The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-01-12

rage anu Sal0 DOOt-Dye.
speaking OF the meeting Of Prince Bis
marck and General Grant" Mrs. Grant
went on. Il have seen the statement that
when the two met together that the Chan
cellor and the General talked dogs and
duck hunting like two boys This is not true.
The General has been represented by some
as being elusive in his manner ct times.
He was always retired and reserved. Even
IN his own family he was not demonstra-
tive. and he never was what is called a
hail fellow, well met man with strang-
ers"
GRANTS STATE PAPERS
I here referred to General Grants book,
and Mrs. Grant told me that II had already
Melted almost 10000 to the family, and
that II was still selling. She said that Col
onel Fred had gone over the book and re-
vised II. adding a great many marginal
notes as to dates and other matters. and
and that the new edition. which had re-
Gently been brought out. was much better
than the first, which had been hurriedly pre-
pared. l spoke to her of Grants wonderful
literary ability, and asked her If 1t was not
a surprise even to her She replied that 1t
was not. Said she: General Grant always
had a wonderful power OF expressing him.
self quickly and clearly. 1t used to make
me very angry to see the papers question
whether he had written his own reports
from the war, or whether they had been
the work OF some of his literary
clerks. He wrote all OF his own
reports, and that with a pen. His
last report of the war was penned in
Georgetown in a house near the reservoir
| there, in which we were living at the time.
Every one of his messages as President was
xrritt, III
saw them until they were sent to be copied.
or TO the printers. He wrote many OF them
in my room. coming there to be free from
| callers. He would be writing at my desk,
and 1 would interrupt him by telling him
gossip and stories, and. perhaps. asking him
| questions. He would stand it for a while,
| but at the third or fourth interruption he
| would sometimes say, Julia, you must real
| ly not talk to me now. / have a very i'm
| portant paper which / writing, and
| can't do 1t If you interrupt me- Then he
would go 10 work again. and In about half
| an hour I would forget about what he had
| said, and would burst out with 'Ulys, don't
| you know that and would go on with an
| other story. He would listen until / got
through and then go back to his writing.
He made few corrections in what he wrote.
and he was thoroughly well posted on
| almost everything"
WAS he much of a talker?" 1 asked.
YES replied Mrs. Grant, 'he could talk
very well IL he wished to. though it was
often hard to get him to talk. He seldom
| spoke about the war, and there were some
| subjects which he would never take up of
his own accord. He would never allow me-
| however, to make a misstatement IL he
could help 1t. and often got him to talk
ing about certain things by Intentionally
| stating them in a way which I knew was
not correct, whereupon the General would
look at me in despairing way and say:
NOW, Julia, think you are mistaken about
that, you have 1t all wrong. 1t was this
way He would then go on to tell the true
story Of the matter in all its details. He
grew interested as he talked. His face
lighted up at such times, and he expressed
himself in good language. He was very
well read man, and during most of his life
he was hard student"
STORY OF THE HARVARD DINNER.
That is different from the idea generally
| held" said /
Yes, l know it is,' was the reply, "but
| many ideas held concerning General
| Grant which are not the true ones. / re-
| member one instance in particular, which
SHOWS how such stories sometimes arise
| III Is In connection with the statements
made some time ago by the president of
harvard College to his pupils in lecture,
In which he referred to General Grant, and
| said that great as he in natural abil-
ity. 1t was surprising how meager was the
Generals knowledge of books and how
| Ignorant he was as to matters of literature.
| He then referred to a dinner which he had
attended at which he had sat next to the
General and had asked him simple ques-
tons about books as to which he did not
seem TO understand how TO answer. l re-
member that dinner very well and Cen
eral Grants remarks to me upon his re-
turn from 1t. He said complainingly: why
is il that 1 can never have any fun at a
dinner? At this dinner from which 1 have
just come they wanted to do me great
honor, as they always do. and they seated
me next the greatest at the table.
This was the president of Harvard Col
lege / saw that if 1 engaged in converse
ton with him 1 would probably spend the
whole evening discussing subjects as dry
as dust, and 1 concluded that L would not
stand 1t, and that | would have a good
time like the rest of the fellows Shortly
after we sat down the president turned to
me and asked me some questions regard
ing NapieT's peHinsular war. looked as
though l knew nothing about any peninsular
war. 1 answered something, bat my an
swer was evidently not satisfactory. for
the president did not bother me again for
fifteen minutes. When he next turned to
me it was with a question about one of
Dickens's novels. L looked very blank at
this. and answered in such way as to
make him believe 1 had never heard of
Dickens. The result was that he left me
alone for the rest of the evening, and 1
really had a good time.
" 1 suppose, however, that have ruined
my reputation with him.
:" But you ought not to do such things,
Ulys.' said /. 1t gives people a bad i'm
preston of you, and they think you don't
know anything
II don't care. replied the General. That
man was only a book worm, anyhow, and
did not want 10 talk books
"As To Napier's peninsalar war;" contin-
ued Mrs. Grant, II doubt whether the
learned president was nearly so well post
ed upon ii as the General. / remember
that he read this during the earlier days of
our marriage, and not only read it, but
made copious note from IT, He was we'll