The Louisiana cotton-boll. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], Attakapas, La.) 1872-1883, 1873-03-05
HORACE GREELEY.
a Tribute by Bayard Taylor.

10y H~9 bCACt ChOuELs w nc
scriptive letters p he said " l AN sicl
Of them. When you have been there
long enough to know something, send tc
me, and if there is any thing in youl
letters, I viii publish them" l waited
nearly a year, and then sent seventeen
letters, which were published. They
were shallow enough, 1 suspect; but
What might they not have been without
his warming?
Toward the end of 1847, while I was
engaged in the unfortunate enterprise
of tying to establish a weekly paper in
Ph@nixville, Pennsylvania, 1 wrote to
bim-fore-seeing the failure of my hopes
asking his assistance in procuring
literary work in New York. He advised
NE las i suspect he advised thousands
Of young mem to stay in Nae country.
But l had stayed in the country a year
too long 50 another month found me-
in New York, in his Office, with nv
story of disappointment, and my re-
peated requests for his favorable infu-
ence. 90 think you are mistaken, he
sad " but I will bear you in mind if
l hear Of any chance"
Six weeks afterwards. to nv great
surprise, for 1 suppose he had quite
forgotten me- he sent for me and offer
al me a place on the Tribune. I work
ed hard and necessarily during the sum
mer Of l848, hearing never a word of
commentator or encouragement but
n day in October he suddenly came
to my desk, laid his hand upon nv
shoulder and said "You have been
faithful but now you need rest. Take
a weeks holiday, and go into New Eng
land" I obeyed, and found, on my re-
turn, that he had ordered my salary to
be increased.
1 think none of his associates, at that
time, yer wrote a line which he did
not critically read. His comments
sometimes seemed rough. but they were
always wholesome, and almost invaria-
bly, just. Once he called me into his
room, pointed to e poem OF mine which
had Just appeared in a literary maya
zine, and abruptly asked: WHY did
you publish that gassy stuff" Ny
Indignation was ever greater than nv
establishment. I retorted fercelv
Mn, Greeley, I should feel hurt by
your question, if I had any respect
whatever for your Judgment in regard
to poetry /" He smiled a sad. forgiv-
ing smile, and said nothing. Years af-
terward / saw that he was right the
poem was only q piece of sounding
rhetoric, for which "gassy" was perhaps
a coarse but certainly not an ~inappro-
pirate epithet. In this, as in other re-
spects, the discipline to which he sub
jected me was excellent if not the re-
suit Of his intellectual perception. it ,
manifested an instinct even more re-.
markable. ,
Two pictures, illustrative of the man.
remain with me from that first vear,
One, an afternoon in the little editorial !
office under the roof; Mr.. Greeley bend. ,
ing over the yellow transfer-paper on :
which telegraphic dispatches were writ
ten. The light from the window fen {
upon the top of his head, which pre- ,
sented its full circumference TO as he !
leaned down. Twas looking at it, va ,
%cantlv, when | saw a fiery scarlet flush q
from DTS neck and temples like a wave i
and flood the white crown. The next 8
moment he rose, threw back his head. 9
and uttered a fearful shrek. For q +
minute, nearly, I thought him mad. t
He flung his hands up and down, cried V
cit has come! It has come r end
laughed III a ~half-delirious ECSTASY. d
1t was the news Of passage of the vii k
mot Proyiso. p
Another day, his little son Arthur. s
whose exquisite features, blue eyes, s
and golden hair remain in my memory u
as q more angelic apparition than any Q
cherub-faoe which Raphael ever painted II
into the office to meet him. on his 2
return from a journey. When he saw
The boy he gave a similar shrek, caught
him under the arms, tossed him aloft.
and finally e1asped him to his breast "a
with a wordless cutlery Of passionate W
owe and joy, SO intense that I almost a
'huddered to hear it. ] felt then that W
had caught one Of the clues to a cor It
understanding of his nature that o.
lie was powered with a love of love. 50 in
in this r%eticent world, feels it. DE-
to be something akin to weakness. so
often feigns its opposite in order to pa
mask its presence. He did not not see. pr
,or do the most 50 lowered see, that B
trength. | have had many differences he
opinion with Mr.. Greeley, but / can he
onscientiously declare that There was ex
oTe Of them which did not finally til
raw me the closer to him. A little wi
lore than a year ago he published an "a,
which / thought unjust to Gov
rnment official, who is ali intimate per
friend Of mine. 1 wrote to him o.
B once, obiecting to his views, and We
aiming, OF least, q suspension Of jude. me-
ent. He replied, giving his reasons chi
x the u~nfriendly criticism, yet, as I tie
according too little weight TO de-
y contrary representations. wrote ma
,ain, aud more earnestly than before ma
50 earnestly, indeed, that, after the de-
tier was dispatched, I felt that he
tght have reason to feel offended at Lab
me Of the expressions it contained. the
u when / met him he stretched out Ike