New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-12-20
" SAM BOWLES. "
THE life OF NEW.ENGLAND EDITOR,

Mr. Merriam would have dealt more iaiiiJ ~
subject if he had treated = on smaller scale. Inc
times" of the genial Editor OF Inc HP'"a'o"
Eepubicrn extended from the Mexican war TO the
Administration of President Hayes, covering tneIe
fore a momentous period of modern history Which
saw the last and worst aggressOus OF ire slave
mower the final revolt of tho spirit OF liberty JUG
civil war emancipation the rise OF the new hepuo-
lie and the elevation of America to commanding
place in the family OF nations This Is a large
canvas on which to eXhlDits the hgure Oh Ar.
Bowlcs Even "a man of heroic proportions Ihlsn'
have been dwarfed by vast and imposing Dach-
gtound Mr.. Merriam Fills in the historical Access
series with an unsparing hand; anu tde unloi'"-
nate result Is that we are constantly relih"eu no"
small part the popular MaSsachuSettsouI'olli"S'N
in thestirrng events of his generation. Mr. bo"les
wasueithcr a leader prophet. lie was NOT eve"
a politician In great movements of the people ne
was generally found pretty near the front rank
| INIT never ahead of it; aud although. barring
/ sundry errors of Judgment. his voice always rang
ont clear in behalf of justice and REFORM nc WI"
not be remembered specially elective ai'o,".'
even of his favorito To describe ms n'e'
therefore as q part of his times Is 10 MAKE HIS
limitations needlessy conspicuous
Tho strongest quality OF Mr.. Bowlcs was per-
sonal attractivcuess which almost dehcs analysis
He had a genius for making acquaintanc $. lhefo
I
people and who kueU many people 50 well. I'D every
class. from one end of the country to the oIhcr
- sam Bowlesr was familiar AMI welcome hgurC
and everybody liked him--eyen his ehcmes'
The man whom he had abused in his paper IN"
would certainly abuse again, ioand him lrresiStlplo
Il, rorsonoI intercourse Mr. Merriam, who de-
scrhes this side Of him exceedingly well! hlhlS at
the explanation when he spcaSs OF Mr.. loves =
happy faculty OF discovering the best uNt III
pe som aud making the most OF 1t. mus people VI
tbc rost diverse tastes and characters found him
sympatbetc and ~ rule were CONSCIOUS oi SNOW
ing AT their best ia hrs company. They could not
help loving a man who put them on such good terms
with Themselves. Ilo never was calculating
seeker after popularity. II be showed lively
interest in the thoughts and actions OF casual
acquaintlncns, the fact is that he really le't t"'
interest which lie showed lie delighted IN study
ING every type OF man. lie was n born reporter
who would hunt piece OF news with the ar"or ol
master OF the hounds on the trai! OF ioN ai' ne
thou ght that there nothing 30 new ~ tine INSIDE
Of q strange mind. For reason which No shall
give presently. cannot say THAT besides genius
for making arquaintance- he had genius Tor
friendship: but he won the lasting regard of a great
many noble Een and women. lie hal knack Of
touchin, their tcudcrc,t feeling, sometimes ana
Allowing glimpse of his own in a few gentle worlS'
| sincere and natural He was by 40 means inclined
toward elusive sentiment; on tho contrary ne was
a pungcnt talhcr who delighted in what he cal'e'
sar.-H and the daring npndence Wh'cA
abounded IN his newspaper freely Speed ms private
/ conversation. WERE however, 10 was tempered O'
his mimi table manner. Nobody ever cdlIcd Nun
wit. bat be shono IN the society OF WIZ by ms
o,r.1,ci, Of mind his responsiveness hs homeiy
Yankc, humor caught from the common people
wiz, whom he Lowell 10 chat, aud above all by Il s
.f,t |
knew A man who knew him. said Henry l.. Dawes
q. Who voulInt rather have h at lbs taOlr than
,,,. other man in the world The attacks Ot The
E,psIli~aq upon Mr. Dawes were sometimes excess
,iytly bitter bat they never permanently inter-
rnptrd friendship OF which tho senator says: 1t
YAsa succession o. gushing condolences and flashing
indienations of complaints and rrconciii'ti"ns'
Twenty-Five years conflict OF rrcconcabli'teS-
and through it all was more attached to HIM than
10 any ono outside of my family
Sparkling i'm society, cordial IN & neral inter
conIsr kind al generous to the needy, and loyibo
IN his hom,. Sir. B1wlrs was another man in the
.hce -of his newspaper There he was hard and
ungracions tasAmasjer. Upon tai, subject Mr. Mcr-
riin Speiks plainly:
In the internal administration of the paper, Mr.
Rnwlcs WAS. and always would be, master and
chief: aud the man has seldom lived IN whom
,l,,nlnte mastery did not breed something of
de,pot,sm. Among his business associates and
suhordinatcs hc was like captain on ms quarter
deck. As soon As hr entered his ohce' MS whole
frame seemed 10 grow tense: his orders were
directly aud briefly spoken; his mere presence kept
the whole stan up - concert pitch HIS GENIAL ease
of manner was laid aside ~ n man throws on his
dressing gown 10 take hold OF work lie dd not
indulge ia scOdinV "a word or LOOK was enough
The men who wOrNed under HIM felt Animation,
ljyalty. and a touch OF tear. While work was gong
ON they were TO him like parts of HE great engine
he was driving. and h urged them remorselc,sly
IA he did himself He always meant TO he inst. but
I I.,I ftgltu M he
his creation and possession, and within ITS sphere
he recognized no mans claims as on IA equality
/ with hls own.
From the pride and self-will which seemed to
take possession Of him in his business honrs resulted
a good many heart-burnlnss and painful cstranso-
ments both public AMI private. The same qualities
contributed largely to a characteristic rccklcssness
in the tone of the paper, which Mr.. Bowles often
mistooK for a manly freedom of speech But this
was also in largo part the expression of deliberate
theory of journalism. Mr.. Bowlcs began his career
at a revolutionary epoch in the history Of American
uewspaDers and he permanently influenced 10y
two strangely contraste1 forces which were then
Transforming the press Of the country These
Horace Greeley and James Gordon Bennett From
both he acquired fresh ideas Of the value Of news
and of what ws is. From Horace Greeley he learned
how to draw social and religious questions into
the field of journalism. and to enlist in the service
Of the daily paper the highest order of intellectual
and literary ability But from Bennett he borrowed
something not quite 50 valuabe-thc rollickng
lmpudencc," rs Mr.. Merriam well calls it, which
spared neither friend nor foe AMI kept the town
always on the alert to who was going to be hit
next If the rreverent candor of The HGdld made
a sensation in the metropolis it may be imagined
how the behavior of The Republican stirred tho little
Massachusetts town, where everybody knew every
body else and gossip of the chief interests
he ~ hated
body bought it. Mr.. Bowlcs reaped the full com
mercial benefit of his Independence. Moreover,
there is no doubt that he got great deal of fun
ont of tho disturbance. TO scare dccorous respect