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Literary Boston As I Knew It
by William Dean Howells
Among my fellow…passengers on the train from New York to Boston； when I
went to begin my work there in 1866； as the assistant editor of the
Atlantic Monthly； was the late Samuel Bowles； of the Springfield
Republican； who created in a subordinate city a journal of metropolitan
importance。 I had met him in Venice several years earlier； when he was
suffering from the cruel insomnia which had followed his overwork on that
newspaper； and when he told me that he was sleeping scarcely more than
one hour out of the twenty…four。 His worn face attested the misery which
this must have been； and which lasted in some measure while he lived；
though I believe that rest and travel relieved him in his later years。
He was always a man of cordial friendliness； and he now expressed a most
gratifying interest when I told him what I was going to do in Boston。
He gave himself the pleasure of descanting upon the dramatic quality of
the fact that a young newspaper man from Ohio was about to share in the
destinies of the great literary periodical of New England。
I。
I do not think that such a fact would now move the fancy of the liveliest
newspaper man； so much has the West since returned upon the East in a
refluent wave of authorship。 But then the West was almost an unknown
quality in our literary problem； and in fact there was scarcely any
literature outside of New England。 Even this was of New England origin；
for it was almost wholly the work of New England men and women in the
〃splendid exile〃 of New York。 The Atlantic Monthly； which was
distinctively literary； was distinctively a New England magazine； though
from the first it had been characterized by what was more national； what
was more universal； in the New England temperament。 Its chief
contributors for nearly twenty years were Longfellow； Lowell； Holmes；
Whittier； Emerson； Doctor Hale； Colonel Higginson； Mrs。 Stowe； Whipple；
Rose Terry Cooke； Mrs。 Julia Ward Howe； Mrs。 Prescott Spofford； Mrs。
Phelps Ward； and other New England writers who still lived in New
England； and largely in the region of Boston。 Occasionally there came a
poem from Bryant； at New York； from Mr。 Stedman； from Mr。 Stoddard and
Mrs。 Stoddard； from Mr。 Aldrich； and from Bayard Taylor。 But all these；
except the last； were not only of New England race； but of New England
birth。 I think there was no contributor from the South but Mr。 M。 D。
Conway； and as yet the West scarcely counted； though four young poets
from Ohio； who were not immediately or remotely of Puritan origin； had
appeared in early numbers； Alice Cary； living with her sister in New
York； had written now and then from the beginning。 Mr。 John Hay solely
represented Illinois by a single paper； and he was of Rhode Island stock。
It was after my settlement at Boston that Mark Twain； of Missouri； became
a figure of world…wide fame at Hartford； and longer after； that Mr。 Bret
Harte made that progress Eastward from California which was telegraphed
almost from hour to hour； as if it were the progress of a prince。
Miss Constance F。 Woolson had not yet begun to write。 Mr。 James
Whitcomb Riley； Mr。 Maurice Thompson； Miss Edith Thomas； Octave Thanet；
Mr。 Charles Warren Stoddard； Mr。 H。 B。 Fuller； Mrs。 Catherwood；
Mr。 Hamlin Garland； all whom I name at random among other Western
writers； were then as unknown as Mr。 Cable； Miss Murfree； Mrs。 Rives
Chanler； Miss Grace King； Mr。 Joel Chandler Harris； Mr。 Thomas Nelson
Page； in the South； which they by no means fully represent。
The editors of the Atlantic had been eager from the beginning to discover
any outlying literature； but； as I have said； there was in those days
very little good writing done beyond the borders of New England。 If the
case is now different； and the best known among living American writers
are no longer New…Englanders； still I do not think the South and West
have yet trimmed the balance； and though perhaps the news writers now
more commonly appear in those quarters； I should not be so very sure that
they are not still characterized by New England ideals and examples。
On the other hand； I am very sure that in my early day we were
characterized by them； and wished to be so； we even felt that we failed
in so far as we expressed something native quite in our own way。
The literary theories we accepted were New England theories；
the criticism we valued was New England criticism； or； more strictly
speaking； Boston theories； Boston criticism。
Of those more constant contributors to the Atlantic whom I have
mentioned； it is of course known that Longfellow and Lowell lived in
Cambridge； Emerson at Concord； and Whittier at Amesbury。 Colonel
Higginson was still and for many years afterwards at Newport； Mrs。 Stowe
was then at Andover； Miss Prescott of Newburyport had become Mrs。
Spofford； and was presently in Boston； where her husband was a member of
the General Court； Mrs。 Phelps Ward； as Miss Elizabeth Stuart Phelps；
dwelt in her father's house at Andover。 The chief of the Bostonians were
Mrs。 Julia Ward Howe； Doctor Holmes； and Doctor Hale。 Yet Boston stood
for the whole Massachusetts group； and Massachusetts； in the literary
impulse； meant New England。 I suppose we must all allow； whether we like
to do so or not； that the impulse seems now to have pretty well spent
itself。 Certainly the city of Boston has distinctly waned in literature；
though it has waxed in wealth and population。 I do not think there are
in Boston to…day even so many talents with a literary coloring in law；
science； theology； and journalism as there were formerly； though I have
no belief that the Boston talents are fewer or feebler than before。
I arrived in Boston； however； when all talents had more or less a
literary coloring； and when the greatest talents were literary。 These
expressed with ripened fulness a civilization conceived in faith and
brought forth in good works； but that moment of maturity was the
beginning of a decadence which could only show itself much later。 New
England has ceased to be a nation in itself； and it will perhaps never
again have anything like a national literature； but that was something
like a national literature； and it will probably be centuries yet before
the life of the whole country； the American life as distinguished from
the New England life； shall have anything so like a national literature。
It will be long before our larger life interprets itself in such
imagination as Hawthorne's； such wisdom as Emerson's； such poetry as
Longfellow's； such prophecy as Whittier's； such wit and grace as
Holmes's； such humor and humanity as Lowell's。
The literature of those great men was； if I may suffer myself the figure；
the Socinian graft of a Calvinist stock。 Their faith； in its varied
shades； was Unitarian； but their art was Puritan。 So far as it was
imperfectand great and beautiful as it was； I think it had its
imperfectionsit was marred by the intense ethicism that pervaded the
New England mind for two hundred years； and that still characterizes it。
They or their fathers had broken away from orthodoxy in the great schism
at the beginning of the century； but； as if their heterodoxy were
conscience…stricken； they still helplessly pointed the moral in all they
did； some pointed it more directly； some less directly； but they all
pointed it。 I should be far from blaming them for their ethical
intention； though I think they felt their vocation as prophets too much
for their good as poets。 Sometimes they sacrificed the song to the
sermon； though not always； nor nearly always。 It was in poetry and in
romance that they excelled； in the novel； so far as they attempted it；
they failed。 I say this with the names of all the Bostonian group； and
those they influenced； in mind； and with a full sense of their greatness。
It may be ungracious to say that they have left no heirs to their
peculiar greatness； but it would be foolish to say that they left an
estate where they had none to bequeath。 One cannot take account of such
a fantasy as Judd's Margaret。 The only New…Englander who has attempted
the novel on a scale