The Washington herald., 1909-03-14
HORACE GREELEY


4
known" and stand forth as the master
spirits OF the age" Even commonplace
experiences and conversations by them
are sought after with eagerness.
The life OF Horace Greeley has many OF
these angular settings. TIE ones here
presented are In harmony with the we'll
/ known character or Americas great
newspaper writer and editor The first
one was given to me recently BY one Of
Yermonts fagorite sons. DR.. J.fF. ST.
mond. an intelligent. observant octoge-
marian. at present dwelling in a nearby
suburb OF Washington The doctor is a
retired business man. who retains a
vivid recollection OF the times when Hor-
ace Greeley was in his prime. He was
very communicative, and eyineed a com
mendable interest in the events OF those
times. and particularly the one now re-
lated for the first time.
Probably no one ir Washington" con-
tinued the doctor. knew Horace Greeley
as did. 1 was res ed IN Poultney. VT,
where Horace learned his trade as a
printer. In all Of his pilgrimages 10
Poultney. after the death Of Mr.. Amos
Bliss, his original patron and friend, my
/ fathers house was his home.
Il have heard Mr. Bliss tell repeatedly
OF Horaces first visit 70 Poultney and
his employing him ss a devil in the Office
OF the Spectator.
The doctor became more animated as
/ he related the special experience which
/ impressed Greeley so yividly upon his
memory.
Upon one occasion said the doctor.
when Mr. Greeley came 10 Poultney 10
give an address at the commencement
exercises Of a large seminary located
there. he came direct 10 our house by
stage from Troy. n. Y, a distance Of
sixty-hve miles. arriving soon after dark
After supper. and Mr.. Greeley had re
tired. my father told me 10 go 70 his
room and get his boots Oong-legged,
sure-enough boots). and black them nice
/ ly for the next day. There were no
bootblacks in these days. except the
porters az hotels.
/ II did as directed. and while was
blacking the first boot, the devil got into
me as big as a woodchuck 20 play some
/ trick on Greeley. as had heard and read
that the boys IN New York did. Ny In
ventive genius was puJ 70 the test as 70
how and what trick I could play on him.
Genius was triumphant: and I decided 70
leave the other boot unblackened. This I
4 did. and stealthily carried both boots
and left them at his door in the hall
4 Next morning my heart went pit-a-pat.
pit-a-pat when 7 heard Mr. Greeley com
4 ing down stairs. He took a seat upon
the sofa. Soon my father came into the
I breakfast room also; but was conven-
iently absent Just then. AS father came
In he saw al a glance the abnormal ap-
! pearance of Mr. Greeley's boots. and call
ed me In 10 give an account OF Il.
las father called me up and also called
Z Mr.. Greeley's attention 70 his boots. I
shall never forget how innocently he
/ tGreelsy) looked down at his feet: how
/ he then laughed outright while father
/ froWned and trembled like Belshazzar.
/ Mr.. Greeley had not noticed the dis
crepancy In his footEear. and seemed
/ highly amused Al what I had done
But had TO beg his pardon and fin
! ish my job. After Greeley had left the
house. father called me into his bed
room for a settlement; and taking his
| faithful coWhide from the closet he pro-
| ceeded 10 lay out upon my back and
shoulders the boundaries Of the State OF
Vermont. with all the county boundaries
and principal rivers. and the main range
| OF the Green Mountains from the Can
ada line 10 the Massachusetts line.
THE whipping. however. was not half
so bad as was the lecture which accom-
panied Il without any extra charge
/ Before he got through with me,
| thought I was really the meanest boy IN
| America. Was he 10 be Inundated and
Put 10 shame IN his old age by his own
SOM Had Il come % such a pass that
/ ne could not invite a distinguished man
/ from New York as his guest without his
being inSulted and treated discOurteOusly7 ?
Awful, Awful, Awful,I,
In subsequent years, whenever went
to New York. Mr.. Greeleys house was
my home. Whenever he found an oppor-
tunity he would tell the whole scrape to
others.
'In 1851 I went TO Iowa TO reside as a
practicing physician Several years later
Mr. Greedy was at Iowa City Ohe then
capital Of the State) when the legislature
and supreme court were both in session.
banquet was given him. speeches were
made, and tOasts were delivered. In his
speech, Mr.. Greeley told the whole story
on me. about his experience in boot
blacking. I loved Mr.. Greeley because he
was a great, good man"
The second incident presents another
and different phase Of GreeIey's career.
In 1854 as 7 learned in 1886 while com
piling a history OF the Cumberland VAL
ley. Pa. Mr.. Greeley was invited 10 de-
i to- 4 - 81
OF Franklin County. Col A. x. Nc
Clure. then editor Of the Chambersburg
( Repository. extended the invitation to
the distinguished New York editor He
has left on record a substantial report
OF the speech which presents some anus
ing features.
Mr.. Greeley had written a portion Of
his speech before he left New York: he
wrote another portion in Chambersburg
before # was delivered. and the remain
der after the delivery had occurred.
Now came the real difficulty. the de-
ciphering Of the manuscript AS Col. Nc
Clure pictures it. the difficulties were ap-
parently insurmountable. A number OF
committees were appointed, one to de-
eide In what language 1t was written:
6AoNitCE 70 pass upon NAic terms
used. and still another to decide whether
the address had really any bearing upon
the subject OF agriculture.
The first committee. after DAYS spent
in earnest deliberation, decided that the
language was undoubtedly intended &c be
English: and after a weeks struggle the
various committees agreed upon a re-
port TO be published
I read the report Of the lecture; but
though il was only twenty-three years
ago. / was so absorbed in Col. Nc
Clure's account OF the struggle with the
manuscript I recall but an incident in