Richland beacon., 1880-07-31
O{ircr (tOldalf1ifh.

land. a child who was destined to be.
come one of the greatest men Of . time
noted for the number of great men it
produced. The one to whom We refer
is Oliver Goldsmith, the poet, dramatist,
novelist and historian. A man who was
able to enchant readers of every nation
by the beauty Of his writings, but who
was unable to control either himself or
his passions: and of whom Garrick witt
ly and truly remarked, that he "wrote
like an angel, but talked like Poll"
He was truly man of many parts
no matter what he attempted with the
pen) he did it well, which led the great
Dr.. johnson to say that che Gold
smith) always did best that which he
WAS doing" As boy, he showed few
Of the qualities which afterward dis
tinguished the man.
He entered Trinity College, Dublin,
as a sizar, or "poor scholar" Here he
disagreed with his teacher, and was
prosecuted by him to such degree as
TO render life at the college almost I'M
bearable.
Smartlng nnder his wrongs, he left
the college, intending to embark for
America. In this, rs in most Of his
schemes, he failed, and he was per-
suaded by his friends to again enter
college. This he did, after much per-
suasion, but he did not distinguish him
self particularly in his studies, graduat-
ing with but moderate honors.
For the next few years his life was a
wandering one. First, We find him in
Edinburgh studying medicine then on
the continent, travelling through Hol-
land, France, and Switzerland, paying
his way by playing on his flute for the
peasants to dance. From France he
drifted over into "sunny Italy. Here
he did not stay long; his flute would not
sustain him, for the reason, as he says,
in the "Vicar of Wakefield" that even
the humblest peasant knew more about
music than he did. Begging and play
ing his way back through France, we
again find him one bright morning, in
the spring of 1756, standing on the Do
yer docks, his hands in his pockets, and
the world before him. He was well
stocked with worldly knowledge, but Of
itsgoods he possessed little.
His worldly possessions we're strong
Irish brogue, a stout heart, and an ambi-
ton TO become an author. He naturally
drifted to London, where he again
turns up as writer of reviews and mis-
cellaneU,s articles for the magazines,
earning but little money and spending
that little quickly and foolishly.
Through his improvidence he was al
ways in debt, and was consequently
compelled to engage in all kinds Of lit
erary hack work, in order to sustain
himself-work for which he was fitted
neither by genius nor inclination. 1t
was under these circumstances that his
first great poem, "The Traveller" was
finally brought out. Its success Was
instantaneous, and surprised even his
friends and admirers. DR.. johnson said
of it that it was superior to any poem
since the days of Pope. Two years
later the "Vicar of Wakefield" was
published, and still later appeared
1.-The Deserted Village" admitted by
all critics to be one of tho finest poems
ever written. The success of these pro-
auctions exceeded that of "The Trav-
eler," but Goldsmith realized nothing
from either of them. He had been
compelled to sell them for tri1e (com-
pared to their real worth before they
were published, in order to keep rom
starving. He also wrote "a History
of Rome" which was distinguished
more for the beauty of its composition
than for its historical correctness. His
Animated Nature" was also written
about this time. It was moderately
successful, and is still considered work
of great value. The merit of all these
works WAS undeniable, and Goldsmith
became famous. He was made . pro.
lessor OF ancient history by the King,
and was honized by all London--not
outstanding which he continued q,
poor as ever. He was fond of the gam
ing table, and he suffered accordingly
He also made his mark as dramatist
In January, 1868. his first effort, {,
comedy entitled the Good Naturet
Man, was produced at the Coven,
Garden. In spite of it's merits-ever
his enemies admitted that it possessed
merritt was not very successful, run
ming only afew nights. Still it paid its au
thor better than anything he had writ
ten.
He realized from it the, to him, large
sum of $500. This, like the rest of hi,
money, was soon spent. Four hundred
Of the five hundred pounds was spent
for q room in the Temple. and the Other