The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-29
STORY on HORACE GREELEY
Edwin C. Sparks Entertains Teachers
With "reminiscences.

- -
The school teachers of the Kansas as
were given the opportunity of listening
to one Of the most interesting and IN
structiye lectures heard in this city this
season.
Edwin c. Sparks, who is at the head
of American history in Chicago univer-
sity, talked for two hours on the life
work Of Horace Greeley and his attain
ments.
Mr.. Sparks has the happy faculty of
combining humor and pathos in his IL
Illustrations, keeping the hearers anxious
ly awaiting each word He said:
when Horace Greeley first left his
fathers farm to go to the little village,
his sole ambition was to be an editor. He
told his story to the printer who sent
him home as being too weak to do the
heavy work around the Office. He re-
turned after two years stronger and able
to do the work required. Soon after
starting his work in the printing office
he organized a debating society which
met every other Saturday night. In the
meetings he usually ruled.
He began his apprenticeship on a sal
airy of $40 per year. He kept himself on
that meagre sum and sent a little hoIcc
to his needy parents When his appren-
tieeship ended and he started for the
city his employer gave him an old white
overcoat which he wore until he bought
the one which he wore until his death.
Greeley began two newspaper ven
lures that failed in New York city be-
fore the time of the campaign of w H
Harrison for president. After his can
dldacy had been announced, the party
leaders began to cast about to secure a
paper for the official organ Of the party.
Finally Greeley was selected and a
paper called the Log Cabin was started.
Greeley run it during the campaign, sue
cessfully and out of the proceeds he
saved enough to give him another start
IN New York city. He took in a partner,
good business man to look after the
hIIE1nRGEH n a and cfc Tod
the New York Tribune. 1t soon became
one OF the leading papers, and the circu-
lation lists went up by jumps and
bounds.
Greeley was a tyrant with his report
ers, and 1t was the general feeling
among the men that they would rather
resign than to be called up before Mr.
Greeley for a. reprimand.
Greeley took an active interest in ev-
cry new reform that came up and it was
the standing joke that any one wanting
TO publish new ism could have it Civ
en- publicity by taking it to Greeley. He
was the victim of great many impcs-
tors. For this reason his friends per-
Suaded him to take a room in the ton
floor of the Tribune building so that
FEWER beggars could reach him. But
those who did reach him never went
away empty handed.
At the time when the autographs Of
Edgar Allen Poe were so much in de-
mand man wrote to Mr.. Greeley ask
ing him if he could give or sell him an
autograph of the poet
MIR. Greeley in answer said that he
had Mr.. Poe's autograph but that it was
underneath the words, I promise to pay
the amount of $780, He was willing to
sell the autograph he said, and cheap
He offered it for half price,
Mr. Sparks pictured Mr.. Greeley dur
ing his 80 days in congress and told of
the reform bills which he introduced. He
drew a vivid word picture of the aston
ishment of Greeley when he learned of
the methods used in turning in the
vouchers Tor mileage by the various
members of that body. He immediately
began working for reform in this di-
rectiOn but his bill was lost sight of and
accomplished nothing. And so it was
with the various other evils. He wrote
bitter editorials and articles against the
methods of his own party and sent them
down to publish in the Tribune
Greeley became an abolitionist and
wrote bitter editorials on that subject
in his paper. The postmaster at Lynch
burg notified Greeley that he would
have to stop sending his papers to that
office because he. the postmaster, would
not deliver them to the subscribers.
Greeley answered him in a clear and
concise way, setting forth the fact that
the postmaster was required to do his
duty in delivering the papers as he was
in duty bound to send them to the SUBJ
scribers who paid their money for the
papers. To this letter he signed himself,
Yours stif1y, Horace Greeley
At OIC l14Aie l11t cQllOI OF the courier
and Examiner, a contemporary of the
Tribune came near being sent to Sing
Sing for something he had done ard
would have been imprisoned had it not
been for the fact that Governor Seward
pardoned him. Not long after this the
editor of the Courier published the fol-
lowing item:
=" The editor of the Tribune seeks no.
toriety by pretending great eccentricity
of habit. His lazy pretense of greatness
by wandering through the streets with
hat double the size of his head, a coas
after the fashion of Jacob of old, with
one leg of his pantaloons inside and the
other outside his boot and with boots
all despatched with mud, or possibly
with shoe on one foot and a boot on
the other, and glorying in an unwashed
and unshaven person
Greeley copied the item word for
word in his paper and remarked under
meath that the suit which the editor Of
the Courier would have worn save for
the clemency of Governor Seward would
have caused him more notoriety than he
cared for had he walked down Broadway
wearing 1t"