The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1871-08-30
Sir Walter Scott.

NOllilclitluS OIi lIV SShI0Hi'ss'
anniversary of Scott, the Mobile
Register furnishes the followin
particulars Of his life:
Walter Scott was born in Edin-
burgh, on the 18th day of August,
. l771. He was educated for the
bar, applied himself to his profes-
sion with conscientious diligence,
though ever delighting in poetry,
tradition and romance, and was
made sheriff, Cor, perhaps more
properly, "sherif: :depute,") of Sell
kirkshire, when still a young man.
His first literary efforts were
-metricai versions from the Ger
man, published in 1886. Other
poems followed from time to time,
but his reputation as q poet was
achieved by the Lay of the Last
Minstrel" which appeared in 1905.
"Marmion" appeared in 1903, and
"The Lady Of the Lake" two years
after ward. These poems, with
"Rokeby" and "rhe Lord Of The
Isles"-neithcr Of which met with
as much favor as the others
tablished SCOTS reputation as one
of the very first poets of the age.
But Scott was to achieve q yet
more brilliant reputation in q new
field. "Waverley" appeared in
1914, when he was forty-three
years old, and was followed by
that wonderful series, the novels
"hv the author Of Waverley, "
which, in the course of the next
seventeen years, created a new
era in fictitious literature, and
achieved a success, the like Of
which had never been known, and
which was as marvellous as any
thing in the Arabian Nights. His
life Of Napoleon, and his various
miscellaneous works, diversified
the astonishing labors Of the latter
part of his career. Scott was mar
ried in 1897 to Miss Charlotte
Margaret Carpenter, by whom he
had several children, and whom
be survived several years. He
died on the 2lSt September, 1882,
at Abbotstord, his residence, which
he had erected from the proceeds
of bis pen, and which is now own
ed, we believe, by the husband Of
his granddaughter, bis only sur
viving descendant. Honored be
his memory by this and all future
generations, as long as true genius,
creative power, moral elevation,
and genial love and sympathy for
all mankind shall command love
and reverence.
Referring to his literary produc-
tions, the Louisville Courier-JOur-
nal pays the following deserved
compliment to the deceased au-
thor:
Take it for all in all, the career
of Sir Walter Scott furnishes the
most satisfactory lesson which the
moralist can find in the annals OF
brilliant achievement, and for this
reason, if for % other, the world
does we'll to celebrate the hun
dredth anniversary Of his birth.
Extraordinary literary gifts have
been, pnhappily, too often asso-
>ciated with some striking weak
ness which has put its ugly marks
upon the 'scutcheon Of many of
the most eminent men of letters.
Voltaire and Goethe, and Byron
and Burns-to 90 no further back
raise up before the minds eye a
sion Of beauty and glory, but al
so of deformity. Scott was a god
" no less than a famous man-so-
ber enough, indeed, to have been
thoroughly mediocre-and the con-
temptation Of his story gives
strength and encouragement to
the better part of our human ma
ture. There is nothing in his re-
cord which one would havo other.
wise. He lived long and sump-
tuously; was at once successful
and of good behavior, and died Ia
mented aud respected by all Chris
. tendon. His last words to Lock
hart were, "Be good man, my
dear" and the injunction, as We
peruse lt,i as strongin his actions
as in his utterance. He had the
S2ntleness 81 vvff Asuidison Joined to
the power Of Fielding; was steady
and industrious at his work pur-
sued poetry and fiction with the
diligence and regularity wit b
which he might have pursued lew
or commerce, and proved himself
the most realistic romancist, and
the most romantic rcallst, who
ever lived. In this imaginative
matter-ot-tactism, Goethe was his
peer to the extent of his literary
performances. But there was q
screw loose in Goethe's moral ma
ture which we do not have cause
to regret in Scott. In our day,
We have had a number of most
successful mon Of letters who led
blameless lives; but the success
of no one of these-not even the
success of Dickens-can be meas
ured by that Of Scott, who was for
thirty years without a rival
slord of the ascendant"-a sort Of
monarch in his state and in the