Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1874-10-25
BRET HARTE.
some Personal Points About the
Dickens Of America.

As Bret Harte, the popular author aud
4 lecturer, will make his first appearance be
fore 4 Nashville audience next Wednesday
night, the following sketch will doubtless
prove unusually interesting 10 our home
readers; a man who has so many readers
must needs inspire a kindly curiosity to
| know something of the antecedents in a
life which has given such generous promise
of nobler works to come:
Mr.. Harte was born at Albany, New
York, in 1889. He was christened Francis
Bret Harte; but the second narie-an old
family one-was that by which he was IA
military known among home friends and
acquaintance. Later in life, the initial Of
his Christian name was dropped altogether,
and the world learned to known and love
him by the somewhat crisp title Of "Bret
Harte." Young HaTte grew up surround
ed by refining influences; his father WAS a
teacher Of girls, and a TjDe and cultured
student withal. Left fatherless, HaTte
wandered off 10 California in 1854. For
two or three years, he, like all the rest
less wanderers of those days, pursued
a various calling and had no fixed abode.
He mined a little, taught school a little,
tried his hand at type-setting and frontier
journalism, climbed mountains and thread
ell ravines as the mounted messenger of an
express company, or acted as agent for tina
company in some of the mountain towns
which we have learned to know so well as
Sandy Bar, Poker Flat, and Wingdam.
But all the while the 1.-the, agile, and alert
young artist was absorbing impressions of
the picturesque life, scenery, manners, and
talk which surrounded him as an atmOs-
phere.
In 1857, or thereabOuts, he drifted back
. to San FTanciScO-",Phe Bay as the pleas
ant city by the sea was fondly called by
the wandering sons Of adventure. Here
Harte speedily developed into a clever
young HterGtetT. Working in the compOs-
ing-rOOm Of weekly literary journal, he
put into type some of his own graceful lit
tie sketches by way of experiment. These
were noticed and appreciated by the editor,
and he was translated from ''the case" 10
the editorial room of the The Golden Era,
where some of the pleasant papers which
find place in his latter published works
we're written. Meantime, marriage and
the cares of a growing household had
changed the vagTant fancy of the young
writer, and he rOved no more.
In 1864 he was appointed Secretary of
the United States Branch Mint in San
Francisco, a position which, during the six
years he held it, gave him time and Oppor-
tunity for more careful work than any
which he had heretofore accomplished.
During this time some of the most famous
of his poems and sketches were written.
"John Burns of Gettysburg" "The PHO
Gene Skull, "rhe Society upon the Stanis-
low" "IIOw are You, Sanitary" and other
little unique gems of verse were written
about this time and first appeared (fOr the
most part) anonymously in the San Fran
cisco newspapers. In July, 1868, the
publication of the The Overland Monthly
was begun, with Bret HaEte as its Organi-
ger and editor. The success of the maya
zine was immediate and decided. In its
pages, August, 1868, appeared "The Luck
of Roaring Camp" a story which, what
ever may be the merits of those which
have succeeded it, gave Bret Harte the first
of his great fame as prose-writer. But it
was not until January Of the next year
that the stimulated appetite of the impa-
tient public was appeasedb by the production
of "The Outcasts Of Poker Flat" dramat-
ic tale which probably contains more
firmly-drawn and distinct characters than
have appeared in any one of Harte's stories
or sketches. .Miggles" came next, and,
marshaled in their long array, the inimita-
bic personages who figure in still later stO-
ries emerged from their shadowy realm and
passed into the language and familiar &C
quaintance Of tte English speaking world.
Col. StarbOttle, John Oakhurst, S5umpy,
Tennessee's Partner and Miggles-with
laughter and with tears we remember them
all; we shall know them as long as we
know Sam Weller, Micawber, Little Nell,
and the gOOdly company called into being
by that other magician who has, at las, laid
down his wand forever.
Harte's poems are more thiekly scattered
through his later work in California than
elsewhere. Some Of the best-knOwn were
written in 1865 and 1870. "Plain Language
from Truthful James" popularity quoted as
the "Heathen Chinee," appeared in The
OUerldnd Of September, 1870.
In the spring of 1871, Harte resigned the
editorial position which he held, as well as
the PrOfeSsorship OF Recent Literature in