The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1893-07-20

The news was received in this city last
night of the death of George Frederic
Parsons, at one time chief editorial
writer on this journal. It was a painful
surprise to the many friends of Mr.
Parsons in this city, who only on Tues
day learned of his illness. and had no
reason to believe it would be fatal.
In the ordinary course of things Mr..
Parsons ought to have lived great many
years more. He came OF good long
lived stock, and had a fairly hardy con-
stitution. But, without knowing the
present facts, we venture the speculation
that Mr.. Parsons died victim to studi-
Gus habit. He was so thoroughly. alb
soIbingly a student of books, that it is
probable he neglected the demands of the
physical man as to that exercise essen
tial to well being.
George Frederic Parsons came to Sacra-
mento from a reportorial and writing
position on a San Francisco journal to
take the place of chief editorial writer on
the Sacramento Daiiy Record about 1870,
and upon the consolidation of the Record
and the Union, in 1875, he became chief
editorial writer of the paper and held the
position with distinguished ability until
the fall of 1882, when he took service as
an editor on the literary department of
the New York Tribune, and held the
place to the day of his death.
He had scarcely been seated in his new
place before his scholarly ability, his ana
lytical capacity, his fine sense of true criti-
cism and his wonderful store of literary
and other information, drew upon him
marked attention throughout the East.
Very soon he was recognized as chief
among the literary editors of the United
States, and justly so. There are literary
editors more versatile so far as worldly
affairs go, more in touch with every
day life perhaps; but there was in his
time, and there is now no literary editor
who was comparable with George Fred
eric Parsons for elegance of style. pro-
tundity of analysis, or vigor and far
reaching in criticism that is at once help
full to the criticised and productive of the
reader.
Mr.. Parsons, while one of the most ac-
complished of writers in literary sense.
and a widely known essayist in the fore
most magazines Of the day, and a student
OF Incompatible diligence, persistency
and far-reaching, was nevertheless an
editor in the broader sense. In the thir-
teen years in which he was chief writer
OF editorial upon this paper ne manifested
the splendid capacity to grasp and handle
the whole range of subjects with which
the good daily paper deals, which made
his editorial writing the finest, best and
broadest-ranged of any ever done in this
State.
There were and are general editors
whose writings prove them to be better
politicians, and possessed OF more worldly
wisdom, but not one in California his
tory, in a scholarly sense, could be
truthfully declared the superior or equal
OF George Frederic Parsons. Indeed, for
incisiveness, pener alton, vigor, fearless
ness, grace of style, elegance of dictlon
and fund of historical information, Cali
fornia has had no man on press or maya
zine the superior OF Mr.. Parsons
At this late hour, however, we cannot
speak of our friend. by whose side for
more than half a score of years we
labored, and with whom we were in daily
communion, as we would. He was not a
man to seek the applause of the world or
care for its dislike. He desired the good
will of good men, and the esteem of his
fellows; but he feared neither censure,
envy, nor enmity. He was essentially a
domestic and an Office man. His home,
bis Office and his library constituted his
world. Beyond them he sought few
pleasures ana little recreation. He had
clear perceptions of all great needed re-
forms, and chRmpioned some of the fore