Evening star., 1896-07-18

were troy or avoirdupois weights accord
weight. And. finally. bow to graduate
news or comments to the many men Of
many minds who composed newspaper
a Be % s s
proprietor of bazaar Of alertness, and
what wisdom was implied in the Latin
saw. carpe diem. They editorially prac-
Ssan % and a not saspsrs Each aYos: sse
ed journalistic enthusiasm and diffused 1t
among their staff. While they believed in
division of labor, each felt the necessity Of
an impress Of the one man power.
Mr.. Bennett was the greatest editor of
the quartet because-paraphrasing the line
OF Edward Dyer. an Erglish poet of the
snsdom hs fet %na t1 ms Is
my kingdom" The Herald from the first
day of his founding 1t and then becoming
In his own person its editor. its staff. its
from the very hour when he published his
small sheet in q Wall street basement, un-
til the day of his death; when his sceptre
Welded then In an editorial marble palace
as his kingdom for his exclusive regard
Mr. Benefits thoughts, aims and purposes
were concentrated upon that kingdom
Whlie the other three of the quartet were
more or less also Immersed in political
management and were using the sword
OF partisan organization therein in COM
pshy with the mightier pen. When ten
dered by President Lincoln the post of a
foreign mission in apparent acknowledge
ment Of the editorial services that his pen
nad rendered during the early dark days of
the civil war, Mr.. Bennett remarked to me:
w no has a greater scope for diplomacy
than the proprietor of a daily American
Lewspaper?" Wherefore he declined the
mission.
a century of his eventful participation in
political movements declined many ten
dered offices. various and honorable in
scope He preferred to be a Warwick to
being crowned political monarch But at
the inception of the civil war he accepted
along with Roman Catholic Bishop John
Hughes and Protestant Bishop McIlvaine a
designation as private commissioner to
the English and French governments to-
ward averting their presumed intention of
proclaiming international beligerency be-
tween northern and southern forces
Traits and Eccentricities.
1t may be observed that Mr.. Weeds per-
sonal magnetism became peculiarly notice.
able by every one brought in contact with
him. They all recognized what we now call
the hypnotic eyes that shone so caressingly
and the magnetic habitual touch of his
fingers on the arm of him who he COLO
quially addressed.
How could 1 resist him?" said on one
occasion candidate at a political conven-
tion. who withdrew his name to the con-
sternation of his supporters-'for when he
pressed my arm and whispered to me for
the good of our party I became the unre-
sisting victim of his will power
Animal magnetism was undoubtedly the
great secret of his unvarying success as a
political leader. He had no need to take
election as a governor, for political tradi-
tion embalms the fact that during the gu
bernatorial terms of four chief magistrates
of NewYork state he was the guiding power
behind their chairs. This same tradition
narrates that Willie m Henry Seward when
first governor, and almost boyish in appear
ance. was on one occasion passenger in
stage coach seated beside the driver, who
was ignorant of the rank of his box seat
neighbor. That in the course of box talk
Mr.. Seward delicately limited to the coach
man that he himself was governor. Where
upon John scornfully laughed and con-
temptuously 1icking his whip remarked:
NO. no. that won't go down. Any fool
knows that the name Of our governor is
Thurlow Weed"
None others Of the quartet possessed per-
sonal magnetism. Mr.. Greeley was apt to
become aggressive in manner; Mr.. Ben
nett's cordiality was restrained by a habit
of suspecting motives; Mr.. Raymond was
urbane and popular but never magnetic
among men.
Men of mature years may be generally
divided into yesterday or tomorrow men,
One class, for instance, fond of memories
and reminisc ences; and. another addicted
to anticipations. One classic quote the
title Of a popular novel-looking backward.
and the other looking forward in prefer
ence. Messrs. Weed and Greeley were to a
large extent yesterday men; but Messrs.
Bennett and Raymond decidedly were to-
morrow men. Every editor must, of course
be both a tomorrow man and yesterday
man while he views today. His vocation
and his newspaper SO demand. But Mr..
Weed and Mr.. Greeley were habitualIy
prone to refer to the past, while Mr.. Ben
nett and Mr.. Raymond seemed to ignore 1t
and pay great attention to the future.
In private conversation the two first
named fingered on the what has been"
but the other two on the what is to be-"
To certain extent the two first named
were inclined to pessimism but the other
two were optimists. Mr.. Bennett was es-
pecially given to editorializing upon ex-
pected events and to prognostigations. He
hailed novel schemes in social progress in
ventions and scientific advance SO far as
MS ms potent a,5 pen is concerned he may have
been said to have laid the Atlantic cable
In Its darkest hours he perss tently COM
Inended and advocated 1t. Doubtless youth. .
ful memories of his sire's enthusiasm on
the matter inspired the namesake son to
create that. European cable system with
which the name Of Bennett Is indissolubly
connected l heard Mr.. Bennett pere pre-
dict that great worldly gains were in prog
ress from the use of electricity, and in his
minds eye he foreshadowed the idea of the
telephone. But he did not live to see the
marvellous fulfllment Of his crude predic-
tions, under the almost magical genius of
Edison.
Editorial Policies.
The quartet varied in their estimation of
the requisites for editorial life. For in
stance, when Mr.. Raymond believed that
he who had no convictions was the best
editor, Mr.. Greeley awarded the palm to
the editor who held strong convictions.
The ideas which Messrs. Weed and BEN
nett shared on the subject were that the
best editor was he who followed the trend
of popular convictions in the majority upon
pending questions. They each put great
editorial reliance on vox populi But IL
Mr.. Greeley did not approve of that vox
he honestly endeavored to hush 1t. ia
Torite expression of Mr.. Bennett was that
one province Of an editor was to put scenes
OF life into the minds Of readers without re-
quiring them to think much as they read
Each OF the quartet became popular with
his staff.
Mr.. Greeley for his frankness, quaintness
and simplicity; Mr.. Raymond for unvary-
Ing urbanity and consideration for the feel
ings of others; Mr.. Weed by reason of his
personal magnetism and his recognized
good judgment about men and events and
Mr.. Bennett for his grave, courteous dig
nifty and his Waived sententious and mar
velous spread Of information He was