The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-11-21
OLD LITERARY NEW YORK.
REMIWIsCENOES OF WRITERS IN TEE
EARIR PART OF THE CENTURY.

REM1yIsoENoKs OF WRITERS IN TEE
EARLY PART or THE CENTURY.
NHen wire Helped 20 Ray the Foundation OF
New Ysrls,s Fnae as n Literary Centre
nu.rnrlue. aua weehIies New Forgotten 70
which Weli.lknowu writers Contributed.
In the carly part of this century New York,
In literary CONSEQUENCE, Jagged behind both
Philadelphia and Boston, In spite OF tho fame
Of Washington Irving, his brothers, James X.
Paulding, and their contemporaries. One of
the latter was William Dunlap, who was not
only an author, but also n painter in oils.
Dunlap's paintings, "Christ Rejected and Cal
vary and his History Of tho American
Theatre written long afterward in his old
ago in this city, arc milcstones in the progress
Of New York art and literature. He wrote also
n biography Of George Frederick Cooke, the
English traeedian, and had tho honor Of pro-
jecting New York's earliest magazine, which
he named the Recorder. He was the author of
nearly fifty plays and dramas, many of which
obtained %ephemeral fame. But Dunlap failed
financially as painter. as author, and as man
ager of a theatre in this city. and became 80 re-
duced that his friends made his old age com.
Portable only by giving n benefit for him at tho
old Park Theatre, and also an exhibition In
which all his paintings were collected. William
Dunlap was of impressive appearance. Ho had
a high forehead and luxuriant hair, brushed
picturesquely across the temples, and n closely
shaven face. and he wore q cravat and high
rolling collar to his coat, each Of which might
have excited the envy Of Beau m When
lecturing upon fino arts late in life-tho leo
lures have been collected In his History of the
Arts OF Design in the United States'-he
attracted additional attention by the richness
Of his intonations.
In 1919 Fitz Greene Halleck made his literary
debut, and as a poet became New York's lit
erary idol sldo by side with Irving in prose.
The old literary partnership Of the 1rvings and
Pauldings was succeeded by another between
Halleck and Joseph Rodman Drake, under tho
style of "Tbc Crackers" But 1t continued
only a short time, for Drake died in 1920, after
he had delighted New Workers with his con-
tributions to the "Croaker papers" his lyric to
the memory Of Marco Bozzaris, and his poem Of
''The Culprit Fay" Another literary con-
temporary of Halleck and Drake was George
Pope Morris. Throughout the twcnties Halleck's
poem Of Fanny" reposed upon New York lit
erary tables, and was soon Joined by Samuel
Woodworth's song of "The Old Oaken Bucket"
Its author and Morris formed another literary
partnership in issuing a literary weekly called
the Mirror. 1t was in its pages that William
Cullen Bryant removed from Berkshire to
this city made his New York literary debut.
The Mirror also saw reflections of Charles
Fenno Hoffman. Hoffman. like Byron. had a
deformcd foot. For many years he remained
New York's song writer. The famous baccha-
nalian song beginning Sparkling and bright in
its LIQUID light Is the vino in our glasses gleam-
ing that for years was heard at New York
banquets, came from his pen, and 1t received
moro fame when the Hutchinson songsters of
the forties turned it into a temperance song
with tho chorus:
Oh. then resign your ruby wine,
Each smiling son and daughters;
There's nothing so good for the youthful blood
As q glass OF Croton water.
Hohman's songs long rivallcd in popularity
| Woodworth's odd Oaken Bucket" which at
| the time when 1t was the mode at theatres to
have q dance or a song between acts in front OF
the curtain whilo the cumbrous stage machiI'
cry of the period was being slowly arranged
aroused enthusiasm whenever sung by Charles
E.. Horn or Clara Fisher.
Morris succeeded Hoffman as New York;
song writer, and was the author of at least q
| score of popular songs, from "Woodman,S Spare
| That Tree to the civil war lyric of the unior
of hands and the union Of hearts mono shall
sever" When by the death of Woodwork hi:
literary partnership with Morris terminated
Willis, who came from Yale College to this city
bent upon following the literary profession, and
| uluue his UcITODOllltn ueDul Ill IL AfiTTOT
Wills became one of tho most noted of New
York writers in the decades between 1897 ant
ls67,the year Of his death. He was undonbt
Those of this generation who saw his portrait II
the picture gallery Of the recent fair of thu
American Institute obtained some idea of his
beauty of feature and picturesque pose. lie
really owed his fame to this physical beauty
One day in 1912 Rembrandt Pcale, whose studio
was in Boston. saw entering the Latin School 4
lad Of 16 of such beauty of feature and exquisite
complexion that he hailed him and asked the
fnt-nr If n Niaif IN hiQ RfIl1in in nrHar IN obtain II
study for a portrait. Talking there with the lad
who used poetic language, and ideas, Pcale told
a~fterward, after entering the Phillips Academy
Willis wrote a short poem on n Scriptural sub
ject that attracted his teacher attention. Wher
IN Yale he pepned poems and the one known as
"Parrhasius' dates from that time. During, q
quarter century Willis remained a literary lido
and poetry. Were all of his compositions put
into book form they would I'LL thirty Volumes,
economic writings and essays in the palmy day.
OF the Ere"ing Post, which he founded anG
as poetic Bryant and the classic Parke God
win. Leggett also wrote clever fiction, and his
Maya storieSo . often sIRhItmT turn up at ancti on sale
temporary. editors must not be forgotten
Charles King. long conductor Of the Ereninf
lege. Then there was William Leete Stone, Ions
editor, OF the Commercial idrcrtiscr. which, al
literary cast Of thought under his control. liz
was author Of a biogTTahpltX OF inc Indian chief
tain Joseph Brant. The literary talent OF King
and Stone descended to their sons. and the
contributions OF the younger King to American
fiction and of the younger Stone to local his
tory are noteworthy.
Yet another New York poet was prominent
among editors. His two evening newspapers
during the ~forties. the Tdtier and tho Sig
nal, although short-livcd. were exceedingly
lively, and his two mammoth sheet wCeklies
the Ncp World rival to another Saturday
blanket sheet called Brother Jonathan and the
U'estern Continent, attracted, much attention
Blanket sheets were printed in those days be
cause postage was paid by the sheet, and not
as now, by weight. Unlike the Mirror and he
evening dailies, these big weoklics were dc
voted to pirating literature from London, and
therefore did scarcely anything to assist The
literary life of New York.
New York's periodical literature began tc
grow in The carly twenties. IN ls22 n New
York publisher named Van Wrinkle started q
Lfcraru Rrricu. In the next year a rival peri