other essentials of judgment,-that an unfavorable decision is a safe one-at least for itself-and permits it the privilege of seeming to assert the position of the judge, when, really, it maintains only that of the executioner. American criticism has but two frequently exhibited this one characteristic of judgments only, in considering the claims and performances of American authorship. the most humiliating disadvantages, if that nation, | circumstances, it would be difficult to reproach. whether through ignorance of just standards, defi- Nor is it the least evil of this condition of the naciency of taste, or imbecility of will--or all com- tional mind, that it will not examine the intellectual bined-is incapable of awarding an original deci- claims of its own citizens, and dare not award its sion upon the merits of its authors. The only judgment upon them. It is not content with being authors of a nation, who illustrate its career, and passive merely: with the sycophancy which is chahelp its progress in the paths of moral improvement, racteristic of such servility, it seeks to anticipate are those who represent its spirit and partake its the foreign arbiter by judgments hostile to the precharacteristics. This is more particularly true of tensions of its sons-taking for granted—with the a nation whose government recognizes the people usual littleness of a self-esteem that lacks all the as the only sources of its power. If the nation, then, be base and slavish, distrustful of its own resources, and doubtful of the genius of its sons, their achievements will be watched with distrust, and met with every species of discouragement. Zimmerman gives a most deplorable picture of the degraded intellectual condition of the German nation, in this very particular, in their servile homage to the French genius in the time of Voltaire-the What followed from the first successes of Mr. French being the courtly language, and French Cooper and the appreciation of his countrymen? philosophy, (so called,) in the accursed scepticism We say appreciation, for the fact is undeniable, that it taught of all things noble, having fairly emascu-public opinion in America, did not wait in his case, lated the popular spirit, equally of its originality as it had ever done before, for the award of British and its faith. The wonderful birth and progress tribunals. The verdict was equally instantaneous to excellence of native German genius, but a few and favorable; and the courage which dictated it years after the lament of Zimmerman, is equally was the result of that new spirit of independence, astonishing and encouraging, as it shows this pros- which was the great fruit of the war of 1812. Of the tration of a nation's mind to depend, not upon any long line of beautiful fictions, the work of his hand, thing radical or organic, and to be eradicable by which adorn the infant Literature of our country, it certain conservative influences which are probably is not within our province to speak. Our present deeply seated in the genius of every nation. Where objects will not admit of individual analysis, which this intellectual prostration is found, the motive to might seem invidious, and is not essential to our authorship is almost wholly wanting; and the supe- history. But the effect of his successes upon the rior genius, in obedience to his intellectual tendency, native intellect, in stimulating its movements, givin utter despair of his country, expatriates himself; ing courage to its exertions, and converting it from and, in the countenance afforded by other countries, a concern of amateurship and dilettantism into an quickly learns to forget, and even to repudiate his own. This melancholy history is true of several Americans, whose patriotism, under the existing Here is a passage by way of sample. The American reader will be apt, involuntarily, to apply the language of Zimmerman, spoken of the Germans, before the awakening of the national genius, to his own country. The histories are not unlike, as well in the sleep as the awakening. employment and a profession, was absolutely wonderful! and here, by the way, it may be well to remark, that the Literature of a people depends wholly upon the fact that it is made a profession. Nothing has ever come from amateur performances in letters or the arts. It must be a daily work, an habitual labor, exercise leading to perfection, and the stimulus of daily necessities impelling to daily exercise. If the reader would learn any thing on "In Europe (America?) there exists a great nation dis- this head, let him look to the history of British tinguished by laboriousness and industry, possessing men Literature. He would see how little we owe to of inventive faculties and of great genius, in as great number as any other, little addicted to luxury, and the most the Sachvilles, the Rochesters, the Carews, the valiant among the brave. This nation, nevertheless, hates Sucklings, et id omne genus-the tribe of clever and despises itself; purchases, praises and imitates only what gentlemen about town,—and how much we owe to is foreign; it imagines that no dress can be elegant, no food or the day-laborers in letters-the constant workieswine delicious or even palatable, no dwelling commodious, unless the Shakspeares, the Johnsons (Ben and Sam) the stuff, taylor, clothes, cook, wine, furniture and architect come to Popes, the Drydens-not forgetting that wondrous it at an excessive expense and from abroad, and what adds a zest to all, from a country inhabited by its natural enemies. galaxy of genius, which, in spite of degradation, This singular nation exalts and praises solely and above mea- poverty, public scorn and private misery, still sure, the genius and the wit of foreigners, the paintings of fondly labored at the shrine of the British Draforeigners, and especially with regard to Literature, foreign matic Muse, leaving a vast storehouse of material, books, written in the most miserable style, are solely purchased, wild song and wondrous story, from which the more read and admired by these infatuated people, who know little even of their own history, save from the faulty, unfaithful and slenderly endowed moderns will long continue to malicious relations of foreign authors!" replenish their exhausted censers. I need not more especially designate the Beaumonts, the vexing the dreams-depriving the nights of renoFletchers, the Massingers, the Fords, the Dek-vating rests, enfeebling the frame and souring the kars, the Shirleys, the Rowleys, the Middletons temper. Its consolations are chiefly from within, and hundreds more-the true depositories of En- in the exciting nature of studies and contemplaglish genius-springing up in legions, as if, to use tions, which, while they exhilarate the fancy, by the humble figure employed in a previous paragraph, their intoxicating effects, enfeeble and destroy the they had been sown, broad cast, by the lavish hands frame. "Poetry," says Coleridge-himself one of a Deity who never sows in vain! That, up to of the greatest geniuses of the age in which it the period which we have designated as the com- starved-" has been to me its own exceeding great mencement of American Literature, the writings reward," and what he has said so felicitously has of Americans were not, and could not, be held in been probably felt by all who have ever professed, estimation, was due simply to the fact that Litera- what seems to me to have been singularly misture among us had not arrived at the dignity of a named, when called "La Gaie Science." Such it profession. The song was written by the gentle- may have been to the Minstrels of Provence. To man in night-gown and slippers; the tale by one the professional poet, however, its pleasures may who apologized, usually, for this wandering into for- be said to "be born of pain and nurtured in conbidden grounds-possibly alleging a vacant mind, vulsion." The law of nature, however, by which or an erring mood, for the solitary trespass; and they are born poets—“ poeta nascitur"—keeps them promising, if forgiven for this, never, in like man- in shackles. Their obedience is maintained in ner, to offend again. It would be something won-spite of them. They acknowledge an iron necesderful, indeed, if the expectations of the reader, sity not less unyielding than that of the Grecian under such assurances, should be extravagant- Fates! still more wonderful if he should attach any im- If such, in all countries, seems to have been the portance to a pursuit, which the amateur seemed, destiny of the belles-lettres writer-if such are prima facie, to regard as trifling if not improper. his sufferings, (and the painful history of British That this will be the natural condition of the popu- Literature abounds in proofs,) and such, and so lar thought, in a country subject to new and trying unsubstantial his rewards, what are the inducenecessities of the humblest kind, is natural enough. ments, even under the best circumstances, to auThat it should continue to be the popular thought, thorship in America?--Here, where we receive when the necessities of life are overcome, when unlimited supplies of the best books, in every dewant is driven from our doors, when plenty smiles partment, and in our mother tongue, from Great upon the land, and other lands are drained for their Britain; here, where the same books are presentluxuries, would indicate a most miserable intellec-ed to us at one fifth the cost at which they are sold tual inferiority, which, happily, is not our case. in the country where produced; here, where a On the contrary, as we have shown, a national general doubt almost universally seems to have necessity led to the birth of a national Literature. prevailed, as to the intellectual capacity, for such With the requisitions of the people, the profes-writings, of our own people; here, where we were sional author sprang into existence. From a sin- accustomed to defer to a foreign country the gle belles-lettres writer, we soon possessed hun-highest and noblest duty of a people, that of formdreds, eager for notice in the new vocation; and ing, upon intrinsic standards, our own judgments struggling, on short commons, to be heard in song in almost every intellectual matter! With all these and story. If they could live by this profession, things to discourage, the public looking on intheir demands, as is every where the case in the differently,--the publisher receiving reluctantly,-history of British Literature, were readily satisfied. the mental productions of the native, the local geThose who allege cupidity and mercenary views nius could not be restrained; and, stimulated by against the literary man, because he seeks ade- impulses born equally of patriotism and the muse, quate compensation for his toils, betray a singular the first offerings of American Literature promised ignorance of literary history. With a few splen- to be equally valuable and abundant. It would exdid and recent exceptions, authorship has been ceed our limits were we to attempt any catalogue most usually the least productive of occupations. raisonnée, of what has been done by native authorThere is scarcely an original living writer, whether ship, within that period which we have allotted to in America or England-as there has been no dead the achievements of American letters; but, by the one-who, if pecuniary results were his objects, help of a valuable pamphlet which is before us, would not instantly resort to any other occupation. prepared and published in London, by Mr. George I can scarcely direct my attention to any other, in Putnam, of the publishing house of Wiley & which the employé is not more at ease in his Putnam, we are enabled, without trouble, to array worldly concerns better provided with the luxu- some facts bearing upon this subject, which are ries of life, and better prepared for the enjoyment better calculated than any thing we could say to of them. Literature is a self-denying vocation, prove the importance and patriotism of American tasking thought, and imagination, and sensibility-authorship. This pamphlet, we may say in this Theology place, contains some admirable answers, drawn | Neal, of Philadelphia, published, about 1839, a vochiefly from the argumentum ad homines, in reply lume called "Charcoal Sketches," with illustrato the sneers of the British critics, on the subject tions; his name appended in full. This volume of American intellect. It is shown that, in nearly appears entire, plates and all, in the middle of "Pic every department of Literature, American writers Nic Papers," etc., "edited by C. Dickens, Esq. 3 have advanced to a position of the highest respec- vols: London, 1841," &c. The American books tability, frequently equality, and sometimes supe- reprinted in England, as English, within the last riority, in comparison with those of Europe, that ten years, according to the same authority, are hundreds of American books are annually repub-reported as follow: lished in London, frequently as English books, with their titles altered, their prefaces suppressed, and all those distinguishing marks obliterated, by which their origin might be detected ;-that some of their most distinguished Reviews do not scruple to appropriate entire articles from American periodicals, taking care to alter the ear-marks, the titles, the signatures, &c., and sometimes to suppress the word America and substitute that of England. We make an extract from Mr. Putnam's preface in illustration of these startling assertions, the shocking dishonesty of which is only best understood, when it is remembered, that they decry us, in the very moment of their robbery, with the declaration that we have nothing fit to steal. Travels Total, 68 works, 66 56 52 41 26 22 12 11 This will help us to an understanding, not only of what has been done by American authorship in ten years, but what is the estimate of its value, by a people, to whose opinions we slavishly defer, and whose judgments upon us are always studiously disparaging. Mr. Putnam, in farther considering this subject, adds: “But, “who reads an American book?" asks the Edinburgh Review. A good many do so, without "We have also good English authority for the being themselves aware of it. The case of the opinion, that the Hebrew Grammar, by Nordhei"oldest" London Review appreciating the articles mer; the Hebrew-English Lexicon, by Robinson; of the "North American" well enough to appro- the Greek Lexicon to the New Testament, by the priate some of them entire, as original, acciden- same; the Commentary on Isaiah, by Barnes; tally omitting to mention their origin, is not a soli-System of Theology, by Dwight; Geography of Palestine, by Robinson; Anthon's Text Books; tary one. American periodicals have contributed Prescott's "Ferdinand and Isabella;" "Medical "considerably" to those of England, in mutually Jurisprudence," by Beck; Ray's "Jurisprudence innocent unconsciousness. Some few American of Insanity;" and "Webster's Dictionary of the Enwriters would scarcely recognize their own offspring glish (!!!) Language," are all the best works, in under their new names and foreign dress. . . . . . their several departments, in the language." Who, in looking over a list of titles, would supThe popularity of Cooper and Irving and Brockpose that "Quebec and New York, or the Three den Brown, and others of our belles-lettres writers Beauties," was the same as "Burton, or the Sieges;" in England is already known, and Mr. Putnam tells and Cortes, or the Fall of Mexico," a reprint of us that the "only translations known in English of “The Infidel;"--that "The Last Days of Ame- the classical works of Eschenburg, Butmann, Gelian" is no other than Mr. Ware's "Probus," and senius, Jahn, Ramshorn and Winer are the Ame"Montacute," only a new title for "A New Home;" From the same comprehensive pamphlet, that Mr. Muzzey's "Young Maiden" and "Young we take the following table, which will assist the Wife," are translated into "The English maiden" reader greatly in his inquiry into a subject hitherto and the "English wife," and Mr. Spark's "Life of too little regarded. It proposes to show, though Ledyard, the American Traveller" is only made necessarily very imperfectly, the number of Amemore attractive as "Memoirs of Ledyard, the rican publications for the last fifteen years. African Traveller" (anon), and two volumes of his "Writings of Washington," in 12 vols., are reprinted with the original title and apparently as if complete. Dr. Harris' "Natural History of the Bible," "Bancroft's Translation of Heeren's politics of Greece," and Everett's "Translation of Buttman's Greek Grammar" were all reprinted and sold as English books. Judge Story's "Law of Bailments" was chopped into fragments, and appended, here and there, by Mr. Theobald, in his notes on Sir William Jones. These are a few specimens...... One more may be mentioned: Mr. Here the domestic supply exceeds the foreign one, ciencies, it cannot fail to be remarked with pride and this is the result of but fifteen years of exer- and wonder, that the domestic is still far superior cise in a department entirely new to the intellect to the foreign supply, showing conclusively the fact and the energies of the nation. This table too, that the intellectual resources of the nation are it may be well to remember, includes only the pub- fully adequate to its wants; and that, with no more lications of the chief marts of literature, Boston, encouragement than is required to put the native New York, Philadelphia and New Haven. The on a simple tooting of equality, in the market, with publications of obscure presses in cities not noto- the foreign author, the latter must have been nearly, riously publishing are scarcely likely to enter into or wholly superseded. Thus we see, that, in alsuch an estimate. But let us give another of Mr. most every department of letters, the works of Putnam's tables, giving the American publications original American production-Education, Thefor one year only,-that of 1834. ology, History, Biography, Jurisprudence, &cexceeds the reprints of foreign in a proportion, not less than three to one; the one exception to this fact, 9 to which we have drawn the attention of the reader 95* by an asterisk (*)—that of novels and tales, or, as we may say, purely original and inventive Literature-being one to which we may be permitted in 3 this place to devote a few moments of considera10 tion. Lest any hasty judgment may conceive the SUBJECTS. Education Divinity ORIGINAL AMERICAN. REPRINTS. 73 37 19* 18 ET Novels and Tales Fine Arts Total, 3 16 17 20 8 8 8 59 251. 43 Total, 198. This table fails to include the law and medical publications. It fails also to regard the periodical works which form and have always formed-and, we may add, will always form-so large a portion of American Literature; but with all these defi The vast extent of our territory, and the sparseness of our population, will always tend to the large employment of periodicals, particularly monthly and weekly publications, for the diffusion among the more remote settlements of the amount of literary, social and political knowledge which they require. This condition of the country leads to the publication of a large proportion and greater variety of these works, than, we suspect, is the case in any country, however extensive, of Europe. Not only do most of the States possess their literary periodicals, whether quarterly, monthly or weekly, but, in some of the States, they are numerous, of all sizes and degrees of power. In addition to these there, are numerous literary newspapers (so relative deficiency in this class of writings, in the American side of our table, to result from any want of those creative and imaginative resources which are chiefly requisite to the production of all works of fiction, we may suggest some of the peculiar disadvantages and difficulties under which this particular branch of native authorship exists. This disability results from the greater proportion of writers engaged in this species of composition than in any other. While, for example, Great Britain possesses not more than five living historians, she possesses more than fifty professional writers of fiction, not to speak of hundreds more, who occasionally go aside from other walks, to try their powers in this department. The American writer of fiction is consequently exposed to a degree of competition, to which no other branch of literary labor is subjected. Some idea of this competition may be gathered from the vast number of the reprints of European novels and tales (95) called) which furnish that strange melange-a sort of mental olla-podrida,--with which our English brethren seem to reported in one year of our table; and yet these be particularly disquicted. The taste of these publications form but a really small number of the works of this is certainly none of the best,-wanting in congruity, and class produced annually in Great Britain. The jumbling together, in one mass, the most irreconcilable ob- seductions of this species of writing brings hunjects of study and reflection. But they are addressed to a poor people, who have just a sufficient appreciation of Lite- and more laborious character of the studies in hisdreds into the field of competition, while the colder rature to demand the commodity, and who have not yet reached that degree of literary acumen which prompts them tory, biography and metaphysics, serve always to to resolve upon quality in preference to quantity. In Ea- keep the number of laborers within certain and easily rope, the same class of persons want bread rather than lite-defined limits. Besides, we do not find that the rature; and, so far, the fact is not unfavorable to the Ame- American biographer or historian is at all engaged Of our periodicals, if they cannot claim to be fully in competition with the European. The works of biography and history, written by Americans, are. rican. equal to the ablest of the foreign, they at least make such an approach to it as to render some of their articles, (as we have seen,) acceptable as original, to the pages of London and contemporaneous reviews. Our monthly periodicals fords of easy diffusion, tends also to the greater originality we regard as quite equal, and, in some respects, superior to and independence of their tone, modes of thinking and exthe average of British monthlies. That they are more ho- pression. In addition to these, similarly scattered over our nest, as more independent of book publishers and political immense territory, are 1640 newspapers, daily, tri-weekly parties, is beyond either doubt or question. Nor do they or weekly, all of which, in greater or less degree, furnish emanate from a single publishing section, but appear in al- their readers with a certain amount of original and selected most every quarter of our widely extended country;-a varieties, and are, to a certain extent, injurious to the regucircumstance which, besides the advantages which it aflar business of a professional literature. "To fix a barrier to the giant's strength Or curb his swiftness in the forward race." most usually devoted to American subjects, subjects them, compelled a hearing in the European courts of which the European student is either totally of art and refinement, as we had already done, unaware, or to which he is, in all probability, wholly through our statesmen and warriors, in the cabiindifferent. Thus, with the exception of Irving's nets of European politics. What might have been Conquest of Granada, which is semi-historical in augured from such a beginning? What a long and character, and Prescott's Ferdinand and Isabella, glorious future was to be inferred from such a we do not, at this moment, recall the name of a sin-dawn! The calculation rests with every reader. gle American historian who has gone out of Ame- Enough for us to say that, according to all reasonrica for his subject. It follows from this, that, able measures of conjecture, it would seem to be while the American historian, or biographer, free impossible, easily,-the circumstances being suffrom competition, is almost sure of a publisher, fered to remain unchanged-the American novelist must take his chance, in the same field, with hundreds of others, all of whom, as their works cost nothing to the American publisher are likely to be preferred before him. Unless he But the circumstances of his career were not sufhas already obtained a local reputation, which ren- fered to remain unchanged. His strength has sudders it inevitable that an eager demand will be denly been paralyzed, his swiftness has been curbed, found for his writings, he may wait for months, his limbs are no longer free, his flight is no longer and even years, without provoking the considera- upward, onward, contending for the goal. He lies tion of the publisher; and hundreds of works are prostrate-his limbs fettered-his strength and written, equal in merit to one third of the Euro-spirit humbled and prostrate in the dust. Ameripean reprints, which, as the authors have not yet can Literature is as suddenly silent as if it never acquired the "magic of a name" are offered to the publishers, gratuitously, and in vain. This is a point which shall be resumed hereafter. Enough, we think, has been already said to show the value of American Literature, its sudden rise into importance, the number of its productions, their great variety, and intrinsic value. This value, too, we have endeavored, incidentally, to show, being attached to them, not merely by any excess of national self-esteem, but, in the absolute want of it, and, even against their own will, by our hereditary enemies. We have seen that, while the British continue to sneer at the American intellect, its resources in fancy and imagination-the arts of general letters, they do so in the teeth of the vital fact that they are consuming-nay, preferring the fruits of American Literature, in almost every department-our works of history and education-our belles-lettres, theology, and jurisprudence. We do not dwell upon the humiliating fact, that they are making these appropriations clandestinely, disfiguring the commodities which they steal, in order to prevent their recognition. It is enough for our purpose, that they make use of the commodity, that they approve of it, applaud it, and frequently prefer it to their own. Such, then, is the history of American Literature for the twenty years in which it was struggling into existence. Such were its triumphs and achievements in spite of every disadvantage, in spite of the competition with the intellect of the maternal nation-speaking the same language-in possession of the same market, and secure, not only of the market, but of the exclusive faith and confidence of the American people. In that brief period, amidst these disadvantages and disabilities, we produced our metaphysicians, our historians, our philosophers, our poets, our novelists, and, through VOL. X-3 had a voice. Its authors, if they have not ceased I am, sir, with sentiments Woodland, Nov. 10, 1843. NIGHT. BY ANNA MARIA HIRST. There is a holy silence in the air, An audible stillness soothing to the ear; Over the azure of the starry sphere, Hail to the Night, the noble, nun-like Night! Nought breaks the silence but the cricket's note, Upon the low breeze that my brow doth kiss-- |