New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-05-09
JOEL BARLOW.
AN EARLY AMERICAN POET AND PHILosO-
PIER.

TobD. svo PIP 306 G. r. Putnam's sons
loci Barlow does not deserve the foremost place
IN craftsmanship. letters and philosophy among
the great men of the post-revolutionary age, to
which his biographer assigns him; he certainly
has no clam to the extraordinary title of martyr
which Mr. Todd awards HIM In his last chapters
but he was an interesting character who led
curious and often exciting life; he rendered an
important service to his country IN Al
aiers, and he was popular poe'
at q time when American poetry was moi iiuon
better than an oddity. His story was wen WIZ"
telling, and we cannot help regrettins 'ii". .No
task OF telling il did not fall TO some one "''"
keener literary sense acooler Judgment an" VI "o
grasp of the political history OF baiio" ''n,o'
than the author of this Disappointing DUN i'
Todd however, has had accessto vaiuaoio oo'-
lection of manuscript letters and otner ina'ei'as'
accumulated during many years by Joel Bariows
crand.nepbew. Professor l.. @. Olmsted, and
now in the possession of Mr. 5. Il. NJ
BARLOW. With the aid of these documents
he presents q favorable and substantially
accurate account of the author of " The Columoiad
and "Rasty Pudding" His publication Is the more
welcome because Barlow was recently the victnn oi
the vitriol-throwing habit of Professor McNas'er
in the second volume of his History of the People
of the United States"
Joea Barlow the son of substantial farmer, was
born at Redding, Connecticut. lie was Rraduateo
at Dartmouth College in 177S. in the same class
with Noah Webster and Oliver Woloou. lie hau
ambitious schemes for literary career, thoughcer-
tainly no calling could have been moro barren OF
prom,se In that era of poverty and revolution
Besides practising the smaller forms of verse he
issued proposals the year after he left college for
poem in nine books entitled, "lhe Vision OF Column
bus the same production which was afierward
expanded into The COlumbiad." Disappointed
in the hone of q tutorshIp at Dartmouth, he sought
leisure for the composition of poetry in the very
last place where would think of looking Tor 1t
in the camp of the Revolutionary Army. lie OBJ
tanned an appointment as chaplain, having quail
fed himself for that duty by rapid
course of divinity and a license obtained
with considerable difficulty. So far can be dis
covered he never had any interest in theology, and
as soon as his chaplaincy vanished. with the dis
banding of the army. he dropped the ministerial
profession Later life he accused of atheism,
but this charge he always repclled. His frank and
affectionate letters from the army to his wife (he
married Ruth Baldwin secretly. while the troops
were In winter quarters in 17S1) are notable for
the entire absence of any religious sentiment. He
speaks with boyish complaconcy of the success OF
his preachments" and the politeness with which
he was treated by the officers; but 1t is clear
that the spiritual functions of chaplain
pected of him beyond weekly sermon. and he had
ample time both for the "vision of Columbus"
and for patriotic songs and ballads which were
circulated among the soldiers. The only specimen
of these fugitive pieces discovered by Mr.. Todd Is
rather dull; but we must not judge the effect of
Revolutionary poetry by the popular taste of our
own day. The following letter to Miss Baldwin
contains singular intimation of scepticsm and is
altogether quite unlike what a chaplain might DO
expected to write such an OCCASION:
ORANGFTowv Oct g.
GIhad written so far when General PattisOn and
Mr. Hutchins called and have been since to attend
the execution of Major Andre, Acknowledgement OF
the British Army. hanged as a spy; potter gem
tleman or a greater character of his age. perhaps
is not alive He was twenty eight years old lie
dressed completely and suffered with camness
and chpe-fulness. With appearance of phil !
osophy and herosm. he observed that he was |
bu0yed above the fear of death by the conscious |
ness that every action OF his ne had peen noI IL
MI pleasure or pain Whether he has altered his !
mind, or whether he has any mind. is now best
known TO himself. My heart is thrown into |
flutter my dear. at the sight. My situation in the
army grows more and more agreeable. am as |
hearty and as healthy rs can he in your absence
] gave them preachTent yesterday for the fourth
time-a flaming political sermon, occasoned by the
treachery of Arnold. had number of gentlemen
from the other brgades and am told It did me
great honor. Nv vanity will show YOU that write |
Just as | think | had a billet last week fIom |
General Greene to dine with him. There were |
few DAYS later ne has "a billet from General
Washington to dine "; and he writes thus to his
sweetheart
How do You think felt when the greatest man
on earth placed me at his right hand, with Lord |
Stirling at his left, at tablet graced the table |
with a good grace. and felt perfectly easy and |
happy There were many gentlemen there. lou !
must allow me little vanity in these descriptions
because the scenes new. Since the preaching OF
my sermon upon the treason OF Arnold and the |
glory Of America, several gentlemen who did not
They talk of printing it, Colonel Humphreys has |
made Inc promise to loan him the plan and the |
first book of my poem to read at headquarters |
He and many other friends pay Inc particular
attention.
At the end of the war he settled in Hartford, and
in partnership with a printer named Babcock |
started weekly newspaper called The american !
Mercury After year and half of Journalism he |
tired law. He had little in this profession,
but he became something of literary celebrity; he
was employed by the General Association of the |
Congregational Churches of Connecticut to revise
Watts's version Of the Psalms; and he |
was one of the original members of a
cotere of poets and satirists, famous |
then as the Hartford WITS" who entertained the |
town with political poetry, lampoons, and various
occasional pieces. John TTumbull. the author of !
"McFingal"; David Humphreys, Washington's
aide-de-camp; Lemuel Hopkins, and Barrow. were
the original wits" and they sometimes joined
by DR.. Timothy Dwight, who had been chaplain
in the army with Barlow and often associated with
our hero in the production of patriotic songs. The
performances of the Hartford coterie were said to
be brilliant but the spirit of such ecrvcscen wit
does not keep, and we must take it trust "The
Vision of Columbus" was brought out in 1857. with
dedication to the French king, and was soon trans
lated into French and repubshed in Paris An
English edition also appeared, and at home the
poem was received with high favor
Possibly it was the celebrity of this heavy poem
which led to the selection of Barlow as foreign
agent of the ScOto Land Company, a concern or
gained under an act of Congress to purchase a
large tract of public land the Ohio and sell at an
advanced price to European capitalists settlers.
The speculation was not only unfortunate, but