New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-05-28
LETTER FROM MRS. SWISSHELM.
Correspondence Of The Tribune.

Correspondence ofThe Tribune.
swIssvALE, Pittsburgh, Friday May "a, 1850.
DEAR Mr.. GREELEY Some apology il due to
your readers for my sudden discontinuanco of my
Washington letters. The reason of my unex pect.
ed return home was the failure of my health,
which is at all times feeble For some DAYS be-
fore leaving, / was obliged to keep my room /
have been confined to bed part of the time since
my return and not yet able TO sit up all day, al
though have made trip to Cincinnati, partly
for sake of the river air and laling motion
of the steamboat which generally restores me
in few days. Should /, as hope TO, gain suf.
cent strength to feel like bearing three months
residence at Washington, at any time within
year. | trust you will permit me to resume my cor.
respondence.
have received "The Tribune" with an Edito
rial and your private note both censurng an article
written for our paper about Mr.. Webster | &C.
cept your reproof as the rebuke of friend, and
admit the great probability Of my doing wrong in
any given circumstance. 1t may be you are right
in thinking nothing Of the private character Of any
person should be published / have ever acted on
the suppostion that the principle was correct al
though in reality | have no sympathy with it.
During the three years have conducted public
journal | have never but once before caused the
publication Of private matter, unless il excasve-
ly concerned myself and did not know when writ
ing what did about Mr. Webster that was say.
ing anything novel or strange, except my opinion
OF bis personal appearance. Icertainly had fright
TO give that without taking any other persons taste
for a standard. do consider him very decidedly
ugly, and cannot well unde stand how any % ancouM
Occupy bis present political position and be any thing
else, evensapposis he had formerly been handsome
which Mr. Webster certainly never could have
been. With this exception, said nothing about
him that did not suppose to have been the subject
of newspaper comment for the last twenty year,.
In this it appears / was mistaken, and il knew
how to be sorry for acting according TO the best
light had, and doing what appeared at the time
and still appears to right should certainly Ia
ment this mistake. This brings me to the principle
involved in Publishing private mstsn: can un-
deTstand because have experienced the feeling,
why young girl should hesitate to be married,
from extreme dread Of seeing her name in a news
pspei bat why any person whose name has been
handed about in newspapers for years should be at
III sensitive for what is said Of him. provided it liz
ruth, is somewhat beyond my comprehension. I
I'M not speaking now Of any individual, bat the
,eneral principle which makes truth, at any time.
rimnal There /, 10 toubs The Public iss
Iery respectable person, and any one should value
lis appreciation; bat cannot understand that ex-
rene humility which induces any man to setit
bove his own selfrespect; that kind Of venerstiou
ghich makes it of more Importance than the power
+ the Almighty. Why should any man dread the
saden OF nawspsper more than he does tho
earcher OF all heartsl To me there never was
'ything terrible in newspaper exposure" If
hat is stated be true, the actor himself God and
e angels, know it already, and j, is only sdiinga