St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-11-06

may be folded to form points, each
| point bearing small cone from the
larch, gilded or hronzed.-GM. V. w.
in Christian Union.
How Greeley Left the Tribune.
Don't send me away, Alvy.'
"Please don't, Alvy." "Please let me
stay, won't you, AlvyP"
These are not the baby prattle of a
child, but the piteous wall of one OF
the greatest intellects of the age-the
best journalistic writer known to the
world. He founded the New York
Tribune. He wrestled with giants.
He was presidential candidate of a
great party, of which he was one of the
orlginatOrs. Health and strength.
nerve and muscle failed him and he
died in n mad-house. Horace Greeley
was man, with a big head, packed
| with large strengths of unusual force
and weakness of unusual dimensions.
He combined the cunning and craft OF
fox with the courage of a lion and
the cowardice of II sheep. On all oc-
casions he planted himself upon truth,
| whose foundations were like pillars oi
granite, and again allowed himself to
float along the waters of cxpediency,
with shadows and bubbles for his
| companions.
Two pictures presented themselves
to me this morning which brought the
old-time Horace Greeley before my
eye, and unrOlled panorama of the
past, with all its regretful memories.
like IA flash. One was Isaac England,
publisher of the Sun newspaper, a
friend whom | have known and tied to
for quarter of century. sterling,
sturdy man of practical ability, a good
typo, an intelligent editor, IA far seeing
publisher. The other was coffin in
which reposed the dead body of Alvin
j. johnson, formerly Il publisher in
this city, best known, however, as
Horace Greeley's friend.
England WAS brought up with Hor-
ace Greeley. He was bright, ambi-
tiOus, tow-headed youth, and struggled
with long and portentiOus name
Isaac Wilberforce England. Precisely
what he originally did | do not know,
but think he was IL boy in the COM
posing room, whence he was graduated
as reporter. In time he became city
thlLOI wi tllt Ilbtilt. anu IstlU more
| attention to his business than to his
appearance, so much so that the other
boys made fun of him but while they
were making fun he was making mon
ey, and parenthetically may remark
some of them have been very glad of
it in later years. England soon be
| came one of the recognized forces of
the Tribune, and until he left its ser
vice to share the fortunes of Mr.. Dana,
first in Chicago aud subsequently here.
he was Il wheel horse whose Judgment,
tact and sagacity and honest endeavor
were regarded by his associates as II
significant part of the Tribune plant.
When England returned to this city.
and the sun was put, by his tremen-
dOus endcavor and the sagacity of
Amos Cumming, the two being Mr..
Dana's chief assistants, npOn its feet,
Horace Greeley on one occasion visited
the office, and England took great
pride and pleasure in showing his for
mer employer the entire establishment,
from the press room, two stories nm
derground, to the composing room in
the manSard roof. Referring tn this
visit of Greeley's to-day, Mr.. England
Salib Ildl hIoN u NIlIb j hIoN
now, how cheerfully would have seen
that the old gentleman was given a
chair in the Sun office, with an income
equal to any he ever enjoyed, for the
balance of his life even if he did not
write more than IL line II year" Some
years preceding Mr.. Greeley's dicler
with the democratic party he had Il Sc
we're attack of brain fever. Mr.. John
son was then, as subsequently. one OF
| IIorace's ''friends," but Tom Acton,
then president of our metropolitan pO-
| lice, now chief of the ASSAY office in
the city, was closer. Acton took Gree
ley to his pleasant farm in Connect
cut, where, by careful nursing, sedu.
lously avoiding politics and all exciting
| topics, with comfortable room, well
kept, and plenty to eat and drink, he
| brought back to their original status
the nerves and muscles which, when in
hcalthful condition, combined to make
one of the great men of the country.
Meantime the intimacy with Johnson
grew and grew, although keen eyed
observers regarded the atfiliation as
one of class, for there never was IL
man who had more hangers-on than
Horace Greeley, and in later years
when the Tribune's course attracted
the sorrOwful notice of its best friends,
johnson stood close and firm by his
side. You remember, of course, Mr.
Greeley's resignation was il temporary
affair III case of defeat. Had he been
elected president he wouldn't have
resumed his position as editor in -chiei
of the Tribune. As it was, different
class succeeded him, headed by the
present editor, Mr.. Whtelaw Reid,
who, while politically and pecuniarily
ambitious, was and always has been
an out tand-out partisan, with no taini
of concealment or shadow of deceit, SO
far as his political course and writings
are concerned. Greeley's struggles
and work i'll that campaign will never
be forgotten. The task before him
was tremendous. 1t was as though Il
tender child had endeavOred to push
an enormous load up hill. He was
sensitive to criticism, and took t.
heart every unkind and ungenerous
word said by his old time friends, and
| having at no time Il restful home
where real domesticity gave him what
his used up nature demanded and
needed, he sought such aid and help a.
outside association could furnish. |
remember he passed some time during
the campaign in the house of friend
in Brooklyn. At times he went into
the country, at others he went to Mr.
Johnson's. Now it makes no differ
enee how intimate you are with this
that or the other person, there is ne
place like home for a tired head and a
weary body. A man wants his own
room, his own bed, his own pillows
his own bath, his own hight-shirt, his
own everything, when he is utterly
exhausted by mental or physical labor
These things Horace Greeley never
had. dare say there will be some