The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-08-11
William NJ. Reedy
BY N. W. CONNOLLY,

me death OF William Marion Reedy
OF 81. Louis, which occurred In los
AahHeles some days ago. brings me a
instinct sense OF personal loss He was
| among the last and most loved OF my
9td-tm friends. In the early nineties
l was reporter on the st. Louis RE
publican as II was then called and
atlerward l served as night manaEer
I9r me Associated Press. | saw much
~ "teqE ana we contracted friend
shp which never wnned and which
nope 10 renew when the "one clear
eau comes for me to cross the har -
met him often In sequent wears and
s"ays with Increased admiration for
his genius.
lie was born and reared in 81. Louis,
his father being n captain OF police
lot many years. He attended parochlal
schools until he entered the St Louis
university where the Jesuits trained his
young mind and gave 1t that character
islc bent which remained with him
through ME. He worked as a report or
on the ST. Louis newspapers until he
started the Mirror so that he might
say what he thought In his own way
ana Tor awhile he had rough sleddin'.
financially. Crania gave him hit audi
ence though few" but he fought on and
soon the Mirror became The leading
literary exponent OF the West
when the Inflated William Cooper
Brann launched his Iconoclast at Waco.
IeNas, he was flooded with voluntary
contributions so much so that he kept
standing notice at the head Of his
editorial columns: mo room In this
magazine for anyone but the editor and
Mike connolly Later on he arranged
with Reedy to contribute articles and
Tor a long time we two were his only
helpers. II was a distinction to be
coveted, but not without some discreet
reservations, and It brought myself and
Reedy into closer intimacy Recdy's ar
ucies were literary with the chasteness
and finish Of Sophoces, while mine
were moral and religious essays writ
ten in popular vein, all Of which
seemed out of place in the lConoClast.
Neither Of us ever got away from the
Jesuit Influence; nor so far as | could
discern or feel, neither ever tried
In manhood Reedy was big. His head
suggested the 2ens OF Phidias. His eff
quence He was unusual in that his
conversation was the same as his writ
ms. Ordinarily a writer. unless he
dictates much to n stenographCr. uses
language OF which his conversation
and even his public speeches are
mere vulgate, Reedy had beautiful,
voice and magnetism that was com
polling. His spoken words as well as
his written words produced an intel
lectual ecstacy. Wthal he was a good
listener and his most convincing ar
guments were made by way Of sug-
gestion. He was very human, very
gentle, very generous--a mass OF in
formation and well digested scholar
ship masked in modesty and good fell
lowship. He wrote rapidly and flashed
off article after article as sparks are
thrown from a wireless transmitter. Yet
he was accurate, because he knew,
and was thoroughly trained, Roedy had
a becoming pride but no trace Of van
ity, He was always reader to praise
than to blame. To me he was more
than kind. He would have it that
| was a word wizard" when the wine
and nectar Of wizardry drpped from his
own magical words His praise was
far beyond anything my poor efforts
merited and ! concluded that it was
his great heart and his loyal friend
ship which betrayed his judgment
which, otherwise, was severely Just
torial in Saturdays Commercial Appeal
on "Reedy, The Master Stylst," Mr..
Mooney does me the honor to mention
my name among those OF Eugene Field,
Lafcadio Hearn and Louis Carroll, To
be considered a satellite of any of these
lumInaries is high praise indeed.
knew little of Field outside of his work
Hearn was, in spite OF an almost re-
pulsive physiognomy. charming per
sonality. He had the rich resonant
voice OF his Irish father and the WOO
ing graces OF his Greek mother when
anmated-Beshrew the reformers. We
could purchase animation in those days
his face was godlike in its beauty,
His conversation was enhancing. his
words flowing like a stream of molten
gold.
Carroll was a Canadian although
never knew him over there but may
have had the rapture of hitting him
on the head with a thrown rock or
brickbat or smashing him in the face
with my fist in any OF the many battles
royal which were had between the
students of the Suplucians, where he
was. and the students of Laval univer-
sity. in Montreal, where | was. | met
him first in Texas sick. ragged and
hungry. got him work on a daily
paper and soon found out what he
could do. He wrote some literary ar
ticles for magazines and soon had re-
quests from many more The poor
fellow had no more business sense than
an infant and his money trickled from
him like water through seiNe. lie
stayed with me a while in Memphis
then went to Springfield. Mo, ana later
to St Louis where he became a pen
sioner Of Reedy. | have never known
anyone In CAROLS class unless II be
the famous Michael Monaghan, OF me
phoenix" OF South NOrwalk, conn. lie
il buried in St Louis. Coming back
to the old talth 9tter a ptTlou pt C,uHllS
agnosticism," Reedy wrote me. Hearn
reposes in far-oft Japan, and Field in
Chicago. Connolly is no longer in the
n0ontido OF things" says Mooney Alas,
how true, Rather is he far into the
twilight where to be remembered by
a friend gives crepuscular grandeur
to the gathering shadows. Billy
Reedy is gone, but l cannot but he,
lieve that he has only gone before Coo
would not create mind ike nus anu
then destroy it. In his death I firmly
believe that American literature has
lost its chief factor and noblest orna-