Page:The Biographical Dictionary of America, vol. 02.djvu/397

 COOPER

COOPER

of adopting literary work at this time. His first at- tempt at writing was made in his thirtieth year, and was due wliolly to chance. One evening when following his custom of reading aloud to his wife he suddenly stopped, exjjressed his dissatisfaction with the book and added, " I believe I could write a better story myself." Mrs. Cooper laughingly advised him to do so, and he began his task. On Nov. 10, 1820, a two volume novel on English high life was published under the title " Precau- tion." The book, full of crudities and written about people of whose life he knew little or noth- ing, was a failure, but his friends encouraged him to try again, and advised him to depict the people and scenes with which he was familiar. Accordingly "The Spy," a novel founded on fact, was published on Dec. 23, 1821, and in a few- weeks had met with the largest sale of any American book up to that time. A third edition was published in March, 1822, and in the same month the story was dramatized and played to crowded houses. It achieved an equal success on its publication in England and the young Avriter was referred to by eminent English critics as " a distinguished American novelist." In the sum- mer of 1822 " The Spy " was translated into French, and later into all the modern European languages. In 1822 he removed to New York city where in August, 1823, his youngest child, Feni- more, died, and the affliction completely pros- trated Mr. Cooper. In 1824 his son Paul was born in New York city, and Mr. Cooper resumed his writing, producing thereafter at least one book a year. The sale of his works was phenom- enal and public interest increased with each new volume. The first of the five " Leather -Stocking Tales " appeared in 1823, under the title "The Pioneers." Despite their great popularity his books did not escape adverse comment, and, says a biographer, "the extent to which Cooper was affected by hostile criticism is something re- markable. He manifested under it the irasci- bility of a man not simply thin-skinned, but of one whose skin was raw. " He persisted not only in reading but in replying to the charges made against his books, using the preface of one to abuse the reviewers of its predecessors. Of the ten books published by him between the years 1820 and 1830 but one, " Lionel Lincoln," proved a failure, and " The Last of the Mohicans " which followed close upon it so far surpassed all that had gone before that " Lionel Lincoln " was allowed to sink into oblivion. While in New York he founded the " Bread and Cheese Lunch, " .or, as it was sometimes called, the ' ' Cooper Clvib, ' ' enrolling among its members Chancellor Kent, the jurist; Verplanck, the editor of Shakespeare; Jarvis, the artist; Durand, the engraver; Delvay, the naturalist ; Wiley, the publisher ; Morse, the

inventor; and Halleck and Bryant, the poets. This club met weekly and flourished until the death of its founder. On June 1, 1826, he sailed with his family for Europe and remained there, principally in France, until 1833. He was ap- pointed by Henry Clay, then secretary of state, consul at Lyons, his commission dating from May 10, 1826, but he gave up the position in less than three years. He travelled throughout Great Britain and continental Europe, meeting the dis- tinguished men of all countries and receiving warm welcome as the chief of American novel- ists. In 1831-32 he was forced by circumstances to take part in a dispute which marked the de- cline of his popularity in his own country. He was residing in France at the time of Louis Philippe's attemjited separation from the liberal party represented by Lafayette. In a discussion in the chamber of deputies as to a means of re- ducing government expenses, Lafayette cited the system adopted by the United States as a model of cheap and satisfactorj' government. M. Saul- nier, editor of the Beviie Britannique, at once pub- lished an article in direct denial of Lafayette's assertion to which Cooper was asked to reply. He at first declined, but finding that the article had been written for the express purpose of in- juring Lafayette, his loyalty to the friend of his country induced him to publish a pamphlet in which he gave a detailed account of government expenses in the United States. This gave rise to contradictions from M. Saulnier and replies by Mr. Cooper. Then the matter was taken up by Mr. Leavitt Harris who had once been left as charge d'affaires at St. Petersburg during the absence of John Adams at the peace negotiations at Ghent. Mr. Harris took exceptions to Mr. Cooper's statements, and the fact that he had been an official gave his communication added weight. To this Cooper replied and closed his part of the discussion, French liberals claiming that he had utterlj- demolished his antagonists. This would have ended peaceabl}' had not Amer- ican newspapers seen fit to accuse Cooper of " overstepping the reserve imposed upon foreign- ers, attacking the administration of a friendly country, and flouting his Americanism through- out Europe,"' accusations so manifestly unjust that to those understanding the matter it is not surprising that Cooper became embittered toward his country. He decided to return to the United States but to abandon literary work. In Novem- ber, 1833, he reached New York and in 1834 he renovated his old home at Cooperstown, where for a few years he spent his summers, and later re- mained there throughout the year. He decided to resume his writing, and his resentment of America's injustice to him led him to criticise rather harshly the changes which had taken place