HOW shall I here her placid picture paint With touch that shall be delicate, yet sure? Soft hair above a brow so high and pure Years have not soiled it with an earthly taint, Needing no aureole to prove her saint; Firm mind that no temptation could allure; Soul strong to do, heart stronger to endure; And calm, sweet lips that uttered no complaint. So have I seen her, in my darkest days And when her own most sacred ties were riven, Walk tranquilly in self-denying ways, Asking for strength, and sure it would be given; Filling her life with lowly prayer, high praise―― So shall I see her, if we meet in heaven. Illustration: (‡ decoration) WELL-KNOWN ESSAYISTS, CRITICS AND SKETCH WRITERS. Illustration: DISTINGUISHED ESSAYISTS AND LITERARY CRITICS. CHAS. DUDLEY WARNER WASHINGTON IRVING • THOS. WENTWORTH HIGGINSON HAMILTON W. MABIE IK MARVEL • EDMUND C. STEDMAN Illustration: (‡ decoration) WASHINGTON IRVING. THE FIRST AMERICAN AUTHOR OF RENOWN. “_The Cervantes of the New World._” THE first American who openly adopted literature as a calling and successfully relied upon his pen for support was Washington Irving, and the abiding popularity of this author is the best guarantee of his permanent place in the world of letters. Since 1802, when Irving begun to write, empires have arisen and passed away; new arts have been invented and adopted, and have pushed the old out of use; the household economy of mankind has undergone a revolution; science has learned a new dialect and forgotten the old; but the words of this charming writer are still as bright and even more read by men and women to-day than when they came fresh from his pen and their brilliant author was not only the literary lion of America, but was a shining light in the circles of the old World. The pages of Irving are a striking illustration of the fact that the language of the heart never becomes obsolete, that Truth, and Good, and Beauty, the offspring of God, are not subject to the changes which beset the empire of man, and we feel sure that Washington Irving, whose works were the delight of our grandparents and parents, and are now contributing to our own happiness, will also be read with the same eager pleasure by those who come after us.