The Portland daily press., 1875-05-04
Our New York Letter.
NEW YopR Moyo 10


| He was the second in point of age the third in
point of survival, of the four brothers who built
up the greatest publishing house in the
western world. He was like his elder brother,
| the ex-Mayor, man of iufinite humor and
very comPanonable and kindly, but he wa,
endowed with uncommon natural abilities and
his sagacity and foresight were extremely eff
cacious in laying wide and deep the founda-
tions OF the colossal establishment which is a
fitting monument TO his memory. In the early
days. when his struggle with fortune was in
cessant and often doubtful he probably toied
SO incessantly and laboriously as to leave him
self small leisure for pleasure seeking; but
during the afternoon of life be enjoyed himself
about as well as any man of his years in the
city. He always left the counting room at 2
o'clock, went home to his luxurious house in
Fifth Avenue, ate bis dinner and started out
for drive. He had great pride in his eques-
trianism and always owned the fastest horses
that money could buy. 1t used to be his
special delight to jog along the road in a slow
and easy way, till some attempted to get
by him, and then, just as the horses got
abreast of each other, to give clkl cpkl
which the animal recognized as a signal for an
onward movement and responded to with
pleased alaerity. Many and many such en-
counters have taken place on the great high.
way north of Central Park, but nobody ever
succeeded in beating him. He knew SO much
about horses that be never got caught at his
own game by Bonner or Vanderbilt, who drove
behind beasts that had no rivals. Like all the
family for five generations he was Metho-
dist, and one of the most consistent and faith
full lay members of that denomination. He
helped to build and attended from its compile
tioD the beautiful church Oh the corner of
Fourth Avenue and East Twenty-second
street, known as st. Paups Sometimes when
he was rallied on the absoutism with which
his sect was governed, be used to say good
naturedly, that that was more of theory than
fact, for the people who voluntarily furnished
the supplies were reasonably safe against eccle.
siastical tyranny. He was good neighbor, q
steadfast friend, an honorable, upright, God
revering, man loving citizen. Many sons and
daughters and grandchildren survive him to
enjoy the heritage of his ample fortune, and
better still of his good name.
All the brothers have left sons to succeed
them and some of the soDs' sons have already
grown to mans estate and taken their places
as members of the firm. The second and third
generations evince quite as much talent and
enterprise as their sres possessed, and are con-
stantly enlarging the area of their operations
and the sources of their powers. The Weekly
and the Monthly are in themselves productive
of immense profit, their circulation being
simply prodigious. And then they have such
means of spreading abroad the books thev pub
lsh, that pretty much anything which bears
their imprint is certain TO prove profitable.
Of course they exercise great deal of tact and
judgment in their seecsons, but they have
rare advantages in the fact that they get the
first choice of nearly everything that goes to
press
The Harpers are indeed q wonderful family,
and the establishment which the fathers
created and the sons and grandsons perpetuate
is au honor alike to them and to the city. But
perhaps one of the most interesting points
about them is the tenacity with which they
adhere to each other. These cousins and
cousins cousins, of whom there are at least
half score, are as accordant and harmonious
as their fathers we're and make room for each
new conner with ready recognition of his right
in virtue of his name to share in the common
| inheritance.
franklin Square, on which their edifce fronts,
is not by any means fashionable quarter now.
The march of improvement and the rage for
change has turned the current westward and
northely. Once upon time, so the tradition
runs, it was the site of stylish dwellings occu.
pied by the merchants and well-to-do men of
the period. Now it has fallen into the hands
of shop-keepers who do not affect palatial
quarters, and occasionally one sees a lager beer
Zee,
institutions, it must be noted, thrive most lust
lily in quarters inhabited by people who do not
appear to thrive at all.
But though the Surroundings to the templs
of the Harpers are not especially attractive,a
visit there will well repay anybody who il
either scholarly or curious. If one derives
most interest from the books they make, the
other will find ample scope for his penchant
for sightseeing in viewing the marve!s of ma
chinery and steam power through whose
agency the books are made in such vast num-
bers. Now and then peradventure visitors may
be fortunate enough to catch glimpse of the
cultured master of pure English, who makes
the editorial columns of the Weekly and the
Easy Chair of the Monthly so readable and
instructive; who sets an example to! all his
profession, of the dignity, grace and refine
ment with which a newspaper should be con-
Quoted, and who reflects such credit upon the
literature of his age and country. The Amer
lean press has no ADLER Eor purer representa-
tive than George William Curtis and it is an
other Instance of the discrimination of the
Harpers that they have secured the services of
the foremost man in that branch of letters.
Once in a while, perhaps, though not so often,
fba ario iuin pott b.
est that ever did live-still young and still
achieving-may be seen there for moment.
Mast, however, seldom comes to New York.
His work is done at his house in Morristown,
N. j. His genius is scarcely more wonderful
than his readiness. He sketches with equal rap
idty and originality. He has done enough al
ready to render his fame immortal, but there ara
scores of years left to him in which to achieve
new wonders. If ever the time should come
when some great wrong to the state is to be
held up to exposure and scorn, there is no man
who can do SO much to throw od:um thereon
by merciless satire. He has not only been
always on the side of good morals but has re-
sisted the strongest possible temptation to
swerve from the path of recttude. He was
the only man who inspired Tweed with absO-
lutte terror. The "Ring" could have better
borne the excoriating philipplcs of the Times
than the ptiless cartoons Of Mast, because
their followers could not all read, but every
one of them could look at and take in the
meaning of picture. So Tweed's men made
insidous approaches to bim and offered him
fortune if be would desist from pursuing them.
The only consequence Of this attempt at nego-
tiation was that he exhibited their rascalities
in still more vivid eolors. His dislike of frauds
and sbams is ineradicabe, and will always
make his pictures as satisfactory from an eth
lcal standpoint as they are pleasing to the eye.
| He has one fault which i fear is incurable.
His aptipathy to Catholicism has the intensity
of bigo,ry. This ipfrmity keeps him GEN.
tury behind his age in his views about religious
sects. He forgets entirely that the utilitarian
tendencies of these times constitute a perfect
safeguard against every form of spiritual DOM
ination, that there is no more danger in a car
dinaPs bat in free republic, than there is of q
decoration to victorious soldier, and that we
have greater reason 10 apprehend an eclipse
than m pyeess of faith Sill in the nraseree