The record-union., 1899-12-10
ESTIMATE OF A WRITER.

ESTIMATE OF A WRITER.
The retirement of one of the oldest
editorial writer's of America, Mr.. E. L..
Godkin of the New York Evening
Post" has brought out a. variety Of
comment. Mainly it has been exceed
ingly complimentary of the Anglo
scholarship and his exceeding incisive-
ness Of style, as we'll for his courage
and intellectual vigor.
But the commentaries are not all in
one direction. In fact, none of them
breathe love, and beneath all of them
there is Ill concealed a vein of criticism
of the methods of the founder of the
Nation and his intolerant treatment
Of his contemporaries. There is evil
dent but unexpressed feeling that Mr..
Godkin has been rather a good hater
than a generous opponent.
Now and then there is open and de-
clared qualification that Mr.. Godkin
has ceased to write regularly for the
press, and will devote his remaining
years to literature of a different order,
and for which his high attachments,
his brilliancy and learning eminently fit
him. "Gunton's Magazine" is one of
those who rejoice that Godkin will no
more fay and scalp. "Gunton's'' re-
CARDS him as vindictive cynical and
poisonous element in journalism, the
most so ever known in its history. 1t
holds that Godkin has been not merely
a sneerer at everything American, but
he has been a polished defamer, using
vulgar terms and applying coarse
names to our public men. But it makes
still more serious charge against Mr.
Godkin, namely. that ne has sought to
evade responsibility for this method of
assault by putting the coarse attacks
In quotation marks, though they were
original with him.
"Gunton's' further charges him with
being cynical sarcastic and viadictive
without cause, really a man without
country, a writer without a prin-
ciple to uphold. In short, that with Mr.
Godkin, to be identified with any cause
OF labor was to be rated and raked as
demagogue and fraud, and to be in
fluential in public affairs was to be de-
nounced as a politician" hungering for
fodder at the public crib.
The Brooklyn Eagle says that
much was attributed to him which he
did not write, but no injustice was done
by that fact, for its resemblance to his
known writing showed that he in
spired it, either directly or by influence
Of the man or those who worked with
him.
The truth Is between the extremes Of
ford praise and bitter announcement
Unquestionably those who shower I'M
stfnted compliments upon him are
blinded by the brilliancy of the writer,
while those who scarify him as the
enemy Of all that is generous, are car
ried away by enmity stung by the
lash he welded. The truth about Mr..
lie critic, is that he was merciless, had
small regard for patriotism in the pop
ular sense, was lacking in breadth, was
well nigh devoid of generosity in let
tiers. and that for warmth with tolera-
ton. he substituted heat with intoler.
ance.
Nevertheless he served a most useful
purpose, in that his cynicism, courage
and mercilessness and his hatred of all
things unclean, hypocritical and low.
operated to make schemers, frauds and
demagogues fear and hesitate. That
neither flesh nor soul were spared the
lay of his lash, that he made ridicule
offensive for lack of humor, and criti-
cism weak by assumption of infalli-
bility is certainly true.
No writer for the press in the recent
years has. been more feared or adj
mired. He was at once the most
brilliant, incisive and fearless of mod
ern critics, and yet the least effective
because of the scorn with which
ne regarded opponents, and those VINO
Joined issue with him. His scholarly
abilities commanded respect, his direct
and all but irresistible attack excited
admiration from even his foes. He
was, despite his lack of sympathy, his
narrowness of view concerning things
American, his want of charity and his
heartlessness in annlvinp cens,,re a
great editor, one whose genius, learn
ing, critical skill and fearlessness will
rank his name among the really
great, but not by any means among the
most influential writers and the loved
ones Of the century.
For by his facility in making enemies,
undue vigor of assault and his intoler-
ant methods. the ends he sought were