The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1869-05-08
[nsov orR own corErsroSDur.l
NEW YoRk. March I, 1863

bly, no other large city Of ChristendOm pays ~
much honor To wealth and - little to culture.
Yet we lave historians, editors, essayists, novel
writers, and even poets New York, Of whom
nearly ali the reading world has heard. Let me
sketch q few Of them rs they appear to-day.
james Parton, at present the mo-t popular e.
sayist, except Emerson, IN the United States, i
occasionally BE- met at evening receptions given
by literary persons. lie j. a spare, dark man, Of
the Iiious-nervoGs temperament; he has dark
hair, lustrous anil steady eyes, very grave and
quiet manner. AMI BIZ form j. 30 slight thar he
seems almost like couvalcseent invalid. Two
years agcp be- left oil the habit Of smoking, but
grined no llr-h in epn-e,uenee. lie j. ) feet 10
inches in hci,ht, but eanuot weigh more than 1870
pounds; it il, largely, his inces-ant writing ttat
~ apparently reduces his physical vitality. lie
y Interesting in conversation. and has the some
what rare faculty of being willing to hear other
views Of the question than biz own. His PER
sonrl ami4bility tcuIs To disurm ones criticism
Of his writings, whict nearly always present n
onc-sidcd view Of the subject in hand. lie writes
less Justly than be talks.
The other night vsas speaking, with him about
the older forms Of Government that prevail IN the
world. .. Whatever j. old, l. wrong ie -aid :.
anil II seemed a. IL he perceived the deeper mean
ing Of this aphOri-u, and recognized that in na-
ture nothing Is absolutely Gxed-that all things
are closely changing, even the consultations and
the cree,ls anil that therefore, the nstitu utions
which have lasted the longest precisely the
ones which are the Iikcliest to be- out Of relation
with the present state Of things. But Mr.. Par
tons writings do not thus interpret the profound
text which he used in Conversation. In them Ice
uses il to deny the beauty and value Of old asso-
eiations, 10 trumpIc ON trme-honored thin- in art
nnd fIf-. TnuS, iss his essay on - Silver Ware"
in the HarPer'S Magazine for September. 1865,
he speaks approvingy OF the vandalism Of ccrta iu
rich Americans who eonsign their heirlOOus to
the meltfns-pot-.. the eIumscy old plate in
hi- phrase, whtcir people u-ed % cherish with
40 much pride q. &. many people now ex-
change their ancient implements and vessels for
elegant creations Of modern taste" One can
hardly fail 10 feel that what j. most reycrent,
fine and sweet IN the nature Of the man must
have periste,I before he could have Ienned such
phrases ~ these.
Bat Mr. Prrtou : neither quite Nandal or
Phili-tine. lie il simply man who scvs but
one -id. of a question, truth in an apIOrisIn-
lie is the prisoner Of phrase l. it question
Of srimuIants? Total abstinence j. the only
means by which he would check their abuse. He
proposes To dO away with aPPctites that
nearly ~ universal the appetite for food and
air IIe would effect reform by cradicating an
instinct. l. it question Of religion? Our
modern worships are injurious superstitions
people knew as much about Piety thousand or
two thousand years ago they know to-day.
And 80 upon every subject Mr.. PartOn's speciality
is to be partial.
Mrs Parton, Fanny Fern Of the LeageT. i
often To- be seen IN society She - the very OI-
posite Of her husband, in physical type; she Is
stout blonde woman Of ffty--cveu years, brisk
and lively in her talk a. in her writings. Fanny
FERN sarah Payson Will. Eidridee Parton, for
that i. all OF her name-, vas born in Portland,
Maine her father was Nathaniel Willis, the
editor of the Boston RecordsT. She went to
school IN Hartford to CaJharins. Becciier and her
sister Harriet, now renowned Mrs. Stowe.
While there she used % with she we're a man -
the only sentiment recorded. I believe, of her
school day-. Shc wa- married early to Charles
EliFidzc. then che ea-i,icr Of the Merchants
Bank, in E,-ton, and by bim had two daughters.
Left q widow after a lew Year,, she was reduced
o. poverty. aad driven q writing as q means Of
support. Ia 1851 she wrote her first sketch, and
carried ia around from one newspaper Office to
another. seeking in vain O, sell IL. At last On
editor gave her Gity cents for the article. She
went home and wrote another, and another, and
got a better price each time. Finally shc came
10 New York, anil commenced writing for the
New York Lea9sr at SO per column. The
Is Fern Leaves" which were 50 popular fifteen
years ago, were written about 1852, and eighty
five thousand copies Of the book were sold. Then
followed her novel. Ruth Hail." in which the
character or .. Hyacinth - was intended as n
'atreal portrait Of ber brother, Nathaniel Parker
Willis, the poet, with whom she had u quarrel. I.
In 1886 she married SIr. Parton. and acquired
the sereHlh upon the list which have given.
She IS not a woman ur the -erCnest temper, yet
the match has proved an amicablc one The
literary pair have n brown stone house near the .
SECOND avenue. Mrs. P1rton has been engaged .
ioF several years past, at n salary Of 5000 per
annum, to write exclusively for the New York .
L'Gger- But her productions, like those of Mrs.
stowe, have ceased 70 be n sensation. Were
e'ther Of these distinguished authors 10 send in
Their contributions undcr another name than their
own they would .riI to gain admittance to the
+feger Or the AtiaHhc MoHfbiy.
Nir. Parton has won somewhat les transient
popularity than that OF =. Fanny Fern He
contributes 10 nearly every number Of the leading
magazines, besides writing a book every now and
'''"- HIS genius is that Of n clever newspaper
'NPorter, . magniGed and enlarged" Husband
''''t vile are not uuskilful writer's for the day
''' me iternturr ~ the .lay must b. written