The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1889-07-11
Havthorne,s first publication was

q collection Of stories entitled, Twice
told Tales, which were not well re
ceived by the public, although Long
fellow and other critics appreciated
their beauty. The most interesting
and instructive Of this collection are
The Great Carbuncle, The Minister,
Veil, and The Gray Champion. Haw.
thorne shows his humor in A Rill
From the Town Pump, in which he
represents the pump as saying: 1T
were pity il all this outcry should
draw no customers. Here they come.
A hot day, gentlemen! Quaff, and
away again, SO as to keep yourselves
in a nice cool sweat. You, my friend,
will need another cupfull to wash the
dust out OF your throat. il It be as
thick there as it is on your cowhide
shoes. / see that you have trudged
half a score OF miles to-day; and. like
a wise man, have passed by the tav-
erns and stopped at the running
brooks and well curbs. Otherwise,
Detwixt heat without and fire within,
you would have been burned to q
cinder, or melted down to nothing at
all, In the fashion Of a jelly-fish.
Drink, make room for that other fell
low, who seeks my aid to quench the
fiery fever OF last nights potations,
which he drained from no cup Of
mine. Welcome, most rubicund sir!
You and l have been great strangers
hitherto; nor. to con fess the truth,
will my nose be anxious for q closer
intimacy till the fumes Of your breath
be . little less potent. Mercy on you,
man! The water absolutely misses
down your red hot gullet, and is con-
verted quite to steam in the miniature
tophet which you mistake for q stom-
ach. Fill again, and tell me, on the
word of an honest topper, did you
ever, in cellar, tavern, or any kind Of
q dramshop, spend the price Of your
children's food for q swig half SO de-
licious? Now, for the FIRST time these
ten years, you know the flavor Of
cold water. Good-by; and, whenever
you are thirsty, remember that ]
keep q constant supply at the old
stand. Who next? oh, my little
friend, you are let loose from school,
and come hither to scrub your bloom
ing face, and drown the memory OF
certain taps of the ferule, and other
schoolboy troubles in q draught from
the Town Pump. Take it, pure as
the current Of your young life. Take
it, and may your heart and tongue
never be scorched with q fercer
thirst than now! There, my dear
child, put down the cup, and yield
your place to this elderly gentleman,
who treads SO tenderly over the paw
ing stones that l suspect that he is
afraid Of breaking them. What. he
limps by without SO much a. thank
ing me, as if my hospitable offers
were meant only for people who have
no wine cellars. Well, well, sir-no
harm done, ! hope! Go draw the
cork, tip the decanter; but when
your great toe shall set you . roaring,
it will be no affair OF mine. II gentle
men love the pleasant Utilization OF
the govt, it is all one to the Town
Pump. This thirsty dog, with his
red hot tongue lolling out, does not
scorn my hospitality, but stands on
his hind legs and laps eagerly out Of
the trough. See how lightly he cap
ers away again! Jowler, did your
worship ever have the goutr'
The House of Seven Gables, the
longest Of his three American novels,
is the most elaborate, and, in the
judgments Of some persons, it is the
finest. 1t il delightful, imaginative
work, interviewer with many fine sug-
gestions. 1t also contains many fine
descriptive passages; and shows it's
fine humor in the character of Hep
zibah; but taking it A. whole, pre-
fer the Marble Faun on account OF
it's strangeness and also the beautiful
descriptions Of the many statutes in
Rome.
have chosen Mr.. Hawthorne for
my favorite for several reasons, q few
Of which | give to you. The subjects
are entirely different from those OF
any other author, they being very
simple, and even the title looks pleas
ing and interesting. In his writings
we have not the worn out castles, alb
beys, sovereigns and aristocracy, but
we have mental conditions belonging
entirely to man.
Other writer's have been more
learned, more dramatic and more
comprehensive, but no one has been
such a romantic genius. l admit
that he is not such q great portrait
painter as Thackery, nor as great Q
dramatist as 1.-THE thousand. souled
Shakespeare but ! do say that he
stands alone as being our great, orig
inal, imaginative writer. He il more
than this-he is an art critic. Look
at the fine criticisms of THE Dying
Gladiator 1.-THE Faun," or ''Guido's
Archangel" Do you not call that
well doney His work will always re-
main; it is too original and exquisite
to pass away. Among the men of i'm
agination he will always keep his
niche.
Some one may ask, what do we
learn from reading Hawthorne's
great works, and what influence
have his writings had upon the
worldg' l answer, we learn to appre-
o. n -.