Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1889-07-05
From THE Waoerly Progress, by ]. L..
LODGE, d. D., Editor

From 1he Wdoe7Ey Progress, by j. IL.
LODGE, d. D., Editor.l
Though we cannot conscientiously advise,
as did very learned critic, "Give your days
and nights To Irving" his works are yet
worthy Of high praise The first necessity
TO speaker or writer, who already has
IDEAS in more or less imperfect state of CO.
herence, who really has thoughts, which,
like imprisoned forces seek but do not find
an outlet, is transmitting medium, an ele-
giant and rich vocabulary 1t is very true
that we think in words; but every editor
knows that many thoughts have the bad
habit of spelling abominably, Of punctu-
ating vilely, and setting syntax generally at
defiance. 1t is likewise true that thought
attains proximate perfection only as it ha-
biitates itself easily and naturally in APP
proprlate forms OF speech. AS there Is never
present consciousness of this faculty,
which would inevitably curb the genius
through boastfulness or yainglory, So the
sources of ability are nearly involuntary,
referable as they are to interc9i,gseg with
suggestive, teaching natures and minds whose
productions show them to have been eager
learners in the same school. If a composer
be compelled, through uncertainty of him
self, to consult authority on points of or
biography or other elements of correct
dction, he will find himself fancy bound,
prone upon the earth while Pegasus has
mounted beyond the yelling skies. Associa-
ton with polite and cultivated persons is
the means most relied upon, and with rea-
son, for the progressive refinement OF raw
material. Refinement of manners can hard
ly be comprised in any other way. But
broadening and strengthening the mind
and filling the mouth with choicest express
sions, may, to an almost limitless extent, be
gained by familiarity with the style, the
ideas, the very words of the very bestauthors.
Nor need any be terrified by the scorpion.
lash which threatens him in the form of
that word Originality" Now, more in
tensely than in Solomon's day. is it true that
"there is nothing new under the sun. The
effluence of intellect in laborious thinkers re-
produces antecedent creations in forms more
translucent or shapes more opaque; makes
less or more fortunate selection of modes
for the transmission of identical ideas the
very language itself to greater or less de-
gree the result of absorption--this is nearly
all there is of Originally as commonly I'M
derstood. Even an uneducated, or partially
educated person, may, through constant as
sociations of this kind, attain a borrowed
lustre. AS case in point, the pioneer
preachers of this country werealmost wholly
ignorant men. They were men OF one book,
but that one the model OF English literature.
They had no proper understanding of gram
mar, yet seldom violated its rules. Having
learned by ear the best forms of speech, their
illiteracy seldom became apparent in their
public addresses. Irying's style is smooth,
flowing, seldom ford, but always pictur-
esque. His subjects are like pictures framed;
his sentences the outlines, the separate words
colors and tints. Metaphor and smilitudes
abound. The thing he is describing is "like"
something else; which likeness the reader
instantly perceives Take a sample from
Tales Of a IraUeJe1, describing He'll Gate,
in Long Island Sound: "This termagant
humor is said to prevail only at half tides.
At low water it is us pacific as any other
stream. AS the tide rises it begins to fret;
at half tide 1t RACES and roars as if believing
for more water; but when the tide is full it
relapses again into quiet, and for a time
seems almost to sleep as soundly as an alder
man after dinner. 1t may be compared to
an inveterate hard drinker, who is peace
able fellow enough when he has no liquor
at all, or when he has skin full, but when
half seas over plays the devil" Ii, accord
ing to Dean Swift, Proper words in proper
places make the true definition of STYLE"
Irving leaves nothing to be desired. We
should say OF him that he is delightfully."- in
teresting rather than particularly instructive.
His History Of Nep York presents features
not found in works claiming exact verify
a vein of harmless satire runs through it, as
If one spoke of serious business, but laugh
ed at the actors in it, We are to remember
that it was designed to burlesque u pomp-
Gus historical disquisition by DR.. Samuel
Mitchell. You have not learned much, but
you have laughed a good deal, and this,
also, has time and place. A good moral
lesson, too, might be learned by "those whom
1t may concern" The thieving aldermen Of
New York, who would steal a railroad or
a postage stamp, whichever were nearest,
would do well to initiate the severe honesty
of their predecessors of quarter millennium
ago, who, If they ate, and drank, and smoked,
and slept, and did little else, never stole !
Tie Ailtaas5ra, the Moorish palacein Ora
NADIA, gave the title to one of Irvings most
fascinating works. Such powers OF descrip
ton and versatility ofinvention are granted
to few mortals. This unsurpassed monu.
ment OF architecture, whose exterior and in
terror appointments were so perfectly adapt
ed to the luxurious, prodigal manners and
habits of Moorish princes, is SO wildly por-
trayed to the reader that he almost feels that
he has himself trod the courts OF the palace,
and surveyed the overlapping and underly-
ing gleries Of Andalusia. Tie Life of Olsoer
GotdsnsM might be styled the romance of
biography, SO actually enchanting is the
manner OF presenting historical facts, with
many an allusien to Contemporaries of It's
subject, whose characters, as that of Dir.
johnson, and his parasite and bographer,
James Boswell, are drawn to the lie. Read
ers of this Life will turn to The Year Of
Wakefield with new interest, and admiration
of man who could write 50, while cooped
up In garrett trying to transmute ink and
paper into bread, and expecting, as himself
says, ITO be dunned for milk scorep We
take some small comfort, however, that it
has nearly always pleased this world of
mostly knaves and fools to starve the lights
of genius it had pleased too favorable
Providence to send them Horace, indeed,
had his patron, Macaenas; but Camoens
died a beggar in the streets OF Lisbon Tasso
found refuge in a lunatic asylum; Roger
Bacon and Gallileo suffered Imprisonment
because their master intellects grasped truth
duller minds required centuries to appre-
bend; Locke, banished as traitor, wrote
his Essay On The Human Understanding in
the concealment of Dutch garrett and
but why attempt the almost infinite roll
While The Ltte Of Columbus, and The Life
OF Mahomet, are more serious attempts at
writing history, the charm of an easy, mar
rative style is preserved, and scarcely any
would prefer novel to these fascinating
histories. The first of these supplied want
never before met in the English, the only
account of the truly wonderful hero most
persons were acquainted with being the
meagre notice OF him in the Biographies and
common.school histories. Here, scientific
facts, individual character, traits of asso-
GATES and contemporaries, with anecdote
and illustration are so inwrought as to pre-
serve stability and merit in a style suffi-
GENTLY light to be attractive Without seem
ing to pronounce finally upon the charac-
ter, motives, and actions of Mahemet--as,
indeed, no other writer has done-he makes
the common mistake of cSnfounding pre-
destination with fatalism, as the one power
full influence and revelation which made