The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-05-27
King Arthur.


King Arthur.
EDWARD Everett Hale, In Wide Awake
When, N historic mood. you look aack
IN the chronicles, to ses VIDA. all this started
from, you 90 not find great comfort. Here
Is the very frank confession Of Geofrey of
Monmouth, who wro.e six hundred years
after The time he says Arthur died.
While occupied 90 many and various
STUDIES, happened to light upon the history
OF the kings of Britain, and wondered that
in the account which Gildas and Bsde, in
their elegant treaties had given OF them,
found nothing said of those kings who lived
here before the Incarnation of Christ. nor of
Arthur, and many others who succeeded after
the Incarnation; through their action both
deserved immortal fame. ana were also ce.e-
brated BY many people in a pleasant man
Der and by heart, as il they had been written.
Whilst was intent upon these and such like
thoughts, Waiter, archdeRcon of Oxford a
man of great elOquence, and learned in for.
eigp histories, offered me very ancient book
In the British tongue, which. in q continued
regular story and elegant style, related the
actions OF them all, from Brutus the first
king OF The Britons down 10 Cadawallader
the son of CadWallo. At his request thers.
fore, though had not made fine Language
my study, by collecting expressions from
other authors, yet contented with my own
homely style, undertook tbs TRANSLATION of
the book into Latin"
You see that this excsllent Geotfrey was
surprised that in the two best histories of
Eng and which he knew, the great King Ar
thurs name was not so nucn mentioned.
This is probably due 10 the fact that he BE-
Iongeo IN romance and not in history. Toe
truth is, that there were in those ages, man
kings and many lords Where the Ssxous
landed, and made a raid the Britons gath
cred and opposed them. Bat gcsduslly the
Saxons made head against them, aud essab
iishsd tkeir permanent colonies, exactly "a,
later down, their descendants established
Massachusetts,, and Providence Plantations,
and Maryland and Virginia in America. In
after cars, more or lees was remembered of
the British chieftsins, and on this more or
less, on the romance writers, when the time
for romancss came, hurg their stories.
Dr. Lingsrd says OF him: I'VE knew nei-
Their the period when he lived nor the dis.
trict over which he reigned. He is said to
have fought and to have gsined twelve bat
tles. In most Of these, from the names of
the PLACES, hs seems to have besn opposed to
the Angles in Lincolnshire, from the last, at
Mt. Bacon, to the Saxons under Cerdic or
CyDric. This, whether il was fought under
Arthur or not, was splendid and useful
victory, which fJr forty years checked the
advance of the strangers. Perhaps when the
reader has been told that Arthur was 3 Brit
ish chieitain, that he fought many
pstues that be was murdered
",
buried in Glastonbury, where his renal ms
were discovered in the reign of Henry the
Second. he viii have learned all that can be
escsrtaiDed at the present day, respecting
that celebrated warrior"
1t is good deal as rou might read a good
history OF the United States for the first half
OF this century, aud possibly not find the
name Of Tscumseh; or az you might Rad
one of the last half of this century which
should not mention Sitting Bull. But II, 3
hundred years hence. you went among
spirited tribe of Indians. who had advanced
century toward civilization, you might
find enthusiastic accounts OF Sitting Ball
and of Tecumseh preserved in ballads and
stories. Aud these accounts, very likely,
would surpass anything which was true or
even possible in the real lives of those
chiefs
Imay gay. in passing, that both Tecumseh
and Sitting Bull were men quite as accom-
plished as the real King Arthur was. AS for
weapons and srts, they were quite in advances
Of hin.
Both Lord Tennyson and Lord Lytton in
our time have felt that in this legend of ar.
thur was the best subject for great Eaglish
poem. Lsrd Lytton said once, that he had
more hope OF being remembered in another
country, because he had written King Ar
thur. than for any fame which any of his
novels would have then. But you will e ad
1t hard 70 buy copy to-day, and there are
good public Libraries which do not contain
''Bulwsr's King Arthur" sm afraid that
in truth Bulwer had ito pump" That is
phrase Mr.. Emerson oncs used to me when
he was speaking of another poet. The story
Is difficult 10 follow, il Is long winded, it is
not four ded on the real legends and you can
not help feeling that B1lwer determined to
write three yerses day, aud wrote them reg
uiarIy. Still there are noble passages ia it.
remember that der Starr King was very
fond of il. and used to quote exquisite verses
from it.
But, IS every boy knows, who will read
these lines, the tenderness the vigor, the
simplicity and the truth of Lord Tennyson's
Idyls have made men and women forget all
other poetry about King Arthur. The Idyls
have been published at various times and
are now published in the chronological order
Of their own story. Bat In the later editions
you will find in that order the author means
that they shall be read.
MoIasses, Soft Soap and Cider.
Jour Young Folks
A lady recently told the following story,
a. being days adventures Of her nine-Yes,-
old son:
Harry IL always engaged in soma mischief;
and his pFanks are 30 lsugnsble that l can
seldom keep on sober face long enough to
punish him. Nearly year ago there came a
strolling theatrical troupe to town. They
played tragedy and comedy, performed pam
tomimes, and did the negro minstrel business
10 perfection, so the boys thought. Bat
what my son Harry most admired was the
play of "Tocdles." This he determined to
reproduce in his own thsatsr, vita new and
unhesrd-of effects.
There was new scenery painted on IA old
az rwtf 49, g. l.