New-York tribune., 1880-04-04
THE RECORD OF FFIFTYYEARS
"REMINISCENCES OF A JOURNALIST.
BY CHARLES 7. coNCDoN.
XVII.
THE TRIBUNE MEN.


4 HIS MEMORY OF WHAT PIEAsFD HIM-RichAND
HlIDRETH-wILIIAM II. FRY-rhE 0OoNi
oURowsKI-DR. GEORGE RIPLEY.
/ Another word or two of the 0d ana soIels
Iamepted Chief! Others have expressed pleasure
| Mt the Characterization of MIR. Horace Greciey
| which ATTEMPTED in my last chapter, put am
| ,nvself far from being satisfied. recall tral's
which 1 have missed, and find upon general
revision, that the whole lacks complete justice,
which. however, it was hardly possible to
| achieve in the limited space allotted to me-
NAV he pardonCd if Iam sensitive in discharg-
( mo ob;;oa,;ons such Us | owe to this excellent
man.
/ Something more, am sure. should have been
soid of MFR. Greeley's quick literary sense. He
was q man for whom it Yves pleasure to work.
You thought, as you wrote of how be would
Il like this sentence or that illustration, and you
were sure of kind, competent and catholic
Judge He did not always praise; indeed, he
4 sometimes found great deal of fault, but he
did so upon principles which it was impossible
to dispute, with an intelligence which COM
manded respect, and according to universally
accepted canons. He had enc great merit as
An editor-he comprehended precisely what
leading article should be. do not mean to say
1 that he had any peculiar notions; he preferred
t,at writer should lie himself, say, what ne
thought. and say it in his own way. If he could
b not do this after q fashion commanding readers
and respect, Mr.. Greeley thought that me man
had mistaken his vocation, and advised him to
try farming or some other more promising en-
telTrise. An editorial writer, dealing manly
with the manager, had but little to do with Mr.
Greeley, unless that writer happened to make
blundcr. Then he hea1d from the little inside
+ room, ont of which the Chief would issue Ill
state of wrath worthy of the gods
the Managing Editor of THE TRIBUNE, with
whom we we're manly brought dd III cUnCic's ,,d ~
4 periods during which he did not write at all.
Often he would be absent from tl'e ni once od IoT
several weeks 1len he wo,i ia cCme PACK ana
a fol little while fill the whole editorial page
4 and again he would disappear. But ne was al
Mays the Editor Of his own newspaper When ne
b of which lie did rot approve, there was trouble
II and sometimes core trouble, tie particulars OF
b which do not concern the public; More than
81 Rebellion, lie brought THE TRIBUNE round with
sharp turn. In tie mere matter of having hIS
n own WY, there never was an Editor-in, Chief
more positive and self-asScrilng. Considering
B how he impressed his personality upon the
newspaper, | 90 not so much wonder at the
potion IF some Ct lis most ancient readers, \, that
all the articles which were partlcu1alary Dllilant
3 must have been written by himself:
There was the peculiarly about Mr.. Greeley
intellectual constitution, that whatever pleased
him he never forgot. had o personal ek,Re- e
4 j had written, soon after became attached TO
the newspaper, light little article about the
il penny songs which were then exposed for sale
q IN the iailings of st. Pauls Church, and in
T. d her like localities. Twelve years afterward,
= though had quite forgotten the trife, of which
ic did not say word 10 me when it was printed,
received EOte from him expressing the wish
q. that this oor old article might be included in a
~ volume OF my contributions TO THE TRIBUNE
. which I Was then compiling. ! blushed with
satisfaction at his kindly s1gges,to9' , nnd actu-
paper, that Imight read what had given such a
: man pleasure over again. When the book was
{ ready, he volunteered to wlite for it an intro
duction, in which he said that of my work
: which, however uDdeServed, has Teen conso-
lation to me under many circumstances OF mis- mis-
aRd Thot iS e dre
Of newspaper writing was pleased toprint no
consideration of modesty shall prevent me from
here repripting In the prottTaGeted. ardGous
/ throw and extinction of American Slavciy, many
we.e honorabg 6SSnsegoust thorS some y by eo
< end but he who most skilfully, effectively,
persistently welded the trenchaDt blade OF
Satire, was the writer OF the following essays"
think that no man reviewing his life, who has
received such praise from such source, would
resist the temptation to reproduce it, though |
hope that shall be believed when say, that
| doeo rather for the sake of the illustration
which It affords of Mr.. Greeley's kindness of
heart than for any prompting of personal
vanity. Such kindly traits in the character Of
one so widely beloved will lie accepted as
! of the excellence OF his critical judgment.
When came upon THE TRIBUNE in 1857, it
had already taken the first steps toward care
full and comprehensive journalism, and had
ceased to lie the product of q single mind. A
regular foreign and domestic correspondence
had been established, and the editorial cOntri-
/ DutiOng had been multiplied and improved:
Occupyipzga foremost position upon the staff
was Nh Richard Hildreth who had been my
predecessor upon The Boston atlas, and had
won an honorable fame, apart fI0m journalism,
as a writer of valuable books. He had already
published several volumes OF his admirable
( AHistory of the United States" a work Of such
thorough accuracy that the severe and dispas
siOnatc sty L. in which it is written may bC for
/ given even by one who admIes the resOunding
sentences of GlbbOn or the brilliant climaxes of
/ Macaulay. In his newspaper writing, as i'll his
( historical compositions, Mr.. Hlldrelh dld not
rely upon the graees OF lhetorlc; lie hau no
1 lnnOr. and scarcely any wit, but he brought to
| his work such comprehensive knowledge OF bis
| subject, whether he was discussing finance,
or any OF the questions to which tie Institution
of Slavery gave rise, that to answer hlm was
eiways 5,assslt and fr rquently impossible. L
do NOT think that ne " oud now be regarded as
n GOOD writer of leading articles, oXcept indeed
of n limited class AS rule he was not enter
tanning except TO those who were absorbed i'll
the question which nc was discussing; but his
haired of slavery which he understood thor
Ouebiy frcm personal observation, was hearty
otss--unct mprOmising. His novel of Archy
Mooi 3" suits. giently call. d" The White Slave"
was actually written upon Southern plantation.
Mr.. HlIdrcth had been fighting the battle OF
freedom ever since the annexation OF Texas,
of which measure he was vigorous and
Hearty opponent. He was OF a re- eervcd and
somewhat uncOmmunlcative nature. tic
worked much less at the Office than at home,
and when he was with Us he seldom engaged