The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1873-03-06
HORACE GREELEY.

l first saw Mr.. Greeley in June, lo4l
when ] was n boy of nineteen. | NJ
Piled to him for IN engagement to writ
letters TO the 7ribunc from German,
His reply was terse enough. "NO do
scriptive letters |" he said 81 nm sic
OF them. When you have been ther
long enough 10 know something, send t.
me, and if there is any thing in you
letters, ! will publish them" ! waitoC
nearly a year, and then sent Seventeen
letters, which were published. They
were shallow enough, / suspect; buI
what might they not hayo been without
bis warning2
Toward the end Of lS47, while | was
engaged in the unfortunate enterprise
Of trying to establish u weekly paper in
Phmnixyille, Pennsylvania | wrote to
him-forc-Beeing the failure Of my hopes
asking his assistance in procuring
literary work in New York. He advised
me Gas suspect be advised thousands
OF young mem to stay in the country.
But | had stayed in tho country II ycur
too long 80 another month found me
in New York, in his Office, with my
story Of disappointment, mud my re-
peated requests for his favorable inlu-
cnce. 81 think you are mistaken" he
said "but | will bear you in mind il
hear OF my chance"
Six weeks afterwards, to my grcnt
surprise, dor J suppose he had quito1
forgotten me- he sent for lne and offer
ed me n place on the Tribune. ] work
ed hard and necessarily during the sum
mer OF 1913, hearing never "A word Of
communication on encouragement but
one day in October he suddenly came
to my desk, laid his hand upon NV
shoulder and snId You have been
faithful but now you need rest. Take
a weeks holiday, and 90 into Now Eng.
land" obcyod, and found, on my re-
turn, that he had ordered my salary to
be increased.
| think none Of bis associates, at that
time, ever wrote a line which he did
not critically read. His comments
sometimes seemed rough. but they were
always wholesome, aud almost i%nyarin-
bly, just, Once BIO called me into his
room, pointed to "A poem OF mine which
had Just appeared in a literary maya.
zine, and abruptly asked; "Why did
you publish that gassy stuff" NV
indignation wos even greater than my
astonishment. | retorted G~crcely
Mr.. Greeley, I should feel hurt by
yonr question, If | hnd any respect
whatever for your Judgment iu regard
to poetry !" He smiled II sud, forgiy.
ing smile, and said nothing. Years af-
terward | saw that he was right the
poem was only II piece Of sounding
rhetoric, for which ''gassy" was perhnps
q coarse but certainly not an inappro-
printe epithet. In this, aa in other re
the discipline to which ho sub
Iected me was excellent if not the re-.
suit of his intellectual perception, it
nm instinct even more re-.
narkablc.
Two pictures, illustrative OF the man,
'emain with me from that first year.
)ne, an afternoon in the little editorial
'fice under the roof; Mr.. Greeley bend
Dg over the yellow transfer paper on
which telegraphic dispatches were writ ;
The light from the window fell /
lpon the top Of his head, which pre-. ,
ented its full circumference to ~ he ,
eaned down. was looking at it, va. !
when | saw n fiery scarlet flush q
his neck and temples like n wave !
nd flood the white crown. The neg, /
moment he rose, threw back his head, .
nd uttered a fearful shrick. For a q
nearly, 4 thought him mad. -
flung his hands mp and down, cried .
II has comel IT bas come E. and :,
IN n half-delirious ecstasy. a.
t was the news OF passage of tho VIII y
not Proviso. H.
Another dry, his little son Arthur, ms
exquisite features, blue ewes. @,
nd golden lnir remain in my memory II
, a more angelic apparition than any TO
ierub-face which Raphael ever painted W.
me into the office to meet him, on his he
turn from u journey. When he saw y,
@ boy he gave a similar shrek, caught O.
d under the arms, tossed him aloft, it
d finally clasped him to his breast 81
th a wordless outcry OF passionate SC
70 and Joy, s o intense that l almost I'll
lddered to- hear it. II felt then that tb
sd caught one Of theiclues to a cor ye
t understanding Of his nature that
was powered with u love of love-" pc
ich, in this reticent world, feels it. kn
to be something akin to weakness. pr
.aitenlfeigns its opposite in order to 81
liz IsSapcs, Heidi not nc1 pe,JNA
.M-x ay.r,d -