GENERAL GRANT.

[
Born, April 27, 1822. Died, Fuly 23, 1885.

ORD BACON says no man can be judged by
one act; we must wait as at a play until all
the acts are over and the curtain falls.

The curtain has fallen on a life of startling
changes passing with dramatic swiftness from
obscurity to extraordinary positions of honor and
power where, “in the fierce light that beats about
a throne,” in the fierce heat of contending armies
and in the fiercer passions of contending political
parties his part was acted out for over twenty
years; then the splendid drama suddenly became
tragedy; it reads like the old Greek tragedies
where the gods offended that a mortal should
approach their own greatness let loose upon him
every element of disaster and suffering.

The name which had become a synonyme for
success has of late embodied every reverse. Health,
fortune, pride, all were shattered and rent from
him, and then an unrelenting disease fastened on
him and took life itself.

Ours is a generous people and this furnace of
affliction fused all differences into one common
feeling of sympathy. Never has a man gone to
his death so sustained and comforted by the tender-
ness of a nation.

And rarely has any man been so sustained—
always —— by domestic love. The family life at the
White House was simple and reserved as was its
head; four generations, from the aged father of
Mrs. Grant to the infant great-grandchildren, made
a rare and beautiful home atmosphere. And this
blessing was with him to the end.

I would like to tell, to boys especially, some
things I know of General Grant’s sympathy with
young men; his comprehending and willing help

to them in the early deciding steps that influence |

a life. His habit of silence and his peculiar square-

set build gave him an unfair appearance of being

hard, and without interest in what was said to him.
250

But I found him the most prompt to take i= 1 case,
act, and follow it up thoroughly, of any P* sident
I have known. He was not in the least emotinal,
but sympathy he had, and his position esaSled
him to make his feelings action.

Having the common impression that he was
indifferent as well as silent in general society it
was a surprise and pleasure to have the President
ask me, one evening at a large reception gives to
him by Admiral Zielen, to stand near him that he
might hear what I said; “You always seem to
have something to say, now my difficulty is tc know
what to say.”

I answered naturally enough that “every one
has his gifts ” and while mine was only to talk, his
was to do the things that made every one talk of
him.

“There,” he exclaimed, “ that is just the sort ¢£
thing I like to hear you say” —and then as I>
saw the double meaning this had, so out of keepin, °
with his real modesty, we had such a good laug!
together that it made me see him in a new light.

Personally, I had not known General Gran
until he was in the height of his power as Presi
dent. With the family of Mrs. Grant it was ar
old friendship, dating from her father and mine

General Grant was given his first command by
General Frémont at Saint Louis in ’61—and ]
knew at the time the reasons for which he was put
in command at Cairo, to protect the river and
maintain our hold on Paducah and other points on
the Kentucky shore.

Kentucky intended remaining neutral, and re-
sented this “intrusion” as they called it, and
brought such political power to bear from Wash-
ington that it became imperative to make sure of
an officer who would not be swayed by political
considerations, but would simply and uncondi-
tionally maintain his military position. General