New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-08-15
THE RECORD OF FIFTY YEARS
"REMINISCENCES OF A JOURNALIST.
ny CHARLES T. CONGpoN.
XXXFI.
VALEDlCTORY.

ny CHARLES T. CONGDON
XXXvl.
VALEDlCTORY.
rae FAsClN, TiONs or JOCgNALIsM-THE CHOICE OF
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. WORK As CALL
NG-A WORD FOR NY OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
MEN or TuK PAST 1uR ptRPElUITY or TIKI
REPuBiIC-rHx LAsr GREETING.
The poets have exhausted The resources OF
lar guaee and OF imagination I'D singing vi
fareweils- In journalism, we 90 nor ol4
suffer ourselves to lapse into sucn sen''mcn-
talities. We are like the stern old fathers III
comedies who, instead of crying merely tuin
their heads TO an aside and blow tnelr noses.
We are merged in the columns. we are IKE
the machines for setting type WHICH "'e a. .,S
moment lattling and clatteihg over my neau,
grinding out politics and news popular taies
and minor paragraphs. We are kept neces-
sarlly 10 q certain line OF political opinion; we
ore advocates lighting the oa'ues Oh gu,
betters; we make toys of TOPICS and taxing
them up in our fingers. twist and shape mem
now into cOmely figure and ana now liito d
grOtesQae as a sculptor might manipulate III
clay. We bring to the WORK such knowledge as
we NAV have acqull ed such learning as we
have not foI gotten; while over the Gaily ana
nightly d;udgpiy there CLEANS lingering
halo of the hopes and the ambiuons OF youth;
and of those large Achievements ioi'o ahI
quar- to- epics in prose and epics IN verse, whlch
Youthful audacity conceived, ana when the
yIrlity OF fifty years Is pOweiless TO execute.
Yet | suppose that il were to choose again,
/ should choose the same career, although had
81 long experience 10 guide me. ClOlste1ed
study is Good isolation to certain tempeIa-
ments Is most congenial; the HE Wnicn mas
IN it the fascination of half active indolence,
which escapes noisome vnlgallty, lrntau hg
scolsm and the fuss OF adventurous specuia-
ton seems the most Il, bic as We LOOK PACK.
But peraaps that Is only the instructive desire
for rest which comes 10 us as tue gay ,Sto"S
old lust rs we think of thr careless Gays OF
childnood when we had nothing TO do except
To o ,,aiuvpl and To ENJOY the uninterrupted
felicity of living and learning. We learn an
too soon that such luxury IL inc'mOatDie
with stalwaIt life. Our necessities are Our
monitors The primal curse nrtates us mo
wholesome activity; and third rate men be
come our eXemplaIs telling u> CCntlnGiIly timt
success of the worldly SOFT, Is the best; that
life being game, and we beng OF THOSE VINO IiVe'
il will be much better to SIT down ana lianuIe
the car Dis aud win something if we do not
win much. How is mere boy TO be wise 7
Sires and gIands ires urge nm INTO ihe heauy
fights, aud he rushes forward To WIN or 20 be
won to gain or to lose ; but always 70 Keep
himself IN active relation TO the world and Its
affairs. He has no calling to the cleilcai pro
fession he does not desire to dose his lelloW
creatures the law tempts HIM not purely
literary life means beggary but IN journalism
he NAV keep himself always near human III
terests. and where he may always near tne
beating of the great human heart. Public
affairs seem large to a boy, as they sometimes
seem small to men. he thinks that the city Oh
Washington is one great conscience. lie sup
posps that Senators have always an lnViSlDle
monitor like that of Socrates, whispering or
integrity and self-sicrifice and duty In thelr
ears. He thinks that Representatives must
experience almost the paDgS OF pariuiiuoh
before parting with publc doliar. lie ass
sumes that man who makes a speech whsch is
to be printed must be competent to do so he
learns at last that the speech WAS never maze,
and that it was not worth pIlntlug Dlt tns
is a dSilusiOn which comes al eiWa1u. ne
Turns to the press as affordlng the best method
of winning his bread rs ihe press makes SEN
atOrs and Representatives. More ana more
educated lads adopt ;his way OF getting Tor
ward aud if they viii only leave behind them
their romantic dreams, ard will be content TO
do much AMI to bear much, ana 10 uhuerstanu
that the press is only an exponent OF me
best public thought, and has and must have ITS
commercial side, 'hay may be sure OF meeting
their weekly bills, with few shillings Jeff
over for unnecessary intucences.
But let me not, in this era OF caIeless man-
DeIs, and in making my farewell DOW 10 my
readers forget how kindly they have received
my gaIralous memories. and how often they
have assured me, ny letters from all pats OF
the country, bow goOd they were III bearing
my foibles and in tOleraung my loquaciIy'
There Is il gTeIt heap OF epistles before me as
yrite-ictterS wi lch were meant BON To
cheer and to correct me. Ole OF them has
come tI0in 50 iar away pace as rams Many
of them daye come IiOiD a city 50 impatient Oh
iuaccuracy rs Boston, locanty III winch no
body was ever knows G., make a mistake tx
Senators have dcig- -d 10 set me il%ht. All
were cfuially written, though the Wilteis were
unable to estimate character as | az, OF TO see
events rs | saw them. hat L hdd 20 lay Oh
MI. Webster, for Instance, was very pfOFOca-
tive OF friendly ItmCn>tl alice never I'M
ders.O and think that | snail never uh4tr-
stand. the particular SPELL winch TINS Glstln-
Cusbed man exercised over MINDS W1Ich am
constrained to say were superior to ms own
am sure ! may saT over consciehcts WhGh were
more tender. Hee is a letter whIoh could
rtti, l. G. IlDIn
distinguished aad learned clergyman OF
New gland who was very good To me when
i was a boy. What scenes 1t recalled OF me
beautiful Elizabeth Islands, ana esDeclliiy OF
Nausbon, the queen OF item az l heard
again TIE friendly voice; | recalled aomohl,
tions which | should have needed better; 1
remembered the otIus Which We took together
as we head the whisper or the sea upon one
side and the whisper OF the wood upon the
other. Alas! how long ago seemed. Inc
new books which we theo talked OF have be-
come Dbsolete The old ones, perhaps, have be
come fiesher and freshcr; my mentor ana my
self Lave come nearer The point at when all
human guidance will cease yet writing here.
under this hot New York sun, tllnk OF those
autunnal Afternoons; OF the grave dlscGms
which we had upon the shore ana PICK bis
letter out from the bundle, anu drop upon IL
a hot tear Oh two, because IN 1t he speaks of my
mother TO whom owe all l have worthIly
been and all hope 10 be.
All lives which extend over hall century are
worth considering. 1t would he none the worse
for men ii they were somewhat more III the habit
of sitting down and philOSOphicaliy regarding
their own. young man cares ioi nothng' De-
cause he has before him, OF thinks that be has,
rich opportunities of repairing mistakes. An
oIde, man las 40 such consolation. he is what he
has made himself. 1 he seed sown long ago crops
out afteI a long inter val OF sunmeis. But L
have not proposed III the coul Sc OF these
papers to preach seImons aud shall not begin
now when they are to be brought to close.
The young critics will know more when they
get older; the old ones, sure, will put