The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-05
ECCENrR1C1TIEs OF GENIUS.
Some of Horace GreeIey's Peculiarities-A
Strange Breakfast Party.

Strange BfsaklaSC 1aftys
Croffut's letter in Kansas City Journal
l wonder if all overmastering minds are not
conspicuously weak in some direction. 1t was a
theory of the late eminent scientist, DIR. George
M. Beard, that there were no great men, that
IF man is great in one direction he is limited
in another" We know it was with old Sam
johnson, with Milton, with Fontenelle, with
Humboldt with Franklin, and later with Sum
ner, Greedy and COnkling.
l worked ON the Tribune under Mr. Greeley,
and, though l saw him every day, never yet
heard him say good morning" or good even
ing" chow do you do" or ''good-by," or inquire
after anybodys health. But he scrupulously
answered every letter that came to him, and an
swered it the spot, SO that the writer gem
orally got the reply in the next mail. His con
science was abnormally developed on this sub
ject, and he probably wrote 20. 900 letters that
did not need writing, and died the sooner for it.
On the street he seldom spoke to even his near
est friends unless he had business. have known
him to enter q street car downtown, sit
by the side Of a friend and ride mile without
speaking a word, then suddenly nudge
HIM and say Let me take your paper9" read
the paper for another mile. look out for the
friends house. hand the paper to him just before
reaching it, and part company without speak
ing to him or looking at him. He did not believe
in that expenditure of force which conversational
civilities require.
A gentleman who breakfasted with him in
1865 tells me about it Mr. Greeley was not liv-
ing at home at the time; he was what Mrs Gree
ley calmly called boarding somewhere else"
This somewhere else happened to be the West
moreland, on Union Square only couple of
blocks from his house. prof. l. S. Pack
ard and were invited to breakfast with him at
8 o'clock. We reached the dining-room of the
hotel before him. inquired for his table and sat
down. Presently he came in, handed his over
coat and hat to waiter, and without looking to-
ward us ordered breakfast for one-a poached
egg some milk toast and a cup of tea. Reaching
the table he looked 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 youf
he inquired of Packard as he sat down.
1t was the Citizen after Miles OReilly
left it and while Roosevelt had it. ANY
thing in itP he asked, Not much, except
an article attacking YOU said Packard 1t was
a column and half long but Greeley read it
through Absurd he said, to take much
space for that. 1t isn't good journalism. 1t ali
ought to have been said in one-third of the
space That article ought never have been per-
mitted to go below there, he said, indicating
place with his finger. He did not allude to the
substance of the attack at ALL but denounced the
slovenliness and extravaganza of using so much
space We took hasty sup of tea and depart
ed" Professor Packard's school was one of his
hobbies The last speech of his life, believe,
was made before its students during the cam
paien of 1872