Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1881-10-06
The Dark eide OF Literary Lille.

l think of the au:hor Of "Feu!cs Preserved"
choking himself over tic focd, from which he
had beeo 50 long deprived, 10 too isroe Rreod
OF hunger; Of the i,i-atarred S.vsgo crouosier
for Warmth b:foro the larid ashes of 8 glass
furnace of the great Oiisn;aIi.t, the trsosla-
tor ct The ko:aa, pursuing bis stcGiss au,id the
seyerest priVatio1s; OF old Sam johnson, hid.
den bahiod sorsen io the publishers dining
room, bccauie his COAT vas too ragged TO id.
NIT him to the tablo of his hes y; OF Steele,
Go'd'DiIh. Smollet, Fielding, Crabbe, Chatter.
ton, ucd the hundred aud one others cf tho
pen, who knew often Whist actual want was,
what misery was, what psn left to Itself Wae
and what followed from the grasp of the sher~
III 8 cthcer Tnere rise before me visions of
pale, Sade tao2s wno have had to par! with their
maousofp's. t1elr poems, their ssiitcs, their
tragedies, their essays and novels for teath or
tTantIstb OF tne sum CUT nineteenth caotury
sc:lbe gives for one OF bis hCries. Did Sot
E;!tou sell hla lCcomp parable epic Tor tho prcs of
GeW saddle? Can y1u buy Stenhopa Cf q
good make t'r what Goldsmith sold bis "V.csr
OF Wak:helt?' Did not Dryden eogSso himself
TO Wflte tea thousand varses tor less tbnu the
prcs OF on opeFs o. z Tor the s5asOo? Was not
'EVa!ns" parted Eth by Miss Burney at the
prIc7 OF frOck o,ai { Aud pray what did the
men OF lstters uuder the is, thrao Georses
make cut of litera'ur:? But perhaps the sad
st Of al! rtt.c ioos is, how tsred it with the
msn, tten Is now, who could iod 60 publisher
20 lake their Tcres; whose tastes aud pccuigri.
iies Of character ut6.ted then for the ordinary
occupations of life; who rad nnd wrote 10 the
hope OF o1e day receiving their reward snd
having their Dlcho 10 the pie of fame, % y
80 hou thIcr end 10 the i,i tie hcspi.sl, or the
terrible exit OF the suio'de? AS | w,ite there
s snos out against the background Of the past
che leau, hageard firm OF one | kucW, who
nusled himself With su liects that appealed 10
the few. who d generated nso g publisher
hack; then even that osll;ng failed him, for
others couid BE- fouad 10 do ths wo;k cheaper;
Who was poor unto mls:rg, yet neither his garu
nor oooVeEssfloo revealed mis- solrow5, for the
PRIDE OF manhood mado him keep his poverty
10 hluselt, Till aoxlcty and su firing b d.. him,
On, fatal dcy, bravo the terrUrs Of the unSnown
snd put an eud 10 the lite whose burduo was
greater than he wcuId bear, by bis own hard. |
Poor SOU Had one bot kuouu hew s we're
was the measure the fstes had .alt out TO him
be need oot have been fearful assin of distress !
and pIlVatlot; gladly subscrip ions would hsv, |
bsen raised for hiu; bu' he kept US oil 10 ig- |!
noraucs of his sffsirs, and, willis. We mourn bis
reserve. We cannot but rssp,c; tha PRIDE aud |
pluck tha! dictated it. How many suff ring
hearts have thus passed to rtst consci usuf the |
genius working wlthln them. their brins stored |
with the intsIleousl accu ulatoss of ages, vet
rudely Ignored by the iues 10 which their lot |
was cast, whilst the empty aod frivolous were the
idols of the hour! The author of "Jato" WAS
rIght-to command SUCCESS is 1ot alwsys to |
dtsIVe it.