Evening journal., 1912-07-31
NEW NEWS OF YESTERDAY
The Great Biography Of
Grant That Death
Interrupted
b Holland

John Russell Young. for many
years the managing editor of the
New York Tribune under Horace
Greeley; the intimate companion OF
General Grant-selected by the ex-
president to accompany, him upon
his historic tour around the world;
afterwards Minister to China, and
later the librarian in charge of the
Congressional Library. died in 1899
with the chief ambition of his life
unfulflled.
Mr. Young was a man of scholarly
attainments, especially in the field
of the political history of the United
States, and that OF the biography OF
the great statesmen of the period in
cluding the civil war and for a gener-
alton before that time.
He was also a master of English
style. Furthermore, he had for some
ten years unusual opportunities not
only for analyzing the Temperament
tai and intellectual characteristics OF
General Grant, but also of learning
some incidents in Grants career OF
which the public had no knowledge
especially Grants cadet days at
West Point, his service in the Mexi-
can war and al Sacketts Harbor, New
York, as we'll as upon the Pacific
coast, and the obscure life Grant led
IN ST. Louis and Galena, ILL.,. after
he retired from the regular army and
before the civil war began.
It was while Mr. Young was ac-
companying General Grant and his
family upon their tour around tho
world that he felt first the ambition
to achieve as greatly in the field OF
biography as General Grant had in
the field Of a soldier.
MIR. Young was preparing the first
part Of the book which so graphically
describes the tour of General Grant
around the world when one day Il
suddenly occurred 10 him: This great
man has no biographer nor is there
anyone who will undertake 10 write
his biography; but if properly writ
ten It should be a work which would
rank with the great biographies Of
the world"
This seed thought. having thus
been planted in Youngs mind. grew
rapidlv and by the time the tour
around the world was completed and
Mr.. Young's book describing it had
| been published. he was dominated nv
the ambition 70 write the real. the
great biography of General Grant
Shortly after the death Of General
| Grant. which occurred inst about the
/ time Mr. Young was relinquishing
| his post as Minister to China. he be-
gan the collection of material and the
preparation Of his notes for the
I y r. {. d.
| terrupted by Mr. Youngs editorial
association with one Of the leading
newspapers Of the East
But the ambition to write the
| standard biography Of Grant burned
/ constantly within him, and when Mr.
! Young WAS apDointed librarian Of
| Congress. in 1897. he determined 70
! spend ell of his snare time in the
preparation Of the biography But he
was not >destined 70 crafty his
supreme ambition. He served only
/ two wears as librarian Of Congress
and then death claimed him.
Our family knew that John Rus
sell Young was ambitious to write
/ the permanent biography Of my
| father" said r. 6 Grant. son Of the
Great CAPTAIN 70 me recently. "He
/ had 1ntlmafeo 70 US tnaL me SOp1fct
was noble one. WORTH Of the
worlds greatest hioVraphers. He
honed that he would be able before
, his death 10 write a biography which
| would r-nk WITH 80 w~rif's greatest
achievements Of that kind
"I no not know how much material
Mr vounq collected or what shape n
was IN OF how far he had progressed
7 da not 1y0o-- that Rad he lived ten or
n is work whom death etopped him.
fifteen vears In ger he would have
written iusf such a h'ogranhv OF nv
fa'rer as IT was his ambition to
write"
The world is sriii waitinr for soma
one 10 rise IN and write the classic
lSicEranhv of r-lv~ses 6 Grant. Lieu
ternnt-cenarai Y. 6 A. (Conyrighs.
1912. hv f. J. Edwards. All right
resorved
To-,orrow Mr.. Edvard- will teil ~
"a Story of the c'vii Wars First
Very Prominent Victim"