New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-25


Trom a portrait in John Brown
also tust long enough TO threaten the
preservation of this or that record illus
trating the lesser known aspects OF
minis career Hence the desirabihty OF
assembling all the evidence in the case
If Brown. BY process OF selection MI
Willard might have composed a more
popular biography, but on the otner
hand. he would not then have made quite
50 solidly valuable contribution to IN"
literature Of Abolition. In the very ful-
ness Of his narrative lies its claim 10
hnality. Brown can have no more au-
thoritative memoir than is here put he
fore us. not only in an exhaustive text
hut with uncommonly useful notes and
voluminous photography.
Correct Interpretation Of the work that
John Brown did in the world hinges pc
culiarly upon understanding Of his char
acter That work Of his was disordered.
imperfect and nomnallv Intellectual but
n II had tremendous consequences 1t
vas because men felt behind it the kind
lirc power Of q great soul Starting
with conviction Of this truth Nj.
Willard nevertheless steadily refraius
from pitching his story m the laudatory
key into which its emotional appeal
might $50 easily lure rho iographer
His main purpose is to recito facts, and
whenever possible ne leaves these 10
sneak for themselves. Fortunately. too
he has had many documents upon which
10 draw. including quantities IN which
Brown himself set down incidents in his
life and reflections ON the development
of the high purpose which ultimately
carried MIN To his death IN the auto
biographical fragment written two years
or so before the end. for the son of his
New England supporter. George J..
Stearns. there is a passage which shows
how early he was dedicated TO his fate.
Speaking Of himself as a boy he says:
During the war with England circum-
stance occurred that IN The end made him
4 most determined AbOitOHiSt: & led him
?, declare or SWeOr: Eternal tcar with
Slavery. He was staying for short time
with a very gentlemanly landlord since a
United States Marshall who held slave
hoy near his own age very active. intelli-
gent. and good feeling a 70 WnOm John
was under considerable obligation for nu-
merous LITTLE acts Of kindness IhC Master
made a great pet of John brought him 10
table with his first company and friends =,
called their attention 10 every little smart
thing he said or did q 20 the fact of his
being more than hundred miles from
home with a company of cattle alone while
the d. GTO boz (who was fully If not more
than hi equaD was badly clothed poorly
Cd NarIrr Il Il h. Z hoo. fG,.
before nis ewes with Iron ShOvels or any
other thing that came first TO hand. This
brought John 10 reflect on the Wretched,
hopeless condition. Of FdtherleSS & Mother
less slave children, for such children have
neither Fathers or Mothers TO protect IL
provide for them. He sometimes would
raise the question is God their Father
The impressive fact about this youth
ful crusading impulse is that it did not
HISTORICALLY develop into a mere obsession
hut took possession of Brown in normal
fashion Long afterward. when he was
in Boston making ready for his great
campaign. one of the men he met. John
VI Forbes. thought that he saw in
Browns eyes little touch of insanity"
and It is well remembered that there
were those who at his trial would have
made much Of the faint in his family
and would have had him plead unsound-
ness Of mind His calm rejection Of that
plea as "a miserable artiflce and pre-
text" is. Of course. not necessarily to be
taken as conclusive testimony TO his
lifelong sanity. But such testimony
abounds upon every page Of his biog
raphy His demon was the demon OF
principle. simply. Mr.. Willard alludes to
'the narrowness of his vision" That
sufficiently accounts for the fanatical
turn taken by his nature. He could not
see far enough TO fix in the right per-
spective the consequences Of his deeds.
But so far as he could see he saw clearly
and knew perfectly what he was about.
II is well 10 follow with the closeness
N Mr.. Wizards narrative the slow move
ing years which were crowded with mill
tant transactions. II is well to observe
his severity with himself and his family.
MS industry in business. and, by the
same token, his ineficiency from the
sordid point OF view. He had. no doubt.
and even, up 10 a certain point, as a
money maker. There is an amusing
story OF some English merchants who
tried TO play trick upon him when he
was in London with wool TO sell. They
handed him a sample OF their own and
asked him what he would do with 1t.
Feeling il for a moment, he said. Gen
,Iemen. if you have any machinery that
will work up dogs hair. ] would advise
you TO put this into IT," and the Briton
who had sheared his poodle to carry out
the joke was promptly discounted There
are other episodes to show that Brown
was no impractical dreamer letting his
affairs fall into confusion whole he pom
dered the evils OF slavery. But there is
also much TO show that he was at bot
tom no business man. Life went UNI
prontably with him for many long year
end one can read In his failures the