The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1897-10-30
WASHINGTON IRVING.
Essay on his Life by Laura
Brennan, Pupil of the L'Anse
High School.

l y
| is proposed that at the close of the
study of each author during the
year the members of the class be al
lowed to compete for the best
essay on his life and works,
the essay of the successful competi-
tor to be published 1t is believed
! that this arrangement will not only
stimulate the pupils of the class to
their best efforts, but that it will
create among parents and patrons a
greater interest in our literature
work. Following is an essay on
Irving by Laura Brennan.
WASHINGTON IRVING.
| Washington Irving, the father of American
J literature, was born In the city of New York
| April ,, 1883, at the time of the de.
| parture of the British troops for Eng
land. General Washington's work is done,
| said the mother; "let us name our boy after
! him;" for she hoped that he might some
! day take the place and perform the work left
| by such men Washington. Only once did
| Washington see his namcsake. On entering a
! store one day where the Scotch maid-servant
was standing, she held out the little boy, say
! ing; This BARN is named after YOU" where
! upon Washington turned and laying his hand
| upon the chld's head gave him his blessing.
! In his youth, owing To his delicate health,
! Irving was not compelled to study, and cm-
] ployed his ample time in rowing about the vi.
| cnity of his native city, hunting and tishing.
/ Years afterward he described the scenery OF
these early expeditions, ana told such roman.
! tic stories of river, brook and dale, that we
! know he must have been listening, seeing and
! thinking as he trampcd about.
/ Hiss Holman, "a young lady to whom he was
| engaged, died in lsOl,aud the sorrow occasion
ed by her death may have injured his health
! In the same year his parents became 50
! alarmed about his condition that they deter
mined To send him ON n trip to Europe. lie
| travelled through France, switzerland, Hol-
land aud ltaiy, After two years he again re-
| turned To his native country, greatly improved
| both physically and mentally.
" Although he was admitted to the bar a Few
! months after his return, he never pleaded -
! case. lie WAS u lawyer only In name, In 1897
| he, with his brother and friend. james *.
! Pauldln2, ISSUED periodical entitled
! - Salmagundi." The name Is an odd one. II
/ is an Italian word signifying Il mixture of
4 meat. picklcI herring, oil, onions, pepper aud
! vinegar The object OF the paper, The editors
/ declared. was merely to instruct the young,
inform the old, correct the town and cast, gate
/ the age But they became tired of their ven.
! ture before twenty numbers were issued, ,murh
/ to the disappoiniment of their subscribers.
In the meantime Irving had written work
+, called Observation-Disclosures History OF NewYork.' -
! IL purported To be the manuscript OF AN Old
/ Dutchmau who had disappeared from his
: lodgings and was again heard of.
among other odds aud ends THESE old papers
I had been found in his room aud the host had
/ published them in order to liquidate an unpaid
board bill.
! Six years after the publication of the "IIis.
/ tory in 1909 he was senl by his brothers to
Z look after their commercial interests in Eng
! land. The great poets Moore, Byron and
! ColeriGge were then alive, aud this was the
society into which the young author was rc'
J cevcd. lie had not been there more than
three years when the firm of the Irving
! brothers failed. lie was now thrown for his
support entirely upon the resources OF his pen.
The first result of mis- efforts was the ''SkctCh
Book which consisted largely of short ESSAY >,
/ sketches and ronaCces. Tue most noted are
! the stories of ''kip an Wiuklc," The Legend
! ol sleepy Hoiiow,' ana ESSAYS On Westminster
! Abbey and Slratford-on-Avun, the latter being
the home of Shakespeare. II brought him i'm
mediate faIic and achieved an immense sale
sboth IN England and in America
"Geoiirey Crayon' wa, the non-dc. plume lrr'
ing used in writing the ketch Book.
1 His next productions were 'lne Tales of "A
| Traveller" and "Bracelridge Hall" both oi
| which were written after The style OF the work
| before mentioned.
| But soon the admirers of Irving began to de-
mand something more soiid than fiction and
| he ceased to spend his energy on tales and
! sketches. In lo!S lie wrote "rae Life of Colum-
Z bus" for which he received more tnan for any
/ other production flH,UD.
An amusing incident is often told showing
! the extent oi lrving's popularity abroad. Two
ladies were seen standing one day In front OF
/ "a portrait OF the Father ,ef His Country IN
an Italian art gallery ut Rome. Presently the
/ younger exclaimed, Mother who was Wash.
ingtou!" "Why, ny dear, don't you know"
| wa, the reply. "ile wrote the Sketch Book
The Alhanbra, u collection of Moorish tales
! was written In u suite OF rooms occupied Dy
al t.l..Vfn hi Ir.n lN
the noors when they occupied spain. Ii was
I written at the suggestion of the celebrated
Scottish painter, Sir David Wilkc. In 1883 he
/ was called from spain by the United states
government and appointed secretary Of lega'
4 tion to the court of ST. James,in London. This
position he held for two years While in Lon.
don he received the god medal of the Royal
society of Literature, aud also the degree oi
ID. G.. l.. from oxford university. Yet In tine
midst of all these hatterlng attentions he
longed for nome and after seventeen years oi
absence returned to America In 1882. Al New
| York reception was given In his honor aud
| was one which his talents warmly deserved
After remaining n year in the city OF his
birth he left for n tour of the great West ON
this trip he gathered sufficient knowledge OF
! frontier life TO write ASTORIA" which was an
account of the great fur.trading enterprise In
I Oregon undertaken by John Jacob Astor. A
book was also published describing his tour OF
the prairies.
| After a few years he again returned to his
| native city aud with his sister and her two
! daughters settled quietly at Sunnyside, "a
pretty stone mansion up VI iabittu'
| windows, corners and gableends," situated
near Tarrytown, on the Hudson, not far from
where Andre, the British spy, was captured
But his peace not yet assured. Again his
! services were required by the government,
this time minister to Spain. IL was thought
that one would be more acceptable To the
! Spanish people than the author OF "Colnm
bus" Though he was now far too busy Ia
think OF books, yet many loving letter des-
cribing the court life with which he was sur
rounded found Its way to his nieces at sunny
side.
The last thirteen years of his life were spent
quietly mt his home in New York. His Life
I OF ashington," "Oliver Goldsmith" aud
"wolfert's Roost" belong to this period. The
latter IL n work describing his own home
Suunyside and wolferts Roost being one and
the same. We love him best for his sunny life
his kindly smile. his noble heart, which beat
In sympathy with all that was good aud true
and pure No one could help loving America
who has read his pleasant stories OF American
rivers, American woods, American life When
he passed away the morning Of that No
| vember day In 1880. great sorrow fell upon
the heart Of the land he loved. and that loved
| him.