Written for Moore’s Knral New-Yorker. 
THE BRIGHT HOURS ARE HASTING. 
fortunate in having a parent so earnest in study¬ 
ing her good.” Suffice it to say, New Year’s day 
passed, and Nellie Smith went to rest that night 
perplexed to think that the “ calls ” she had re¬ 
ceived far outnumbered the compliments. She 
could reflect upon no good deed to sweeten her 
meditations, or righteous act to be rehearsed in 
her midnight dreams; and I presume you are 
ready to declare that if the three hundred and 
sixty-four remaining days of Nellie’s “New Year” 
were characterized by the first, my subject is but 
poorly illustrated. 
New Year’s day was not alike in every house¬ 
hold. Lucy Upton, like Nellie Smith, was the 
daughter of parents in affluent circumstances. 
Nature had bequeathed her an equal fortune of 
seen busy banos at work, filling out those 
memorandums, and, contrary to Mr. Upton’s 
system of “ cash trade,” these parcels were sent 
out “on. time” to be paid for when the Master 
saith, “ Come ye blessed of my Father.” 
Yes! many a heart was made glad by the visit¬ 
ations of Lucy and her parents, and when that 
amiable group bent around the “family altar” at 
night, and implored “Divine protection over the 
1830, Hr. Irving and Mr. Hallam, the historian, 
each received one of the fifty guinea medals award¬ 
ed by George IV. for eminence in historical com¬ 
position. 
In 1831 Oxford University conferred the degree 
of LL. D. upon him, and in 1832 he returned to 
New York, after an absence of seventeen years. 
On his return to this city he was greeted with an 
ovavion, at which Chancellor Kent presided ; simi¬ 
lar testimonials were tendered him from other 
cities, but he declined them. In the summer of 
1832 he visited the West with Mr. Eilsworth, one 
of the Commissioners for removing the Indian 
tribes west of the Mississippi. It was during this 
journey that he collected the material for his 
“ Tour oa the Prairies,” published in 1835. “ Ab- 
bottsford and Newstead Abbey,” and “Legends 
of the Conquest of Spain” were also published the 
same year. Id 1836 he published “Astoria.” and 
BY ELIZABETH BOUTON', 
Tub bright, bright hours are hasting, 
Are hasting fast away, 
And summer’s bloom is wasting, 
Is wasting every day. 
The green, green leaves are fading, 
Are fading one by one ; 
The glens and uplands shading 
With hues pale, bright and dnn. 
The sweet, sweet flowers have perished. 
Have perished from our sight, 
As those our love has cherished, 
Are lost in Death’s dark night. 
The gay, gay birds are winging 
Their flight to other lands, 
No more with music ringing, 
The grove all voiceless stands. 
The wild, wild winds are sighing 
With plaintive tones along, 
The lonely stream replying 
Gives forth a mournful song. 
The dark, dark clouds are sweeping 
With dusky wiDgs the sky, 
Their broad dim shadows creeping 
With noiseless footsteps by. 
Oh 1 sad, sad art thou, Autumn, 
Thou telleet of decay, 
And summer’s glowing beauties 
All pass with thee away. 
Yet I love, love well this season, 
With fading glories crowned, 
For the pensive beauty breathing 
From everything around. 
And its skies, its skies are dearer, 
Though half arrayed in gioom, 
Than e’er, when brighter, clearer, 
They bend o’er summer’s bloom. 
Avoca, N. Y., 1859. 
DEATH OF WASHINGTON IRVING. 
EXTRA INDUCEMENTS 
TO AGENTS AND ALL WHO FORM CLUBS EARLY. 
In addition to the free copies offered according to 
our Terms , we will 
This community is shocked to-day at the intelli¬ 
gence of the death cf Washington Irving, the most 
eminent of American writers, and as the tele¬ 
graph shall flash the sad news to the farthest ex¬ 
treme of our land; as steam shall bear it across 
the sea and it shall penetrate the whole civilized 
globe, there will be everywhere 
give to each of the One Hun¬ 
dred Persons sending the first lists of Thirty or 
more Yearly Subscribers to the Dural after this 
date (remitting payment at our club rate — $\ 25 
per copy,) a bound volume of the Dural for either 
1858 or 1859, price $3,— or $2 in Ag. Hooks, post-paid. 
To EACH of the One Hundred Persons sending the 
first lists of Ten or Fifteen Yearly Subscribers as 
above, remitting payment according to our terms, 
we will give either another extra copy of the Dural, 
or $1 50 in Ag. Hooks, post-paid, or * Gross of the 
Washington Medallion Pens, post-paid, as preferred. 
Still More Liberal! —In addition to any extra 
copies or Gratuities to which persons may be entitled 
from the above offers, we will give an unbound but 
perfect Copy of the Tenth Volume of the Dural (for 
1859) to every one who remits (previous to Christmas 
Pay, 1859,) either $5 for 3 copies, $10 for 6, $15 for 10, 
$21 for 15, or $25 for 20 copies. Finally, in 
addition to what is above offered , we will give to each 
of the Twenty Persons remitting payment for the 
first lists of Seventy-Five or more Yearly Sub¬ 
scribers after this date, a Copy of WEBSTER’S 
UNABRIDGED DICTIONARY - New Pictorial 
Edition, containing 1,5 00 Illustrations.— 
[Crown Quarto — 1,700 pages.) 
a common expres¬ 
sion of sorrow, that a true man, a genial writer, 
an accomplished scholar, has passed away from 
earth. Mr. Irving died suddenly last evening, at 
bis quiet home at Sunnyside, on the banks of the 
Hudson, the home where the calm evening of his 
life has been passed; the point which is at once a 
centre of American culture and the shrine at 
which the devotees of literature and of truth rev¬ 
erently paid their vows. Henceforth it will be the 
Stratford-on-Avon of the Western World. Mr. 
Irving retired at 10)^ o’clock, and was in the act 
of undressing, when he fell and expired almost 
immediately. Though the shockof Mr. Irving’s 
death is sudden, the event had not been alto¬ 
gether unexpected. Failing health and advanc¬ 
ing age have sadly indicated to his friends that 
)he silver cord was loosening. 
Washington Irving was born April 3d, 1783, in 
the city of New Y T ork, in William street, between 
John and Fulton streets, not far from the Old 
Dutch Church,^now occupied by the site of the 
“Washington s’tores.” The father of Mr. Irving 
wa3 a native of Scotland ; his mother a native of 
“ The life of George Washington,” the last volume 
the closing work of his life, was published a few 
weeks since. In reference to this last work Prof. 
Greene in a recent conversaston said:—“It is a 
most invaluable work to this country, for it gives 
to the universal mind, for the first time, a living 
presence of Washington ! To the plurality of com¬ 
mon readers, hitherto, Washington has been a 
historical abstraction, hidden in the heavy reading 
of statistics and State-papers. By Irving they are 
now made acquainted with him in flesh and blood, 
as it were, a Washington so pictured that they can 
admire and revere him with a human sympathy.” 
Since 1849 Mr. Irving’s works have been pub¬ 
lished by Mr. G. P. Putnam, who has in that time 
Written for Moore’s Rural New-Yorker. 
been settled as a merchant in this city some twenty 
years. After obtaining an ordinary school educa¬ 
tion, Washington Irving, at the age of sixteen, 
commenced the study of the law. Three years 
later, under the signature of “ Jonathan Oldstyle,” 
he contributed a series of letters to the Mornin- 
Chronicle, a newspaper of which his brother, Peter 
Irving, was editor. These attracted much notice, 
were extensively copied, and in 1823 or 1824, were 
collected and published without the author’s'sanc- 
tion. In 1804 he sailed for Bordeaux, on a visit to 
Europe for his bea£h. In bisj travels be went to 
France, Genoa, crossing from Palermo to 
Naples, passing Laly, meeting Allston at 
Rome, who advised that he should devote himself 
to art. After se-*ral months stay on the Conti¬ 
nent, he went to England and returned to New 
York in March, 1806, fully res' ored to health. He 
then resumed the study of the law, was admitted, 
but never practised. He took the chief part in 
“ Salmagundi,” the first number of which appear¬ 
ed in January, 1S07, and the last in January, 1808. 
In December, 1809, he published his Knicker¬ 
bocker’s History of New YD>rk. In 1810, two of 
his brothers gave him an interest in a large mer¬ 
cantile concern, in which they were engaged, in 
Liverpool and New York, with the understanding 
that he devote himself to his literary pursuits. In 
1813 and 1814, during the war with Great Britain, 
he edited the “Analectic Magazine; and in the 
Year's day, in violation of a fashionable ordinance. 
“Well, there! if that is not perfectly horrid!” 
cried Mrs. Wilson, “there goes the Uptons on 
New l r ear’s morning! ” 
“ It seems they do not receive calls to-day,” said 
Miss Flora McFlimsey. 
“I really cannot imagine where they are going,” 
exclaims Miss Extensio Circumferentia. 
Such were some of the many expressions made 
as our worthy company went dashing down the 
streets, and Mr. Upton soon found, by the direc¬ 
tions which Lucy gave the driver, that they weie 
out on a charitable mission. 
In a few moments the merry sleigh-belis had 
ceased their tinkling in front of one of those 
rickety tenements where poverty reigns, and 
starvation does its desperate work. 
Mr. Upton instinctively followed his wife and 
daughter as they crossed the threshold and 
said .Nellie, as she hastened into the magnificent 
parlor of Mr. Smith’s splendid mansion. 
It was indeed a beautiful morning, such as con¬ 
tributes to the joyous feeiiDgs of unburthened 
human nature, and although “ sunrise,” thatbeau- 
ful “scene” in the first act of each day’s “per¬ 
formance,” was over—a “scene” which heavy 
eyelids forbid many to gaze upon—yet there was 
beauty enough in the tinted skies, and melody 
enough in the gentle breezes, to light up the soul I 
common l leas from 1817 until his death, in 1838. 
He was also a contributor to the Morning Chroni¬ 
cle. His son, a member of the New York bar, is 
the author of several popular works. 
A lew years since Mr. Irving purchased a resi¬ 
dence on the banks of the Hudson, about twenty- 
five miles from this city, and between Irvington 
and Tarry town. This quaint old house, so sug¬ 
gestive of the humor of its proprietor, is immor¬ 
talized in “ Wolfert’s Roost,” and in the story of 
Icnabod Crane, and is the charming spot so 
appropriately named “Sunnyside.” Here Mr. 
_enter¬ 
ed a room where a woman, just recovering from a 
severe attack of fever, welcomed their approach. 
It was evident that she and her group of children 
had suffered much; but that some ministering 
angel had before visited their rude home. Who 
this Angel was, we leave you to imagine; while 
we cross to another street, where hunger, wretch¬ 
edness and sin, have left their foot-prints 
PUBLISHER’S SPECIAL NOTICES, 
[ SSU’The Rural Show-Bill for 1860 —prouounced a fine 
specimen of the Typographic Art—isnow being printed and 
will soon be sent (post-paid) to all our agents. We shall be 
giad to send copies of the bill, specimens, etc., to all persons 
disposed to aid in circulating the Rural, for which kind ser¬ 
vice liberal inducements are offered. 
Voluntary Agents for the Rural.— Any and every 
Subscriber, Post-Master or reader is requested to act as vol¬ 
untary agent for the Rural, by forming clubs or otherwise. 
Now is the time for its friends to manifest their interest in 
the paper and the cause it advocates, either by obtaining 
new subscribers, or inducing others to act in its behalf. If 
any lose or wear out numbers in showing the paper,— 
that’s the best way to get subscribers,—we will duplicate 
them in order to make their files complete for binding. 
E3?” Associated Effort leads to success in canvassing for 
periodicals, as well as in other enterprises. For instance, 
if you are forming (or wish to form) a club for the Rural 
New-Yorker, and cannot fill it up in your own neighbor¬ 
hood, get some person or persons a few miles distant to join 
with or assist you — adding their names to those you may 
procure, and sending all together. Please think of this, and 
act upon the suggestion if convenient. 
I® - Specimens Free.— We always take pleasure in send- 
ng specimens free of charge. Reader, if you have any 
SALMAGUNDI. 
unmis¬ 
takable. 
In a dreary building of stone, at the left, after 
passing up the first flight of stairs, lived the poor 
Mrs. Morris, who once had known better times, 
but by a sudden reverse of fortune had been 
bereft of home and a kind husband. She was 
therefore left to struggle on in endeavoring to 
support herself and children, and although her 
eldest daughter was able to sew for the shops, yet 
the small wages she received were reduced so 
much smaller on account of “ hard times,” that 
they were barely kept from starvation; and now 
that her mother was taken suddenly ill, it was not 
strange that Ellen Morris’ star of hope had 
well nigh set. Not having been able to leave her 
mother’s bed-side for the last twenty-four hours, 
and with no physician, no food, and the last coal 
in the grate, we wonder not, that, amid the heart¬ 
rending cries of her younger brothers and sister, 
she groaned in despair. That groan was heard 
Try to form a conception of a sixth sense, if you 
He has the hardest kind of work who has nothing 
, to do. 
. A man can be ruined only by his own voluntary 
, evils. 
Fast men, like fast rivers, are generally very 
, shallow. 
Ladies, before marrying, had better destroy all 
old love-letters. 
A pin has as much head as a good many authors, 
and a great deal more point. 
The great chastisement of a knave is not to be 
known, but to know himself. 
If virtue is its own reward, there will be persons 
who will have little enough. 
A Mr. Archer has been sent to the Ohio Peni¬ 
tentiary for marrying three wives. “Insatiate 
Archer ! could not one suffice ?” 
Time is the mo3t subtle yet the most insatiable 
of depredators, and by appearing to take nothing 
is permitted to take all; nor can it be satisfied 
until it has stolen the world from us, and us from 
the world. 
“Wife,” said a man looking for a bootjack, “ I 
have places where I keep my things, and you 
ought to know it.” “ Yes,” said she, “ I ought to 
know where you keep your late hours—but I 
don’t,” 
The duties of the present moment we shall meet 
as they rise, and these will open a gate into the 
next, and we shall thus pass on, trustfully and 
securely, almost never in doubt as to what God 
calls us to do.— JBushnell. 
Love is a flame which burns in heaven, and 
whose soft reflections radiate to us. Two worlds 
are opened, two lives given to it. It is by love that 
we double our being; it is by love that we ap¬ 
proach God.— Aime Martin. 
Two men, Joseph Sparks and Oscar Flint, 
were assailed in the suburbs of Baltimore, a few 
! nights ago, by a gang of shoulder-hitters. Flint 
was knocked down, but his companion escaped 
by flight. When the scoundrels hit Flint, Sparks 
flew. 
“Manners,” says Sidney Smith, “are the shad¬ 
ows of virtues; the momentary display of those 
qualities which our fellow' creatures love and 
respect. If we strive to become, then, what we 
strive to appear, manners may often be rendered 
useful guides to the performance of our duties.” 
uuuae ui ms mmners, ana alter two or three years 
attention to business, endeavoring to avert the 
catastrophe, the house failed, involving him in 
its ruin. In 1818 he commenced papers of the 
“Sketch Book,” which were transmitted piece¬ 
meal from London, where he resided, to New York 
for publication. Three or four numbers were thus 
published, when finding that they attracted notice 
in England, they were published in a volume, in 
February, 1820, by John Miller; Miller failed soon 
after, and the second volume was published in 
July, of that year, by Mr. Murray, who purchased 
the copyright for £200, but finding the work 
profitable he presented Mr. Irving with £200 ad¬ 
ditional. 
After residing five years in England, Mr. IrviDg 
removed to Paris, August 1820, remaining till 
July, 1821, when he returned to England and pub¬ 
lished “Bracebridge Hall” in London and New 
York, in May, 1822. He wintered that year in 
Dresden, returning to Paris in 1823, and to Lon¬ 
don in May, 1824, when he published his “ Tales 
of a Traveler.” In August of that year these were 
published in New Y’ork. In August he returned 
Bordeaux. In February, 1826, he went to Madrid, 
where he remained two years, writing the life of 
Columbus, which was published in 1S28. In the 
spring of that year he visited Granada and other 
points mentioned in the “Chronicles of the Con¬ 
quest of Grenada, by Fray Agapida,” making a 
sketch of this work. He prepared it for the press 
at Seville, and it appeared in London and New 
Y ork in 1829. In the spring he again visited 
Granada, and spent some months in Alhambra, 
where he collected materials for a work of that 
name, published in 1S3-2. In July he went to 
England, having been appointed Secretary of 
Legation to the American embassy at London, 
under Mr. McLane. In 1832, upon Mr. McLane’s 
return, be remained a few months as Charge, and 
resigned on the arrival of Mr. Van Buren. In 
MOORE’S RURAL NEW-YORKER 
tee largest circulated 
Agricultural, Literary and Family Weekly, 
IS PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY 
BY D. D. T. MOORE, ROCHESTER, N. Y. 
Terms, In Advance: —Two Dollars a Year —$1 for 
six months. For Club Terms, &c,, see above. 
Advertisements— Twenty-Five Cents a Line, each inser¬ 
tion, payable in advance. Our rule is to give no advertise¬ 
ment, unless very brief, more than six to eight consecutive 
insertions. Patent Medicines, Ac., are not advertised in 
the Rural on any conditions. 
The Postage on tub Rural is only ‘ii{ cents per quarter 
to any part of this State, and 6X cents to any other State, if 
paid quarterly in advance at the post-office where received. 
