The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 05, No. 27, January, 1860: A Magazine of Literature, Art, and Politics

In Short

This installment of the prominent American periodical presents an eclectic mix of non-fiction essays, serialization, poetry, and critical reviews reflecting mid-nineteenth-century intellectual life. The volume examines the nature of artistic genius, follows romantic and social entanglements in modern fiction, detail the chaotic realities of Central American military campaigns, and documents North American frontier expansion. It balances elevated aesthetic discourse with raw historical reportage and urban philanthropy. Enduring as a snapshot of a nation on the brink of profound change, the issue highlights how art, civic duty, and personal ambition intersected in the months preceding the American Civil War.

The Story

The volume opens with a meditative inquiry into aesthetic philosophy and the interior life of the artist. The argument establishes that true artistic impulse is a sacred, demanding call requiring total self-possession. It contrasts mere fastidious talent with authentic genius, asserting that artists must navigate profound subjective and objective mysteries without fully knowing their final destination.

This lofty contemplation shifts into domestic narrative, where physical objects become the battleground for personal identity and social performance. In a dramatic household scene, two young women, Yone and Lu, quarrel playfully yet earnestly over an imported amber necklace brought home by their father. The exchange lays bare their contrasting personalities: Yone's passionate, earthly self-assurance vs. Lu's subtle, cooler demeanor. A visiting acquaintance, Mr. Rose, expresses an intense, physical revulsion toward the amber, associating it with death and relics, while others prefer the clear serenity of aqua-marina.

The perspective expands outward to the natural world, offering detailed observations of New England woodlands. The narrative celebrates the wild beauty of spider webs, laurel groves, and autumnal foliage, grounding the reader in the physical textures of the American landscape.

From quiet nature, the collection plunges abruptly into the brutal, unglamorized realities of military conflict in Central America. A ranger within General Walker’s filibustering army recounts marching through tropical terrain alongside an enigmatic terrier that frequents the battlefields. The author dismantles romanticized, Scott-esque notions of cavalry charges and military glory, detailing the psychological toll of Minie-ball fire, disease, mutiny, loss of leadership, and total tactical collapse as the campaign falters.

The focus shifts across oceans and eras, observing religious life and folk trade on the thronged steps of Rome's Ara Celi during a festival, followed by a philosophical poem on the life of Abdel-Hassan, who realizes divine justice through decades of loss and endurance. Architectural discourse takes center stage as the volume explores the historical, spiritual, and communal significance of towers and spires, contrasting ancient Babel with the joyous, intricate townscapes of old Belgium.

Narrative fiction resurfaces through a reflective story about a schoolmaster, Bernard C. Langdon, who departs his studies with a glowing certificate of recommendation to teach, leaving his mentor to ponder the unforeseen consequences of sending a handsome young man into a classroom of young women.

Moving into public policy and geography, the volume details the opening of the Red River of the North to steam navigation, tracing how Minnesota's rapid statehood and expanding railway grants connected remote settlements to international trade networks.

The issue closes with critical commentary on contemporary art—such as Palmer's White Captive—alongside deep dives into classical biography via Plutarch, reports on urban poverty and child rescue efforts in New York tenement districts by Mr. Halliday, and a comprehensive listing of the latest literary releases.

How It Unfolds

The artist claims self-possession An philosophical investigation argues that true genius requires an artist to claim their inner inheritance and submit to an unpredictable, higher creative errand rather than opting for mere comfortable talent.

The amber beads provoke conflict A father presents an amber rosary to his daughters, prompting a sharp, expressive rivalry between Yone and Lu that exposes their divergent temperaments, aesthetics, and romantic tensions with visiting suitors.

The lounger wanders the woods An observer catalogs the precise, vivid beauty of the New England countryside, measuring oversized oak leaves and admiring spider webs, laurel groves, and vibrant autumn foliage.

The filibuster dispels military romance A veteran soldier recalls the grim, chaotic collapse of William Walker’s Central American expedition, exposing the terrifying reality of modern warfare and the ruinous onset of troop mutiny.

The crowd gathers at Ara Celi The narrative transports readers to Rome's festival crowds, where street vendors peddle wax dolls, printed Madonnas, and pewter medals along the ancient steps.

Abdel-Hassan discovers divine purpose A narrative poem chronicles an old man's realization that decades of suffering, loss, and trial ultimately yield a higher, harmonious spiritual balance.

The spire crowns the community An architectural essay charts humanity's drive to build towers from ancient Babel to medieval Europe, celebrating the playful, bell-filled spires of old Belgian towns.

The young master receives his credential A mentor writes a glowing recommendation for Bernard Langdon to teach, quietly worrying about the social complications his good looks might cause among female students.

The steamboat conquers the Red River An essay details the dramatic expansion of Western infrastructure, as steam navigation and expanding rail grants integrate Minnesota and the Canadian frontier into global commerce.

The critic evaluates Plutarch and poverty The final section examines Plutarch’s enduring biographer's art alongside sobering civic reports on New York City's impoverished tenement houses and child rescue programs.

The People

• The Artist / Genius: Conceptualized non-fiction figure who must endure internal mystery, lack of foresight, and strict self-examination to manifest genuine art rather than superficial talent.
• Yone: A fiery, self-confident young woman who demands the amber necklace, aligning herself with bold, terrestrial elements, bright colors, and intense passion.
• Lu (Louise): Yone's softer, more accommodating cousin who prefers cool aqua-marina gems and willingly yields the amber beads to preserve harmony.
• Mr. Rose: An enigmatic visitor who harbors a deep, almost physical antipathy toward amber, associating its scent and texture with death and ancient relics.
• The Filibuster Ranger: A cynical, clear-eyed veteran of General Walker's Central American campaign who strips away the romantic myths of warfare in favor of stark, terrifying truths.
• Abdel-Hassan: An aged, patient figure who, after sixty years of hardship and lost treasures, comes to recognize divine wisdom and compensation in his life's trials.
• Bernard C. Langdon: An intelligent, exceptionally good-looking young scholar who leaves his studies with a teaching certificate to take charge of a local school.
• Mr. Halliday: A dedicated urban missionary who spends twenty years advocating for destitute children and families in New York City's brutal tenement districts.

In Its Own Voice

"Genius is exquisitely fastidious, and the man whom it possesses must live its life, or no life." — An essayist defines the uncompromising, total demand that artistic inspiration places upon the creator.

"The man, be he veteran or other, who tells me he found pleasure on the field where the Minié-balls kill afar off, in cold blood,--I know him for one of the eccentric, stupid, or talkers for purposes of vanity." — A veteran soldier dismantles the romanticized myths of nineteenth-century battlefield heroism.

"There is no tower without its spire, no turret or gable without its pinnacle, no oriel without its pointed roof... so that the wind never sweeps idly over a Belgian town." — An architectural observer describes how medieval Belgian craftsmanship transformed urban skies into expressions of civic joy.

What It's Really About

At its core, this collection investigates the tension between ideal aspirations and hard, practical realities. Whether examining the painter striving for uncorrupted artistic expression, the soldier facing the horrific noise and disease of an unauthorized war, or the urban reformer confronting the misery of city tenements, the writers consistently ask how human beings maintain integrity under pressure.

The volume grapples with the shift from traditional, romanticized worldviews to a modern era governed by mechanized warfare, rapid economic expansion, and pressing social problems. It balances aesthetic reverence for historical art and architectural splendor with a sharp, clear-eyed demand for truth in personal relationships, historical writing, and public infrastructure.

Why Read It Today

This periodical offers an extraordinary, unfiltered window into the American mind on the eve of the Civil War. Modern readers will be fascinated by the sharp contrast between the era's soaring romantic idealism and its startlingly modern, unsentimental realism. The prose moves fluidly from intricate aesthetic theory to graphic, gritty accounts of military failure and social inequality, revealing a culture actively wrestling with its own rapid transformations.

Readers who enjoy historical essays, vintage literary fiction, and nineteenth-century cultural criticism will find rich material here. The volume demands a comfortable familiarity with unhurried, complex sentences, subtle social satire, period vocabulary, and untranslated Italian phrases during descriptive travel passages.

What lingers long after reading is the collection's remarkable intellectual variety. The prose shifts effortlessly from quiet New England woods to dusty Roman steps, from high-minded debates over art and jewelry to the practical mechanics of launching steamships in the wilderness. It reminds us that the past was just as vibrant, conflicted, and intensely curious about the future as our own era.