Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-12-10
The Real ImpressiOn Grant Made In
England

Now that General Grant is no
longer the guest of England, there
is some chance that some ex-
preston of the real impression he
has made may gradually find its
way into print. A little installment
of the opinion formed of him ap-
pears in an editorial of the Times
of yesterday, the article being a
criticism on General Noyes' speech
at the Grand Hotel (Amerlcan)
banquet, in Paris. The Times
says General Noyes' "hyperboles
were extravagant; his talk of
"providential men" (which it in
Inmates was too much in the vein
of some perilous French super
stitions) is " "incongruous when
spoken Of General Grant" whose
soldierly virtues are "dogged" cour-
age, inyincible perseverance, indif-
ference to criticism, the capacity
of supporting reverses without
flinching, the determination to
SHRINK from no sacrifices in order
to reach the end set before him !"
but it denies Grant any such
"genius or brilliancy" as would
place him beside the great COM
manders. General Noyes STRAINS
the language of compliment rough
ly when he affirms that General
Grants place in history as a civil
magistrate will be among the FORE
most" Flatteries indeed will
now pass by him without injury,
and his well-earned repose will not
be disturbed by the delusive belief
that his civil policy was always wise
and just" " 1t is notorious that
General Grant left the largest and
most vital of the problems which per.
picked the country unsettled; that
his failure to settle them brought
his government into discredit, and
almost destroyed his party, and
that President Hayes is now
laboring to repair the err
rors and shortcomings of the
preceding administration on two of
the most important of those ques-
tions-the pacifcation of the South
and the reform Of the civil service" I"
The truth is, the more this people
saw Of Grant the less they liked
him; they got very tired of him /;
the reports Of his movement in the
press shrank and shrank until they
became small paragraphs.
Anyreal conversation with him on
casual introduction was out of the
question, and some complain that
he seemed to come from a country,
which, like India, has no such words
as "thank you" The unwisdom and
corruptions of General Grants ad-
ministration were politely kept out
Of sight while he was here tout of
respect to the American nation,
who it was supposed had put him
forward as a test of international
courtesy, but there is left an un-
easy feeling that General Grant has
gone off with a belief that England
admires his Presidential career.
General Grant, on the strength of
his own qualities or Presidential
reputation, would have received
comparatively little attention in this
country, and no homage at all. l
may add that it has not been looked
upon here nor in Paris as an ad.
mira6le tableau in which the late
President of the United States
was seen hob.nobbing with the
would.be assassin of the French
Republic. There has been al
ready too much Of that kind of
thing among prominet Americans
in Paris during the late empire. 1t
would have redounded more to Gen.
eral Grants credit among the Euro
peans who maintain his country's
principles if, after those principles
had been insulted in his person by
the demand that he should keep
away from France lest his presence
might disparage anti-Republicans
intrigues, he refused to 60 when
the bar was taken down, or, if his
desire to lionize in Paris was too