The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1860-04-11
Horace Greeley.

characters, with Pen and Ink, Tor tho
New York Leader, has been trying
his hand upon the Editor OF the New
York Tribune, whose great ability, emln-
ent 0 ition, and many singularlt'es' furI--
isb scope for the extraordinary descrip-
tive powers of this brilliant writer:
Room here for star-gazera struggling
incoherent man-ope who cannot SO mucn
be said to walk as to be carried forward
by his legs in variety of curious peram
bulations. An cid black hat with bat
tered rim is pushed far back off bis head,
rs if to give room for the free play OF
every wind over his cal acious and benev-
olent forehead. 1t is a head OF power
and infinite speculat o.; a head tfihe ar
tique-- fringed with mere gossamer-weoo
Of wasted and disordered flaxen hair, and
mounted over baby-face, in which no
features but the eyes possess any charac-
teris.cs not equally well developed IN
two-and-six-p emmy British doll, doll I'M
ported for Christmas consumption. Even
the blue eyes, set under flaxen frlnges,
have much of the child and doll in their
expression; dreamy and quiet orbs, full of
wonder and fancy-not looking so much
at things as tlr ,ugh them I'd beyond to
whatever chimera may at this moment
chance to be uppermost in the mid phil
osophel's mind.
The com plexion of the man is smooth
and fair-a clear pink and white after his
frequent visits to the country, but smooth
and paid as the general rule of his city
labors. Growing out from around his
tho It and from under his baby face
few fiaxen hairs, rapidly bleaching into
white, are planted at regular intor'as-
calling to mind poor crop of oats plan
ted late in the year on q bleak hill side.
His dress too is peculiar and Of a style
perhaps accidentally, perhaps by design
attracting attention. Pushed back
from his narrow STOPPING should RS, long
white coat trails its ungracefulness round
bis figure; an old black neck tic is knotted
under one ear; an old dress coat under
meath pitiously reveals frayed edges and
corners habituaIy used as pen-wipers; an
old black satin waistcoat is held together
bv asinole button over q shirt unconscious
of starch; and the ends Of a worn and pol
ished pair of black trousers are carefully
tucked into tops of very seedys ga!tcr
boots-no doubt to keep the ends afore-
said from the contamination Of snow or
mud.
The fingers are inky and gloveless; the
arms when hot held down in the pockets
swing around and loose at random, as if
holding an independent existance; the
whole body is bent forward with sway
ing swing as the pedestrian proceeds; and
such is the outer man, faithfully daguer-
reotyped, of Horace Greeley, phi 'nthro-
pist, philosopher, and protectionist-the
founder of phalansteries and parties-the
friend in the past of Margaret Fuller-ed-
itor, speaker and experimental tarmer;-
in our Judgment one of the ablest men IN
the country, and one whom we have al
ways regarded as thoroughly honest and
earnest in all the odd notions and eccen-
trio courses which his turn of mind las
compelled him to entertain and follow
Horace Greeley, we believe, was born IN
Vermont. and, like Thurlow Weed, has
worked his way upward from the start
ing point of practical Partnership to his
present powerful, if not commanding pos
ition.
In politics he is born and ingrained
Anti slavery man; earnestly believer in
the necessity Of protecting American IN
dustry from foreign competition; in favor
of almost any scheme which comes to him
in the name of philanthropy, and an ad-
yocatc for the improvement of our agrl-
cultural system-this last idea having al
ready cost him many thousand dollars in
the experiments and importations Of
stock which be has carried on for public
benefit at his private cost. Socially Mr..
Greeley is a very peCu lar man, with but
the dimmest notion of what is called prop
riety, and none at all of etiquette-iu-
somueh that if elected President, he would
be lust as likely to receive TIE French En-
bassador in his robe de puit-supposing
the temperature of the room permitted
as in any other costume. In his family
relations and affections he is q philoso-
pher, looking on death as the inevital l. end
of all; and either not grieving, or re-
pressing his grief, on the most tender and
trying occasions, with a fortitude truly
wonderful to those who know how warm
and earnest is his nature. His friendship
ofthe growth which takes the deep and
lasting root-no tales at second hand, no
universal shout being able to shake it
the tree growing and hourishing until
Greeley has had personal proof that the
man he has trusted is no longer wor-
thy.
AS a writer, the. Tribune has made his
style to familiar to need comment; it is
chiefly remarkable for the force, vohem-
ence and density of its logic, every train
of argument being pursued remorselesslv
to its conclusion, with illustrations here
and there, mostly drawn from common
life, with great popular cogency and WV
idness. He has the habit editorially of
paragraphing his articles under numeri-
cal heads, after the style of New Eng
land sermon; and most Of the argument
so marked in the Tribune may be set