Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1869-12-02
How Washington Irving Recovered
from Depression.

article, gives some charming and fresh
"reminiscences of Washington Irving =
Speaking of the time when business re-
verses overwhelmed AMI depressed the
latter, Mr.. Burritt says:
In this state of mental observation,
weakness and dependency, Washington
Irving came TO Bennington to spend a
few months in this very house, then the
home of his brotherin-la Henry Van
Wart, also the friend and companion of
his early youth in Tarrytown, on the
Hudson.
Everything that could be said or done
to recover his mind from this eclipse was
said and done in his sisters house by all
the members of the family circle. He
tried, and they tried to break this spell
upon him; and when he was in his hap
piest froics with his little nephews and
nieces, and his face all aglow with the
radiance of his affection for the children,
the bonds seem to relax, and his mind to
emerge from the Doubling Castle which
had held him so fast in its darkness.
Then be would retire to his room, and,
with pen in hand, see if his old strength
had>returned; but it was in vain; the
spell was still upon him. His mind gave
no sign of his old genius; not thought
touched by its inspirations would flow at
the command of that feathered wand
which once summoned beautiful concep-
tons and images from the vastly deep of
fluent imagination.
This condition had lasted for several
months when, one soft and lovely evening
in June, when Mr.. Van Wart, in their
usual walk, made special effort to en-
courage him to shake off this nightmare
from his spirits-to induce him to be.
lieve that he could do it by sheer force
of will. But every argument, incte-
ment and encouragement was in vain.
He said he had put his mind under ev-
cry possible influence that was calculated
TO emancipate it from the bondage, but
without any success. He had vlsi.
ted the choices places to commune with
nature, but without any relief. He had
laid on his back by the hour on the soft
and sunny slopes of the green hills, and
looked up into the gentle June sky, and
tried, oh, how hard! to mount them
with bis thoughts, and soar away upon
their tinted wings into some far off re
gion of fancy, where his mind should
break away from the long fascination of
despair, and be itself once more in the
freedom and glory of its first ambition
lie had followed with his eye and ear
the happy lark, as it lifted itself up on
its morning song into the blue of heaven.
as if it bore the sweetest of human JOYS,
to the home Of the angles, and he wished
it could carry up to them on its wings a
whisper from bis soul for help from its
bondage. Then he had scauntered by
tho meadow brooks, and listened to
the music they made to the meditating
cows that lay upon their daisy -freckled
banks. He had listened with attentive
but enfeebled faculties by burns and
braes, in groves full of song-birds, and
in all places that would once have stirred
his mind to the poetic pulse of thought
and feeling; but it had all been in vain.
When he took up his pen, on returning
from his communion with nature, the
deadening spell was upon him still, and
he feared he should never be able to
shake it off and resume his literary life,
which had commenced so promisingly.
There was no use arguing against this
sentiment and presentiment of mental
weakness and observation; but Mr.. Van
Wart presented happier expedient.-
As it were, he took Irving's arm on a
walk that,outfanked the darkness of the
eclipse. He took him around it back to
the days and walks of their youth on
the Hudson, and touched those memoir
les within him which the mind of man.
hood and of old age holds freshest and
and dearest, whatever clouds or floods
may come between. He took him 10
those places which were the ground
of their childhood, and of the happy
years between it and the first of life's
bright summer. Sleepy Hollow was
their favorite resort-for its people were
as unique and odd in their ways and
looks as the strange valley itself. In
fact il was the abode of the queerest
characters that were ever gathered to-
gether within the same space. Such
quaint Dutchmen, in speech, dress, and
habits, could not be found elsewhere in
the whole country. Their sayings and
doings had given the two young men
rich practice in rectatve. The hollow
was full of live stories when they were
young. 1t was just the place to take
Irving to in order to bring the sun of
his youth to bear upon his darkness
His brother in-law recalled to him the
laughable incidents they had themselves
witnessed there-the oldest characters
of tho valley, the ridiculous legends
and customs, habits, and sayings, and
idioms that grave man even could not
hear described without laughing the tears
into his eyes.
Irving laughed, internally, from the
crown of his head to the sole of his foot !;
and the walls of his Doubling castle crum-
bled and fell. The sun was sill behind
the clouds, and it now pierced and scat
tered them, and shone in upon him with
all the warmth and light of his brightest
and happiest days. He retired to his