Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1873-01-03

Raymond, Bennett and Greeley are ac-
knOwledged to have been the greatest trio of
journalists that this city has ever seen. |
They were essentially different, represent
ing three nationalities and types of charac-
ter. The first was Of French descent, as in
dieated by ms name (Rem0nd), while the
second was a Scotch Highlander, and the
third was Of Irish stock. Raymond was a
decided brunette, while Greeley was blonde,
and Bennett was of an indescribable type.
Raymond was very small in stature, prOba- !
bly, not over FIVE feet two Greeley was
eight inches taller and fully developed,
while Bennett stood six feet and was of
heavy build. Their ages were fifty, sixty
one. seyenty-six Raymond died of over
work, though this was not previously sus-
pected. He in fact had been oyerworked for
many years. | saw him one day walking /
with his daughter toward his Office, and he
looked very natural 1t was, however, his
last day Of life. The next morning at three
he returned TO his dwelling and fell in the
hall, where he was found dead No doubt |
it was the result of fit. Bennett outliyed
his faculties, and the time came when the
autocrat Of the Herald. who had ruled this
city by the terror of his name was n child
ish old man who obeyed the dictates of a
menial guardian. Greeley attended the
funeral Of both these men. The three had
been bitter and relentless rivals, but death
sllences all utterances Of passion. Mr.. |
Greeley was pail bearer at both funerals,
and it i only few monthe since he eiOll0wed
Bennett to the grave These three men
represented hostile forces of opinion, and as
champions they We're followed by multitu-
des each Of whom gloried in his leader
Now they rest in one burial ground, and
are forever at peace. How strange to think
of the inyectives they once hurled at each
other and the unpolished epithets 50 FIRE
quently banded, such as the little vii
lain, - d" the galvanized squash, d" the
knight Of black mail. - All these are passed
forever away. a thought whichrecalls Pope's
verses ON the once hostile kings buried to-
gether in the chapel vaults At Windsor
q. Whom not the extended Albion could contain
From old Belerium to the Northern main.
The grave uuites where Zen the great iud rest.
And blended De the oppressor and the oppressed
Nature never reproduces itself. When a
forest is telled, if the ground be left waste,
another forest will appear, but never of the
same species. Oaks and naples are follow
ed bv an inferior growth. 50 IS il in S0cie-
ty. Great men are never reproduced. Meth
er jackson nor Lincoln viii reappear. still
less such men a. Adams. Washington and
Frrnklin We shall see great men in the
ranks of the press, but none that will come
up to the first three For none of these has
the nation mourned as for Greeley Other
men may have been admired but he was
loved by those who voted against him, and
his life was a tragic sadness arising from the
error into which he was led | cannot walk
through these Bohemian regions without
recalling that slender form which gradually
in the lapse of one-third Of a century be
came the stout and kindly old man-but
! never ceased to be the ehild-like, pure-mind-
| ed lover Of his race. AsShelley says
He has outsoared the shadow " oar night.
Envy and calumuy and hate and pain
/ And that unrest which men miscall delight
Can touch him NOT, nor torture him 5a.n-'
first saw Mr. Greeley when he was
| tweuty-eight, and after he had struggled
| five Years in this city, lie was tall and
slender. and had peculiarly an expression of
! purity, simplicity and kindness He was
then approaching the failure of the Netc
Yorker, and was 50 poor that he bought
| writing paper few sheets at time |
met him some years aftcrward at the steam
| boat which carried ont the first Fourier as
sociatiOn TO their farm. just rs the boat
started tall. unshaven Young man. who did
| not look thirty, appeared, and with "A sweet
smile and few words cheered the group
and babe it a hurried farewell / met him
again worn down with severe toll. pale and
wasted and bowed with debility. and then
saw him in the iullness ofrestored strength
| Bat Mt all times he bore the aspect Of purity
and kindness and all who could be reached
/ by such influence We're magnatized before
/ they We're aware. His face had an expires
/ sion of tender melancholy which readily
| changed for the glow Of enthusiasm lie
/ was indeed a remarkable enthusiast. and
] this was one of the reasons why he 50 easily
was led into the la,t great false step.
Critics in speaking of Greeley lose sight
of the fact that his range OF culture was
{ narrow. lie knew American political and
| civil history. but outside of this his reading
was comparatively small. His great field
was the tariff, and on this subject he had
no equal He wrote more in defense Of
American manufactures than any other
man. and he wrote with more ability. 1t
| was a great field. and he mastered it, Great
men commit great errors. Moses. the in
/ sprel leader of Israel, was not exempt from
/ this liability, and Greeley error, like that
OF Moses, brought sore punishment. Amb-
| ZION was grieyous fault, and previously
/ hath he answered il. 1t j. Just forty Years
/ since he entered this city, poor boy, with
/ all his wealth in his pocket handkerchief
/ Near where that boat landed his silent form
was borne to its long home Who Is there
/ asleep in Greenwood TO compare with him
who is cnshrined in the love of the Aneri-
/ can people,
And SO osepuIchred, in sush pomp doth lie,
1 That hngS iUr such tUmb,suuld w SD g. die.