The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1881-01-16

WORK HAS BEEN DONE.
From the Boston Courier
"The richer nature" said Carlyle, "the
harder and slower its development. Two
boys were once of class in the Edinburgh
grammer school; John ever trim, precise
and dux; Walter ever slovenly, confused
and dolt. In due time John became Baltic
John Hunter square, and Walter became
Sir Walter Scott of the universe. The
quickest and completest of all vegetables is
the cabbage" This slowly developed "Sir
Walter Scott of the universe" was thirty
four when he made his first draft of "Way-
verley," and forty.three when he rewrotc
and published it. Nearly every one of
those tales which conferred immortality
upon him was composed after he had reach.
ed the age Of forty-six. lie wrote the
"Heart of Midlothian" at forty seven
the Bride of Lammermoor, ""A Legend Of
Montrose" and "Ivanhoe" at forty -eight;
the Pirate and "Peveril of the Peak" at
fifty; the "Tales of the Crusaders at fifty
four, and the "Chroniclesof the Canongate"
at fftyseven.
Carlyle was forty.two when he published
the French Revolution, the first work Of
his to which he formally put his name. The
publication Of his work was, it Is true, de-
layed, owing to the burning Of the MS. Of
one volume through the carelessness Of Mrs.
Taylor, to whom it had been loaned by
John Stuart Mill; but if that mlshap had
not occurred Carlyle would have been over
forty before his work could have appeared
His Cromwell" was published when he
was fifty; the first two volumes Of his
"Fredenck the Great" when he was sixty
three, another two when when he was sixty
seven, and the last two when he was sixty
nine. Swift was ffty.nine when he pub
hshed "Gulliver's Travels and certainly
did no work on il before he was fifty -seven.
TennySon had reached fifty when his first
idyls End Elaine "ViWen," and
"Guineyere" were published, and was about
sixty.two when he completed the series
with "Gareth and Lynette." Macaulay
was forty.eight when he issued the first
and second volumes Of his "History OF
England" and the third and fourth did not
appear till he was fifty-fve Good as are
the essays Of his early manhood, they pale
when compared with this work of hi.
mature years.
John Stuart Mill was So when his essay
"On Liberty" was publishe and So when
be gave us that on "Udlitarianism. Mil
ton was certainly more than 81 when he be.
gan TO compose his paradise Lost" He
was SO when he sold it to Simmons, the
bookseller George Eliot composed mid
dlemarchn between the age Of 4G and 81,
and since then daniel Deronda." Bacon
was SO before he published his great work,
"The Novum 0rganum." Cowper was
over so when he wrote John Gilpinn and
the Task, and Deioe So when he pub
lished Robinson Crusoe." Darwin pub
lished his "Origin of Species" when so,
and his descent of man" when sixty-two
Grote wrote the larger part of his "History
Of Greece" between the ages of ffty-two
and sixtY-two, and Hallam occupied nearly
the same period of life with his "Inroduc-
ton to the Literature of Europe" The two
works by which Thomas Hood has survived
the grave, "The Bridge of Sighs' and "The
Song OF the Shirt" were composed when
he was forty.six, and on a sick-bed from
which he never rose.
Longfellow gave US "lliawatha" when
forty-eight; "Tales of a Wayside Inn" when
fifty-six, and since then has been as prolific
as he has been excellent. We need only men.
ton his translation of Dante's "Divna
Commedia," and his exquisite poem,
"Morturi Salutamus." "The Autocrat of
the Breakfast Table, was published when
Holmes was forty-eight, and "Songs in
Many Keys" when he was tifty.fvc. Wash
ington Irving completed "Talcs Of the Al
hamora" at forty-ninc, published "Ma-
homet" at sixty seven, and the "Life of
George Washington" after that age. Pres.
colt wrote, We believe, the conquest Of
h.... Al. II