Page 79 - Four Famous American Writers: Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, James Russell Lowell, Bayard Taylor

Three years of hard literary work now followed. Lowell wrote assiduously
and heroically, getting what happiness he could in the meantime out of his

love. He was young and strong, and life was not a burden. He tells us of
having spent an evening at the house of a friend "where Maria is making

sunshine just now," and he declared that he had been exceedingly funny.
He had in the course of the evening recited "near upon five hundred
extempore macaronic verses; composed and executed an oratorio and

opera" upon a piano without strings, namely the center-table; drawn "an
entirely original view of Nantasket Beach"; made a temperance address;

and given vent to "innumerable jests, jokes, puns, oddities, quiddities and
nothings," interrupted by his own laughter and that of his hearers. Besides
this, he had eaten "an indefinite number of raisins, chestnuts(!), etc., etc.,

etc., etc., etc."

In 1842 Lowell and Cobert G. Carter, who was about the same sort of a
business man as the poet himself, started a periodical which they called the
Pioneer. They had no capital; but they did have literary connections, and

they were able to get together for the three numbers they published a larger
number of contributions from distinguished contributors than has often

fallen to the lot of any American periodical. It is true that these men were
not as famous in those days as they have since become; still, their names
were known and their reputations were rapidly growing. The best known

were Poe, Hawthorne, Longfellow, Whittier and Emerson; but there were
not a few others whose names are well known to-day. The magazine had a

high literary character, and was well worthy of the future greatness of the
contributors. Unfortunately, it takes something more than literary
excellence to make a successful magazine. Sometimes the literary quality is

too high for the public to appreciate. This was true of the Pioneer. A
magazine also requires a large capital and commercial ability in the

business office. It is not at all strange that the venture did not succeed. It
could not have done so. Three numbers only were issued, and those three
left behind them a debt which the young publishers were unable to pay until

some time after.

At the same time that Lowell was having trouble with his magazine, he
found his eyes becoming affected, and he was obliged to spend the greater