The Portland daily press., 1873-07-08
Formers Puhlic Men

For long time past a series of papers by
Colonei Forney have appeared in the Press
and the Washington Sunday Chro,.icie. The
Harpers now pu 'lish them in one volume un-
der the title Of Anecdotes of Public Men,
The sketches are very liie-like, and scores OF
the polite leaders of the past iorty years are
introduced to the reader. On every page is q
fresh sketch by the master hand OF one who
has enjoyed the personal acquaintance of
those whom he describes. We copy few
paragraphs on ''Hand Writing" from this
book:
Washington's state papers, his let ers, and
his accounts are models of order and cleauli-
ness, rather set off by his antique spelling
James Madison wrote small, beautiful hand,
in keepins with his chaste and classic oratory
General Jackson wrote with the direct bold
ness OF his nature, though some what ind:ffer-
ent to his orthography. James Buchanan
prided himself upon his cautious style, his
careful spelling, his exact punctuation, and
the absence of interlineations. Henry Clay
wrote plainly, like an outspoken and intrepid
soul Webster s hand. without being cfnate.
was strong. George M. Dallas was a IN ster
of the art. Th6mas Richie wr ,te md not
quite so difficult to make out as hat of Mr.
Greeley, but IN the same style.
General CasS, who wrote much and ALWAYS
like scholar, had an editorial hand; while
Andrew Stevenson. of Virginia, father of the
present Senator from Kentucky, could have
set copies for a country school, and vet in the
ardor OF composition he would make himself
very difficult to decipher Senator Sumner .
writing is characteristically large and distinct
sh rt sentences, carefully pointed, good ink.
and excellent stationery-somewbat after the
parliamentary fashion. He is a prodigicus
worker, and, fear, even in his prostration,
cannot keep his hand firm pen and pencil.
c leb Gushing writes very rapidly, and it re-
quires one familiar with lis manuscript to in
terpret it. OF all men, however, none was
harder to understand than Thaddeus Stevens.
have some notes of his which would puz-
zle an expert. John Lothrop Motley, the
historian, is singuiary ptecise Tbackpray
seemed to rejoice liz small feminine clarac-
ters, and took great delight, in his letters to
his friends, in decorating the border with all
manner Of curious caricatul es. Robert T.
Conrad, the poet, was a most delicate and
ditettante writer. Some of his poems were
not less models OF literary beauty than OF
mechanical taste. William B. Reed, so wei
known in politics and in literature. writes
hand very much like the venerable Henry C.
Carey-fair to look upon, but sometimes hard
TO dec:pber. Stephen A. Douglas dashed off
his letters without much regard to appear
ance. He seemed to be always undsr high
pressure. and what he wrote was written with
intense feeling. John c. Fremont signs his
name boldly, a little after the Dickens style.
William 81. Seward was excessively particu-
lar in the preparation of his speeches. and
compo: ed with great deliberation. l teard
an old stenographer say that after b.. had
taken down Mr.. Sc ward literally, in one of
his greate~t efforts, and presented him the
full report, the statesman re-cast the whole
discourse, and sent it to the printers in his
own round hand. Senator Morton writes in
bold, round characters. Tturlow Weeds is
significantly editorial-anybody who sees 1t
can tell that he has ie led off null itudinous
leaders. McMiehael. of the North Ameri-
can, writes nervously. in straight lines, ire
quently hard 10 solve. He would be for
tune to any new paper, if he would allow a
shorthand reporter to take down the words
as they fall from his lips. We have no bet
ter debater nor conver sationalist. Boxer,
the poet, prides himself upon his cool and
dainty chirography. Rufus Cfoate was a
dreadful affiiction to the printers when they
got hold of his legal papers. and the man who
most resembled him in his time, George w.
Barton, of Pennsylvania, was almost as pro-
life in his oratory as in his handwriting, and
it was far easier to enjoy his magnificent rhet-
oric than his written sentences. Fillmore
style was methodical and slow; Pierces
quick. bold, and legible; Lincolns small.
careful, and rather labored; Grants unpre-
tending and easily read.