'Our most precious gifts'

 “A kind heart is a fountain of gladness, making everything in its vicinity freshen into smiles.” –  Washington Irving

 

 Born in New York City on this date in 1783, Irving wrote from 1820 up until just before his death in 1859.   In fact, just eight months before his death (at age 76, in Tarrytown, NY), he completed a definitive five-volume biography The Life of George Washington.

 

Along with James Fenimore Cooper, Irving was among the first American writers to earn acclaim in Europe.  And, he offered encouragement and support to upcoming American authors like Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Edgar Allan Poe, leading to the development of a true “American” literary style.  His writings, like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle, have stood the test of time, read, referenced and studied by generations of students.

 

Irving also was one of America’s leading diplomats and his thoughtful attention to other cultures and religions helped establish our young nation on the world stage.  In his later years, he offered this sage advice to fellow diplomats and writers alike:

 

“Remember, an inexhaustible good nature is one of the most precious gifts of heaven, spreading itself like oil over the troubled sea of thought, and keeping the mind smooth and equable in even the roughest weather.”