The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1874-04-30
THE MAN, HORACE GREELEY
Attribute from Bayard Taylor.

ayfor.
The New York Tribune contains tribute to
Horace Greeley, d portion of which we transfer
to Onr columns rs worthy alike of its gifted au-
thor and its subject:
my own intercourse with him, though often
interrupted by absence or divergence of labor
was frank at the start, and grew closer and more
precious with every year. In all my experience
nf men, | have never found one whose primitive
impulses revealed themselves with such marve-
Ions purity and sincerity. His nature often
seemed to me as crystal-cl,ar that of child
In my younger and more sensitive days he often
gave me transient wound; but which wounds
healed without a scar, aud always found after
ward that they came from the lancet of a physi-
clan, not from the knife of an enemy. | first saw
Mr.. Greeley in June, 1874, when was boy of
nineteen. / applied to him for an engagement
to write letters to the Tribune from Germany
His reply was terse enough. "NO descriptive
lettersi" he said: al am sick of them. When
yOu have been there long enough to know some
thing, send to me, and, if there is ANYTHING in
your letters / will publish them" l waited
nearly year, and then sent my seventeen let
tiers, which were published They were shallow
enough, l suspect; but what might they not
have been without his warnin-f
Toward the end of lS46, while | was engaged
IN the unfortunate enterprise of trying to estab-
lish a weekly paper IN Pheuixville Pennsylva-
mia, wrote to him. foreseeng the failure of my
hopes, asking his assistance in procuring literary
work in New York. He advised me las | suspect
he has advised thousands of young men) to stay
i'll the country. But had stayed in the country,
and year too long; and another month found
me in New York, in his Office with my story of
disappointment, and my repeated request for his
favorable influence. 81 think You are mistaken
he said: "but will bear you in mind if hear
of any chance" Six weeks afterward to my
great surprise, flor had supposed he had unite
forgotten me.) he sent for me, and offered me a
place on the Tribune. / worked hard and inces
sanity dining the summer of ls4S, hearing never
a word of csmmeldatiOn or encouragement; but
one day in October he suddenly came to my desk
laid his hand upon my shoulder, and said: .'You
have been faithful, but now yOu need rest. Take
a"week's holiday, and go into New England"
obeyed, and found, on my return, that lie had
ordered my salary to be increased
l think none of his associates, at that time.
ever wrote line which he did not critically
read. His comments sometimes seemed rough,
but they were always wholesome and almost in
variably just. Once lie called me into his room,
pointed to poem of mine which had just ap-
peared in a literary magazine, and abruptly
asked, Why did you publish that gassy stuff"
My indignation was even greater than my aston
ishment l retorted fiercely: "Mr. Greeley, l
should feel hurt by your question, if | had any
respect whatever for your Judgment in regard to
pOetryW He smiled a sad, furgiving smile, and
said nothing. Years afterwartl | saw that he
was right; the poem was only piece of high
sounding rhetoric; for which "gassy" was per-
haps a coarse but certainly not inappropriate
discipline to which he subjected me was excel
lent; if not the result of his intellectual percep-
ton, it manifested an instinct even more remark
able.
Two pictures equally illustrative of the man
remain with me from that first year. One an
afternoon in the little editorial Office under the
roof; Mr.. Greeley bending over the yellow trans
fer paper on which the dispatches were written
The light from the window fell upon the top of
his bald head, which presented its full eircum-
ference to me as he leaned down. was looking
at il vacantly, when l saw fiery flush rise from
his neck and temples like a wave and food the
white crown. The next moment he rose threw
back his head, and uttered fearful shrek He
flung his hands up and down; cried at has
come! 1t has comet" and laughed in a half deli
riOus ecstacy. 1t was the news of the passage of
the WilmOt provisO
Another day his little son Arthur, whose ex-
quisite features, blue eyes, and golden hair re- |
main in my memory a more angelic apparition !
than any cherub face which Raphael ever paint |
ed, came into the Office to meet him. on his re- |
turn from journey. When he saw the boy he |
gave a similar shrek, caught him under his |
arm, tossed him aloft, and finally clasped him to
his breast with a worthless cutlery of passionate |
love and JOY so intense that almost shnddered |
to hear it. l felt that had caught one of the |
clews to a correct understanding of his nature;
that he was 'dOwered with a love of love- |
which, in this retricient world feels itself to be
something akin to weakness, and often feipns its |
in order to mask its presence. He did
not see, nor do most so lowered see, that it |
equally belongs to the strength of strength
have had many differences of opinion with
Mr.. Greeley, but l can conscieutionsly declare
that there were none of them that did not finally
draw me closer to him. A little more than a |
year ago he published article which thought
unjust to Government official, who is an init
mate personal friend of mine. / wrote to him at
once, Directing to his views, and claiming at
least, suspension of Judgment. He replied,
giving bis reasons for the unfriendly criticism,
yet, as l thought, according too little weight
10 my contrary representations. / wrote again,
and more earnestly than before-so earnestly,
indeed, that, after the letter was dispatched. 1
ieit that he might have reason to feel offended
At some of the expressions it contained But
when | met him he stretched forth his hand,
with that smile of ineffable sweetness which no
'ne can ever forget upon whom it fell, said:
Are you still angry with mer patiently
heard my explanation, and assured ME that, as it
should be confirmed by circumstances, full repa-
alton would be made.