The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-17


His Majesty the Emperor of Brazil sus-
tains his reputation as q monarch of energy
and resolution in his manner Of seeing the
United States. We heard of his visits to
Europe and how he startled London by
going everywhere at the earliest morning
hours driving about in q common hackney
coach, and seeing the great metropolis at a
time when his hosts were in bed.
He takes hold of New York in the
true American fashion, for we must never
forget that our. guest is an American in
the fullest sense, by birth and rank, and not
one of your wornout, useless monarchs
about whom the writers of memoirs like
lose no time in seeing our continent. When
the Secretary of State, as was proper, met him
with a tender of the nations hospitality, he
pushed him to the one side and insisted
upon being let alone. When the guns
were laundering forth a salute to a
vessel on which he did not happen
to be he was quietly driving up
Broadway in q common coach, whose
driver we have no doubt was bothering in
his mind as to whether he should not add
an extra dollar to the fare for crossing the
ferry. Instead of resting latter the fatigues
of travel" this American potentate, soon
he finished quiet dinner, hurried off to
tho theatre, paying for his box, like true
American. and declining to be posted on the
bill as an attraction" by the judicious
Tooker. Then, after the play, having seen
what our theatres could do in the way Of in
terpreting Shakespeare, His Majesty visited
the Office OF the HERALD to see how we print
the greatest newspaper of the world.
Instead Of coming, as many guests
do, in broad daylight when the minor
Offices of journalism are doing His Majesty
came at the still morning hour, when most
of the routine labor of making a paper is
over and the mighty machines begin the
work of throwing the complete paper into
the world. Sir Walter Scott told travellers
in Scotland that if they would view Melrose
Alright they should see it by the pale moon
light. We believe all well-informed sight
seers 90 to the Colosseum when the moon is
up, and if there is no moon they
take fireworks with them, and have
moon of their own. The HERALD,
like the Colosseum and the Abbey of
Melrose, needs to be seen at night. When
midnight is past, and the reporters have all
sent up their copy and gone home; when
the belated educator Of public opinion is
hurrying off the last lines of an editorial or
criticism, then is the time to see the
HERALD. The type rapidly falls into place
under the def hands of the printers the
stereotypers speedily transfer into melting
lead and hardened plates the completed
pages, and the mighty machines, uncouth,
terrible, pitiless in their power and energy,
which have been waiting all the hours like
hounds in the leash, seize upon the stamped
metal, and give the HERALD to the world.
This was the hour, the supreme hour, of the
HERALDs life chosen by His Majesty for a
visit to the office. We do not wish to seem
to intrude upon his imperial reserve enough
to repeat the terms of admiration and won
der with which he expressed his apprecia-
ton of the power of free newspaper in
America.
Our American Emperor has allowed him
self but little time for this great con-
tinent. But he loses no time. He will
hurry over the continent to California, re-
turn and remain long enough to see Sherman
and Longfellow, whom he has expressed
wish to know, and then hurry to the
Centennial to Boston, and home by the way
of Europe and the East. We must confess we
are proud of our American Emperor as far
as he goes. He is just the kind of
an Emperor we should expect from
great American country like Brazil. He
travels without noise or ceremony; he goes
to the heart of every question. He sees
whatever is to be seen; wastes no time upon
Secretaries of State or mere Ministers of the
Cabinet; hurries to see Shakespeare; then to
see how the great newspaper is made; then,
in the morning, to church, like good Chris
tim. We have yet to know whether His
Majesty thinks we are ''great country or
not That is the question that we believe all
visitors are expected to answer some time or
other. We only trust that the impression
thus far made upon the mind of His Majesty
will be strengthened by his stay.
Mr.. Conkiing and the Independent