New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-06-09
AS TO GREATNESS.
, Editor Of The Tribune.


Sir VIII you kindly inform the public and
myself why. in your article this morning on
Samuel Plimson," you interject was NOT
great man? man who could turn down Dis
raeli approached somewhat to greatness. Il IS
u 10y ''''''' ~ JOHN II. HINTON.
New-Yorlk. June a. 1898
have taken your paper for years and years
Please don't throw mud with one hand and tany
with the other.
With pleasure We said that Samuel Plim-
soil, while not great man. was one who w"uid
be remembered the world over for his untirlng
and noble work. first. because 1t IS true, ana
also because we strive to exercise conserya-
tive Judgment AMI speak with Discrimination
and moderation OF men and things. Nhen
Commodore Schley tries his guns for Few
minutes on the Notifications OF Santiago we
seek to represent that act in Its true Importance
and not herald It as the greatest naval battle
since Trafalgar. When a man Ike Gladstone
IS to be spoken OF we call him n great man.
When a worthy citizen who has rendered hon
orable service to his fellow-men dies we speak
OF him n he was. instead OF making him ride
ulous by fusome falsehOod. When man
writes n reasonably good novel We do not han
him as Thackcray rc.ncarnate, but give him
the moderate praise that is bis due. We do
not consider II slur 10 say that the newest
Salon picture lacks the wtchery Of Corot. while
admitting It 70 be an excellent pai9tng We
leave that sort OF attempt at rapid transit 10
Olympus by compressed air to scntmentasts,
sensationasts and log-rollers Of whom there
Is no dearth SO 10 Samuel PlimsoN. lie
was man who DID splendid work. but prob
ably not one intelligent man in ten could. the
day before his death nj the nero mention OF his
name have recalled either his personality or his
achievements with any dehnitcncss. To rank
such man among the great ones Of the cen
fury is TO belittle him by contrast with the
truly great and rob him OF the regard which
IS rghtfully his
The truth IS that there IS altogether too much
uncritica rhapsody IN circulation Or. Hinton
Is not the only victim Of Il. II picks up poet
asters and calls them Shakcspeares. II trans
forms quiet, good-looking girls into brilliant
society queens" OF country villages. makes or
binary lawyers into eminent leaders OF the
bar" and good, dull. modest pastors Into "clo-
quent divines." II exhausts the superlatlves Of
the language, and leaves the world IA little able
to appreciate anything really extraordinary IA
were the people OF old unable to realize the
danger OF the boy who cried "Wof! Wolf"'
increasingly without reason. Such extravaganza
utterly destroys the value Of Judgments by
dulling the popular sense of measure. by blind
Ing eyes to perspective, by teaching the thought
less TO regard everything that is not taffy as
mud
THIS hurts the work OF the world and the
workers 1t makes them self-cOnsclous and
vain II makes them class their geese rs
swans. TO be satisfied with geese, and angry mt
anybody who mildly suggests preference for
real swans. Or. Hinton gives us case in
point He says that he who turned down Dis
racli approached somewhat TO greatness" and
therefore he thinks It "a mean slur" not to give
Mr.. Plimson full title as n great man. He
seems 10 think that 10 be near is 10 arrive.
"Appronchod somewhat" He wishes TO skip
the "approach' and cover a good man with
tafry, and says that TO leave him in honor
where he himself unconsciously admits no be-
longs Is 10 roll him In the mud. Surely after
treating a patient whose symptoms Somewhat
approached to dphtheria he would not tell his
profcssiona, brethren how wonderfully he had
cured diphthera-
1t Is told that Talleyrand once being asked
about the great men he had known replied that
lie had seen only two great men; one was
Napoleon Bonaparte and the other was Al
exander Hamilton. We may not agree with
him. We may think Washington and Yelling
ton and score OF others should have the title.
but II Talleyrand so could sift the names writ
ten large on hlstory's page. perhaps we may be
pardoned II we do not think there IL nothing
between mud and taffy, and refuse to call every
man we love and honor great" We rejoice
that Dr. Hinton has read The Tribune for years,
and hope he will read It for years to come, and
we also hope that when we have occasion to
mention him as n worthy and respected physi-
clan he Will not be offended II we do not de-
scribe him rs the modern Harvey or rs the
wearer Of the mantle OF Valentine Mott