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

namo William Cullen came from has not
been stated but doubtless he was christ
cncd after tho famous Scotch physician
William Cullen. who died in 1890. four years
previous to the birth of tho subject OF this
notice DIR. Cullen was ono Of the most eminent
medical practitioners and lecturers OF his day,
md for n long time was Professor OF Chemistry
In the University OF Edinburgh. Unquestion-
ably the obscure physician Mt Cummington had
n volume or two Of the works Of Cullen in his
library and hence. on the birth Of his first son.
he named him William Cullen Bryant.
Young Bryant had been trained OF course, In
the common schools OF his native town. Ere ho
saw the academy he began to scribblc verses.
an employment In which he received the en-
couragomcnt OF his indulgent father and when
only ten or eleven years Of age William Cullen
had the qualification OF reading some OF his
poctcal productions in the columns Of the
Hampshire Gazette. They were more imma-
ture than the illusions Of Alexander Pope, who
wrote verses when he was only eleven, and. as
he says Lisped in numbers because the num-
bcrs came" and certainly more jeJune than
the like productions Of Byron, which were 40
mercilcssly castigatcd in the Edinburgh Rerie,c.
and provoked the iratc author to write that ter
rible phillpplc. English Bards and Scotch Re-
viewers" However. the verses Of Bryant were so
meritorous that II was clear to keen observers
that nature had consccratcd him TO the Muses..
After going through the usual preparatory
studies. Bryant entered the sophomore class OF
Williams College and for the two subsequent
years pursued the routine course with such
rare industry that he stood at the head Of his
clnss in the classics and i'm bellies lcttrcs. He
was destined for the legal profession. Anxious
to enter upon what he intended To be his life
pursuit ne retired from college ut iho begin
ming Of the senior year. Lent hinsclf to the
study OF the law. and was admitted 10 the bar in
1913, lust rs he arrived at the age oi q; Among
flN.tf 81,
! the legal profession was " The Embargo, n sa-
tirica little gem. whore in he idiculed President
! jeff ftrson and other leaders Of the Democratic
| party This cngcndcrs the supposltion that
| young Bryant. Ike almost everybody. else in
| Massachusetts ut that time, was Fcdcralist.
| though in later days he was known rs Demo
| crAt, but Of independent pro'liyities;
To those who have known Mr., Bryant as Q
poet. "a journalist. ana political philosopher. II
| seems almost impossible. not to say ludicrous.
| 70 contemplate him a. lawyer wrangling be-
| fore the Justices courts OF the mountain re-
| gions ~ Nassqchusctts. IN the Interest on the
one side or the other. ot those two litigious
| squnhhlcs for many gcqcIatOns have vcNed
! mankind, But, nevertheless, the venerable
| poet unl Journalist. whose elastic step and
! snowy iorks have been SO familiar 10 the New
| York of to-day, was once sharp AMI prclty
successful lawyer IL tho rural districts OF "a
| in which he was engaged and II was only be
cause his nature yearned for literary life that
In lsl7 at the age Of %. he struck the key
| note of his illnstrous career 10y publishing in
| inc -NOitt INtJtfuH htfNF ulS lptIl uhlli-
! topsis.' perhaps the most celebrated of his gifts
to the muses.. 1t certainly IL that with which his
In the opinion Of many, critics he never after
| ward rose TO higher level. II is claimed that
"Thanatopsis Was fomp9sSed S four four y years prefc-
barely possible that Bryant might have COM
posed 4 thus early bTt II i hardly ,9 ,7 be be-;
mciodious philosophy Of ",Thanatop.is, sayo
] gradually cooled. He commcuc'd a 20 write for
! thereviews and qewspapcrs He throw OF some
minor poems. His thoughts became more and
more absorbed IN his pen. Clients fell away.
and he was not angry, but rather glad 81 IT,, He
roamel hther and thither through New Eng
| land delivered a poem in 1921 before the Phi
Beta Kappa Of Harvard College, entitled The
Ages. AM, ne nex. year published in Boston
| front RINK OF American hards.
In 1925 Mr.. Bryant cast aside the last shred Of
/ his legal gown. gathered up his books, hada
| eood-by 10 Massa husrtts. and came to the city
/ Of New York with the intent OF max ing II his
| Il M -.,ny periodical entitled the Nor YORK Re.
rieir ami A'ieuGruu Magazine. in which appear
| camr the olitor of the Evening Past. then ono ~
| the oldest daly nswspggptfs N lhie country. me
a bitter Fedcralist and "a malignant opponent oi
Jefferson. Though the crn of old -insl i.n.i Fed &.
oralism was going ont QI dWe when Mr.. Irynht
| aSsum"l t- editorial chair, n"Vcrthrc~s 1t WAS
| then regarded as anything but DcmocrNlc
journal However the now editor. who had
| east on the utrR-conseryative idr0s Of bis
youth aud Ind imhibed political opinions ot u
| more liberal tone. soon turned his newspaper
| death, u period of % years, the name OF " j,
3m cullen bryant h,s been cG7ely idenIllllg
| has been one Of the familiar phrases Of tho
country. aud, especially in InewspaEcr cir
ST its 'editor-in-chici was n free trader.
| Though this doctrine was not then deemed q
! tst OF orthodoxy in the Democratic party, still
the current Of belief on lhe subject st strongly
in that direction. Mr.. Bryant wns an opponent
e Yha, was eHlied rs bankins m9in9goi Il Gsn.
E9bg l9 E e fr9tsl ntcl '2f scs s"n obR 1R 'Gt
| Tho Erebbg Post was one OF the ahlcst expo
| uent- and defenders of this partcular phase a.
| JacAsoni-m Some Of the best articles which
| appeared IN that journal on the JGcksonian sldo
q the controversy came from the pen Of Mr..
Ihr young mon u to-day have very faint con
ceptions Of the bitterness Of the controversy
over u protective tariff and tho rechHrterlng oi
| during the eight years Of JacksOns : admlnstra,
ton. Foremost on the Democrat |. side stood
| Jackson. Van Buren. Benton. and Wright and
on the other Webster Clay Biddle, and Ewing,
! Nothing can BE- compared with II except the
| slavery commissions ol our own epoch. faity
lines sometimes crossed hs In the memorable
| struggle over the nuitcation theories; ;whlcl
wero ongendnred IN the fertile brain 81 John C.
| Calhoun. on this subject Jackson and Benton
were in accord with Webster and Clay During
the whole Of this historic crisis i'm Amcriean
politics the Post. under tho guidance OF Mr.
! BRYANT was perhaps the nblcst journalistic
supporter Of the principles qnl MEASURES
esp6uscd by the Jackson pnrty. 1t was with the
hero Of the Hermitage" on the torn, the bank
| and uullincatiOn. and against Clay, webster
and the Wings in all these measures except the
last During this exciting period Mr.. Bryant
controlled tho columns Of the POST. but through
n portion Of II he was assisted by the more VIC
orous and fiery pen OF William Leggeu. In
decd il is only stating the exact truth 70 say
that Mr.. Lcggctt was an ADLER journalist thaI
Mr. Bryant. Mr., Van Uuren was nauguratGd
MS the successor OF Jackson in March, 1881
The slavery contest was then at its height The
seryility Of the North was at the lowest point OF
dcgradaton IlOwling mObs pursued the nno-
litonists through tho land. Van Buren,, who
knew better. bent 10 the storm, and in his in.
augural address pledged himself that he would
veto amy act which Congress might pass for the
abolition Of slavery in the District Of Columbia
And now an event occurred in the history OF
the Erening Post. and in the lives OF Mr.. Bryant
and Mr.. Leggett. that IS worthy OF special note
and commendation. Van Buren, and his pro
monliory symptom. Silas Wright had ioroshad-
owed the Sub-Trcasury scheme, and had there
by thrown the bankers and pretty nearly all tho
other fools in the country into cohNulslN1
spasms. The outbreak against the Proposed
financial policy was without parallel in the
Annals of the Union. II was TO tho last degree
unpopular with tho monetary and TRADING
Glasses. But tho Post. though published IN lhe
hauking and commercial metropolis Of ne
Ir,,i..,, Nrrtlv at.,I lN tla President md llH