The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 04, No. 21, July, 1859: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics

In Short

This issue of the venerable monthly miscellany gathers together political history, botanical science, literary sleuthing, dramatic fiction, and artistic reviews. The volume captures the bitter partisan divides of early American history, examines plant biology, investigates Shakespeare’s legal vocabulary, and follows fictional narrative threads involving desperate daily schemes and theatrical ambition. Through its eclectic collection of essays, narrative prose, and cultural critique, the volume reflects the intellectual curiosity, moral debates, and evolving national identity of pre-Civil War America, offering a vivid portrait of a culture wrestling with its past while eagerly charting its artistic and scientific future.

The Story

The volume opens with a sharp historical examination of early American politics, charting the ferocious party animosities that erupted under the United States Constitution. It contrasts the consolidating ambitions of the early Federalists against the varied factions of Anti-Federalists who feared centralized power or harbored sympathies for British traditions. Within this contentious political atmosphere, the narrative highlights the deep public hostility directed toward revolutionary figure Thomas Paine, regarded by many New Englanders as an enemy to religion and order. President Thomas Jefferson’s decision to offer Paine an asylum in America is presented as a courageous act of personal loyalty despite severe public backlash and political vulnerability.

Shifting from political history to personal reflection, the prose turns to a mournful correspondent recovering from deep emotional sorrow. Comfort is sought in classical studies, the comforting lines of Cicero and Swift, and the enduring solace of literature. This leads to a spirited defense of poets, encouraging aspiring writers to persevere against harsh critics and the indifference of the market.

Scientific inquiry then interrupts literary reflection with an examination of botanical behavior. The text details how plants interact with the soil, explaining that certain crops exude substances poisonous to themselves but beneficial to others—such as the reciprocal nourishment between leguminous beans and corn, or the toxic tannin released by oak roots.

Narrative fiction enters the collection through the tense misadventures of Chip, a young man who intercepts an early cotton-market report announcing a price rise. Tempted by potential wealth, he secretly buys up early morning newspapers to suppress the news while plotting to buy out Captain Grant’s cargo before the information breaks publicly. In another urban encounter, an exhausted young woman carrying a heavy bag is mistaken for a runaway thief named Bridget by a warm-hearted domestic servant, who generously offers her shelter and a chance at honest work.

The fiction further expands to reveal the world of the theater, where young Sir Harry Willerton observes the audience rather than the stage, his gaze drawn to gentle Bessie. Meanwhile, the fiery Zelma watches a theatrical tragedy with sharp impatience, recognizing the dullness of the lead actresses and burning with a desire to unleash the true passion hidden within the role of Zara.

The volume turns back to scholarly debate, thoroughly dissecting the argument over whether William Shakespeare was trained as a country attorney. Examining legal terminology across his plays, the text weighs arguments from various scholars, questioning whether his precise use of property law reflects professional training or the broad natural curiosity of genius. Finally, the collection highlights contemporary American art with an appreciative review of Frederic Edwin Church’s masterpiece, The Heart of the Andes, celebrating its immense scale and detailed American sensibility before concluding with a comprehensive registry of recent publications.

How It Unfolds

The republic in friction The opening pages examine the bitter political feuds of early America, contrasting Federalist dreams of a strong central government with Anti-Federalist fears. The text details the widespread public hatred aimed at Thomas Paine and praises Thomas Jefferson for bravely offering the broken revolutionary a home.

Solace in the study A grieving narrator returns to books after months of deep sorrow, drawing comfort from classical authors. The section transitions into an encouraging rallying cry for poets, urging them to ignore harsh reviewers and write for future generations.

Secrets of the soil The focus shifts to natural science, exploring how plants affect their environment through root exudations. It explains how beans enrich the ground for corn, while oaks release toxic tannins that stop neighboring rootlets from absorbing nutrients.

Desperate schemes and quiet kindness Urban fiction depicts Chip snatching a telegraphic lead on rising cotton prices, plotting to buy out a cargo ship's contents before the news breaks. Nearby, a stranded young woman is taken in by a friendly cook after being mistaken for a fleeing thief.

Stage lights and critical eyes At a theatrical performance, Sir Harry Willerton watches the crowd and fixes his fancy on gentle Bessie. Beside her, the intense Zelma grows frustrated with the dull acting on stage, feeling a burning urge to perform the dramatic roles correctly.

The legal mind of the bard A lengthy literary investigation examines whether Shakespeare worked in a lawyer's office, analyzing his dense use of legal terms. The text compares his precise real-property phrasing against other Elizabethan playwrights.

Capturing the continental wilderness The issue highlights American art with a detailed review of Frederic Edwin Church's painting The Heart of the Andes. The critic praises Church's sweeping horizon and meticulous detail, seeing the work as a triumph of American artistic vision.

The People

• Thomas Paine — A revolutionary writer who becomes an object of intense public horror in post-Revolutionary America. Seen by his detractors as a threat to faith and government, he arrives back in the nation broken and aging, relying on the moral courage of old allies to grant him refuge.
• Thomas Jefferson — The President of the United States who faces fierce newspaper attacks and political risks for extending a warm invitation to Paine. He acts out of personal acquaintance and a conviction that Paine’s revolutionary service earned him a safe home.
• Chip — An ambitious opportunist who stumbles upon an early telegraphic dispatch detailing a rise in cotton prices. Driven by the temptation of quick wealth, he acts quickly to suppress the morning news and trick a ship captain into selling his cargo cheap.
• Zelma — A passionate young woman attending the theater whose keen artistic intuition makes watching mediocre acting a form of torture. She sees right through the artificial gestures of the lead actresses and longs to bring real dramatic power to the stage.
• Sir Harry Willerton — A handsome, high-spirited young baronet who attends the play not for the tragedy, but to take in the social scene. He is drawn to the quiet, fair-haired Bessie, preferring her gentle demeanor over the dramatic spectacle.
• Frederic Edwin Church — An ambitious American landscape painter whose vast, detailed canvas capturing South American scenery earns high praise for its scale, clarity, and distinctly American perspective.

In Its Own Voice

"We lukewarm moderns can hardly conceive the degree of violence and bitterness reached by party-feeling in the early years of the United States Constitution."

The author reflects on the intense political hostility that gripped the early American republic, comparing past rivalries to modern partisan debates.

"The oak, which is the great laboratory of tannin, not only lays up stores of it in its bark and leaves, but its roots discharge into the ground enough of it to tan the rootlets of all plants that venture to put down their suction-hose into the same region..."

This botanical entry illustrates how trees chemically alter the surrounding soil, preventing rival plants from drawing nourishment.

"She saw at once, by the sure intuitions of genius, how everything they did could be done better, and burned to do it."

Watching a mediocre theatrical performance, Zelma recognizes her own dramatic gift and feels an intense desire to portray the role with true passion.

What It's Really About

Underneath its varied collection of political history, literary commentary, and urban storytelling, the volume explores how human beings navigate authority, tradition, and creative ambition. The political essays examine the delicate balance between federal power and local freedom, showing how fear and prejudice shape public opinion. The literary and theatrical pieces investigate the nature of artistic genius, asking whether great work springs from technical training, like Shakespeare's legal phrasing, or from an innate, unquenchable inner drive like Zelma's dramatic intuition.

At the same time, the scientific and descriptive entries look at how living things shape their surroundings. Plants alter the soil around their roots just as artists and politicians leave their permanent stamp on human culture.

Why Read It Today

This volume offers a captivating window into the intellectual life of pre-Civil War America. Readers who enjoy literary history, political commentary, and classic nineteenth-century prose will find much to admire in its thoughtful essays and dramatic stories. The writing moves smoothly between rigorous scholarship, warm personal reflection, and lively narrative fiction, providing a rich sampling of the period's cultural debate.

The text does present certain challenges typical of mid-nineteenth-century periodicals. The essays frequently include untranslated Latin phrases, archaic legal terminology, and detailed references to historical figures that may require patience from a modern reader. Additionally, some narrative sections feature heavy phonetic dialect in dialogue. However, for those willing to engage with its period style, the collection provides a rewarding look at an era processing its political origins while actively debating art, science, and the power of the written word.