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ision；that　low…lying　silver　lake；　imprisoned　by　the　precipices　which　it　reflected　in　its　bosom；　he　made　no　outward　response　to　our　burst　of　admiration：　only　a　quiet　gleam　of　the　eye　showed　the　pleasure　our　appreciation　gave　him。　　As　some　one　said；　it　was　as　if　his　friend　had　been　admireda　friend　about　whom　he　was　unwilling　to　say　much　himself；　but　well　pleased　to　have　others　praise。

Thus　far；　we　have　considered　Old　Phelps　as　simply　the　product　of　the　Adirondacks；　not　so　much　a　self…made　man　（as　the　doubtful　phrase　has　it）　as　a　natural　growth　amid　primal　forces。　　But　our　study　is　interrupted　by　another　influence；　which　complicates　the　problem；　but　increases　its　interest。　　No　scientific　observer；　so　far　as　we　know；　has　ever　been　able　to　watch　the　development　of　the　primitive　man；　played　upon　and　fashioned　by　the　hebdomadal　iteration　of　〃Greeley's　Weekly　Tri…bune。〃　　Old　Phelps　educated　by　the　woods　is　a　fascinating　study；　educated　by　the　woods　and　the　Tri…bune；　he　is　a　phenomenon。　No　one　at　this　day　can　reasonably　conceive　exactly　what　this　newspaper　was　to　such　a　mountain　valley　as　Keene。　　If　it　was　not　a　Providence；　it　was　a　Bible。　　It　was　no　doubt　owing　to　it　that　Democrats　became　as　scarce　as　moose　in　the　Adirondacks。　　But　it　is　not　of　its　political　aspect　that　I　speak。　　I　suppose　that　the　most　cultivated　and　best　informed　portion　of　the　earth's　surfacethe　Western　Reserve　of　Ohio；　as　free　from　conceit　as　it　is　from　a　suspicion　that　it　lacks　anything　owes　its　pre…eminence　solely　to　this　comprehensive　journal。　　It　received　from　it　everything　except　a　collegiate　and　a　classical　education；things　not　to　be　desired；　since　they　interfere　with　the　self…manufacture　of　man。　　If　Greek　had　been　in　this　curriculum；　its　best　known　dictum　would　have　been　translated；　〃Make　thyself。〃　　This　journal　carried　to　the　community　that　fed　on　it　not　only　a　complete　education　in　all　departments　of　human　practice　and　theorizing；　but　the　more　valuable　and　satisfying　assurance　that　there　was　nothing　more　to　be　gleaned　in　the　universe　worth　the　attention　of　man。　　This　panoplied　its　readers　in　completeness。　　Politics；　literature；　arts；　sciences；　universal　brotherhood　and　sisterhood；　nothing　was　omitted；　neither　the　poetry　of　Tennyson；　nor　the　philosophy　of　Margaret　Fuller；　neither　the　virtues　of　association；　nor　of　unbolted　wheat。　　The　laws　of　political　economy　and　trade　were　laid　down　as　positively　and　clearly　as　the　best　way　to　bake　beans；　and　the　saving　truth　that　the　millennium　would　come；　and　come　only　when　every　foot　of　the　earth　was　subsoiled。

I　do　not　say　that　Orson　Phelps　was　the　product　of　nature　and　the　Tri…　bune：　but　he　cannot　be　explained　without　considering　these　two　factors。　　To　him　Greeley　was　the　Tri…bune；　and　the　Tri…bune　was　Greeley；　and　yet　I　think　he　conceived　of　Horace　Greeley　as　something　greater　than　his　newspaper；　and　perhaps　capable　of　producing　another　journal　equal　to　it　in　another　part　of　the　universe。　　At　any　rate；　so　completely　did　Phelps　absorb　this　paper　and　this　personality　that　he　was　popularly　known　as　〃Greeley〃　in　the　region　where　he　lived。　Perhaps　a　fancied　resemblance　of　the　two　men　in　the　popular　mind　had　something　to　do　with　this　transfer　of　name。　　There　is　no　doubt　that　Horace　Greeley　owed　his　vast　influence　in　the　country　to　his　genius；　nor　much　doubt　that　he　owed　his　popularity　in　the　rural　districts　to　James　Gordon　Bennett；　that　is；　to　the　personality　of　the　man　which　the　ingenious　Bennett　impressed　upon　the　country。　　That　he　despised　the　conventionalities　of　society；　and　was　a　sloven　in　his　toilet；　was　firmly　believed；　and　the　belief　endeared　him　to　the　hearts　of　the　people。　　To　them　〃the　old　white　coat〃an　antique　garment　of　unrenewed　immortalitywas　as　much　a　subject　of　idolatry　as　the　redingote　grise　to　the　soldiers　of　the　first　Napoleon；　who　had　seen　it　by　the　campfires　on　the　Po　and　on　the　Borysthenes；　and　believed　that　he　would　come　again　in　it　to　lead　them　against　the　enemies　of　France。　　The　Greeley　of　the　popular　heart　was　clad　as　Bennett　said　he　was　clad。　　It　was　in　vain；　even　pathetically　in　vain；　that　he　published　in　his　newspaper　the　full　bill　of　his　fashionable　tailor　（the　fact　that　it　was　receipted　may　have　excited　the　animosity　of　some　of　his　contemporaries）　to　show　that　he　wore　the　best　broadcloth；　and　that　the　folds　of　his　trousers　followed　the　city　fashion　of　falling　outside　his　boots。　　If　this　revelation　was　believed；　it　made　no　sort　of　impression　in　the　country。　　The　rural　readers　were　not　to　be　wheedled　out　of　their　cherished　conception　of　the　personal　appearance　of　the　philosopher　of　the　Tri…bune。

That　the　Tri…bune　taught　Old　Phelps　to　be　more　Phelps　than　he　would　have　been　without　it　was　part　of　the　independence…teaching　mission　of　Greeley's　paper。　　The　subscribers　were　an　army；　in　which　every　man　was　a　general。　　And　I　am　not　surprised　to　find　Old　Phelps　lately　rising　to　the　audacity　of　criticising　his　exemplar。　　In　some　recently…published　observations　by　Phelps　upon　the　philosophy　of　reading　is　laid　down　this　definition：　〃If　I　understand　the　necessity　or　use　of　reading；　it　is　to　reproduce　again　what　has　been　said　or　proclaimed　before。　　Hence；　letters；　characters；　&c。；　are　arranged　in　all　the　perfection　they　possibly　can　be；　to　show　how　certain　language　has　been　spoken　by　the；　original　author。　　Now；　to　reproduce　by　reading；　the　reading　should　be　so　perfectly　like　the　original　that　no　one　standing　out　of　sight　could　tell　the　reading　from　the　first　time　the　language　was　spoken。〃

This　is　illustrated　by　the　highest　authority　at　hand：　I　have　heard　as　good　readers　read；　and　as　poor　readers；　as　almost　any　one　in　this　region。　　If　I　have　not　heard　as　many；　I　have　had　a　chance　to　hear　nearly　the　extreme　in　variety。　　Horace　Greeley　ought　to　have　been　a　good　reader。　　Certainly　but　few；　if　any；　ever　knew　every　word　of　the　English　language　at　a　glance　more　readily　than　he　did；　or　knew　the　meaning　of　every　mark　of　punctuation　more　clearly；　but　he　could　not　read　proper。　　'But　how　do　you　know？'　says　one。　　From　the　fact　I　heard　him　in　the　same　lecture　deliver　or　produce　remarks　in　his　own　particular　way；　that；　if　they　had　been　published　properly　in　print；　a　proper　reader　would　have　reproduced　them　again　the　same　way。　　In　the　midst　of　those　remarks　Mr。　Greeley　took　up　a　paper；　to　reproduce　by　reading　part　of　a　speech　that　some　one　else　had　made；　and　his　reading　did　not　sound　much　more　like　the　man　that　first　read　or　made　the　speech　than　the　clatter　of　a　nail　factory　sounds　like　a　well…　delivered　speech。　　Now；　the　fault　was　not　because　Mr。　Greeley　did　not　know　how　to　read　as　well　as　almost　any　man　that　ever　lived；　if　not　quite：　but　in　his　youth　he　learned　to　read　wrong；　and；　as　it　is　ten　times　harder　to　unlearn　anything　than　it　is　to　learn　it；　he；　like　thousands　of　others；　could　never　stop　to　unlearn　it；　but　carried　it　on　through　his　whole　life。〃

Whether　a　reader　would　be　thanked　for　reproducing　one　of　Horace　Greeley's　lectures　as　he　delivered　it　is　a　question　that　cannot　detain　us　here；　but　the　teaching　that　he　ought　to　do　so；　I　think；　would　please　Mr。　Greeley。

The　first　driblets　of　professional　tourists　and　summer　boarders　who　arrived　among　the　Adirondack　Mountains　a　few　years　ago　found　Old　Phelps　the　chief　and　best　guide　of　the　region。　　Those　who　were　eager　to　throw　off　the　usages　of　civilization；　and　tramp　and　camp　in　the　wilderness；　could　not　but　be　well　satisfied　with　the　aboriginal　appearance　of　this　guide；　and　when　he　led　off　into　the　woods；　axe　in　hand；　and　a　huge　canvas　sack　upon　his　shoulders；　they　seemed　to　be　following　the　Wandering　Jew。　　The　contentsof　this　sack　would　have　furnished　a　modern　industrial　exhibition；　provisions　cooked　and　raw；　blankets；　maple…sugar；　tinware；　clothing；　pork；　Indian　meal；　flour；　coffee；　tea；　&c。　　Phelps　was　the　ideal　guide：　he　knew　every　foot　of　the　pathless　forest；　he　knew　all　woodcraft；　all　the　signs　of　the　weather；　or；　what　is　the　same　thing；　how　to　make　a　Delphic　prediction　about　it。　　He　was　fisherman　and　hunter；　and　had　been　the　comrade　of　sportsmen　and　explorers；　and　his　enthusiasm　for　the　beauty　and　sublimity　of　the　region；　and　for　its　untamable　wildness；　amounted　to　a　passion。　　He　loved　his　profession；　and　yet　it　very　soon　appeared　that　he　exercised　it　with　reluctance　for　those　who　had　neither　ideality；　nor　love　for　the　woods。　　Their　presence　was　a　profanation　amid　the　scenery　he　loved。　　To　guide　into　his　private　and　secret　haunts　a　party　that　had　no　appreciation　of　their　loveliness　disgusted　him。　　It　was　a　waste　of　his　time　to　conduct　flippant　young　men　and　giddy　girls　who　made　a　noisy　and　irreverent　lark　of　the　expedition。　And；　for　their　part；　they　did　not　appreciate　the　benefit　of　being　accompanied　by　a　poet　and　a　philosopher。　　They　neither　understood　nor　valued　his　special　knowledge　and　his　shrewd　observations：　they　didn't　even　like　his　shrill　voice；　his　quaint　talk　bored　them。　　It　was　true　that；　at　this　period；　Phelps　had　lost　something　of　the　activity　of　his　youth；　and　the　habit　of　contemplative　sitting　on　a　log　and　talking　increased　with　the　infirmities　induced　by　the　hard　life　of　the　woodsman。　　Perhaps　he　would　rather　talk；　either　about　the　woods…　life　or　the　various　problems　of　existence；　than　cut　wood；　or　busy　himself　in　the　drudgery　of　the　camp。　　His　critics　went　so　far　as　to　say；〃Old　Phelps　is　a　fraud。〃　　They　would　have　said　the　same　of　Socrates。　　Xantippe；　who　never　appreciated　the　world　in　which　Socrates　lived；　thought　he　was　lazy。　　Probably　Socrates　could　cook　no　better　than　Old　Phelps；　and　no　doubt　went　〃gumming〃　about　Athens　with　very　little　care　of　what　was　in　the　pot　for　dinner。

If　the　summer　visitors　measured　Old　Phelps；　he　also　measured　them　by　his　own　standards。　　He　used　to　write　out　what　he　called　〃short…faced　descriptions〃　of　his　comrades　in　the　woods；　which　were　never　so　flattering　as　true。　　It　was　curious　to　see　how　the　various　qualities　which　are　esteemed　in　society　appeared　in　his　eyes；　looked　at　merely　in　their　relation　to　the　limited　world　he　knew；　and　judged　by　their　adaptation　to　the　primitive　life。　　It　was　a　much　subtler　comparison　than　that　of　the　ordinary　guide；　who　rates　his　traveler　by　his　ability　to　endure　on　a　march；　to　carry　a　pack；　use　an　oar；　hit　a　mark；　or　sing　a　song。　　Phelps　brought　his　people　to　a　test　of　their