New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-02-21

singers and in this respect without their equals among
the German peasantry. They sing in the house ana III
the meadow, and especially over the pillow ana inc max
An ancient saying ams that the FAX il sure to turn out
wen that has been planted pulled and spun win song
As a community they deeply imbued with religious
spirit as Is well shown by number of their quaint
adagea Sunday makes the week. they say; that Is u
Is by far the most important day Of the week "A
peasant does not 20 to church no better than te
other cattle He is bad peasant VINO can relSh MS
sourorout on Sunday without sermon Many OF THESE
crude proverbs are handed down directly nom the
mouth Of Luther as for instance: a peasant without
the fear OF God il no better than his godfather the OK
Their food is plain and ordinarily sparse; oatmeal grue
often takes the place Of coffee though the latter WIN
bread is their favorte breakfast MIX ana eggs tney
have in abundance, but meat not more than once OF
twice a week. usually on Sunday Iheir nauona Nege-
table is the potato This appears in the form OF pro'n
dumplings pancakes. &C., every festive OCCASION
On sundays piece Of salt beef pork with souFcrout
CT sausage or smoked bacon, Is considered
unite n treat Butter is seldom eaten by them;
this. with cheese and eggs, goes to pay the
taxes or the little expenses OF the week
just and discriminating sketch Of the late MT George
p Putnam dwes his singuarly uuwordiy characIer'
and his rare freedom from sinister and selfish ehds Inc
purity Of his nature perfect so chidke that ne
was hardly ever called TO resist temptauoh' LOT
many things that would have seemed sueh TO othef men,
were regarded by him as,snple impossoiitles'' MI
Putpan's judgments OF things we're formed from lhelr
sunny and kindly, but also superficial aspect. Worldly
supeIfciaty is common, but unworthy superhci"'9 Is
rare The reason is that most who escape from the
world do so in virtue Of proiounder reflection that
perces its illusions and seeks solid ground than lts
sham supports But he escaped even 70 the end OF his
Ife by the instructive purity and naYete OF leeI-
ing that we fancy detect child who prefers flowers
20 diamonds He had indeed naive delight IN the sheeh
and glitter OF certain wordnesses but this always looA
one shapc-he Of pleasure Of belonging 10 soe
institution or a group, individuality wider than
his own. He was so completely destitute OF
arrogance or selfassertiOn that he habtuay thought
Of what he was what he did as quite iusiEnncaht ou
attached rather whimsical importance 10 the Occohs
which had brought him in contact wIth notaoe lhInsS
events or men, have heard him relate many umes'
and with the utmost elee, the account OF some puDIc
BANQUET TO which he invited in London, Wmch was
raced by the presence of many eminent men, and over
which Prince Albert presided" Mr.. Putnam's relations
with Washington Irving, which were marked Dy tno
most genial cOrdiay on one side, and ueVoteu aIoc
tOnate admiration the other, are the suOect Oh III
interesting paragraph His association Win he latter
writer has intimate, and is so well known that
70 many It is perhaps principal fact suggested by the
mention of his own name. The association IS not fortu
TONS but think really means all that 1t seems to imply
II has been said that peculiar charm in lrVngs lie
Of Goldsmith from the evidenthnsmp that eAls's
between the genius OF the author and tha OF MS nero
The devotion Of life TO the Interpretation OF ahothe
ALWAYS implies the consciousness Of some such knshlp
between the two, when the mode OF expression OF
the genius be quite different, in the case OF Turner
and Ruskn or when the genius IS all on one side, and
on the other belongs only what Carlyle has well called
the genius OF appreciation in Boswell for johnson. To
this latter class of apprecatve friendship belongs that
which for so many years existed between Mr. putnam
and Washington Irving This was much more than the
ordinary relations between publisher and author WHO
Mr.
first to appreciate Irving, and Immediately deVo'ed
himself to the task Of hewng out road for his future
reputation with zeal and generous confidence that was
certainly most generously recognized and has been
amply recompeused. But this early diyination OF
Iryng possibilities for success, to whose external con
dons he largely contributed, not the mere insight
Of man Of business trained 20 detect what viii succeed
II was rather that joyful perception Of person who
meets in another the full and graceful and adequate
expression OF what he would Like TO say himself ana
said in lust the way in which he would wish to say H.
The serenity the openness, the facility the hmpd clear
ness Of Irvng's style and OF Iryng's not too deep
thought no less than geneness and genaty OF his
character quaintness, its shy decacy Its fas-
tidous reserve, its unsp0ken depth OF sentiment lts
stainless honor rTcsistibly attracted nature mat
though intellectually inferior, morally akin. a
sketch Of Irving that Mr.. Putnam wrote for HapTs
BfekL about two years ago, shows distinctly the points
az which he had attached himself 10 hm.-the details
upon which he most loved 10 dwell Irving indeed
his hero his ideal IN the world OF letters in which he
lived his type OF the region Of that world which he most
preferred" There IS some good poetry in this number
as sanzls for Music" by T. c. sedman, and Salts
fed" by Edgar Fawcctt. useful though not poeti-
cal department III Scr5ncr is Home and Society"
which abounds in sensible, practical details on many
subjects the selection Of food for the family to the
comfort Of ladies on sea voyage