New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-11-22

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aud the people speak We have come to think OF
his conSt itutonal silence rs the one index hgnre
AGAINST tue mineral of his character. expressing
while doubling or TROLLING his value. 1t was born
OF his dogge1 almost dogmatic will. lt was
sprung from his magnificent power to insist 1t was
Doth the parent aud the offspring Of his superb
detrrinlnatlvo quality. AS Lavater said OF certain
TRAIT III couutenancc that il was either the cause
or me consequences of weakness in the character
OF tne man VINO bore It so We should hnd II hard
10 define To what extent Grant was reserved because
oi inc thing life put upon him to do, aud how far he
ana Ihe thing because he was reserved Nine DC
Stacl, thnk It is. has somewhere called attention
t. a certain ner'trcious effect wrought upon us
by silent IeOplc Tlry interest rs at first dspro-
p3rtionatriy we take their reserve to Indicate
abilities which they may not possess; we expert
depth which We do not find: ut length, learning
that their blindness ia not sign of profound
thought uneXpressed, but rather of tho lack OF
Thought t. express, we weary of it and come E" to
prefer more animated character As cXperts
make distinction between true and false suicidal
! impulse so we may distinguish true and false
reserve; that il real which. like his of whom we
speak, is the sign Of not the substitute for, power
The strongest impression left upon one who did
not KNOW him nv the study OF General Grants conn
tena'Ice Is that 1t was that of man who had tho
ability OF his capacities in other words, who was
aHle 10 nave his own way. OF many strong,
ma him lacking in the power to hare it. How often
IS this from sheer ack Of power to hold his tongue!
We all know people of mpcrious will (people who
seem to be cast for leaders but for that ore flaw In
the moudl, who fail To impose their will on Others
only because Of that undisciplined nature of which
tho traitor. Between those iron lips which have
now become sacred dust the line of silence shut
with terrible tension. The face OF General Grant
says, at irst sight, last and forever:
RI do IT, and I'll never toll how
His taciurnity in conversation, his brevity IN
publ" address, the isolated. uncommunicatiye
military genius Of him who never callbd council
of war. with those we have been long familiar.
II has taken the story OF the last yearto give final
form 10 the precious memory and the perfect lesson
OF his gift his grace, his genius of silence under
INSTRUMENTATION This Is great power in any
soul. II was mi ghty one in his. without making
shallow historical comparisons ID NAV lie safe to
say that IL seemed almost unique one in the case
Of this modest, sincere, shy soldier who bore more
blame in proportion to the good he did, more dumbly
and patiently than any other whom it is oasy in all
respects to set beside him.
As our hearts 20 back and take in tho finished
history with the ache of fresh bereavement, tho
national regret seems almost national shame
grown out Of great defect which, II we should not
call 1t national but human. we're none the less TO be
abhOrred for that The national character" 1t has
been well said, is only the successful parish
character" and somewhere back at the roots u Is
the fault of Individuals Of yOu, or me, or J. smith,
or Mary Ann Brown, that AZ soon as we have
chosen n leader begin to abuse him. The unaS-
Stunning. unambitious, honest confding, great man
who passed through the terrible responsibilities OF
First Warrior to those of First Citizen, at the
crucial period following tine surrender at Apo
nattoX bore the brunt of this unfortunate charac-
toristlC 20 the full no had saved us; and we
sandered Hun He had given us a country and we
fell OF him, tooth and tooth. His Administration
ranked with others not above human mistakes but
marked 10y hrm and honest achievement. and We
solicited il for yituperatIon which would have given
u visitor from some other planet, unfamiliar with
politics or our peculiarites, the opinion that
we were yil.fying some traitor to the countrys
honor. That were Loyalty and thankfully
serving the hero who had saved IL. would hardly
have occurred 10 any uninitiated Intelligence. In
the light Of that record. how great II seems that he
was 80 dumb Men of tho world try to teach each
other certain prudential cole which withholds
repv 10 criticism; men of letters learn II. But the
silence Of our great soldier nobor thing than
ru1a apH IA
He was not creature OF secondary codes. lie was
muto because he was great. lie bore orr pelting as
he had ted orr victories; because he was patient,
strong uncompanng and real. In that darker, in
that darkest hour of his lie, when he ~ no had been
frtef hv the Courts OF every civillzed kingfom OF
The oarih had but eighty dollars IN the world 70 call
his own: when he who had led the armies Of the
greatest modern nation 10 the greatest victories OF
nodern If not Of all military history was forced to
blows of personal ruin and family misery
rolled ovcr him; when tho sympathy OF MS
instant and no begnn 20 doubt tho trust OF
the nation whose existence no had preserved when
her CoLgress IN his extremity refused 10 taEc the
step which won have put HIM out OF reach OF Wi
gar want. aud giyen him what vas so much sweeter
than vulgar gain 20 the bruised m1n-tho test OF the
national affection: when one ot the mortal diseases
fostercd by mental torture struck down tho hero
who felt h'n,elf misundcfstOoi and feared himself
mistru-ted-how magnificent the mutencsS that
We wondered and daubtcd. and gossiped over hiS
anguish. lie answered IL not a word. We brought
u
wtyc Of love and sympathy m belief and prayer;
and that one tine when he spoke trum hiS death
hcd-it W., to bless rs; he never spoke To blame.
He had been called by "a bltter bloody nIue-but
thev whom h. led and they whom he met in battle
together bore 10 hi, grave tho grntlest and most
magnanim Ius man of mar who ever breathed MS
patience Smoto H. to the soul. The power OF MS
noble silence conquered IA. IL was the inyiSible
third IN tfe visible duel between the dying man ana
fate. Whom gave him 10 hi, last re't when II
was all over when nothing could he helped or
altered when il was only lett uS 10 brHlil tnat II
hal not been othcrwwl'r and to thank ''oi that IL
was even as II was-out Of the eternal silence his
closed life said:
Ihwe borne It I shall never tell you how.
When wo como to the close of such tragedy
when We tuno our pulse to the beat of such heart
shall carry away one secret. or No are not III 10
carry any of the condolences Of life.
Human trust is too precious "A thing TO he az tho
mercy Of speech that Is any less sacred than ITSELF
The word that goeth forth ont Of our mouths. NAV
bo the angel the demon the invisible third In the
visible duel betwoen ourselves and lio. A. we use
it, may 1t mso us. As we give may it be granted Yea
unto us. There is timo to speak-nobly for the
noble; strongly for tho weak; truly Tor truth
lovingly for love; time when TO keep back tue
pran Of gratitude or the whisper OF tenderness or
the ringing cry Of trust Is 10 he unworthy OF the
power 10 give thom. There are obscure or vital
crises in life whom must speak ont 10 our irehdS'
ont " them; when the hearts oYeIpourhP or
oycrhroOdlng needs voice rs much as SOU needS
u face: when what we may call discmbodled friend
ship has no more use and should have no more place
in our lives than a ghost at IRE or shlpwT'ck'
Times come to us. too when we can SPEAK no
longer On us, also. may STRIKE the hour Oh
anguish. tho ira bctraycd. the broken heart Our
words fall back n ashes that bad been Jets OF LIVING
flame. Misconceptions form of winch IL Is idle 10
chatter We arc gashed with wounds which he
who could give them could pot il he would, under
stand. The candor of love. the COURAGE OF patience
have given way. ono defsnro remains. IL is leit
~ b be still It IL possible 10 bear and not even
10 say The stroke Is gentle. but 1t is sure. Arc
yon hnrt past heangf Answer
by the silence OF llte moro pathetic than death''
ELIZABETH STUART PHELPS.