Washington Irving (1949)

if however I can by a lucky chance in these days of evil rub out one wrinkle from the brow of care and make my read more in Good Humor with his fellow beings and himself surely surely I shall not then have written entirely in vain Washington Irving Washington Irving who created American Legend was the youngest of William and Sarah Irving's 11 children as a small child Irving had occasion to meet his Nam sake George Washington blessed the land and told him that in his hands rested the future of the nation because of his family's modest circumstances the future of Washington Irving led him to the law office of Henry Masterson rather than to further education his natural geniality brought him into the social life of New York and brought him to read books of travel rather than put full emphasis upon the study of the law in 18002 Peter Irving became the anonymous editor of a newspaper known as the corrector to which his younger brother Washington became a regular contributor William what do you think is causing the most comment of any portion of the corrector I have no idea Peter I would imagine your editorials hardly it's the letters of Jonathan oldstyle gentleman you mean those pieces Washington gives you absolutely every tea table in New York buzzes with word of Jonathan old style and his Lively satire a New York theater and Society our baby brother has become a new Tattler congratulations Peter the Irvings have finally developed a talent in their midst I thought it might be you you I'm sure thought it might be me but at least now we know that we have one we'll have to Foster Washington's Talent William give him every help we possibly can quite agreed Peter he shall have every opportunity to prove himself at the age of 21 Washington Irving became very ill he contracted [Music] consumption e it's Washington can work no longer that's only for the time being of course of course Ebenezer listened William is out now trying to arrange for Washington's trip to Europe if you're discussing the trip to Europe you two you know we can't afford it physician says it'll take more than two years to recover my strength I should allow you to jeopardize your security son your brothers believe in you and have great pride in you would you be so un grateful as to deny them the pleasure of investing in that belief and pride you set sail in 2 weeks baby brother I've arranged all the details for your safe Pass New York never was good enough for you so now you're on your way you had to get sick to do it William you're a good son thank you mother how happy Washington will be to get away from those law books no happier than when you gave up medicine Peter listen all of you though gratitude was never one of my virtues you've all spoiled me terribly if I were to say I am ungrateful now even in just I would be denying one of the finest families a man could ever have my good boys of course you never will know whether I contracted this malady on purpose and in the spring Irving set sail for Europe he visited France Italy Holland England and then two years later came home New York was small but it contained a few congenial spirits who were drawn together from time to time at Governor Kell's home in New York they were called the nine worthies of cockloft Hall James Pauling you look pensive this evening William I've been falling over that idea you discussed with us that is for us to do a magazine satirizing our New York Society I'd like to try it I agree poing why don't we but kemell what should we aim at the wittiest member of our group you should tell us Washington well I of course shouldn't mind running Riot with every tradition of our time make this sober New World learn to laugh at itself perhaps we might use the form which Oliver Goldsmith and Joseph Addison applied so well in other words we could point up the foibles of our Society make the people laugh at themselves that's right ex and so throughout the year 18007 there appeared 20 issues of that humerous publication Salma gundi Irving's work on this Magazine made him known both as a writer and as a wit he had passed the bar but his social Tendencies took precedence over his work as a lawyer he led a tranquil interesting life but without much meaning until he fell in love with Matilda Hoffman Matilda will you marry me I will take life seriously I I'll do anything you ask I'll even stop writing oh no I shouldn't like that at all mine hair Irving you mean everything to me Matilda will you marry [Music] me if you promise me one thing anything that you will never be cruel with your words you must never try to hurt people but always be as kind and Charming to them as you are to me I promise then I'm afraid I should like to marry you very much Matilda but in the spring of 18009 Matilda Hoffman became ill very suddenly and since I've taken over Peter's project on the history of New York he thinks it'll be a great success it's a satire on that pompous new guide book by Samuel Mitchell Peter says all New York be laughing Washington you promise never to be cruel with your words if you are to be clever let it be a gentle cleverness without hurt without malice yes Matilda if I'm to be clever I will try to make it a very easy Charming sort of thing like the Hudson [Music] River like you Matilda and someday you and I will live very quietly very peacefully I shall write about America cheerfully because you will be by my side you will always be by my side Matilda's death was a crushing blow to the rising hopes of Irving but the young writer could not deny himself the exercise of his genuine creative power and under the pseudonym of dedri neraka published his satirical history of New York Washington you seem to have created a legend in Old Dietrich nicob Baka there's not a soul in all New York who hasn't read your history and chuckled over it and everyone I know thinks nicob Baker's a real person but you should hear the protest of some of our early Dutch fam's descendants ranting over the fun made at them no sense of humor There's No Malice in Old dietr nikak merely broad satire in the handling of our young Traditions I personally think I've never read anything more Charming it's my opinion that baby brother is now a full-fledged writer kemell your compliments are most welcome but I must stop you there Peter I still hesitate to adopt literature as a profession for all we know I may continue to be nothing but a leech on your pocketbook Washington I won't hear of such nonsense please Peter if it's all the same to you I I thought I might become a partner in your business house I know I'm useless now but you need help in your London office and if you felt I might learn ebener and I would would be more than happy to have you with us but I then it's settled Washington Irving shall begin to earn his keep in 1815 he set sail for Europe in the interests of his brother's firm in England Washington Irving Spirits were dampened when the Peter and Ebenezer Irving company failed he knew that now to earn he had to write and in the fall of 1817 he made a visit to abbottford where he met Walter Scott it's quite beautiful and peaceful here around the Tweed River Mr Irving indeed Mr Scott it almost compares favorably with our own Hudson oh yes the American through and through as I was saying young man it appears you haven't even begun to tap the most important source of literary material there is it seems to me there's no likelier source for subject matter than the legends of a country for instance take the backgrounds of German literature doesn't America have any such Legends none of long standing Mr Scott well then make them up as you go along study the German language and literature and you'll see what I'm driving at right from the legendary strain and you'll never go wrong Walder Scott fixed legend in the mind of Washington Irving and he took up the study of German and began work on the first draft of Rip Van Winkle in this series of sketches I'm writing under the name of Jeffrey crayon in a number of the sketches I develop humorous Legends for instance well in one of the story is called The Legend of Sleepy Hollow my hero is a school Master by the name of kabad cray here read this he was tall but exceedingly lank with narrow shoulders long arms and legs hands that dangled a mile out of his sleeves and feet that might have served for shovels and his whole frame most loosely hung together one might have mistaken him for some Scarecrow alope from a cornfield in the following two years Irving sent installments of Jeffrey crayon sketches to be published in New York they attained immediate popularity not only in America but in London as well England's been most courteous to me Sir Walter as it should be it is you who have dispelled the English impression of the American writer that of a kind of Demi Savage with a feather in his hand instead of on his head now you have answered Sydney Smith's question who reads in American book tell me with your success are you now financially secure I don't believe I shall ever want for anything ever again and I can never thank you enough for leading me to Legend Sir Walter you must continue to use your very fine talents well Irving your phenomenal success places you in the public eye Irving received a letter from the American minister to Spain attaching him to the legation in Madrid there he lived with obadia Rich the famous Spanish American bibliographer and worked on his biography of Columbus well I'm through for today now that you are almost finished with your work on Columbus serving I believe you have proved to yourself that you can be more than a humorist all this opportunity has given me added Faith again the rich unpenetrated folklore of Spain is like wine to me though Spanish history is fascinating the legends of the alhamra and Granada are even more of sing it would seem to me that you are the man to set them down for all to read Irvings the tales of the alhamra and the conquest of Granada are steeped in the atmosphere of later moish history and are filled with the pthos of a great race historically struggling against fate In 1832 after an absence of 17 years Irving returned to New York he found himself the object of the affection and admiration of the entire country and I should like to reaffirm after this long absence from my native land and people I should like to reaffirm my unchanging love for [Music] [Applause] America with the exception of four happy years and his beloved Spain as American Minister Irving spent the rest of his life and the surroundings he described in the legend of Sleepy Hollow he brought his brothers and their families to live with him at Sunnyside on the Hudson where he wrote the life of Oliver Goldsmith Muhammad and his successors and finally his five volume Life of George Washington which he completed at the age of 76 come in well speak up what is it dinner will soon be ready on all right my girl enough enough can't you see I am riding yes Uncle no wait come here to me your uncle is a nervous irritable old man who should have stopped writing some time ago I've had M say many times over oh Uncle no I can remember when your uncle Peter and paing and I discontinued Salam M gundi because we didn't have any more to say after that Siege with General Washington it is time you rested you know you're very pretty thank you Uncle almost as pretty as one young girl I once knew now go and see to dinner rest a while Uncle I believe I shall my how you wearied me General all five volumes of [Music] your that girl will arrive not an ounce of energy too soon now perhaps I Can Dream a while without the pin and ink to haunt [Music] me hello there Rip Van Winkle still sleeping in the son of the cat skill Legend you and I will someday have a good long rest together there you are dedri nickak what a viad crane our most worthy pedagogue of Sleepy Hollow we had great fun together [Music] gentlemen oh yes RIP even to this day they never hear a thunderstorm about the cat's kills but they say it's Henrik Hudson and his crew at their game of nine [Music] pins Uncle Washington dinner's on the table Uncle do you hear me din the work of Washington Irving was the outcome of his own character and the land in which he was born dealing for the most part with old world themes but in the new world temper and spirit he connected our own literature with the literature of Europe his gifts were a sensitive Spirit a delightful humor a vein of true sentiment and an instinct for Style no hendrik Hudson no one will ever ask again who reads an American book [Music]