New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-07-25

recollections because, one fine Summer morn
ing. when with sore heart 1 was DONG
scriveners work in registry OF deeds, saw
him slowly pacing with Pall-Mal manner man
under the great elms upon the other side Oh
the street. He had come to New-BeGforu 10
be married to the adopted daughter OF one OF
its most distinguished citzens-the Hon; Joseph
Grinnel who was in the XX n.y. .e AAiA Mn
Grinnell was of the same FAMILY Wnlch hot
many years ago was distinguishes IN the com
mercial and political circles of New-fork put
he was himself distinguished at washington
for his fidelity to the duties OF his position, Tor
his admirable grasp of all financial questions,
and for an integrity of which nobody ever
dared to express doubt. They used to call him
the Deacon in Washington wish there were
more members there now. worthy to be included
i'm such diacOnate. He had his district IN his
hand, and went back 20 the Capitol just as long
as he pleased to go. 1t was famous district
that sandy, whaling, fishing border OF the
member it stood by him noby: II sent old
John Reed steadily from 1921 to lS4l to
Washington to look out Tor Its interests. ne
might have gone longer only the Wings wanted
him in moment OF emergency, as canuiuaee
for ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. Governor Briggs,
of Berkshire County, was the candidate 1or
Governor and somebody said felicitOusly IN
the Convention ave will give them goldfish
and potatoes u And we did 1t. The man Oh
potatoes-ho had been a halter when young
was our Governor for six years, and he had
plain John Reed for his lieutenant all that tlme
wish that somebody could tell me why the
people nowadays get so much sooner urea OF
their servants. Public men do not seem to he
reelected over and over again as they used 10
be. Political life appears TO be growing
shorter and shorter. The voters may trust as
implicitly, but they get weary OF names ana
persons more swiftly. Is it because the 0illces
are so few compared with the crowd which
desires them I Sometimes | look down upon
the great shOulderlng, elbow1ng, Wnggnng
host of those who have been elected or APP
pointed, or who want to be; and can tnlnk OF
nothing bat Thomas Caryles pot OF vipers"
Pray let nobody believe that ! mean any as
respect No one lifts his hat higher than do
to the man who by courtesy Is called Honor
able. Rather more even tnan the man VINO Is
elected after heady fight, do reverence the
other person who is not His merits may nave
been quite equal to those which secured
success. He may have been merely the Victim
| of a rainy day or of a badly watched ballot
| box-Of chance of mischance or of mismanage-
ment But at least, in the old times, if he got
| i'm. he was apt to stay in. Possession was nine
| points of the law, and one over. That was the
happy fortune of Honest John Reed, in our cod
| fish district and his father, another john Reed
had the seat before him. They used to speak
| of the last John as the life me mber." Those
two together were in Washington as the Cape
Cod Representative for twenty -four years. ]
have pleasant recollection OF John tno
| Younger. When he was Lieutenant Governor
| of Massachusetts and had the executive
clemency in his hands, he pardoned for me a
great scouDdrel who was my client Tor was
then in the law He was fine, old fashioned
man. dressed in honest black, and with large
ruflle to his shirt. Perhaps It would have a
! good moral effect, if we could have shlrt-ruties
| (and the appropriate snuff- boxes restored
Possibly these had something to do with good,
| gentlemanly manners, which really are not so
| common as they once were.
And speaking of gentemanly manners, am
reminded of Mr.. n p. Willis, whom l left
| strolling up the street in our old town. lie
deserves mention here not as poet, though
| some of his poetry was clever, but as a
| journalist and as an exceedingly good one. lie
| has shared the fate OF all who give their time
and talents and strength to newspapers !;
there is all the more reason why IN these papers
| he should be freshly remembered. lie never
| mad anything to do with politics probably he
did not know much about them; but his
| editorial work In The Mirror, III Ihe New
| Mirror in The COrsdir and lastly Ill 1he Home
| Journal did good deal to correct the some
what savage and coarse style OF the prevaillng
! journalism of the period. If the matter OF his
articles had been as good as the manner, and II
he had not principally confined himself to
evanescent topics, he would have made fame
equal to that Of Addison or OF Washington
! Irving. But he would write, III English which
to-day still think to be exquisite, about hats
and coats, parties and receptions and all manner
of fashionable tweededum and tweedledee
| He was intensely egOtlstical, but then 1t was
|
was Enthusiastically fOppish in his work, but some
how you could not help feeling that there was
| good degree Of manliness under 1t all, and
here and there great cropping out OF common
sense. Mr. Willis had III large measure that
best faculty of a jOurnalist-he knew what
people would like TO read. The letters which
he sent to his different newspapers from Europe
might be little airy and sef-suflicIent, but he
described people in whom everybody was
interested, at time when literary information
| from abroad was not so full as 1t is now. Those
who thought that he tOadied and man@uvred
| to get into good society IN London, were much
mistaken. An artist who was there at the same
time assured me that MI. Willis's society was
sought for, and that he had no difficulty IN
meeting the best people. He came back to his
work. .and kept to it cheeriully and assiduously
to the very last. He was lied about ana
| Gbelled but 1t never seemed very much 20 disturb
| his equanimity. Most men who are clever and
successful meet with the same annoyance.
Mr.. Willis's many books, now mostly unre-
menbered, with their fantastic titles and
frequent rehashing. brings Inc again to the
| self whether, if / mad my life to live over, |
| would try to put what had to say into two or
three books, which might have a chance or
living or once more be content with a mite
humble usefulness in my day and generation,
and SO accept oblivion cheeriully / re-
member talking this matter over WIN my
| excellent friend and monitor, DR.. Epnram
Peabody, Of Kings Chapel, III Boston--thc
fine scholar ana eloquent PREACHER Oh whom
Harriet Martneau speaks 50 kindly In her
Retrospect of Western Travel" He had the
instincts of a scholar, and he thought that every
Young man OF literary aspirations should try to
produce what he called remarkable book"
pointed to his library and said: What
chance is there of a remarkable book, or for its
author" l had brought MIN great package OF
nv. poems, but he did not seem to think that
these, whether in folio, or quarto or octave,
would he considered remarkable" AT this
| IN L It,
| though | see now, when it is too late how
right he was and what an addleheaded youth
| must have been. l know now, that Dr.
Peabody, the clearest of thinkers, as well as
the kindest of men, was not thinking so much
| OF the remarkable book aforesaid, as he was of
lie stndy and indnstrY the thOdght and