The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-03-05
A Memorial OF Horace Greeley.
His FIRST AUToBreGRArHY WRITTEN AT TIE .er
or Ta1RTY.Foua.

AMesnbsiai OF Horace Greeley.
his FIRST BIOGRAPHY, WRITTEN AT TUE AGr
or TalRTY.FouR.
The New York Ledger for 3Iarch 9Th con.
| tatns Horace Greeley's first autobiography
written In ls45, and never before published
The Ledger says that this sketch of the first
thirty-four years Of Mr.. Greeley's life WINS
written at the request Of one of his oldest
frie IDS and admirers, without view TO p,ll.
li:ation. \ few characteristic passages
from this interesting literary fragment arc
given below:
GREELEY AS a srfLLER.
l was first sent to school when
just three years old; and if you should ever
happen to pass through "the High Range "
Of Londonderry, near an old weafher-beaten
school-hou>c, which was red thirty years ago,
you can easily pick UP some monstrous ex-
ag@"rations of my ilfantile achievements as
schoiar. Spelling was my forte, as is natural
for Il child Of tenacious memory and no judg.
ment; and recolicct that it used to be the
custom that the head of the first class and
the next should choose sides for "spe!ling
match" once week or so. Now, I could
spell we'll enough to be "head" among
thirty or forty numbskulls, whose incapa-
bility OF learning to spell is even now a
puzzle to me; but | had not wit enough to
choose good spoilers. On the contrary,
would choose little children. my playmates,
who could not spell at all After patience
and counsel had both been exhausted it was
found necessary to break the old rule, and
let the two next choose sides. Some of these
Spc!llng-natclcs were held in the evening,
and ii was difficult to keep such baby Us |
awake. When the word came to me had
to he walked up to spell It; and have lately
found Il story quite current that could and
did spell justas well asleep as awake.
LiNDLEY MURRAY IAN INTENSE ELocKEEAD."
But grammar came hard to me. /
commenced at six years of age, and having
but little schooling, wasted the best part Of
what ] had for several years before / disco
vercd that our standard authors on that sub
,iect knew nothing about it--Lindley Muir
ray especially, the intense blockhead, whose
gross plumbers ! ought to have detected at
seven years Of age, but did not till ten or
eleven. That ottuscrcss CT perception put
me back sadly, and had to learn what
knoT Of grammar after / had devoted more
time to ii than il should have required in all.
Ten weeks with he books we now have are
worth ten months with such as [ learned
from.
"D.lrY HALE" MISTAKEN.
! spenta part of the year C3n-'3l)
at my fathers, but worked at my trade when
] could find work III Jamestown. Chautall-
qua county. NY; Lodi. Cattaraugus county,
y. y. ard, list and longest, at Erie, Erie
county. Pr. Here stayed five months, and
beginning at very low estimate, was
finally offered Il partnership by tue editor
and printer tor WtlUE! worked. The con
Germ vas very gOou one, but ii looked as
rHoueh should have the work 10 do against
another mans play, and declined it--lather
uEwisciy. | suspect. Late in July, 1881.
finding 10 more work in that quarter,
started for this city, reaching here IL few
months under age, with ten dollars in my
pocket, and not an acquaintance within two
hundred miles. My clothes were scanty
ana secdy, iHF appearance green and unprc-
possessing and had Il hard struggle TO lind
work and keep it. (Uayy Hale, Of the
Journal Of Commerce, insisted that [ was /:
runaway apprentice, but he was i'll error)
TRIBUTE TO THOMAS M'ELRATH.
In 1870 matters gradually frightened with
me, in good part owing to my establishment
OF the Lag C0JiE, a Harrison campaign
paper, which acquired an immense circrlla-
ijon-.-eiyhty thousand. II WAS very cheap,
and L wa; obliged 10 publish it very waste
fu!iy, 30 Chat The actual gain from it was
very snail but it supplied me at The out
set Will! 4 flood Of ready money, enabled nc
10 turn myself, and pAy Off my old debts, so
that my credit WAS better ever after. In
1871 capri! l0) / Issued the first No. Of the
daily T9bUac, which should hot have done
lad [ not issued prospectus before General
Harii-on'$ dc ,th. This enterprise, of course,
required ready money fora time, and Il great
dca! OF it, and | was again straitencd; but
early in the FIJI il kind Providence lnpciied
,fr. Thomas NcElrath, formerly Ecok.
seller, then Il lawyer and master i'll ciiancery
to call on me and suggest rGc idea OF part
nership. l gladly closed with him on any
terms, and from that day to this moi another
hair has been worn Oft my head by the ach
ing puzzle of studying out the means oi
payiu" to-morrow's note. l have cmoar.
r:sscd myself greatly ly endorsing and try
ing TO help others, Hut the finances OF the
concern havc never cost nc al hours steep
| nave been. Is ! always wished &c he, an
editor and Il partner in 4 publishing business,
but no burdens but those Of editor have
fallen on me. Ouf bus!lic3S Is lnW prosper
Gus, and has been mrtSurably so over since
Mr.. McElrath came into the concern. In
September, 1911, we discontinued the Ncu
TDrhcr and commenced the Weekly Tribune
which has done well, and now enjoys larss
circulation.
kSowLErGE PICKED Ur BY THE WAY.
Thcrc, you have my story. die
not niean to write such yarn, but ] never
thought OF writing OH the subject before
and this has run of my fingers uncon
sciCusly. 1 ought to have said that L wa:
offered an education at Exeter Academy il
1919 Just before our New Hampshire down
f;lU by the minister of Bedford and one OIL
two friends. Ny parents declined it-Emrtly
from pride beicve-but mother said sin
was not willing to part with ne them mine
wears OF are. @! course what | have learned
l;as been picked UP by the way. suppose
ought to be sorry, tnt am not mll:h.
Yours truly, HORACE GREELEY.
A Fox's RACE For LIrE-A foX-chase is :
rare thing il this country. y novel one re
nn,tlv fink Mace on the new railroad WliCt