The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-11-06
The Globes Jfome study Course
The Colonial Period Of american literature.
BY LORENZO SEARS L. H. D.

concluded that should terrify them with
some torture,
It is interesting to observe here the
combination of an executive and a mis-
Sionary spirit, and that the zeal of con-
quest was accompanied by compulsory
attendance on the daily services. Also
that religious observances prevailed in
the planting of American civilization.
More to the present purpose 1t is to note
the Jagged style, which originally was
without ineligible punctuation and had
a lawless distribution of capitals and
divisions of sentences. But the mixture
OF force and piety, of enterprise and bad
2rammer belongs to all our early history
In his dedication of his History of
Virginia to the Duchess of Richmond
Smith says: 81 have deeply hazarded
myself in doing and suffering, and why
should I stick to hazard my reputation
in recording. Where shall we look to find
a. julius Caesar whose achievements shine
as clear in his own commentaries as they
did in the field? But because / am no
compiler by hearsay, but have been real
actor, have therefore been bold to chal-
lenge them to come under the reach of
my rough pen." He also lays the re-
sponsibifity of his writing his Travels
and Adventures upon Sir Robert Cotton,
and also upon the perversien by con-
temporaries of his previous books, say
Ing: They have acted my fatal
tragedies upon the stage and racked my
relations at their pleasure" Doubtless
this was stroke at some of William
Shakespeare's company at the Mermaid
tavern.
If in any of the eight books, large and
small, which he wrote after the News
From Virginia., and six of them in
England during a score of years; if in
lo 1lnr~ do,sy
times, it must be remembered that he
was strong man, with the capacity of
making the most and best of everything,
himself included; that he had an enlarg-
Ing lens for facts, and royalty romantic
imagination with respect to distant
events, and that he had Sir John Mande-
willie to precede him In stories of travel
and Baron Munchausen to follow him in
accounts Of exploits among the Turks.
1t is possible that a great romancer was
spoiled when he threw aside his Machia-
vellis cart of War and Marcus
Aurelius" and started to serve under
Rudolf of Hungary. Nevertheless his
principal so-ealled fable of the Poca-
hontas episode has been fairly we'll es-
ia lished as true, his early silence being
accounted for by a prudent reserve with
regard to aboriginal customs toward in
truders, lest Englishmen should be kept
clubs. This story once confirmed, Smiths
other variations and descriptions may be
taken with as little salt as should be
administered with most histories of his
day, such as "Hakluyt's Voyages and
"Purchas' Pilgrims and pilgrimage"
After all 1t will be convenient to pack
upon English shoulders most of the fault
that is found with the literary Shortcom-
ings of the first man who wrote in Amer
too frx. H. 49, Il
years to stay and to write there for
twenty more I'VE were still to be ac-
counted Englishmen.' he said of the col
oniStS when they settled in Virginia,
(which might be of use@ when any of
our number returned to England" With
all his affection and longing for the col
ony from which he had been removed by
the unwisdom of its London managers,
1t is not probable that he ever called him.
self am American author. Still, he was
the beginner of colonial letters, and as
such it is pleasant to connect so forceful
and graphic writer with their history.
The reader who wishes to find the best
that Smith wrote, and to Americans the
most interesting, will look for his Ills
tory of Virginia." which every public
library should have. If he is not led on
page after page with increasing interest
in the narratives and the descriptions it
will be because he has no appreciation
of adventure and no eye for the pictur-
esque There will be some rough read
ing. but if the test of a. writer be the
sustained interest in his story John Smith
will be found to acquit himself as credit
ably in the field of literature as on the
field of battle, albeit his methods are
somewhat similar In both.
There were other writers in the COM
pany first and last who contributed chap
tiers to Smiths history and wrote letters
and little books of their own.
AS late as 1918 John Rolfe, Poeahontas'
husband complains of scandalous letters
sent to England 'tto disgrace this coun-
try with barrenness, to discourage adj
venturers, to bring it and us to ruin and
confusion such devilish bad
minds we know some of our eountrymen
to have not only to the business, but
also to our mother England herself
Thomas Studley and Annas Todkill wrote
of discoveries and accidents in Virginia;