Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-06-09
THE CRITICS REVIEW.
The Life and Works Of Henry w. Grady
His Labors In Behalf Of the New South

The Life and Works Of Henry w. Grady
His Labors In Behalf Of the New sou,h-
Features Of a Memorial Volume, Com.
piled by the Late Editors CO. werker..
HENRY W. GRADY will be remembered b,
many admirers as speaker. as a news
paper editor, as the possessor Of certain defnit,
opinions in regard to the "New South" and a.
| man. He was one of those men who had the
good fortune to wake up one fine morning ant
| find his name In all the newspapers. They
knew him in the South where he lived, and
enough of his fame had Travelled into the
North to give him an invitation TO speak on the
2lst day of December. 1886, at the banquet OF
the New England Club in the city OF New
York. He made speech which won every.
body's heart 1t was a good speach, and il
represented not only the good man who spoke
| it. but the "New South" In whose behalf he
| spoke. 1t was deservedly popular. Thence.
forth Henry Grady's name had pleasant adjec.
| tives set beside it in the estimation Of North
and South alike.
Here is q memorial volume containing the
life, writings and speeches of Henry w. Grady,
compiled by his co-workers on the Atlanta Con-
sttfttfon, edited by Joel Chandler Harris, whom
everybody knows better as "Uncle Remus," /"
published Dy the Cassell Publishing Company,
for sale in Pittsburg at Watts and Weldin's
bookstores. The proceeds, we are told on the
title page. are to 60 to the family and mother of
Mr., Grady.
The book opens with an In Memoriam by
Henry Watterson, biographical sketch
by Joel Chandler harris. and a memo
rial sketch by Marion Verdery. These occupy
about so pages. Then follow a hundred pages
and more of Mr.. Gradys speeches. beginning
with the great New England dinner speech, in
Guiding an oration on "The South and Her
Problem" delivered at the Texas State Fair;
another Against OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES be-
fore the Society of the University of Vir-
ginia, F" the table of contents tells us, but when
we turn to the speech to find, If we may, what
the title the" we find that the singular should
read plqral-"the societies." closing with an
address before the Bay State Club of last year.
~
a MOTHER hundred pages follow Of "writ-
ings." The writings range from 1.-THE At
lantic Tide Sweeping Over the Continent-the
Threatened Destruction of the Simple Faith of
the Fathers by the Vain Deceits OF Modern
Philosophers'-from such q subject with its
formidable capitalization, to "Smsll Fare and
"Bob;" and from description of the discom-
forts of sea-sickness to study of the negro
question in reply to Mr.. Cable.
Then poems by various bards" and Of varf.
ous degrees of excellence. This is the sort of
poetry which one hesitates to oriticise. The
poets were sincere people. good friends and
true mourners. Wecan say that of them, any
way. And one of them-James Whitcomb
Riley-is poet. His middle name Is spelled
for some reason with queer-looking "e' at
the end of it. which doesn't belong there. But
the poetry is poetry.
Then two memorial meetings are reported,
one at Atlanta and the other at Macon. with all
the speeches that were made. Then follow sew
eral personal tributes, one in the shape OF
sermon by Dr. Talmage, ending thus: "And
now thou great and magnificent soul of ed
itOra and hrlQhtQF
meet again. From God thou camest and to
God thou hast returned. Not broken down,
but ascended. Not collapsed, but irradiated.
Enthroned onei Coroneted onel Sceptered
one! Empandered onei Hail and farewelll
sxs
E1SA11Y here are zoo pages of newspaper
l clippings. In the midst of which a pretty
@ Extensive account of the Atlanta Constitution,
with some ingenious advertising of the merits
of that journal Even now it is declared to be
a most excellent paper. Mr.. Grady was dead,
but Captain Howell was on deck; the new
managing editor plunged into every detail, and
soon a general Improvement was the resnlt;
the Constitution took on new life. Then Mr.. i
Howell turned on all bis energies and put the
magnificent machinery at his disposal up to its
mendations of their excellence from the press,
and the first A-page Sundays edition was pro-
nounced by many the best CoSstttut'on ever
issued" And so on. 1t is "Mr. Grady's CO.
informs us, who are the compilers Of this vol
ume. They are evidently not altogether incon-
solable. At least they think that there are
some good editors left, even now.
Mr.. Harris writes the biography. 1.-THE Life
of Henry W. Grady" is the title of the book,
with a subtitle noting that some of his
speeches and writings are included 1t would
have been better to have stated that this is a
collection of newspaper notices with q brief
introduction. Even Mr.. Harris
is not at ease. He is full Of apologies. His
Life" is "hurriedly writtenlsketch," he says,
which is thrown together to meet the modern |
exigencies of publishing" Pressed by the |
emergency of his death," ;" he says, (which to
me was paralyzing, and by the necessity Of |
haste, which, at this juncture, is confusing, |
these "reminiscences have taken on disjointed |
shape sadly at variance with the demands of |
literary art.n
THE apology is needed for the whole book. |
1t is too large in the first place. Nobody |
wants such a volume as this in his hands, un- |
less it is upon some learned subject. The size |
might do for a book of permanent value. but |
his book is only large.sized edition of the /
Atlanta Constitution, a memorial number"
Tut into book pages and bound. It is as ephem.
,ral as a newspaper. Not only that. but it pays |
10 heed anywhere between its two covers to
inliterary book. If Captain Howell or some
,ody else could but have taken time to plunge
nto every detail trim up the copy" with a
2rPo pair OF SQ6aI6, cut out ulue-I6nLnS Oh Ln6
poetry and all the newspaper clippings which
lobody will ever read, correct the proof and
make q presentable book worthy of Mr.. Grady's
memory, the title memorial" volume would
lave fitted better.
Why this haste which Mr. Harris complains
fl Are we 80 clamorous for an octave volume
bout Henry Grady that we can't wait to have
,etter to have waited a year and have done it
,etter.
ENRY GRADY's speeches are the best of the
book. They are worth all the rest They
re valuable and significant, not only for their
and their eloqu ence and their wis
Iom, but for their bearing upon the two great
southern problems-the problem of race and
he problem of commerce. Grady appreciated
IL that was good in the colored man, but he OBJ
ected to have him for a master. The putting
# the ballot into the hands of this great mass
f ignorant slaves he held to be menace to the
of the South THE next step will |
e TAKEN" he said. when some brave states
nan, looking Demagogy in the face, shall |
nove to call to the stranger at our gates. Who
ONES hereT admitting every man who seeks |
ome or honors our institutions, and whose |
abit and blood will run with the native cur
ent, but excluding all who seek to plant
narchy, or to establish alien men or I
neasures on our soil, and will then
be lifted and the right of acquiring
ur suffrage be abridged When that daV
ONES, and God speed its coming the position !
{ the South will be fully understood, and
verywhere approved. Until then. let us-giv-
lg the negro every right, civil and political,
ays accord the weak-holding him In closer {
-iendshiD and synDathy than he ia held hv | .