The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-09-02
GEORGE WILLIAM CURTIS.

The brief newspaper obituaries of George
William Curtis hardly foreshadow the place
which will be allotted 10 him IN literary and
political history. His biographies contain
no record of the political parts he filed, for
ne never filed any, ner do his collected
works occupy much space in librarIes yet
he.left his mark both on the letters and the
public policy of the country. and the mark
will remain. He enlisted in the service OF
American iterature and American politics
an intrepid devotion to truth, honor ana
purity. He who does that achieves a work
whose traces last forever. =.
:. His father was wellio do, being president
of the Continental Bank in New Y Tk- The
son.: full of: youthful enthusiasm. joined
Hawthorne, Ripley. Dana. Margaret Fuller
and other social reformers in the attempt to
found. "a society on the basis of communism
at;Br0ok Farm in Massachusetts,, and stack
to it'll the community collapsed. A period
Of years were then spent In European
travel and on his return. he connected him.
self with, tile. New ! ork Tribune as edi-
tUriaf writer and musical and dramatic
critic In association-with Parke God win,
e. e. Briggs, Tired Law Olms lead, George
DIX ard others he founded a Mug Aine
which was known; as PHtnGN'$ A0nftly,:
and when the Puthamsw ithdrew from 1t he
and Dix continued it.at their own risks and
failed. Then began, in: 1853. his long con-
nection with the Harpers, which was never
severed TO the day Of his death'and WHEN
gave-him easy. access to the public ear HIS
frstc0ntriDulions to Ii0rpcr:S u eeflt were
a series Of gossipipg papers. published
l~under The head of THE Lonnger!i but on
the resignaton~of the editor in 1863: hetoOk
.the.yacaht place and held itfor nearly thirty
years. 80. -:
Asa writer Mr. Curtis fame will mainly
rest*on his 0rations in memory Of Charles
Sumner. and Robert Burns. Nothing more
finished IN style or more exhaustive in
thougbtexists in the language He threw a.
halo>of tender light ever the memory. Of the
Scottish: bard, and brought to view bits OF
high philosophy and ex9utsite sentiment
|. which had escaped the Eoiice of even such
loving critics as LOckhart and Carlyle.
{ With. the aims and broad purposes Of
: Charles Sumner he had been familiar from
the first: he had studied him. I'LL he WAS
saturated with his spirit The men were,
not always friends-no.o one could be friends
with Sumner; but no one. even in his,own
ilassaciIusetts, so. thoroughly understood
his undeTs landing of him as Curtis. These
two oEattons WIFI be read when his novels
"Ehe:P otiphar Papers, - :""Trumps," t.Prue
1 aud l'-hRve long been forgotten. :
AS a politician Mr., Carts was a doc
" trinaire and never understood that politics,
TO. be successful, must be adjusted to COM
nland the assent.of the generation which is
10 carry them out. He never made allow
ance: fOrignoranee, prejudice and confirmed
habit: He was an antq-slavery man from
his youth; he Joined the Republican party
Atits start, but be Ghafed under party dis
eipAne:and utterly refused to surrender his
PERSONAL Convictions at the dictate of a con-
yeution. He.was a free+tra d tr. " ben pr0-
lection was the doctrine of his party; he
was believer in Woman's> right when he
stood alone among Republir an. leaders in
favor: # female suffrage; he was n civil
service reformer when party exigeDcy re-
Qulred'- tile dominant Republicans TO keep.
patronage in their own hands. -.
At the close Of the war he desired to go to
: Congress, but saw his aims defeated by the
superior dexteTity of John 4. King. who
wanted the district for his son-in-law.
Curtis then broke gr0uud against the Re
publican machine, But he challenged men
who were. stronger than he. y political
giant, at the sound of whose sOnorous
periods politicians tTembled and crswled
Into, hiding places-Roscoe Conkling--ar-
ralgned him as a political man-milliner:
+ GEUnt removed him from the presidency Of
: the Civil Service Commission, and, practi-
cslly. Curtis political career WAS sped.
It.was said of him that lie was too refined
and too, fnical for the h-aud-tumble
huly-bUTiy Of politics; the fac. was that
+ his horizon was too contracted; the world
| outside OF his select circle of IDEAS was be.
You'd his reach, and indeed did not interest
him. For over quarter Of a century he
| has controlled Newspaper which reaches
mere intelligent minds perhaps than any
|. other in the country. aud yet his direct in
+ fluence-has been small. Ii is not easy to
t point cut any great measure Of policy
I WHICH he posed on the nation. or any
| mistake which he succeeded in aYerting.-
People admired him, venerated him, loved
/ him; but they did not follow hin.
-:As a political writer lie will be chiefly
remembered for the truth and honesty
| which never deserted him for moment:
lie never wrote a line frat was mean or
| c5Wardly. He never surrendered his con-
| yictions In order to please others, however
| powerful they were or however politethe
| surrender might seem. He neTer held his
peace when it became him to rebuke wrong.
Froin the beginning of his editorial life to
/ its end he Was always magly, straightfOr-
-ward, outspoken, according to his lights.
| And he won his reward in the reveTential
! respect Of all parties. That is no mean
j guerdon for life spent In public teaching.
r.: 81. a SHALLOW GAME