The Washington times., 1922-12-10

When Alexander fthfniitoh anu
some of his friends got together
about $4,000 to found the paper
New York was little more thanNa
village-one of Hamilton's ambi-
tons at the time was to build
country home" at the northern
end Of Manhattan Island.
The old paper was founded pure.
ly as a party organ. The brilliant
Hamilton and his friends had just
seen their party showed under at
the elections, and they honestly
believed that the nation. in the
hands Of such men as Thomas
jefferson. was going to the dogs.
Hamilton at this time wrote old
Gouvernsur Morris that the Con-
stitution itself seemed but - frail
and useless thing" Today-~the
paper Ii the oldest ), living one
established for political purpose.
Mr.. Nevfns has dug up with
painstalSing care and accuracy an
excellent detailed account Of the
Post" Of those early days under
the editorial direction Of william
Coleman. ThS little four page
paper did wonders at covering the
news Of the world. And the very
best citizens howled not "A bit
that In It's columns were found
advertisements Of excellent st.
Croix rum. lottery tickets, and "a
likely negro wench. sixteen years
old-ysold for no fault"
Perhaps the main interest Of the
world at large In the New York
Evening Post is the half century
of its life under the direction Of
William Cullen Bryant, who rose
, to the distinction Of being general.
iy known as the. foremost Ameri-
can Of his day. He IL credited
with giving dignity to a profession
which without him might have
sunk to d back alley status, with
editors hurting fighting talk back
and forth at each other.
Before Bryant's,long day on the
Post. II made ita,bid AZ a literary
organ by bringing to light and en-
icouraging the Knickerbocker
School OF writers- among them
Haileck and Drake, and of course
washington irving. who was
shockink fhe old Dutch families
with hts ''Knickerbocker History"
Hryant, q young lawyer who
didn't like the law. already ia
nous for Thanatopsis and other
poems. entered the Evening Post
office in 1895 without the least
intention Of making Journalism
his life work. Yet he stayed there
until NE was eighty years old.
establishing q record In Q profes-
sion which he grew to love SEQ
ond to none with the lone excep-
ton Of BENJAMIN Franklin. Fully
two-thirds Of the book-and II 10
q big one-is devoted to the half
century under Bryant. the early
antipathy Of the editor to slavery.
the, conduct Of the paper during
the Mexican war. its growing up
with the city.
Bryant's greatest contribution
to the city Of New York II the
foresight he displayed In seeing
, that the whole island OF Manhat-
I tan would~be covered with brick
and mortar" a. he expressed Il.
I'm q short time. and that there
would be no green spot in its
length or breadth where people
might go. He conceived the idea
Of Central Park. and fought for II
against not only indifference, but
downright opposition, until he
succeeded. and New York today
can thank Bryant's prsvisich for
ia .
A book itself could bs filled
with q review of Bryant's long
regime which ended at his death
when he was beyond the four
score mark. He was succeeded by
his son-in-law, Parl<e Goodwin. who
had been connected with the
paper 1t Intervals Nor many
years. Goodwin was scholar
who ranked high In his profession
Henry watterson put Goodwin
and Charles A. Dana Jointly at
the head Of the newspaper pro-
fsssiop In those days. He was
sditor-ln-chief and IN owner Of
the paper from 1873 to 1881, this
period being marked BY . con-
tinuai conflict with Isaac Hsnder-
son. business manager and part
owner. who was regarded by God.
win az dishonest. Goodwin sold
his share Of the Post and~closed.
out the interest OF the Bryant
family because he believed Hen
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