The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-03-15
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HORACE GREELEY.

| California, give the Democrats ma o-
rity of four, when every schoolboy in
New York knows 1t never gave more
than two" This is the second story ::
1t was after Lees surrender, and he
came in one day very happy. "We're
through the war, and have whipped the
rebels; and a mighty tight pinch it was.
We must begin to discuss matters OF
intesest to the people. NoO there's the
mileage question" These stories indi-
cate two features of Horace Greeley's
haracter--intensity and persistence.
He has had years of pleasure from the
luxury of election-tables. 1t has been
| like tile excitement of wine, OF cards to
the gambler, of the sea-breezes to the
sailor, OF the battle-smoke to the soldier.
1t Is Uncle Toby's hobby-horse-his
counterguard and demi-bastion. 1t is
BonapArte's theory on the formation OF
troops. "Shortly before his DEATH"
said Bertrand, "he would get up as
often as seven times in tho middle OF
the night to write notes about 1t. He
! frequently sent me billets on the subject
even at night" "Keep the exchanges
with tables in from Mr.. Greeley's desk"
say the scissOr-people, "or you'll have
an almanac in Tomorrow"
Intensity, and persistence, and Faith!
Mr.. Greeley believes. He would have
presence could have been planted early
in his mind. His faith accepts and alb
serbs. 1t does not permit limitation,
compromise or growth. He made up
his mind about nine-tenths OF human
events when he lived mt Londonderry.
Events have sometimes silenced, not
convinced him. We find his great ma
ture that of the oak. He reveres Ham
ilton. He hates BOnnpGrte. He loves
| Henry CLAY. He has the same con-
tempt for jackson that he had in 1924.
In 1924 he was thirteen years OF age.
and he puts it upon record that in that
year he made up his mind on the sub
| iect of Jackson and Democracy. He
has not changed his mind. Nearly fifty
years have passed, and Mr.. Greeley
believes now what no believed then.
This faith wants something it can
bite. There is poetry in it; but general
ly lacks idoality. It yearns to make
his soul to this duty with moro intense,
consuming sincerity. THERE'S story,
that comes from the mist, of his walking
for hours along the Jersey tlatsp long af-
ter no had ceased to labor for the
day, striving to solve the problem
whether or not the land could be re-
claimed and houses built for the crowd
ed and desolate poor. TO take phrase
from the street-curbs, this happiness
| would have no nonsense about it,"
Tho poor should buy land, and the
boys should work and the girls make
anu IueIo 5AOulu US III ulIuA-
ing nor smoking; and the apparel
should be plain and comfortable.
There should be roast mutton for din
ner, and on Sundays perhaps pi tcher
of new milk. The boys should wear
stout, coarse shoes, and not be ruined
by going to college. If they wanted
education, it could be gained easily
enough during the long winter nights
by the blazing logs of Il pine fire. His
world has no music in it. The birds
kill worms and protect the tru1t-trees.
There is no objection to their singing;
but that is another matter. Buy land
and drain it. he wants it on his tomb
stone that he is Founder of the New
York Tribune. We think he Is more
proud of having reclaimed that long,
low patch OF swampy ground at Chap
peQua.
There arc two Horace Greelcys. The
Ideal and the real. The ideal Is an odd
com biuation. 1t is the work OF James
Gordon Bennett and the Weekly ITt-
OWnc, kind of grOtesque Socrates;
sublime, magnificent, erratic fool; an
eccentric genius, who wears a white
coat and is wise upon election returns
and sub. soil blowing. Wendell Phillips
speaks of the distress he inflicted upon
q simple minded farmer, who was
driving him to lecture in some far. of
Western town, by saying that Mr..
Greeley was not the author of the Mar
ket Reports and the Book Reviews of
the WcckLy Tribune. Yes, but he
writes them Farmer CLUB reports.
That's Horace all over" To those who
know the real Horace Greeley, the ideal
is poor and annoying imitation. MIR.
| Greeley is Il man of pronounced opln-
ions, but with a catholic nature. If he
mistakes, it is because he too frequently
measures men by his own standard. II
| he is deceived, it is because tho honesty
of his own nature is 80 vast, and pure,
and all embracing that he cannot be-
| lieVe in guile in others. The ideal
Horace Greeley is Radical; the
real Horace Greeley Is Conserva-
tive. Take any question about which
men differ. and Mr.. Greeley will
tendencies. Marriage, tariffs, land,
education, society, labor, poetry, re.
| ligion, all receive conservative support
from him. He looks upon the marriage
vow with the austerity of Calvlnlst
or Roman Catholic. lie has no pa
thence with Greek or Latin, and thinks
no idleness more pernicious than the
fresh and budding years 30 many
| Young men give to Homer and Virgil.
| lie is Journalist. There are many
phenomena in society which attract his
curiosity, and he will grant them II
bearing; but he gives them no support.
| His poetry is conservative. Browning
gives him life like the sea breezes.
Down in his heart, we have no doubt,
he ranks Mrs. ucmans above Tenny-
son, He compares ono vt BrOwninS's
most noted compositions to Macbeth
and Hamlet! He does not accept wO-
mons rights. The war Jared upon his
humanity, and panied him. He felt
every battle; and those who know his
heart will, no doubt, say that those
wears OF blood were to him Getbsemane
Years, aud dark as Calvary. Yet the
man who looked upon war as terri
Bile Clispensation was brave enough to
defy. his generation and appeal to pos
terity by writing his name upon the
ball-bond of Jefferson Davis.
You can write no word in sentence.
| To attempt this Is a Carricature. And
when man in his day fills tho space of
Mr.. Greeley any view is apt to be one
sided, You stand near the Sphinx, and
it is Il clumsy, ponderous, shapeless
rock. You go from it, and there comes
upon YOU 1.-THE sad. earnest eyes, and
tranquil mien everlasting" which have
impressed travellers with wondrous
meaning. This is not the time, nor are
we the mon to draw the real Horace
Greeley, When his work is done we
can see what it really is, and the man
ner OF man that did it.
But If we were to write that charac-
ter in a sentence, we would call Mr..
Greeley The American Gentleman. We
say this at the risk of offending the tall
Ors and diapers. Here is man of pure
life, of sweet speech, from whose lips
| no vilesness comes, of boundless chari-
tv. of courage, and self-reliance, and
wit. Without the scholarship that
would be consulted in deciding upon
the merits of Mr.. LongfelloW's transla-
| ton of Dante, he Is one of the best'lu-
| V,oay, in A md with