Putnam patriot., 1909-10-22

good roll for long time,' and, after deliberately emptying his pockets, he laid himself parallel to the edge of the hill, and descended, turning over and over till he landed on the plain beneath, and then arose as happy as a boy.
 The powers of Johnson's mind were varied, and in every department of literary work into which he entered he made deep and abiding impression. His first important undertaking was in the dramatic art. His firm will en- abled him to surmount terrible diffi- culties, which In his earlier years met him wherever he went. In London, for example, when he presented the manuscript of his first drama, "The Bcggar's Opera" at one of the publish ing houses, he was met by the reply of the publisher, "You had better get porter's knot, and carry trunks" If food and lodgings were all that a youth Of twenty eight should need, then the scornful remark might find its own justification in the athletic and gro- | tesque form of Samuel Johnson; but he was in the English metropolis for | far different purpose, and though star vation might overtake him in the l strange streets through which he wan dered, he was still determined to be an author. Long years went by before that determination became fully real ized. The first real friend whom he found in London, upon his arrival there in company with his friend and pupil, David Garrick, was an officer of the British army, Henry Hervey by name. So kind was this gay son of
 Mars to the struggling young author that many years later, when Johnson
 had become the literary dictator of
 England, he said, "lf you call dog
 Hervey l shall love him.n
 Time went on; and the next impor- tant piece of work 10 which Johnson
 turned his hand was the compilation of Dietiodary 10 the English langu-
 age. This was published ia lT5a in
 two folio volumes. The dedication,
 written in Johnson's most graceful
 manner, was to Lord Chesterfield, long celebrated for the polish of his man.
 ners and the keeness of his wit. IL
 was acknowledged with a poor and tardy grace, and consequently the dis appointed aspirant for fame turned away from the inhospitable door of greatness 10 seek some recognition elsewhere. But the Dictionary needed no royal patrons help 10 launch il sue cessfally on the broadening waters of English scholarship. Although il is now superseded by larger and better lexicons, Il was in its own day, most f important work. To it's production Johnson gave the unremitulng toll of eight most useful wears
 A permanent place is assigned in our literature 10 those essays which Johnson composed between the years
 iTseisaa and published in the "Ram- hlern hi-weekiy pamphlet These essays immediately became popular. Richardson, the novelist, and Young, the poet, were greatly pleased with l them. and all eminent critics os that day, and of later time, have called them well nigh perfect. The just and I pleasing observ ations on morals and manners, the precision and oEisiiancy of language, the eloqueece of many SC riaus passages, and the rare humor Of sone os the lighter papers, entitie these pages 10 all the praise that has long l b<en bestowed upon them.
 1 Johnson was the author of numerous other works which deserve mention bat which cannot be referred to here. "Rasselas" Is d wonderful story, "The Vanity of Haman Wishes" is we'll known poesa, ssThe Lives of the