Time's Portraiture: (From: "The Doliver Romance and Other Pieces: Tales and Sketches")

In Short

Written as a New Year's carrier's address for The Salem Gazette in 1838, this short sketch abandons the traditional icon of Time as an old man with a scythe and hour-glass. Instead, the narrator paints Father Time as a fashionable, fleeting figure-about-town who frequents local shops, chats about current politics, and abandons his friends as they age. Mixing playful civic satire with a darker reflection on mortality and eternity, the piece endures as a sharp, atmospheric portrait of antebellum New England life and an ingenious meditation on human transience.

The Story

The narrative begins on New Year's Day, 1838, as a young newspaper carrier addresses the patrons of The Salem Gazette. Lacking his usual poetic inspiration, the boy chooses to offer prose observations regarding his employer, Father Time. He immediately dispels the traditional image found on almanac covers—that of a semi-nude, winged old man holding a scythe and an hour-glass. Instead, the carrier reveals that Time has modernized his wardrobe. He now walks the streets of Salem wearing a furred coat, an auburn wig, bushy whiskers, and a German-lustre hat, while checking a gold watch and leaning on a walking cane.

The carrier explains that Time does not haunt ancient ruins or graveyard tombs looking for old Puritan names. Instead, Time resides in the bustling center of town along Essex Street. He walks arm in arm with local youths, recommends trendy tailors, drinks champagne, and flatters young women. He frequents insurance offices and newsrooms to discuss current events, including stock prices, the whaling industry, Whig political victories, Canadian rebellions, and the state of the currency. Despite his stylish appearance, however, Time betrays his older companions. He secretly strikes middle-aged men with his cane to gray their hair and bend their backs, discarding them as they grow old.

Beyond his social life, Time acts as a local businessman. He lounges around Derby Wharf, bargains in dry-goods stores, aids in building the local railroad, and helps lay the corner-stone for the new city hall. Yet he also serves as a collector, delivering bills to every doorstep. He attends every wedding to give away the bride, welcomes every newborn child, and stands beside every deathbed. At the bedside, those who relied solely on Time cling to him in agony, while those who recognized his shallow nature depart with joy, knowing they are bound for eternity.

The narrator concludes by reminding the audience that Time himself is a mortal creature, worn down by centuries of human conflict, crime, and warfare since the Garden of Eden. Expressing no regret that Time will eventually die and be swallowed by eternity, the carrier asks his patrons for a New Year's tip before wishing every member of Salem society prosperity and happiness in the year ahead.

How It Unfolds

The carrier presents himself The narrator introduces himself as Time's errand-boy, apologizing for his lack of poetic verse before offering a firsthand account of his master's modern habits and personal appearance.

Time's new wardrobe The traditional scythe, hour-glass, and wings are dismissed as outdated almanac myths, replaced by a trendy coat, an auburn wig, a gold watch, and a walking stick.

Promenade on Essex Street Time spends his days enjoying the town's social scene, flirting with young women, drinking effervescent champagne, and discussing fashion with young men.

Current affairs and gossip Time frequents local newsrooms and insurance offices to debate national politics, the abolition movement, local lyceum lectures, and currency troubles.

Business and civic duty Time works on the new Salem railroad line, assists the mayor with the city hall corner-stone, and wanders the streets delivering annual bills.

Life, death, and eternity Time attends weddings, newborn births, and deathbeds, indifferently abandoning dying souls while himself remaining destined for ultimate destruction in eternity.

The carrier's blessing The narrator asks for a financial tip, wishing good fortune to merchants, lawyers, farmers, and young lovers for the coming year.

The People

The Carrier A self-described "simple proser" and "humble-minded little sinner" who delivers newspapers to the residents of Salem. He acts as Time's errand-boy, observing his master's hypocrisies with a mix of lighthearted humor, civic pride, and shrewd moral insight.

Father Time The personification of time, reimagined as a trendy, fast-talking dandy walking the streets of Salem. He craves novelties, forgets his own past history, flatters the young, inflicts aging upon his companions, and remains indifferent to the deaths of his oldest friends.

The Citizens of Salem A collective group of local merchants, young lovers, lawyers, sea-captains, and politicians. They interact with Time daily—seeking his favor in business and romance—while often failing to realize his fickle, temporary nature.

In Its Own Voice

"Nowadays, he is the most fashionably dressed figure about town; and I take it to be his natural disposition, old as he is, to adopt every fashion of the day and of the hour."

The carrier explains how Father Time has abandoned his classic appearance to blend into modern society.

"Time is invariably the first to forget his own deeds, his own history, and his own former associates."

The narrator highlights Time's superficial nature as he walks past historic graveyards to pursue current gossip.

"For Time is not immortal. Time must die, and be buried in the deep grave of eternity."

The piece turns toward the ultimate fate of Time himself as he fulfills his finite role in human history.

What It's Really About

The sketch explores the deceptiveness of present fads and the fleeting nature of human life. By transforming Father Time into a fashionable town gossip who buys current clothing and tracks local commerce, the text satirizes humanity's obsession with novelties, political debates, and surface appearances. Beneath this light social satire lies a stark meditation on mortality and history. Time is portrayed not as a wise, venerable historian preserving the past, but as a careless, cruel force that constantly abandons the old to chase the new. Ultimately, the work contrasts the temporary, chaotic realm of human time with the permanent peace of eternity, reminding readers that worldly achievements and social trends quickly fade into obscurity.

Why Read It Today

This short piece offers an entertaining, highly accessible sample of nineteenth-century American literary humor. Readers who enjoy local history, period satire, and personification will appreciate how effortlessly the text captures the everyday rhythms of 1838 Salem—from dry-goods bargaining to local railroad construction. It reads quickly, combining lighthearted banter with a surprisingly sharp philosophical edge regarding how quickly society discards the past in favor of the next political rumor or fashion trend.

The primary difficulty for modern readers lies in its dense web of contemporary 1838 references. The text casually drops mentions of Canadian border disputes, Whig election victories, local Salem families, and specific businesses like Ives and Jewett's library. However, these specific historical details give the work its distinct period charm rather than blocking comprehension. What stays with the reader is the central concept: a witty, haunting portrait of Time as a stylish companion who walks alongside us, only to slip away when we need him most.