Telegram-herald., 1889-05-24

A F.s PAOsGase sf the Noted Geerxs. Eaf-
49, .cd OrNtar-

northern popularity had nog l.St 1Hy Il
It's lasteE. The lev @sFspers. without eS-
eep.tion. also agree that lis spesch before
tise SsutaerD society sasg&ins nls Iel.ltA-
tlon for brilliant 0ratoFy, nyaieas - seg,
- 10 agasf souFherneT
The terra brilliant - applied - Grady
J. oppressive lts the nan exactly. Ia
everything he undertakes there As = snap
a lowing audaclGy ~bleh other p4tdic
ulen may l.gssess. but hlch a. teo IRE
qaenfiy paniod by successful
achievement.
Mr. Grs1s 5 office Is on the thTa noor
of The Constitution oulilng lie l. very
accessible and wholly without TIE usual
trappinss # a great nan. One Is lnsafi-
ably struck with the bareness, almost
carelessuess, Of the apartment IL ad-
joins that q NJ Harkls t''Oncie Re
mus D. who, IL need scarcely be remarked.
Is little more of an 8tihete than has
eLief. In the center is a long deal table,
generally used 10 recllne upon. as there
are no chairs 10 6e seen. Posted upon
the souo~ hat severe looking walls are
il nothing else, for their extreme map
propriateness. One OF them represents,
in ali the cOloTs al the photographer Q
command. a British naval veteran gazing
Soulfully al his beloved Union Jack,
seated over a patriotic scroll and legend.
The other Is d Partisan architectural de-
sign. There are no books or even papers
visible.
Before one Of the windows stands a
person OF medium height and somewhat
robust build He has straight, shiny
black hair. piercing black eyes Of the
same shade and a swarthy skin. The
visitor has plenty Of time - study his
surroundings, as the gentleman at the
window takes 10 notice OF his entrance
whatever. After a lapse Of some ten
or fifteen minutes be slowly turns
around and commences TO pace up and
down the floor with his hands thrust
into his pockets. Suddenly he stops and
turns on the stranger a cold inquiring
stare, and the query, What can / do
for your at the same time pointing him
To a seat on tho table. He pulls out "a
spittoon for your benefit, and in few
moments YOU are chatting alniably with
the editor of The Atlanta Constitution, a
man who wields more power and in
fluence, both as an editor and as citi-
zen, than any ten other men in Georgia
combined.
Grady's literary method is unique; in
fact, l think it would be beyond most
men. He goes TO the window, stares at
brick house or cotton compress for
an hour or two, puts his main ideas in
shape. adjusts each sentence, and even
syllable, III its proper order, mentally,
and then rattles the whole thing off to
his stenographer, rarely committing a
single error. While under the influence
of an idea which he is putting through
the literary process he is utterly oblivious
to his surroundings. Sometimes the fit
strikes him under peculiar circumstances,
but the people of Atlanta are rather
proud of this weakness than otherwise,
and delight in respecting it.
Mr.. Grady S secretary, Mr.. Halliday,
accompanies him everywhere. That
now famous editorial which completely
| changed the attitude of The Constitution
upon the tariff question was dictated
upon the steps of a Whitehall street car
| which he had unconsciously signaled.
1t is jokingly related that the car was
full at the time and that one of the pas
| Sengers who dared To- murmur at the
stOppage was threatened with bodily in
| jury if he opened his mouth. 1t is told
of Senator Edmunds, of Vermont, apro-
| pos Of his recent visit to Atlanta, that a
crowd had gathered on one of the prin-
cipal thoroughfares, and traffic was tenn
porarily blockaded. The sad eyed SEN
ator asked his colored driver what the
matter was.
Il 'spects it's Mistah Grady, sab. He
got one o his thinkin' spells ag'in!' he
said as he turned the horses heads into
an adjoining street. This is only sam
pie of the stories told at Grady expense
The success of the Piedmont exposi
ton, the Georgia Chautauqua and numer
Gus other enterprises is popularity cred
tied To his personal efforts. His latest
achievement well illustrates both Grady:
character and influence
For some months past a movement has
been directed at New York TO obtain sub
scriptions by public benefit and other
wise for the erection of an asylum foI
the Confederate veterans residing in the
state of Texas. Many noted men lent
their names including that old Union wal
horse. Gen. Sherman; but the fund lag
ged slowly, even pitifully, along; Maj
Stewart. the agent of the enterprise. SEM
appeal after appeal, but still only a few
hundred dollars lay in the treasury
Grady watched it from afar and chafec
under what he thought was deep hu
initiation.
Finally he could stand it no longer
and late one night dashed OF an edito
rial ''the finest he ever wrote" said Mr.
Wallace L. Reed. the southern stor,
writer. as he told me the incident. H.
force and psthos were wonderful Com,
home. MAJ. Joe Stewart he said
"come home. and let our scared old vet
Grams relapse into the honorable obscu
ritv from which thoy should never hay'
been draggedT It was then propose,
that Ge0rgiaus build a home for thei
handful of gray warriors, fast thinning
ont. 70 live but few years more excep
in the hearts Of the people. The ink va
scarcely dry when the money began {.
pile up in the office e the newspaper
IL A fortnight. among the very humbles
classes. nearly $4,000 bad been rsised
The home Viii be located near Atlanta
and file work IS already in progress
+. Il Wmsov.