Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-08-29

while they washed down their victuals
with rotations OF native mountain whis-
key. However that may be. from
childish defamation In wealthy houses
over glasses of sherry-almost certainly
untasted by hin--to hobnohbing with
rustic mountaineers and skyiarking I'm
the recesses OF their canvas-coyered
wagons. was but a varied experience OF
common life; and II Is generally agreed
that the wider the experience so much
the better for the education OF your
genius-or of anybody else. Meanwhile.
the young Edgar was coming and re-
citing his simple lessons at the foster
mothers knee, and when old enough
trudging daily to some good school, OF
which there were In Richmond as many,
in proportion to its size, and as good as
could be found anywhere. The accounts
OF him, such as we have from that early
day, say that when years old he could
read, draw, and dance.
The Richmond OF Poe's early days was
| country town of some 10000 inhabitants.
OF whom, at least one half, probably
more. were negro slaves. The great bulk
OF the white inhabitants were mer-
chants. whose business was mainly in
the handling Of crops from the rich Sec
tons tributary TO the town, and furnish
ing supplies for the planters. AS the
capital OF the State, here was the seat
OF the higher courts, and the Richmond
Bar OF those days was ilustrious with a
number of distinguished names. The
annual meetings Of the LEGISLATURE and
| occasional calls of business or pleasure
brought the due Infusion Of the planter
and country element; but this element
was not then. nor at any time. an abiding
or significant integer in the character OF
the town. There has always been
something of good-natured jealousy, or
what not, In the relations Of the capt.
tai city with the States country life,
and nobody knows the date OF the old
joke about leaving Virginia and going
to Richmond. The city and State have
always had a reputation for generous
hospitality and good living. On these
facts are probably founded the common.
but erroneous. ideas Of great individual
wealth and luxury Of life. In contra
diction TO these ideas. it is a safe esti
mate to say that even down to 1850 the
combined cost of any forty houses at.
any time in Virginia did not equal in
amount the cost of some single residences
in New York, for instance, to-day.
Such as was the Richmond of Poe's
early days, provincial. slow Of growth.
its conservatism. the town had in It at
that time more OF individuality, Of char
acters, of yanities. of human nature
in all phases. than most towns could
show. Others besides thermometers said
then, as many have since said, that it
was and is one of the best places in the
world TO live in.
But as the early home and training
school OF such a genius as Edgar A. Poe,
II is of the literary and intellectual side
of life in Richmond and Virginia that
some account must be taken. The facts
about this will be found to traverse some
current opinions, and some windy talk
of recent times.
Virginia people have been so much
lectured at and about. OF late years,
that the reproach of alleged ignorance
and lack OF culture Is but too commonly
credited as the disgrace Of their history.
They have been told so much and so
often Of the proportion Of illiteracy, and
OF the general intellectual darkness
through which their fathers CROPPED their
blind way TO some Of the most
brilliant achievements in political history,
that many people have accepted the evil
IDENTIFY sincere belief of the declaimers
as a veritable statement of facts. They
dared not deny the statements Of mont
tors and critics. whose utterance seemed
clothed with the authority Of superior
knowledge, while very many honest and
humble-minded folk have given up an
unwilling credence to assertions really
rejecting on themselves as much as on
the original objects of the charges They
have yet been puzzled. on reflection, to
account for some facts that seemed in
consistent with what they are taught to
believe-how, for instance, through
generations of alleged ignorance with
out schools of culture. there could
yet be such a succession of scholarly
men and brilliant women, and a con-
stantly maintained line of scholarly
work, much OF It OF high and acknow-
lodged value Undeniable facts would
seem TO call in question the declama-
lions of the monitors and critics, and a
very slight enquiry will demonstrate,
despite the writings and talk of ignorance
and prejudice, sometimes by neo-
pie who either should know better, or
are not honest, that Virginia civilization
has always been literary. or tinged by
the influence OF letters This is no place
to argue the question. but a few facts.
taken i'm some historic order, may be
cited as illustrations.
OLD BERKELEY.
The first literary work ever done in the
Colonies was George Sandy's translation
of Ovid, made down on James river, and
published in London In 1896, and the
translation is yet one of the standard
English versions OF the Latin poet. Old
Governor Berkeley, for forty years the
most influential character of his time,
while in some things an "old fool" as
Charles H. called him, was yet a scholar
ly gentleman. His damning OF printing
presses and thanking Heaven that there
were none in the Colony was probably
but the utterance Of party politics, crow
ing over the suppression OF the other side.
The extant remains OF Nathaniel Bacon,
1876, justify the scholarly reputation OF
this hero and champion OF the people,
whose every accessible word should be
collected and printed. William Byrc's
works, $780, while not professedly "litera-
ture" and not written for publication, are
yet saturated with wit and rich with
knowledge of men and the world. Are
there any better American histories OF
their day and generation than the Vir-
ginia works OF Beverley. published in
1905, and Stitch, published in Williams
burg, 1884, and Burke. published I'm Pc
tersburg in 1904? A booksellers adver-
tisement in the Williamsburg Gazette OF
1858 lists more good books of standard,
permanent value than are found in many
city bookstores to-day. and the inven-
tories OF Libraries, found in court records,
many of which are noted in Mr.. Bruce's
valuable work on Virginia history. and
other recent publications show something
of the number and character of books in
the homes Of the Colony.
DR.. Small one of the faculty OF Will
liam and Mary College in Colonial days,
was a scholar whose attainments were
remembered and praised by Mr. jefferson
nd Nth