The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1874-09-03
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Va YERLY NOW IND THEN

Nov York Timcs,l n


The Waverly Novels--the Scotch now
els as they used at first TO be called
were suggested by Miss Edgeworth's
tales of Irish life. Sir Walters confessed
aspirations was TO invite the same sym
pathy for Scotland by means of "Waver-
ly" and "Guy Mannering," that Maria
EdgeWOrth had won for Ireland by
"Ennui" and the Absentee" Mr. Glad
stone is reported to have lately expressed
his regret that he had bestowed so much
time and attention on politics. One good
book, he thinks, has more influences
than five hundred speeches.
The influence of a really national nov
9list is unquestionably enormous. In its
extent and ramifcation, this power
has scarcely been sufficiently rec
Ogniged. The majority of persons are so
little accustomed to analyze the various
forces which go to make up their opin-
ions, that they are unaware of the effect
which powerful novels have on their
sentiments. Great Britain has had no
writer during the present century who
has influenced her political and social
life of to-day more than Walter Scott.
His works have been the first works of
fiction which, during three generations,
have been placed in the hands of his
countFynien., At the most impression
able peribdOf life his readers have thus
derived Measurable emotions from tales
Of tme-h hOnored customs, feudal rights,
great estates. ancient families-and the
effect has rarely been altogether obliter-
ated. 1t has Ill tended to that remark
able consbrvatye.reactiOn which IL sur
prising sd many to-day,5
The, whole' of Walter Scotts novels
breathe Of rank, lineage, and aristocratiC
association. In "WaVerlyn the hero ID
the hero Of Waverly'H an ancient
heritage :; the heroine the daughter'of q
Highland chief In HRob Roy thehero
IS a yauAg man of family who shirks
commercial life, and the author evidently
intends. that the readers sympathies
should go with him in his horror Of tare
and tret. In Guy -Mahnering" the
whole interest centersln the defeat OF
Gloeein, the attorney, and the return Of
Harry Bertram to the home of his
Latherss. In the "Antiquary' the hero il
the heir to an earldom and great estate
In the ''F6rtunes of Nigel" we followthe
destinies Of Lord GlenvarloCh TO their
ultimate Triumph.
The art Of the author surrounded feu.
dalism and all that attends primogeniture
with such fascination that even those
who might be supposed to have decided
prejudiCesagainst it confessed its charms
How deeply our own Irving fell under
this spell, his "Abbotsford" and "New.
stead Abbey" and "Bracebridge Hall'
attest. Tho influence of these works on
England is, in various ways, felt to-day
as much ~ when they appeared, al.
though inevitable changes of time may
have diminished the relish with which
they are read. II ia in no slight degree
due TO the author of "The Antiquary'
that abbeys have'been restored. and an.
cient castles, which hundred years age
would have been ruthleBsly demolished
iealously preserved. Thus, at Rochester
and Nottingham, two Radical towns, the
medi@val castles havebeenlately turned
into museums, and their grounds .set
apart fBraPVblic pleasure. Throughonl
England there b scarcelg a cathedral on
which hundreds of pounds have not been
laYished where pence would have been
grudged before the appearance Of ava
verify" It is mainly due, to its author
that antiquarian and archaeological soci.
cites have sprung up oh-allsides, and
that there is an intense dislike to destroy
anything that has old associations con.
hected with IT, z Perhaps, too, .as strong
indications df this "a can be given are
furnished by the fact that 4 railroad
company actually erected in front o.
n their terminus at Charing Cross an ex
\ quisite cross, the exact counterpart o.
one which stood a few hundred yandl
from it, and that when the railings were
lately removed from around st, Paupi
Churchyard, Q portion Of them went tC
fence u public Enclosure in a town in
Sussex, in which county they we're made
hundred and fly years ago, as me
morial The circumstance recalls the
fact that the ancient gates of the, Edin-
burgh T0lbOoth do dutyfgt ,Abbotsf0rd
Again, it y greatly due to Sir Walter tina
Mr.. Pullnian's cars, attached to the fam
Gus "limited mail, are this week carry
ing down hundredsOf tbe wephhiest mer
in the world, English and Amehdans, h
tread that heather in which heso largely
delighted, and that tena thousand gum
will to-day be heard from Caithness Il
Berwick. He made Scotland the kish
ion. Indeed wedoubt very much whethe
the royal standard would be Hoatin,
from the Tower Of Balmoral,' II q certain
little lame boy bad not been born a cen
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