Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-09-02
SYLVESTER JUDD.
A Forgotten Writer Whose One Story
Eas Received High Praise
Especial Correspondence.

|
| 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, bat would place in
| his hands on the following day a volume
| which Judd had written, and all that he
| 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 thisS" said ORcilly.
at is Judd's Margaret the book Of
which l spoke to you last night"
! 81 will read it on my trip to Boston, and
| am very glad TO have the chance to make
discovery, as you are so confident will
| do. was O'ReiNy's reply.
4 few days later the friend received a
! letter from Mr. O'Reilly in which he eI-
| 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 a languid
sort OF curiosity, but ne had read but
! few pages before he discovered himself in
| the presence Of a master mind. lie was so
| fascinated that he read steadily until Bos-
| ton WAS reached, and when he arrived at
! ms home he continued the reading far into
the night until he had finished the book.
st is weird, strange genius" wrote
| Mr. O'Reilly This man Judd has a won
derful, yet sort of gloomy, genius, and l
want to know more about him. Who is
| he, or who was he? 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'ReiIly knew of
| the strange career OF Sylvester Judd, he de-
| termined to write either an essay or mon
| ograph or n short biography OF the genius
| VINO had so fascinated this poet. O'Reilly,
| however, WAS apt to procrastinate, and he
| pat off doing this thing, so thgt when his
own death came it was still undone.
| Copies Of judas "Nargaret' are occa-
| siona!ly to be found in the secondhand
! book stores, and those who are well in
| formed in regard to literary matters who
! have not seen this book, always buy it
| with the eagerneSs of a discovery. II is
| one of those works which perpIey, fasci-
nate, irritate and delight. When one
| gets into group of older litterateurs or
scholars and asks some question about Syl-
| yester Judd or propounds some theory in
10 MS Inc Topic Ol INC
| 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 q soil
| tary, absorbed in his own thoughts and re-
Elections, and yet a 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 aarlU and yrss ordained
| 4 preacher in the Orthodox denomination,
as 1t was called in Massachusetts. His ser
| mons, even in the first years Of his min
| i5try, 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 IS
| sert that be possessed a marvellous power
| by reason Of his earnestneSs and the origi-
! nality of his thoughts. he was called
several times to the pulpits Of various
! churches in large cities, but be declined. as
! he did not wish to live where he could net
roam the fields or get inspiration from the
woods and from nature. lie accepted n
call to a little country church in Maine,
and there he spent his life. His reputation
extended throughout that state, and men
came 10 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 passionate there, Mr.. Judd
began to write story which he had in
mind, and he kept at it for some two years
rs 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
his papers he came across this incomplete
manuscript, as Scott did that of "Waverly"
4 dozen years after he began it. The in
SEPARATION 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
favor, and they were astonished when they
learned that their minister had actually
written n novel. It was called MAR
garrett" and for year or so attracted no
attention. Then it came under the eye OF
Mr. f. 2. Whipple. who was famous rs q
| critic, and he was nightly impressed with
the evidence of genius which he discovered
in it. 1t was faulty so far as construction
was concerned, utterly unconventional in
style, but its analyses of character were re-
garded as wonderful, the learning it dis
B4SAs St spLISlAIAbS CAOIS, iuSl ~
moreover had q story which would have
been worthy the treatment of any of the
great rOmanccrS.
Twenty years after Mr.. Judd's death the
book was spoken of by Mr.. Whipple and
attention thus called to it, when a firm of
Boston publishers, discovering somewhere
an old copy, republished it, issuing a small
edition. Mr.. Judd himself did not live to
see his book recognized 81 our English
critics as masterpiece in its way, and as
no school has taken it up it probably will
never become generally recognized; but it
Is a phenomenon. and when taken in con-
nectioa with the strange life Of this pecul-
lar genius, must be regarded by those who
are informed in literary matters as one Of
the most curious, interesting and in one
sense sensational developments of New
England training and the New England
literary life. 6 J. EDWARDS.
Rats Sentinels.
Two Cleveland burglars who attempted
to saw their way out of jail used rats as