The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-06-13

their 'n'Es iulrowcl with the lash they Wcre
osiraciscd from society; their names wcrc nail
cd TO tho pillOry as the synOnymes Of incen-
dinr"s and consplfaiors; The few feeble news
papcrs which cspouscd their doctrines wcrc
broken up; their types thrown into the public
street; their editors shot down, and their pa-
irons warned to dcsist from receiving thc pcsti-
lent sheets into their houses on pain OF tho
dircst inlcions Of the codC Of judge Lynch.
spectable newspaper press OF the country
ilinched from the line of duty. the Erqpbg Post
mover inilcd TO advocate at any cost the sacred
of an epoch which will stand without parallel
for infamy in the history Of the United Siatcs.
to maintain this right They were the Cincin
natl Gdsehe. edited by Charles Hammond; the
S neRam ;g and tho Ye% YORK Ersg SSS I5s en eon
trollcd by William Cullen Bryant. Hammond
TH1 bH6csnsh"lm 6o long TnSe pass9 AWAY
ory for his good deeds in the dark days OF
1913 In the later stages OF this struggle for
the right OF free asscmblage and free spgGch.
other leading journals camc to the front They
did not bear the heat and burden Of the day ike
the Gazette, the Courier. and the Post. but they
In these evil days It Ia wise to contemplate in
stances Of journalistic Independence and cour:
age. Mr. bryant claimed to be "A Democrat and
was n regular membcrof the organization down
TO the formation Of tho Republican party in
| 1918. The Post was his organ and through 1t
| lie spake To the country giving no uncertain
sound on public questions. especially those per-
party had imbibcd the infatuated idea Of
| strengthening themselves byextcndng the area
| q such superior minds as Van Buren,. Benton.
| Wright md Blair, the slavery tropagandlSts
determined to annex Texas TO the Union for tho
| purpose Of planting the haeiul institution
therein. A small but horoic band Of Democrats
| resisted this wild scheme from tho momento Of its
| inception. Van Buren, andhis followers In New
| York, who then began To be known as Barn
burners, looked askancc at the project. but they
| 1t in the bud But the Erenii0 Post did not
| hesitate to follow whore duty led. II denounced
| the plot in its inception, exposed tho Interior
| objects OF the cons prntOrs and fOrctOld (which
| subsequently came to passl that its consummn-
tion would ruin the Democratic party. Week
| Indignation against the policy of anneNatlon. so
prsGnient OF present sv,i 50 g oi n"i9Ts tbis
| famous contest. had many coHdlutors NJ ms
side, hut among Democratic journals the I0ss
Having made such political record in stormy
| years. II was nero matter OF course f.r Mr.
| Bryant 10 become n member OF the Republican
| party when the sun began 10 break through tue
| clouds.
We have dwolt longer upon the political
| phases Of MIR. Brynnts career than we should
| otherwise have done had We not supposed they
| had been almost forgotten by the younger Ern-
| Grafton. who know him chiefly ns "A poet con-
tributor to literary periodicals. and the author
| tion Of monuments and the Ike. But in our
| opinion the events 10 which we have referred
mark the heroic period of Mr., Bryants life. -,
We shall not CntsT intV ne h 7pGefi OF y mr.
n catalogue Of them nor cr.uc,se them. lie IS
sometimes called the first ~ American poets.
| on this side OF the Atlantic; in Others, one or
two overshadow him; He reminds 4, oi Thomas
Country Churchyard' q poem which perhaps
more than any other has been the delight Of cul-
gd mn MnS %SrG nSt p2e ana r. 25 Be
famous English bard wrote but little but he
polished that ttle to the highest degree ot re-
| ilnemcnt. In this particular Bryant resembles
| him. Compared with his prosaic productions
the stanz9s Of Bryant are few hu, they ,n were Were,
exquisite polish which mis- artistic hand could
put upon them. His works are in MI the public,
| Libraries. and ar" found on the mules on more ot
| our people than those Of any other American,
with the possi lille exceptions Of L1ngirliow and
Whittier Though an ardent polltlciAn anu
aesthetic rciorm-r Bryant was always faithful To
the muses.. Whom he sat down t. write poetry
he dismissed other subjects from his mind. His
stanZas therefore, are almost perfect OF their
kind. They are true transcripts Of nature ond
choice Specimens Of the philosophy Of the soul
His descriptive style is easy and charming. in
trrspersod here and there with moral tou'hrs
Wmlan ui"f"," ine nyain az, 81 i n'1h t ,n n. t,
stincts ot his nature The usual current of his
thought is deep, his selected themes nre Een@r-
ally serious aud tinged with an indl-criuahle
puthoS and melancholy which piraSrs. bryant >
love Of nature was ardent and sincere, II
to gnze uuon mountains valleys. cultivated
fields buhbilng streams. shrubs and iowrts.
nnd hc described them. and the moral scnti-
ments which naturally spring from our hr,"-
citation with them. with rare iidoiity ami iru" d"-
poet. but never failed TO be- simple aud PLAIN SO
simple ana PLAIN ns 10 ne understood pI tAe
cDmmOneSt Glasses Oi society,
| Mr. Bryant was great traveller lie
went over Europe and dipped into The
edges OF Africa and Asia. Bong arquaini,d
with the languages Of many modern nhiions, ne
enjoyed his truves, for he could easily h"ome
acquainted with the peoples and institutions
Of the countries he visited. He crossed the
ocean. we believe, eight times. lie publish
ed many volumes of his Journeys. written in
his usunl graceful styl" but remarkable neither
| Tor the amplitude Of the Information they con-
yry nor for the graphic descriptions Of the
ul1ces he Visited. These volumes are more or
| substance Of some OF them appeared rst IN the
shape of familiar letters in the InN we pro
sumo they would never have been bound III
boards, calf. or morocco.
Mr.. bryant was a prolific writer Of prose
In all the various forms of editorial articles in
nrwspApers IN contributions 10 ihoh,hIS hhEh
| zines ana uunrtrrllcs, In preinccs 70 BOOKS und
compilations hy other hands, and in Ofdtions
| ana short uudlrSses on several ErrH anu some
small occasions. His editorials IN the uuily
press would w many volume ana Mheh We
romemhcl that they We're blows struck IN mo
! red hrut of great emergencies, th"y arc ~ more
value t9 the country and to humanity man ms
more elaborate and deliberate works In truth,
| nobody but the conductor of daily neW-paIo or
can form any adequnte idea of how much oi
genius logic, rhetoric. and knowledge of gr"nt
things and small. can suffice TO supply the
ever -ynwnng NAV OF the greedy pubic And
Mr.. Bryant for ilty years was "A contributor 10
tho columns Of daily journal IL the city OF
New York.
Mr.. Bryant WIS n man Of tho simplest tastes
and habits From early youth he delighted in
the country, ndlovedto 70 roam over its hi and
| through its valleys. He was nm expert gym
mast After lie had pHSsed the milestone Of
fOurscore. hc could outwalk many young man
at his rural home in Berkshre or on the
paVcmcnts of the metropolis. Forty years ago
h. listened to the lectures on hygiene and die
tetics Of that erractic genius, sylvester Graham.
the founder OF what was once known as the
Graham system, and even yet fingers among US
in tho shape Of Graham bread. Graham wus u
superb lecturer. He was II n0tive,born orator,
and carried his audiences along with him to the
EXTREMIST lengths He not. only ,diseardrd
spirits and wine and every form Of alcoholic
beverages, but placed the drinking Of tea and
coffee, and the eating OF meat, and the use Of
pepper and condiments of that description
among the deadly sins. Graham produced II
strong impression upon all who had dyspepsia
or the blues, arising from indigestion, but did
not exactly know what allied them. So, under
his teachings. thousands Of scmi-invalids in
New York and New England throw physic to the
dogs and foil back upon Graham broad
Among them was Mr., bryant, who, gqy,c, an
hams two volumes. which brought him and his
system into prominence before the public. II
is from Graham's theories TINT Mr. Bryant
caught tho idea Of making his breakfasts on
oatmeal practice. we believe, which he pur-
sued with unfalering assldulty fora long series
OF years.
The venerable subject OF this notice had q
high sense ~ personal dignity. which he was