theatre, then hurry home to
prayers--for the rule was inexorable that
required all the children to be at the family
worship at nice o'clock-then retire, as if
for the night, to bis own room, and by get.
ting out of back window to woodshed,
leap down into an alley, and thus find his
way again to the theatre. He would get
into the house by the same way. About
this time be also furtively took lessons in
dancing, an accomplishment his stern father
frowned upon. When sixteen years OF age
he entered an Office to study law, profess
sion for which he had no taste. About this
time, too, be took his first voyage up the
Hudson.
1t was in 1902 that Irving entered the
law Office of Josiah Ogden Hoffman, father
of the late Ogden Hoffman. With bis fam
lily be became very intimate, and one of his
daughters, Matilda, was the object of his
sincerest affection. The beautiful story of
Washington lrving's love has already been
copied into these columns, and it is story
which will ever invest his character with