Evening star., 1911-01-29
|By THOMAS |. JAMES, FORMER POS TNdAS TER H
GENERAL OF THE united STATES. .NES&Z

Horace Greeley sometimes cause me to
doubt whether he was quite as eccentric
as, according to common repute, he ap-
peared to be. or whether there was lit
tie method something of studied eccen-
tricity, a little of artificial posing. in his
manner. For instance, | happened to be
at Albany n VI should say it was
about the midyear of the civil war-and
! ran across Greeley in the cid Delavan
House. He was plainly waiting for some
one, for he snugly fitted himself into one
of the great armchairs which used to
fringe the corridors of the hotel, and ap-
parently went instantly to sleep.
Some of his friends who saw him thus
slumbering negotiated with the boot
black. The boy put his box in front
of Mr.. Greeley, carefully lifted one leg
and balanced it across his knee, and
then deftly polished one of the tradi-
tional Greeley boots: think Mr.. Greeley
always Wore boots. Having finished
with the right boot the boy. with the
same care, applied himself TO polishing
the left boot: Then he placed Mr..
Greeley's foot carefully upon the floor
and started to back away. when, with
his eyes still seemingly closed in slum-
ber. Mr.. Greeley thrust a hand into a
vest pocket, fingered about there for
moment drew forth a piece of fractional
currency-at that time We had no silver
coin, and all the small currency was In
paper-and thrust out the money toward
the greatly surprised boy, who gasped,
seized the money ana ned.
l have heard others say that when Mr..
Greeley appeared to slumber-it used to
be said of him that he had peculiar
habit Of going to sleep at every oppor-
tunity-he was really only browsing, and
that even when his eyelids were two
thirds closed he could see almost every
thing that was going on about him.
Upon the first occasion that I attend
ed services at DR.. Chapin's church 1 saw
Horace Greeley pass down the aisle with
reverent step and quietly take his
place in his pew, which was a little be-
yond the center OF the church on the
main aisle.
No one could have been more devo-
tional in attitude than Mr.. Greeley ap-
peared to be. He displayed no eccen-
.ricities Of dress; he followed the con-
yentional custom of that time. wearing
a black frock coat. He took part in the
preliminary exercises. but after the SER
mon was begun ! happened to look in
the direction of his pew and l saw him
gradually sinking, as 1t were, into that
kind Of physical collapse which indicates
preparation for slumber. In a moment
OF two he was apparently sound asleep.
Nobody appeared to heed him; 1t seem
ed to me that this was the customary
thing for Mr.. Greeley to do. But 1 OBJ
served that as soon as the sermon was
ended Mr.. Greeley was very wide awake,
and after the services were over many
persons stopped in the aisle to greet
him. among them the Cary sisters. Alice
and Phoebe, then in the height of their
renown as poets. 1t was under Greeley s
friendship and patronage that the sisters
attained their literary fame.
1t was very evident to me the next
day that Mr.. Greeley had not slept SO
soundly in church as to be deaf to every
thing about him, for upon the editorial
page of the Tribune l read concise and
yet very complete summary of DR.. Cha
pins sermon, Greeley having used 1t as
the text for an editorial.
Upon one occasion I was returning sto
New York upon the Harlem railroad. AT
Chappaqua Mr.. Greeley got on. l was a
little surprised, because / knew that it
was his custom to go to his farm at
Chappaqua every Saturday and stay un-
til Monday morning. though sometimes
he returned to the city Sunday night. 1t
was at ChappaGua that he had the ex-
pelience which he embodied in the book
he published entitled What / Know of
Farming" And here let me digress a
little to tell a story which was current
at the time the book was published One
Of his friends said to him:
Greeley. | have been reading your
book through. and I have made up my
mind that what you know about farm
ing is darn little
You haven't got 1t right" Greeley
drawled. 1T isn't darn little; It's moth
ing. But it takes a man about six years
to learn that he doesn't know anything
about farming"
Well. at Chappaqua there boarded the
train with Mr.. Greeley a hotelkeeper of
that place, and he took seat with him.
Said he:
why. Mr.. Greeley. It's only two hours