New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-10-17

Lec;.ine Plesld.n, 4 dispensed The invitations
~ Ills RECEPTIONS, and went with HIM 70 dinners
ana pardes innuncIaOle III half The cIues OF The
Union. | STOOD 10y INN al pubic IeccpuOns Whch
thousands snOOk nun ny The hand, ana every
man puG all ms enthusiasm and all his pauio.-
isin mo a slhgle grasp, unuI UianV du pc-
came swollen anu lame Tor weeks, ana me news
papers published car1catuIe 0i he mana VIC
shook 50 of,en." Someone's IN the crowd INC
aides -de-camp thrust out their hands and saved
HIM many a squeeze. lie possessed The royal
memory OF iaces and when at his own house or
headquarters any Of The millions called wnom nc
had met before, he always remembered inc
names which we who had stood beside MN WeIo
often unable TO recall.
For years his unwlllingness to mako speech
was curious. When he was nominated for the
Presidency he declared he had neither the pow
or of public speaking nor the disposition 10
acquire it, In the long series OF ovallons that
followed him everywhere after The close Oh inc
war not more than two or three words were
ever extorted from him in reply to encomlums
and even aduatlOn such as few men have ever
heard addressed to themselves l was once
travelling with him by railroad during inc
height of his early popularity, Wherever lne
train stopped it was surrounded by ardent ana
patriotic throngs His silence had now Uccome
celebrated, nd a woman in the crowd CRED OUT
d" | want TO see the man that lets the women 90
all the talking
At another time his youngest son, Jesse, then
a boy of only seven years, came out on the plat
form when the cries for speech were loudess
and his father was as silent as the SphynX. Inc
lad looked first at the mass of enthusiastic peo-
pie before him and then at the great soldier oy
his side and inquired, Papa, why don't you
speak to them p But Grant remained mute
and Jesse at last cried ont 81 can make u
speech. if Papa can't The shouts instantly
went up A speech from Jesse speech
from Jesse r. Then there was hush, and the
child began in his treble voice, but without
shade of the embarrassment his father would
have felt,
1.-The boy stood on the burning deck
Jesse made another speech during tho
same summer that was even more febcltous
Grant and his family were at the farm near st.
Louis where Mrs. Grants father resided. One
hot day after the two o'clock dinner, when
everybody was out on the lawn, Jesse mounted
a haysack and exclaimed: III show you how
Papa makes a speech Grant himself laughed.
and we all went up to the haystack. Then Jesse
made bow, (Which his father would not have
done) and began g Ladies and gentlemen ]
am very glad to see you, thank you very much,
Good night" Everyone laughed, but Grant
blushed up to the eyes. | don't think he rel
ished the imitation at all it was too close,
Put Jesse was the baby, and we talked about
something else.
Years aiterward | thought of this scene IN
Missouri wnen | lAoud Grant at
gied. table III the UuIluhan at LONDON
..duress a brilliant compdny IN 1enciIous
laUIg uage that evoked cnceIs OF admiration
fIVm me hnest crIucs VI eloquence In INC
world For ne certainty acquired The art VI
puLung one or two appi OprlaLe thoughts INTO
ntCng lans uage on sucn occasions III as high
ue5Iee Us any one | ever nstened TO. Ills re-
plies were mOdelS not only Ot verse and modest
cA d csslOn, but OF eplgrammauc icrce and
fluent VII, timely IN sugaeSdvcness, personal III
.ppncatlOn and almost AWAY conveying wise
~ well graceful sentiment. lnuecu, INC
shyness and aNkwardness that were 50 appar-
en- aJ The beg ming OF his career had passed
completely away before the end. Perhaps
nILe fingered unrl he became President, but
the sense oI the greatness OF his position mat
came 10 him then took away all shynesS. lie
was not only the first wherever ne went, but
the Chief of the STATE, and he felt THAI tho
Government was upon his shoulders. mere
personal vanity implied in maintaining
or even in asserting such dignity. In small
things us well Us great this feeling was appar-
ent. He never enteIed the street-cars while
he was President, al ,huugh often before he had
mortified his staff and his family by using the
democratic conveyance; he was careful whom
he visited, and regarded etiquette scrupulously
in III 5 matter; he selected The company and
arranged the precedence at his dinners fire.
uucuuy disaVpoin ing relatives and intimate
friends who saw themselves displaced on public
occasions Tor public dlgnltanes, though IN HIS
private life he returned to his former associates.
spent eight months on duty at the Executive
Mansion, where, although | was no longer the
Official secretary, ! had my own room and saw
him with much of my old intimacy. ! revised
with him and for him his first annual message
10 Congress. and Cabinet Ministers came TO me
to have passages inserted which they did not
ven urc themselves to propose. Thus J watched
the growth OF the new manner. | observed
greater dignity Of feeling, conscious and in
territorial gravity. an absence OF thai familiar,
l. l.,1
almost Jocul lar mood which once mad been so
frequent And yet he did not forget, much less
rcpel. his former friends. They were what
they had always been to him, Just as worthy,
PERHAPS Just rs intimate rs ever and the very
few we're certainly dear: but he was the
President.
The gieat changes however, were more APP
parent later. In the second year OF his
rcsidency was made Consul-Gencral at
London. and only saw him afte, ward on two Or
thIcc occasions during short visit 70 this
country until the close of his last Admlnlstrl-
non. in this interval had come all the storm
of calumny that burst upon hum, all the
anyietics Of the last sad year Of his official
life. ali the falsity of friends, the attacks upon
his honor the injury he received from the
ASSOCIATION Of those who used and abused his
nonc and his friendship for their own purposes.
Resides all this there was Of course the increase
Of years, the long occupancy OF the highest
place. the weight of national cares, the IA
mihariy with authority. ] met him on the
steamer steamer that brought him to Liverpool, and
saw him first in the captains cabin, where he
was whiting for me, alone. lie threw his arms
around me-and kissed him. He was my
chief, my General, my friend. From that
moment dated n new intimacy closer than the
old. was with him necessarily during his
stay i'm England. He wrote at once telegram
70 the Government asking that might be per-
miitcd to accompany him. but | changed the
message and put it in my own name, so that
he who had been President should not be placed
in the position of soliciting favors from his
successor.
But with all my intimacy I noticed now
broader man in manner and character. He was
far more conscious be understood himself
letter; he knew his powers he knew what
he wanted to do and say under all circum-
stances. He was Il greater man than the one
left in America seven years before was
-.-l.. ..r,,cI. with his noise In the new SIT