1854

1854;
William Wells Brown: "Sketches of Places and People Abroad" See: http://docsouth.unc.edu/neh/brown55/menu.html
An excerpt:
"Elizabeth, or the "Maiden Queen," as the warden called her, was the most imposing of the group; she was on a cream-colored charger. We left the Maiden Queen, to examine the cloak upon which General Wolf died at the storming of Quebec. In this room Sir Walter Raleigh was imprisoned, and here was written his "History of the World." In his own hand, upon the wall, is written, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." His Bible is still shown, with these memorable lines written in it by himself a short time before his death:
"Even such is Time, that takes on trust,
Our youth, our joy, our all we have,
And pays us but with age and dust;
Who in the dark and silent grave,
When we have wandered all our ways,
Shuts up the story of our days."
Spears, battle-axes, pikes, helmets, targets, bows and arrows, and many instruments of torture, whose names I did not learn, grace the walls of this room. The block on which the Earl of Essex and Anne Boleyn were beheaded was shown among other objects of interest. A view of the "Queen's Jewels" closed our visit to the Tower. The gold staff of St. Edward, and the Baptismal Font used at the royal christenings, made of solid silver, and more than four feet high, were among the jewels here exhibited. The Sword of Justice was there, as if to watch the rest of the valuables."

John Esten Cooke: "The Virginia Comedians" See: http://www.harpers.org/subjects/JohnEstenCooke
"His early works, such as The Virginia Comedians and The Youth of Jefferson, were historical romances of old Virginia. Cooke served with the Confederate army during the Civil War, and after the war he used his experiences as a basis for a number of Civil War novels. These include Mohun and Wearing of the Gray. Cooke also drew on his Confederate service to write biographies of "Stonewall" Jackson and Robert E. Lee."

Wilkie Collins: "Hide and Seek" See: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/7893
An excerpt:
"I wish you could make up your mind to say what you want in plain
words," interrupted Mat. "I'm one of your rough-handed, thick-headed
sort, _I_ am. I'm not gentleman enough to understand parlarver. It
don't do me no good: it only worrits me into perspiration." And Mat,
shaking down his shirt-sleeve, drew it several times across his
forehead, as a proof of the truth of his last assertion.

"Quite right! quite right!" cried Mr. Blyth, patting him on the
shoulder in the most friendly manner imaginable. "In plain words, then,
when I mentioned, just now, how much I admired your arms in an artistic
point of view, I was only paving the way for asking you to let me make
a drawing of them, in black and white, for a large picture that I mean
to paint later in the year. My classical figure composition, you know,
Zack--you have seen the sketch--Hercules bringing to Eurystheus the
Erymanthian boar--a glorious subject; and our friend's arms, and,
indeed, his chest, too, if he would kindly consent to sit for it, would
make the very studies I most want for Hercules."

"What on earth _is_ he driving at?" asked Mat, addressing himself to
young Thorpe, after staring at Valentine for a moment or two in a state
of speechless amazement.

Maria Cummins: "The Lamplighter" born in Salem Massachusetts, Maria was well-known as the author of "The Lamplighter" a somewhat sentimental tale which had very wide popularity.
See:http://www.questia.com/library/book/the-lamplighter-by-maria-s-cummins.jsp?CRID=the-lamplighter-by-maria-s-cummins&OFFID=se2qbp&KEY=NA

Charles Dickens: "Hard Times" See: http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/hardtimes/
he One Thing Needful
“NOW, what I want is, Facts. Teach these boys and girls nothing but Facts. Facts alone are wanted in life. Plant nothing else, and root out everything else. You can only form the minds of reasoning animals upon Facts: nothing else will ever be of any service to them. This is the principle on which I bring up my own children, and this is the principle on which I bring up these children. Stick to Facts, sir!”

The scene was a plain, bare, monotonous vault of a schoolroom, and the speaker’s square forefinger emphasized his observations by underscoring every sentence with a line on the schoolmaster’s sleeve. The emphasis was helped by the speaker’s square wall of a forehead, which had his eyebrows for its base, while his eyes found commodious cellarage in two dark caves, overshadowed by the wall. The emphasis was helped by the speaker’s mouth, which was wide, thin, and hard set. The emphasis was helped by the speaker’s voice, which was inflexible, dry, and dictatorial. The emphasis was helped by the speaker’s hair, which bristled on the skirts of his bald head, a plantation of firs to keep the wind from its shining surface, all covered with knobs, like the crust of a plum pie, as if the head had scarcely warehouse-room for the hard facts stored inside. The speaker’s obstinate carriage, square coat, square legs, square shoulders, — nay, his very neck cloth, trained to take him by the throat with an unaccommodating grasp, like a stubborn fact, as it was, — all helped the emphasis.
“In this life, we want nothing but Facts, sir; nothing but Facts!”

Fanny Fern: "Ruth Hall" See: http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupid?key=olbp16969
An excerpt:
"Composition day was the general bugbear. Ruth's madcap room-mates were struck with the most unqualified amazement and admiration at the facility with which the "old maid" executed this frightful task. They soon learned to put her services in requisition; first, to help them out of this slough of despond; next, to save them the necessity of wading in at all, by writing their compositions for them.
"In the all-absorbing love affairs which were constantly going on between the young ladies of Madame Moreau's school and their respective admirers, Ruth took no interest; and on the occasion of the unexpected reception of a bouquet, from a smitten swain, accompanied by a copy of amatory verses, Ruth crimsoned to her temples and burst into tears, that any one could be found so heartless as to burlesque the "awkward" Ruth. Simple child! She was unconscious that, in the freedom of that atmosphere where a "prophet out of his own country is honored," her lithe form had rounded into symmetry and grace, her slow step had become light and elastic, her eye bright, her smile winning, and her voice soft and melodious. Other bouquets, other notes, and glances of involuntary admiration from passers-by, at length opened her eyes to the fact, that she was "plain, awkward Ruth" no longer. Eureka! She had arrived at the first epoch in a young girl's life,--she had found out her power! Her manners became assured and self-possessed. She, Ruth, could inspire love! Life became dear to her. There was something worth living for--something to look forward to. She had a motive--an aim; she should some day make somebody's heart glad,--somebody's hearth-stone bright; somebody should be proud of her; and oh, how she could love that somebody! History, astronomy, mathematics, the languages, were all pastimes now. Life wore a new aspect; the skies were bluer, the earth greener, and the flowers more fragrant;--her twin-soul existed somewhere."

Nathaniel Hawthorne: "Mosses from an Old Manse" See: http://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/etext05/haw4810.txt
An excerpt:
"Still later in the season Nature's tenderness waxes stronger. It is
impossible not to be fond of our mother now; for she is so fond of us!
At other periods she does not make this impression on me, or only at
rare intervals; but in those genial days of autumn, when she has
perfected her harvests and accomplished every needful thing that was
given her to do, and then she overflows with a blessed superfluity of
love. She has leisure to caress her children now. It is good to be
alive and at such times. Thank Heaven for breath--yes, for mere
breath--when it is made up of a heavenly breeze like this! It comes
with a real kiss upon our cheeks; it would linger fondly around us if
it might; but, since it must be gone, it embraces us with its whole
kindly heart and passes onward to embrace likewise the next thing that
it meets. A blessing is flung abroad and scattered far and wide over
the earth, to be gathered up by all who choose. I recline upon the
still unwithered grass and whisper to myself, "O perfect day! O
beautiful world! O beneficent God!" And it is the promise of a
blessed eternity; for our Creator would never have made such lovely
days and have given us the deep hearts to enjoy them, above and beyond
all thought, unless we were meant to be immortal. This sunshine is
the golden pledge thereof. It beams through the gates of paradise and
shows us glimpses far inward."

Caroline Lee Hentz: "The Planter's Northern Bride" See: http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/book/lookupid?key=olbp19304
An excerpt: "And now, Paul," said he, rising from the gnarled trunk, and taking a Bible from his bosom, "you believe in this holy book of God?"
"Sartain, sartain!--blessed be the Lord!--I do."
"Swear, then, over this sacred volume, never to speak of what I have this night revealed to you, without my permission. By and by we will take others in our counsel; but you and I must have many talks together, before we understand each other; but, as sure as you are a man, you were created to be the instrument of deliverance to your brethren, and a light to them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death. Ages hence shall hear of Uncle Paul, and the sons and daughters of regenerated Africa shall arise up and call him blessed! Here, take this volume in your hand, and swear that death itself shall not wrest from you the secret of this hour."
The bewildered and awe-struck negro took the book, and reverently kissing it, mechanically obeyed the bidding of the master-will, acting upon him with such iron force.

Mary Jane Homes: "Tempest and Sunshine" See: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/17260
An excerpt:
"Why, Fanny," said Mr. Miller, "how beautiful you look. What would your
father say could he see you now?"

At the mention of her father's name the teardrops glistened for a moment
in Fanny's eye, and she felt how gladly she would have foregone all the
expected pleasure of that night for the pleasure of again seeing her
distant father. She, however, dashed the tears away, and replied, "I fear
he would think his Sunshine wholly covered up and spoiled by trumpery, as
he calls fashionable dress."

"Frank noticed her emotion when speaking of her father, and he thought how
priceless must be the love of one who thus so truly honored her parents. A
feeling of sadness was blended with his admiration of Fanny, for
constantly in his heart was the knowledge that she never would be his. And
here Frank showed how truly noble he was, for he could still love and
cling to Fanny, although he knew that for him there was no hope."
Mary Russel Mitford: "Atherton" See: http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/m#a939
I couldn't find Atherton online, but the link above sends you to many of her other works.

Charlotte Mary Yonge: "The Heir of Redclyffe" The following is a WOW website, nicely done: http://www.cmyf.org.uk/
An excerpt:
'Tis not unknown to you, Antonio,
How much I have disabled mine estate,
By something showing a more swelling port
Than my faint means would grant continuance. Merchant of Venice

St. Mildred's was a fashionable summer resort, which the virtues of a
mineral spring, and the reputation of Dr. Henley, had contributed to
raise to a high degree of prosperity. It stood at the foot of a
magnificent range of beautifully formed hills, where the crescents and
villas, white and smart, showed their own insignificance beneath the
purple peaks that rose high above them.

About ten miles distant, across the hills, was Stylehurst, the parish
of the late Archdeacon Morville, and the native place of Philip and his
sister Margaret. It was an extensive parish, including a wide tract of
the hilly country; and in a farm-house in the midst of the moorland,
midway between St. Mildred's and the village of Stylehurst, had Mr.
Wellwood fixed himself with his three pupils.

Guy's first visit was of course to Mrs. Henley, and she was, on her
side, prepared by her brother to patronize him as Philip would have
done in her place. Her patronage was valuable in her own circle; her
connections were good; the Archdeacon's name was greatly respected; she
had a handsome and well-regulated establishment, and this, together
with talents which, having no family, she had cultivated more than most
women have time to do, made her a person of considerable distinction at
St. Mildred's. She was, in fact, the leading lady of the place--the
manager of the book-club, in the chair at all the charitable
committees, and the principal person in society, giving literary
parties, with a degree of exclusiveness that made admission to them a
privilege.

She was a very fine woman, handsomer at two-and-thirty than in her
early bloom; her height little less than that of her tall brother, and
her manner and air had something very distinguished. The first time
Guy saw her, he was strongly reminded both of Philip and of Mrs.
Edmonstone, but not pleasingly. She seemed to be her aunt, without the
softness and motherly affection, coupled with the touch of naiveté that
gave Mrs. Edmonstone her freshness, and loveableness; and her likeness
to her brother included that decided, self-reliant air, which became
him well enough, but which did not sit as appropriately on a woman."

_____________________________________________

Texas is linked with telegraph to rest of the States when a connection between New Orleans and Marshall Texas is completed.

The Boston Public Library is opened to the public. http://www.bpl.org/
Cimean War begins: United Kingdom declares was on Russia. France declares war on Russia.
Hard Times begins serialization in Charles Dickens' magazine, "Household Words." For the Magazine see: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/21528/21528-h/21528-h.htm

Florence Nightingale leaves for Crimea with 38 other nurses. Her museum: http://www.florence-nightingale.co.uk/index.php
Oscar Wilde died. A site dedicated to him: http://www.cmgww.com/historic/wilde/