The Wichita daily eagle., 1891-09-08
SYLVESTER JUDD.
a Forgotten Writer Whose One Story
Has Received High Praise.

Has Received High Praise.
Especial Correspondence
NEW YORK, Aug "a John Boyl'
O'Reilly was being entertained by some
literary friends in New York city few
years ago, when in the course, of converse
tion one of them asked Mr.. O'Reilly if h'
had ever heard of Sylvester Judd. Tht
poet replied that he could not recall tn,
name, and he was somewhat astonished
when his friend, who was of some literary
authority, asserted that in some respects
Judd's genius was the most remarkable
and striking that had been developed on
New England soil.
| O'Reilly seemed little incredulous, fol
he thought he knew by repute at least al
of those writers of New England whose
works showed any literary capacity. His
friend said that he would not argue the
matter with the poet, but would place in
his hands on the following day volume
which Judd had written. and all that be
asked of O'Reilly was that he would read
it carefully and then put in writing his ex
act opinion of Judd's genius. On the fol
lowing day, just as O'Reilly was about to
take the train for Boston, his friend came
to him and puta book in his hand.
"What is thisi" said O'Reilly.
at is Judd's Margaret the book OF
which spoke to you last night"
81 will read it on my trip TO Boston, and
am very glad to have the chance to make
a discovery, as you are so confident l Will
do" was O'Rei1y's reply.
A few days later the friend received a
letter from Mr.. 0'Reilly in which he ex-
pressed in the most lavish terms his admi-
ration and his astonishment which the
reading of Margaret" had given him. He
| said that he opened the book soon after
the train left the station with languid
sort of curiosity, but he had read but q
| few pages before he discovered himself in
| the presence of master mind. He was so
fascinated that he read steadily until Bos-
ton was reached, and when he arrived at
his home he continued the reading far into
the night until he had finished the book.
sit is weird, strange genius" wrote
Mr.. O'Reilly. "This man Judd has won
derful, yet a sort of gloomy, genius, and
want to know more about him. Who is
he, or who was he2 Where did he spend
his life? How is it that so little is known
of him? Why have not heard of him be-
fore from my friends in Boston"
Afterward, when Mr. O'Reilly knew of
the strange career of Sylvester Judd, he de-
termined to write either an essay or a mon
ograph or a short biography of the genius
who had so fascinated this poet. O'Reilly,
however, was apt to procrastinate, and he
put off doing this thing, so that when his
own death came it was still undone
Copies of Judd's Margaret" are occa-
sionally to be found in the secondhand
book stores, and those who are we'll in
formed in regard to literary matters who
have not seen this book, always buy it
with the eagerness of a discovery It is
one of those works which perplex, fasci-
nate, irritate and delight When one
gets into group of older litterateurs or
scholars and asks some question about Syl-
vester Judd or propounds some theory in
regard to his Margaret" the topic of the
evenings discussion is sure to be suggested.
Sylvester Judd was of Massachusetts
birth, and he was bred in one of the back
country towns there and grew up a soil |
tary, absorbed in his own thoughts and re.
Elections, and yet gentle, genial person, |
who when he was brought into companion |
ship with men Of intelligence, quickly re- |
vealed his mental powers. He entered the |
ministry at an early age and was ordained |
a preacher in the Orthodox denomination, |
mons, even in the first years of his min. |
istry, attracted attention by reason of the
intellectual power which he displayed. He
was no orator in the ordinary acceptance
of the term, but those who heard him as
sert that he possessed marvellous power
by reason of his earnestness and the origi-
nality of his thoughts. He was called
several times to the pulpits of various
ahI 1robo ir11 oft l,,% /, To- |
he did not wish to live where he could not
roam the fields or get inspiration from the
woods and from nature. He accepted q
call to little country church in Maine,
and there he spent his life. His reputation
extended throughout that state, and men
came to look upon him as strange, gifted
and unusual being, whose habit of life was
not like that of other men. His preaching
was glorious, so it was said.
Early in his pastorate there, Mr.. Judd
began to write story which he had in
mind, and he kept at it for some two years
as faithfully as his church duties would
permit. When it was about half COM
pleted he put it aside and almost forgot it.
Some ten or twelve years later when he
was, like Walter Scott, searching through
bis papers he came across this incomplete
Us CCOUO UlQ UndU Oh - w dV6rlyF |
a dozen years after he began it. The in
spiration returned and Mr. Judd, working
pretty steadily, finished the novel
The community in which he lived was
one which regarded novel reading, to say
nothing of novel writing, with some dis
Iavor and they were astonished when they
learned that their minister had actually
written novel. 1t was called "Mar-
garrett" and for year or so attracted no
attention. Then it came under the eye of
Mr. E. P. Whipple, who was famous as a !
,ritic, and he was nightly impressed with
he evidence of genius which he discovered {
n it. 1t was faulty so far as construction
vas concerned, utterly unconventional in
tyle, but its analyses of character were re- '
Sarded as wonderful, the learning it dis s
'layed as something marvellous, and it
moreover had a story which would have
'een worthy the treatment of any of the
,reat romancerS. 6
Twenty years after Mr.. Judd's death the S
'ook was spoken of by Mr.. Whipple and c
ttention thus called to it, when a firm of
Boston publishers. discovering somewhere [