James Parton, The life of Horace Greeley

‘ [171] on science, ethics, or phrenology, and three average congressional or other demagogues. Why, then, should starvation wave his skeleton sceptre in terrorem over such a congregation of available excellences.’

3. The leading spirit of the New Yorker had a singular, a constitutional, an incurable inability to conduct business. His character is the exact opposite of that “hard man” in the gospel, who reaped where he had not sown. He was too amiable, too confiding, too absent, and too “easy,” for a business man. If a boy stole his letters from the post-office, he would admonish him, and either let him go or try him again. If a writer in extremity offered to do certain paragraphs for three dollars a week, he would say, ‘No, that's too little; I'll give you five, till you can get something better.’ On one occasion, he went to the post-office himself, and receiving a large number of letters, put them, it is said, into the pockets of his overcoat. On reaching the office, he hung the overcoat on its accustomed peg, and was soon lost in the composition of an article. It was the last of the chilly days of spring, and he thought no more either of his overcoat or its pockets, till the autumn. Letters kept coming in complaining of the non-receipt of papers which had been ordered and paid for; and the office was sorely perplexed. On the first cool day in October, when the editor was shaking a summer's dirt from his overcoat, the missing letters were found, and the mystery was explained. Another story gives us a peep into the office of the New Yorker. A gentleman called, one day, and asked to see the editor. ‘I am the editor,’ said a little coxcomb who was temporarily in charge of the paper. ‘You are not the person I want to see,’ said the gentleman. ‘Oh!’ said the puppy, ‘you wish to see the Printer. He's not in town.’ The men in the composing-room chanced to overhear this colloquy, and thereafter, our hero was called by the nickname of “The printer,” and by that alone, whether he was present or absent. It was ‘Printer, how will you have this set,’ or ‘Printer, we're waiting for copy.’ All this was very pleasant and amiable; but, businesses which pay are never carried on in that style. It is a pity, but a fact, that businesses which pay, are generally conducted in a manner which is exceedingly disagreeable to those who assist in them.

4. The Year of Ruin.