The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1919-05-01
MEMORIAL TO EDITOR
HORACE GREELEY
q q q
House In East Pouitney Where He
Learned Printers Trade TO be Pre-
served

served.
Poultncy, April 24--During last
, week title to the old home in East
Poultney, where Horace G-cele,
learned the printers trade passed intt
the hands of Howard L. Hindley, ed
itor Of The Rutland Herald, h. G
Whitehill, editor of The Waterbury
Record, and c. w. Humphrey, editor
Of The Poultncy Journal. The pur-
chase is the outcome Of a resolution
adopted at recent meeting Of the
Vermont Press Association, held at
Montpelier, when the association went
on record as favoring the erection OF
u suitable memorial in the village Of
East Poultney which should mark the
place where the great journalist began
his trade as printer. II was first
intended that this memorial should be
in the nature Of tablet, but the COM
mittec determined that If the building
could be purchased it would be much
more suitable and more fitting.
The committee as whole have not
completed plans, but they have asked
C. w. Humphrey and w. w. Brough-
ton to act as members of a local com
mittee TO interest themselves in the
new project and assist in carrying out
plans for the proper establishment
and maintenance of the Greeley mem-
orial. These members hope for local
cooperation and decided to at once
begin a collection of anything that
would properly have place in the
home. Papers, books relating to Mr..
Greeley or published during his early
days, will be considered as entitled to
prominence in the display of articles
which it is hoped will form generous
exhibit. Contributions are desired,
and of course the more generosity
shown along this line the more valu-
able the memorial. Some contribu-
tions have already been made among
which is a desk said to have been
part of the equipment in the building
at the time Mr.. Greeley worked at the
case. Thus, any article which may
have in any way been identified with
the little white-haired lad in the time
of 1826-31 would be gratefully receiv-
ed and proper recognition will be CIV
en- the donor when the arrangement of
the memorial is completed.
The establishment of this memorial
is something that has had more or less
consideration at various times, and
that it now becomes fact is occas-
ion for qualification, not alone among
those who have brought it about, but
also for everyone in the town who
much recognize that it is something
quite out of the ordinary. 1t mem
orializes the name of young lad who
at the age of fifteen walked into
Poultney and sought position in the
printing Office in East Poultney where
was published The Northern Specta-
tor, and before another fifteen years
had passed he became the editor of
The New York Tribune, one of the
foremost of the metropolitan journals
and Horace Greeley continued to grow
until he ranked as Americas great |
journalist. He could read before he
could speak plainly, and at the age of
six he declared that his purpose in
life was to be printer. So quick of |
was he and so active was
his intellect that the commonest of
common school education was for him
sufficient.
Amos Bliss, grandfather of Miss
Marion G. Bliss of East Poultney, was
one of the publishers of The Spectator
when Mr.. Greeley became an appren-.
tice; in fact, it was Mr.. Bliss who en-
gagged the young man, and writing to
The New York Home Journal in Aug
ust, 1851, Mr.. Bliss describes the lad
who walked into Poultney in this way:
Some time in the month of May 1926,
while | was concerned in publishing
The Northern Spectator, weekly
in the village of East
Poultney, VT, / was one morning en-
gagged in my garden when there came
10 me STRIPPING of boy of about
fourteen years Of age and inquired if
was the man who carried on the
printing Office. | answered that was.
He asked me If wanted TO take boy
rs an apprentice. told him that
had thought Of it and asked him if he
wished to become a printer. He said
hat he had some notion of learning
he printing business. He had come
'ome ten miles on foot that morning
rom humble home in the vicinity of
Vest Haven TO make his application.
had not, at first, paid much attention {
o his address-and now turning to
he young stranger saw standing be-
ore me light, slender form dressed
n the plain farmers cloth of the day,
md with negligee not in accordance
With the fastidious taste of Beau Nash
n Brummel. His hair Of light hue, n
hading upon the orange, lay thinly q
pom his shoulders, apparently too 5
lender TO support the weight Of l.
member SO disproportioned to his gen
raj outline. On entering into conver- u
alton and partial examination of q
ny new applicant, il required but Z
title time to discover that he possess L
d mind of no common order and
cquired intelligence far beyond his
ears. He had had but little oppor- :,
unity "a. fhe cnpnnou grhoal hrf he