Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1871-03-18
George ID. Prentice.

a Washington correspondent Of the
New Orleans Picayune pays the fol-
lowing tribute to the memory of the
lamented George ID. Prentice, the
founder of the old Louisville Journal :
Recall to your minds any old SOL
dicr of the Little Corporal. They are
nearly all gone; but most of us have
come in contact with them as teach
ers of fencing, or Of boxing, or other
minor arts of war. Who among us
has been so needless of his earlier
lessons in human nature rs to have
forgotten the fearful eye, fierce face
and erect fl ure of those veterans
so stiff as to cause apprehension that
their earnestness would make their
old wounds bleed afrcsh, when they
sputtered, in half dozen languages
at once, their alteration of him who
died at st. Helena? There are heroes
of peace as well as of war; aud those
who served in the iou: nalistic col.
umns which George ID. Prentice led
may well allow themselves To seem
absurdly in earnest when they speak
of their leader. Truth SCOTS at the
ieebleness of hyperbole when the
most gifted of the followers of Mr..
Prentice attempted to portray hi,
greatness. If his panegyric is evcl
uttered it must come from one of hi.
fellow leaders of inky columns--pos.
sibly from the lips of our guest. Hi,
followers find their level in lower
flights; but one of them hopes to be
guile you of n smile, possibly of {
tear, by brief illusions to his more
material life. He has no hope o
showing to you his love for his lOvin,
patron. Mr.. Prentice was a laborin,
man. However like flashes of light
ning his paragraphs may have strick
ell the readers of his journal will
cOnvulsions of laughter, or of sobs
his inspirations came to him as tn,
peep of day comes to us. Rosey Fin
gercd Morning, the Mother of Dawi
and himself was equally busy tn,
one clearing the way for the sun, tn,
other for the truth. The suns 70
which Aurora clears the way journe,
but for day; the truths, for whicl
our leaders smooth the path, trave
| forever.
Mr.. Prentice sometimes used stim
ulants to drown thick coming fancies
70 have clad each ideal child of hi
fertile brain in letters of gold, adorn
ed with punctuation points of dia
monds, would have exhausted tn
fancy treasures of a generation. Tn
hand OF Prentice was always empty
because it was always open. Hi
giving was just equinox to his get
ting. The one was as long as tn
other. Mr.. Prentice was brave man
Except his terrible brain shafts
which had worldwide range, he car
ried.no concealed weapons. He neve
fought a duel. He had many stree
and Office rencounters, in which IL
was never the aggressor; always vic
tOrious; but this generous man neve
pushed victory beyond present safety
An aggrieved person Travelled manN
miles to kill Mr.. Prentice. After
moments struggle the knee of Mr.
Prentice was upon the breast of hi
armed assailant. An eager-edge,
knife was thrust into his hand, an,
one of kentucky's chivalric gentle
men cried, "cut the scodndrel'
throat !" Mr.. Prentice cast the knit
aside; he would not strike prostrat
foe.
We who knew the gentle nature @
Nh. Prentice, are glad, that, notwith
standing his high sense of persona
dignity, aud his readiness at all time
to maintain it, he has been spare,
the remorse of having taken human
life.
George d. Prentice for the presen
is lost to us; but Elysian Tyres hav
sounded, and Virgil, and Milton, an
Shakespeare, and Saul of Tarsus, hav
welcomed his thought-wrought soul