The Life, Travels, and Literary Career of Bayard TaylorConwell, Russell H.
General
The Life, Travels, and Literary Career of Bayard Taylor
Conwell, Russell H.
Taylor, Bayard, 1825-1878
Dr. Griswold, of whom mention was made in the last chapter, had suggested
that it might be wise for Bayard to publish, in small book-form, his
sonnets and other poems, and sell them to friends and admirers; and
when he found that Frank was going, he determined to try that method of
raising a little money. He went to some of his old friends and neighbors
for assistance to print his little volume; but so little was their
faith in the boy they had known from his birth, that they told him they
would not encourage him in a scheme so absurd and impracticable. But
Bayard only became the more determined with each defeat. He renewed his
application to friends more distant, and, as is usually the case, he
found they had more confidence than those who looked upon him as the boy
they knew on the farm. From those distant friends, living in Philadelphia
and West Chester, he at last obtained such assistance as to be able to
print a few copies of his poems. He christened his first volume “Ximena,
and other Poems,” and finding many kindly disposed persons who would
like to help him to the small sum asked for the book, but who would
have been ashamed to present him with so diminutive an amount, he was
enabled to dispose of enough in a few days to pay his expenses and a
profit of twenty dollars. Acting upon the advice of Nathaniel P. Willis,
he applied to the editors of the various newspapers in Philadelphia for
employment as a travelling correspondent; but letters from Europe were
becoming stale, and correspondence was overdone, so that he was met with
discouraging refusals on every hand. Fortunately, some one suggested to
him the names of the “Saturday Evening Post,” and the “United States
Gazette.” He was, however, without hope of anything from them. He has
since said to his friends, that he then thought as he could not fare any
worse than he had done, it would do no harm to try again. His confidence
in his final success was so great, that he had made a settlement with
Mr. Evans, of the “Village Record,” and had left the employment of a
printer before he had found or thought of a way to secure funds for his
intended trip. He had no money, no outfit, no employment; and yet he was
sure he should go. In that condition, and in a state of mind bordering
on wonder, because the way which was to open had so long remained shut,
this thin, awkward youth walked confidently into the office of the
“Saturday Evening Post.” Mr. S. D. Patterson was then its editor, and,
while he was disposed to assist the young man, he did not have much
faith in his success as a correspondent. Mr. Patterson, however, gave
Bayard some encouragement, and the youth, with lighter step, went to the
office of the “United States Gazette.” Not finding Mr. J. R. Chandler at
his editorial room, Bayard went to the editor’s residence. Mr. Chandler
was sick in bed; but he was able to converse with Bayard, and received
him very pleasantly. The young man had never met Mr. Chandler before;
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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