The Portland daily press., 1873-04-02
A Memorial Of Horace Greeley.
HIS FIRST AUTOBIOGRAPHY, WRITTEN AT THE
AGE OF THIRTY-FOUR.

AGE OF THIRTY-FoUR
The New York Ledger for March 8, COL
tains Horace Greeley's first autobiography,
written in l845, and never before publiehed.
Inc Ledger says that this sketch cf the first
'-''. ''.'s-'oor years of Mr.. Grecley's life, was
y ",''eh at the request of one of his oldest
ienuS :. ana admirers, without a view to pub
heation. A few characteristics nassooos from,
below: e"' sie give"
ShEELEY AS sPEII.ER
was first sent 60 -,
when just three years old land if WOW, sS sSnoSi
ever happen to pass through f.the I2I,S W;a,,
Range OF Londonderry, near an old ,vaasSy
er beaten school-house, which was red th;...
years ago, you can easily pick up some mon.
strous exaggerations of my infantile achieve
ments as scholar. Spelling was nv forte
as is natural for child of tenacious memorr
and no Judgment; and l recollect that the
head of the first class and the nert should
choose sides for ''spelling match'' once a
week or so Now, could FpeIl well enough
to be '.head" among thirty or forty numb
skulls, whose incapacity of learning to spell
is even now puzzle 10 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 pa
tience and counsel had both been exhausted,
it was found necessary TO break the old rule,
and let tbe ttco nert choose sides. Some Of
these spelling matches were held in the eve
ming and it was difficult to keep such a baby
as l awake. When the wor came to me ]
had to be walked up TO spell it; and l have
lately found story quite current that could
and did spelljust as well asleep as awakel
LINDLEY MURRAY IAN INTENSE BLOCK
HEAD"
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 j
discovered that our standard authors on that
subjec' knew nothing about it-Lindley Muir
ray especially the intense blockhead, whose
gross plumbers ought to have detected at
seven years OF but did not till ten or elev-
en-. That obtuseness of perception mt me
back sadly, and had to learn what I knew
Of grammar after had devoted more time to
it than it should have required in all. Ten
weeks with the books we now have. are
worth ten months with such as l learned
from.
''DAvY HALE" MISTAKEN.
! spent parto the year (30, ,'3ll
at my fathers but worked at my trade when
could find work in jamestown, Chautauqua
County N: T.; Lodi, Cattaraugus County,
y. r.; and, last and longest, at Erie, Erie
County, Pa Here stayed five months. and.
beginning at very low estimate, was final,
ly offered a partnership by the editor
and printer for whom I worked. The
concern was very good one, but it looked as
though should have the work to do against
another mans play, and declined it-rather
unwisely, / suspect. Late in July, 1881, find
ing no more work in that quarter, started
for this city, reaching here few months TN
der age age, with $40 in my pocket, and not
an acquaintance within two hundred miles
My clothes were scanty and seedy, my ap-
pearance green and unprepossessing; and
had hard struggle to find work, and keep it.
(Davy Hale. of the Journal Of Commerce, in
sisted that was runaway apprentice, but he
was in error.) sr..-.
TRIBUTE TO THOMAS M'ELRATH.
In 1910, matters gradually frightened with
me in good part own ng to my establishment
of the Log Cabin, a Harrison campaign pa
per, which acquired an immense circulation
eighty thousand. 1t was very cheap, and I
was obliged to publish it very wastefully, 80
that the actual gain from it was yery small.
but itsupplied me at the outset with a food
OF ready money, enabled me to turn myself
and pay off my old debts, so that my credit
was better ever after. In 1S4l, (April 10,l I
issued the first number of the Daily Tribune,
which should not have done had not issu-
ed prospectus before General Harrisons
death. This enterprise, of course, required
ready money for time, and a great deal oft,
and v $ again Strengthened; but early In
the fall kind of Providence impeiled Mr.,
Thomas McElrath, formerly bookseller,
then lawyer and Master in Chancery, TO
call on me and suggest the idea of partner
ship. gladly closed with him on any terms,
and from that day to this not another hair
has been worn off my head by the aching
puzzle OF studying out the means Of paying
tomorrow's note. / have embarrassed my
self greatly by endorsing and trying to help
others, but the finances of the concern have
never cost me an hours sleep. / have been,
as always wished to be, an editor and part
ner in publishing business, but no burdens
but those of editor have fallen on me. Our
business is now prosperous, and has been
measuratly so ever stree Mr.. McElrath came
into the concern. In September, 1s41, we
discontinued the Neio Yorker, and commepc-
ed the Weekly Tribune. which has done
well. and now enjoys a large circulation.
KNOWLEDGE PICKED UP BY TIFF WAY.
There, YOU have my story. /
did not mean to write such a yarn, but ]
never thought of writing on the subject be-
fore, and this has run off my fingers uncon-
sciously. l ought TO have said that was
offered an education at Exeter Academy, in
1919, Gust before our New Hampshire down.
fall by tho minister of Bedford and one or
two friends. My parents declined it--paitly
from pride, I belieye-but mother said she
was not willing to part with me then, nine
years Of age. Of course what have learned
has been picked up by the way. suppose
ought to be sorry, but am not much.
Yours truly,
HORACE GREELEY.