New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-09-07

| be otherwise.
7Ur "CIOSE PERSONAL fEIfND'
Current Literature has very few more at
tracivc features than The contributions to 1t
through the columns Of our cnt"rprl>ng con-
t,mnota,v The Ncw-Iolk World" of the
gentleman whom that Journal dcSclib(N once
or twice weel, a, Banker +. {. Benedict.
the close personal flicrd Of President Clcvc-
hnd." These contributions are in the nature
Of interviews. and are aim i invariably ac-
c,mpanicd by halflength picture Of Elias
Cornelius Benedict. with one thumb IN the
armholc Of hi, Wai.tcOIt and the expression oi
conscious retttudc 50 familiar on Broad street
70 dealers in Chicago Gas. The picture has
great merit. Indeed. il is IN open question
among artist, and literary men whether rs a
specimen Of cont mi Orancou> art the picture
doe, not as ne might sly. hold hucIlcberN
or twJ over the literary eXcclcnc'> 81 the con-
positions it illustrates and ad0n'. There
SONS N first blush something INC nEtu"nS ana
almost absurd in the idea of a competition or
c0mrar.> n between specimens Of pictorial and
literary art That j. II seems :, 70 the com
man mind But the order Of human intclll-
ccrccS T. which these illustrated compositions
are addressed i, 81 that superior mould that =
no, c-nfnsed BY inconguiteS OF bailIcd by
ap,alcnt alsurditics II would not hesitate
f. enter with seriousness and delibcratim upOn
d.>cu>,i II OF the comparative merits If noun
tain scenery and custard pie. % we pr sumo
The question whether what Eli1S Cornelius
Benedict says is more striking and beautiful
tb,n the picture Of him while hr is SAYING IL
will continue + agiatc the public mind for
long time. and possibly be passed on 10 po~-
tcrtv unsettled.
Nr. BencdiG'S interviews have single
thomr. They AWAY, relate 10 President Clcye-
land. Of whom he j.. >"Thc World'' frequent
IL remarks. the 81 - PERSONAL friend
Though mi advertised q, a serial. they have
al the charm Of a continued story in which the
interest is sustained from the very beginning
and j, Oh such u high level that the reader
does not care whether there j. ever a climax
or what it VIII he. When finished they Will
not merely furnish material FIR biography of
President Clevcland they viii be i biography
in Themselves Reprinted on good paper and
in clear type in such binding ~ Ella> Cor
ncinS with the ample means At hiS command
would be likely (, select. it would be book
that ANYBODY would like + have in his library
and Oh, al the blcl; Of il with honest pride.
Mr. Brnidict's last cJntIlbm on - literature
appeared in Tuesdays W0rId' under the
thrilling title "1hc Facts AT Last" in very
large t,p,. II contains 4 crctm.t1 ntlal ac-
count Of the pulling of two Of President Cleve-
lands teeth on Mr. Benclid'S steam yacht
Oneida On the 1T Of July last The charm Of
the narrative i, in the extreme reluctance If
the narrator T. be drawn int, public notice.
He thought that too much had been said about
the totl pulling already: that the President
and his friends had been very much ANNOYED
by il bnt that >.nce il seemed necc. >arN that
81 melody should tell the actual facts he would
throw himself into the breach and give them
+, the world ACCOMPANIED by picture of HIM
self as 4 guarantee Of god faith. and mel
dcntallv for publication. II would naturally
occur 10 the average reader that the President
himself who WaS present when III" teeth were
drawn. might tell the story with greater ac-
,alracv than Ella. Cornelius who saws he was
in an! Their part Of the buat-pObaby splicing
the main brace But President Cleveland. it
must be remembered. has been shrinking from
thr uuLlic glZc off ard on for about year and
= half. and usually ON Mr. Bcncdict'S Yacht
Oneida IS his close personal friend" NJ
Benedct ha, felt il to be- his duty no matter
how dislgrcpable the publicity. f. stand in
front Of him while he wa, shrinking
Whatever may be said Of Elias Cornelius in
connection with Chicago Gas il cannot be de-
MID that the Sclf-Sacrcing devotion which
he showed in protecting the President Of the
United states from annoying publicity by in
teyp,,ing a picture of himself accompanied by
remarks, is worthy If all praise. AS a "clcSe
uers.n,l friend" ~ man. not even of these
who have done business with him. will deny
that EliIs Cornelius is " cOrker several OF
the things related by Elias Cornelius had been
previously printed, but they needed the au-
thcntication he has given them and the re-
moyal of all donbt by the publication Of hi,
jcture. 1t is now established that Mr. Cleyc-
Land had two teeth pulled. At first" SAYS
Elias Cornelius. they removed one tooth.
That's all. think they wanted 10 pull" Meth
mo could be more concise. II would hardly
Inc ,,.s;,le to set more clearly before the mind
nr The reader the fact that the teeth were
nullnd onr gt 4 time That evening Elias
{. rnelins PLAYED oribblge with the Pre-, dcn;.
..Did Won heat The President" nnoccrtly m
o,,ircd tho rcportcr. Did WHAT" broke odt
the b,ir;Ged Elias CorneliuS-" beat the Pro,i-
dent playinc crbIagc? No, indc. Il he beat
ma every game" Could anlthin. be prcticr