Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1898-09-29
RAYMOND TO GRlSWOlD.
burlington Letter Of Sixty Years Ago
FROM the Founder of the New York
Times.

The late Henry Jarvis Raymond, the
founder OF the New York Times. was, rs
many of our readers know. one of the
most brilliant men borne upon the rolls
OF the alumni of the University of Yer
mont. lie was in college here from 1896
to 1910, graduating in the latter year
with high honor. Among his intimate
friends during that period, was RUFUS w.
Griswold. Griswold was born in Benson,
Vt. IN lSlj was an apprentice in print
ing CnlCe in Middlebury, tried his hand at
theology for Il time as a Baptist preacher;
established himself as "A printer in Ner-
gennes; started the Vergenncs Nermonter
In 1885; and year later went to New
York and started the brother Jona-
than" large weekly journal which had
a brief existence. He became widely
known in the literary world as the com
piler and publisher of The Poets ana
Poetry OF America" which ran through
eighteen editions; as editor of the first
American edition of Miltons prose works,
and publisher of various other compila-
tons of prose and poetry. Tho closing
years of his life were cloudod by di-
vorce suit and sad scandal. His son, VIII
liam NJ. Griswcld of Cambridge, Mass
has recently published a volume Of letters
from literary people and public men with
whom his father had a large correspond
ence. Among these Is tho following from
Mr.. Raymond, who was at the time d
young man of nineteen years, and d jun
Tor in college,
Burlington, July co. 1889.
Ny Dear Griswod: The first intimaton
II had of your whereabouts determined
me to write to you. Lacking time just
then l delayed it for a few days, when
the arrival Of that up-to-date-sky-to-b
lauded, biggest of-all-possible newspapers,
and most beloved of all brethren, Bro
slommy recess of mind capacious for
such things" to despatch an epistle to
your address about the quickest How
do you flourish? How | would like to
shake your dexter, and see you shake your
sides as of old And wouldn't | like to
ramble over your library again, and hear
you tell your stories and talk as is your
wont? "Oh. no, certainly not" How on
airth do you expect to find matter enough
TO keep Brother Jonathan alive for any
length of t!me, He Is even infinitely
more rapacious than other Yankees. In
the course of about year you will have
published all that has ever been writ
ten; and at the same rate in just another
year you will get through with all that
you can write: and then what will you
do? The appearance of this hugest of
mammo,hs caused no small stir among
the good citizens of this unaccustomed-to-
large-s sightseeing place. Winslow (he Of
ccivcd It; and you would have laughed Ia
have listened to his EXPLANATIONS as
unfolded the sheet to his wonder struck
eyes, and announced old Rufus W. OF
the Nermonter as editor. lie
ended his outburst by this sober senti-
ment: We'll" said he. mo one can deny
that Griswold is talented and industrious
but he Is too id unscrupulous." You
were not very scrupulous in your notices
Of the Burlington Sentnel!-Stacy eyes
stuck out just one mile. And Hurrng-
tons, too; you ought to have seen him
The copy you sent me has been the rounds
of the college. a dcputation from each
class made an attack upon it in fun and
solid phalanX, and after a hard siege OF
10 hours retired from the field and en-
camped for the night, The battle was re-
newed at daybreak with increased viSoi
and proportionate success. And now We
are waiting for another number. Pleas,
to consider me a subscriber.
Stansbury has not been here since tn,
4th of July. He will not stay away long
however, for there Is a certain pair oil
gold spectacles here that fit his eyes eX'
acty. He wants TO get them; you recol
lect the Yankee that ION u wager would
sell his horse for penny, but the buyer
must take mis- eat for 500. There's JUS
such a fixture to Eds spectaces; l cues.
he'll take both and be content with The
: bargain. (The comparison is not good
but twill do) What an abominably stu
pid thing the Vermonter is now Pierpon
and Grandey | think write most of tho
! editorials Grandey has not shown him
self this long time.
College matters jog on with their usua
monotony. Our commencement happens
: the 9Th OF August. We are expecting
} something worth while in the way of al
} Grafton before our societies from Pro
: Taylor Lewis of your university. We re
"a Il
, Whittier declining the invitation to de
: over a poem on account of his health. HI
tpoke Of an intention to visit Europe
soon. think the probability Is that Parl
BENJAMIN will be asked TO give us a poem
lnext year. hope he will come He wouls