Show J jl 7 R LITERARY ARV n ox t m tl l' l J Ff 1 If 2 10 1 Oliver Oliver Goldsmith ad lif life of of a scholar a says says' Gold Goldsmith smith seldom abounds abounds' with venture his fame is acquired in solitude but we we- weare are fond of talking of those who have given us pleasure not that that we wd have anything important to say but butt the subject subject sub sub- is pleasing Oliver Goldsmith was born in Pallas Ireland 1728 His father a clergyman who earned his living partly as a farmer and partly as a curate was at the time in very straitened circumstances f but ahe succeeded to a a a better living shortly afterwards and moved to moved to more comfortable quarters on on a a frequented near ar T j there that f L re his first instruction he taught fought his caught bya maid seri servant servant ser ser- i vant who declared him incapable of learning anything A At Ate the age of seven he went to toa a village school which was kept by bya a a rather curi curious us old man who pretended to teach only reading writing and arithmetic and arithmetic but who as as s a matter of fact enjoyed telling ghost stories and relating personal experiences in n preference prefer prefer- ence to anything else At the age of seven seventeen teen 0 Oliver Ii ver entered Trinity College as a a whose duty is that of waiter and general chore cUore boy 1 but whose expenses ar are comp comparatively J rl thing nothing He occupied a a. a room in the i garret on the window of which still remains remains re re- mains his name harne scrawled by himself in anything but buta a neat manner Though his his' position here greatly humiliated 1 him im he said j i-he i he could blow blowout out his humiliation through his flute At school J 1 he he was generally at the foot of his fl classes and riot not much higher in his examinations He He- was fond of bf amusement amusement amuse amusement amuse amuse- ment and at one time was severely cr caned crne ne l for giving givin a party arty and feast in his rooms to some of his fri friends not less gay than he from the city While here at school his father died leaving him only a small inheritance He soon after obtained a bachelors bachelor's degree and left the College g going i g to the home of his his' mother where he rema ned time tirrie He seemed fitted only to dress in showy colors sport and II bask in the sun- sun shine shine II He tried trie several professions j b but was but was skilled in no way and could j make little or no use of himself His His- uncle at length persuaded hi him to apply f for r ordination in the ministry but he appeared in scarlet breeches and showy waistcoat and was speedily ejected from the religious place He now determined to emigrate to America and set out for Cork with 30 in his in-his his pocket pocket- and astride I 3 la a good good- horse but thel L unfortunately temptation b was too great for hIm him and and a i j i was as enticed into gaming houses r L 4 where where where-he he was was- relieved of his money c money He I f returned home about about- three three- weeks ks lat later r on a a miserable hack without a farthing in his pocket but with a tale on his tongue of how the shi ship p had set sail in in- ina a good breeze and left him be be- hind His next resolve was to study law Jaw and having received 50 from a a kinsman he proceeded to Dublin but this this' this money money was soon squandered He went to Edinburgh to study medicine where he remained about a year and and- anda a h half lf attending lectures gaining a a little knowledge of natural history and of chemistry Fro From he proceeded to to Leyden this being the third university which he had attended Here h he pretended pre pretended pretended pre pre- tended to study medicine and at atthe the age age of twenty-seven twenty left little wiser than before and as as- usual without the price of a meal mealand and with r i only the clothes on his and his his flute flute tel The Dhe flute however proved a a valuables friend and was was' his only means of support throughout his wanderings in Flanders France and Switzerland He delighted the simple peasants with his lively lively- tunes and everywhere set them dancing they in turn offering food and shelter at night But in Italy his music did not take so well and he he- was forced to beg begat at the gates ates of convents He fim finally finally- lly landed at Dover and as he neither had had neither money nor friends and could m make keno no use of what knowledge he possessed he turned strolling player thinking that in inthis inthis inthis this way he could make Something but neither his face nor figure was at i all attractive He was was' ugly and pockmarked pock pock- small and mis mis- marked and his stature and shap n. n His next next- effort was at Peck at Peckham Peckham Peck Peck- ham where he was an usher usher- but this of course did not suit him and he applied applied applied ap ap- plied for a situation in the medical service of the East India Company But Buti Butin i in this he was incompetent and the contract was quickly revoked as was was a J subsequent one onel with a naval hospital y yi Discouraged and friendless heh heb took c. c up his ab abode de in a miserable garret at atthe atthe atthe the top of Breakneck Steps and here commenced to toil in earnest During the succeeding six years he wrote many articles for newspapers magazines and childrens children's books many of which have survived to the present day His histories though inaccurate are very interesting Many of these have survived survived survived sur sur- as have Sketches of London Society and others of his early works Gradually his writings became popular and andas as gradually he rose to io eminent fame Though the facts in his his' works were were not accurate he mingled fact and fancy fancy in in such a ayay way yay as to make his narratives am amusing sing and his humor intensely intensely intensely in in- tensely rich As he struggled on his fame rose higher and he was presented to to foi Burke Johnson Re Reynolds and other famous men of England with whom he afterwards became very intimate Leaving Leaving Leaving Leav Leav- ing hi his musty abode at Breakneck Steps he took rooms at the Inns of Court there he wrote the now famous famous' Vicar of Wakefield which he was obliged to sell to settle accounts with his landlady his landlady who had placed him in charge of a bailiff because he had allowed his rents to remain unpaid until they amo amounted to so som much h that the old lady would endure it no longer Through the Dr Johnson he received the modest sum of 60 60 for his new novel which enabled him to make makepeace makepeace makepeace peace with the hostile landlady Before the Vicar of Wakefield was published The Traveller made its appearance and being the first first- work to which he attached his name it at once raised him to a high rank among English English English Eng Eng- lish writers Then came the Vicar of Wakefield which was received received received re re- by lovers of literature He wrote many other pleasing works poetry prose and dramatic pieces among among which are The Deserted Village The Good Natured Man and She Stoops to Conquer 1 v i Sy fL h. h t h n x fj i t Goldsmiths Goldsmith's powers powers powers' of condensing literary wonderful and his his his' i selection of matter very tasteful He was now prospering famously but all the wealth of England would not have sufficed him He He was too much like J Jour our local would-be would sports yet he had hada a failing which perhaps is not found 1 among mong these and that was his generosity generosity generosity generos generos- ity which went to the extreme point of 1 recklessness With his money he supplied supplied supplied sup sup- 1 plied the wants of those who might ask j whether he knew their tales to be true 1 or not 1 In society he was extremely nervous 5 and fidgety and the blunders h he made in conversation on were unequalled any any- where But with all his faults we love Jove him still his generous frank manner was pleasing to all If he admired anything anything anything any any- thing he would show that admiration in various ways if on the other hand he thought anything unjust he would lose no time in saying so True he was reckless improvident and careless but he was warm-hearted warm and generous and possessed the greatest of all virtues sympathy for the unhappy and op oP- op- op 1 pressed T O. O H. H Jensen f c i L f sz J t j g iJ iJ H H 1 If f 0 |