Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-11-09
ECCENTRICITIEs OF GENIUS.
Some of Horace Greely's PecuIiarites-
A Strange Breakfast Party.

Some OF Horace Greelys Recul1arltes-
A Strange Breakfast Party.
wonder if all overmastering minds are
not cOnspicuOusly weak in some direc-
ton, says New York letter writer in the
Kansas City Journal. 1t was theory of
the late scientist, DIR. George NJ. Beard,
that there was no great men; that eff a
man is great in one direction he is limited
in another" We know it was so with old
Sam Johnson, with Milton, with FOnte-
nellie, with Humboldt, with Franklin,
and later with Sumner, Greeley, and
1 worked on the Tribune under Mr..
Greeley, and, though L saw him every
day, l never yet heard him say good
morning. or s1gOOd evening"" show do YOU
do" or goodbye" or inquire after any
body's health. But he scrupulously an
swered every letter that came to him, and
answered it on the spot, so that the writer
generally got the reply in the next mail.
His conscience was abnOrmally developed
on this subject, and he probably wrote
%, Gs0 letters that did not need writing,
and died the sooner for it. On the street
be seldom smoke to even his nearest
friends unless he had business. 1 have
known him to enter a street car down.
town. sit Dy the side of friend and ride
a mile without speaking word, then sud
denly nudge him and say; Let me take
YOUR naperw read the paper for another
mile. look out for the friends house, hand
the paper to HIM just before reaching 1t,
and part company without speaking to
him or looking at him. He did not believe
in that expenditure Of force which con-
versatiOnal civilities require.
A gentleman who breakfasted with him
in 1865 tells me about it. Mr.. Greeley was
not living at home at the time; be was
what Mrs. Greeley calmly called 'bOard-
ing somewhere else" This somewhere
else happened to be the Westmoreland, on
Union Square, only a couple of blocks
from his house. "PrOf. l.. ). Packard and
| were invited to breakfast with him at
O'Clock. We reached the dining-roOm of
the hotel before him. inquired for his ia
bic and sat down. Presently he came in,
handed his OvercOat and hat to a waiter,
and without looking towards us ordered
breakfast for one-a pOacned egg, some
milk toast and cup of tea. Reaching the
table he looked a little surprised, but
said: Have you ordered your breakfast?
We assured him that we had not, but we
ordered the same that he had done.
what paper have yOuP he inquired of
Packard as he sat down. 1t was the
Citizen. after Miles O'Reilly left it and
while Roosevelt had it. Anything in it?
he asked. Not much. except an article at
lacking you,' said Packard. 1t was a
column and half long, but Greeley read
it through. 'Absurdr he said, TO take so
much space for that. 1t isn't good jour-
nalism. 1t all ought to have been SAID IN
one-third OF the space. That article ought
never have been permitted to go below
\ there he said, indicating place with his
/ finger. He did not allude to the sub
! stance of the attack at all, but denounced
| the slOvenliness and extravaganza OF
using so much space. We took hasty
cup OF tea and departed" Prof. Pack
ards school was one of his hobbies. The
last speech of his life, believe, was made
before its students during the campaign oil
1872.