The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-02-21
sessed sufficient sum to make up what il
| required.
Ihe Boy washington Blessed.

handsome price Washington Irving could
claim that honor, and 1t happened in this
wav.
During the Revolutionary War, New
York had severely felt the power of the
British, bst this yoke was lifted at last, and
General Washington's army came into the
city. What a happy day it wssl People
clustering on the sidewalks. people rushing
to their windows, all to see the Continental
army 60 by, drums beating, flags flying,
every mans face that of q conqueror.
About this time there came into the city
another important party-a baby. This
baby came to stop with Mr.. and Mrs. Will
liam Irving. 1t was an important question
what name to give the baby. Should it be
Samuel, George, or even the homely Jere.
miah2 The mother mad something to say
] about il. She thought of the great Ameri
can General in the city.
"Washington's work is ended, /" she said,
sand the child shall be named after him."
In that way Washington Irving received
his name. After awhile, Washington was
again in the city. He was now in New
York as the first President Of our country,
and New York was our first capital In
the irving family was a servant by the
name of Lizzie She felt that amid the
praise bestowed upon his great namesake the
youthful Washington was overlooked. The
President one day v ent into shop, and af-
ter him came Lizzie, bringing young Wash
N gton Irving.
''Please your honor, here's BARN was
named after you," exclaimed Lizzie, who
was Scotch girl.
The President was not at all disturbed.
He laid his hand on little Washington
Irving's head and kindly blessed the boy.
How little the President knew what he
was doingl He did not foresee that one day
this boy, growing to manhood, would be q
writer good enough to tell the world about
tie p e'ident's life.
Washington Irving we'll paid the Presi-
dent for the trouble he took in noticing,
with kindly air and word of blessing,
''the BARN" Scotch servant brought
him.
Washington Irving grew up in tho city
of New York, which WAS not at that time a
very extensive affair. New York BOYS will
be interested to know that it reached no
further than the spot now known as the
City Hall Park.
Beyond this, what sleepy old Dutch fArms
must have stretched between river and
sound, robins building their ests, and
plump cabbage growing where now all
through the twenty-four hours is heard the
sound of rafting wheelsI
1t is said that Washington Irving was a
handsome boy; that he loved fun as does
the race generally, and had a knack at
writing.
He entered law Office when sixteen, and
when he was about nineteen he made his
first public effort in the literary line, puo-
fishing some letters in the Morning Chron-
lcle and signing his name Jonathan Old
castle.'
His brother sent him to Europe when
twenty-one, as his health was very frail.
The captain, in whose vessel he took pas
sage, made and ugly prediction about
Washington, noticing his sickly appear
ance:
"rhere's chap who will go overheard be-
fore we get across"
Bat Washington did not oblige the cap
tain by fulfilling this prophesy. He went
over the sea but not into it. His travels
benz ft.d him.
Ma everything was pleasant. but Irving
showed disposition worth copying by all
young people He declared:
"When can not get dinner to suit my
taste, l endeavor to get a taste to suit my
dinner"
- VIC OSos VI was BILL.
The years went by. Irving's facility
at composition was displayed in the serb.
bles OF boyhood, and after his admission to
the bar, in early manhood, he made very
successful trial of his powers.
With others, he published an odd, witty
and successful periodical, whose very name
provoked curiosity-"Sslmagundi 1t was
designed simply to instruct the young, re-
form the old, correct the town and castigate
the age"
In 1909, there came from Irving's pen q
book sure to have readers while New York
has Inhabitants and Manhattan Island is
not sheep pasture. 1t purported TO be q
history of New York, and apparently by
Diedrich Knickerbocker. 1t was adver-
tised ingeniously. There appeared in the
paper notices Of ga small elderly gentleman,
dressed in en- old black coat and cooked hat,
by the name of Knickerbocker." It was
sadly announced that this poor old relic had
disappeared. Finally it was published that
such sn old gentleman had been discovered
in the Albany stage going north that he
had gone off in debt to his landlord, and if
the fOrgetful Knickerbocker, whose name
was Diedrich, did not return, q very queer
manuscript he had left behind would be
sod to pay his creditors.
This sort of advertising was done so ef-
fec!ively that city officer set out TO sdver-
tise also, proposing to offer q reward for
the finding Of poor, lost Diedrich.
This style OF advertising is funny, but it
can not be safely repeated. There may be
only an ingenious joke in 1t, but some one
might be seriously incommoded. Devices
OF this Kind are always risky. A good book
does net need them, and they will not save
bad book.
The Knickerbocker account of New York
was a humorous, fanciful history, and the
popular heart beat warmly toward it.
IL Irving had been rich the world might
have heard little more from him, but in after
years, pecunisry embsrrassments beset him
like thorn-hedge. The genial, handsome
Irving through life had needed the convic-
ton Of a mission.
In 1918 he felt that crisis had come in
his life. Ha resolved to give himself up to
bis pen and let that be the walking stick he
would lean on.
Let no young person think that poverty
ia their worst foe. l makes men out isome
people. If you must get up when silver
star is the companion of the rising sun
don't look upon it IS great misfortune.
Hardship is the very thing arousing the
0iant inside of ne Otherwise what a long