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47

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MR. GRADY AND HIS BOY.
From the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
The whole country admires Mr. Grady in his capacity as an orator. He has a nimble fancy, a rich vocabulary, and a happy faculty of adapting himself to the conditions of the occasion. Now and then, however, this last-named gift plays him a trick, and puts him in a very awkward, not to say ridiculous, situation.x He is particularly liable to such misfortunes when his appointments come too close together and the places at which he peaks are too far apart. For instance, he made a pretty, pathetic speech at Atlanta last week in behalf of a project to raise money for the construction of a statue of the late Jefferson Davis, in the course of which he exclaimed, with his hand on his heart and this eyes in fine frenzy rolling:

"I have a boy who is the hope of my life, and there is no man living or dead to the base of whose statue I would send him sooner to learn the duties of a citizen and a patriot than the statue of the golden-hearted gentleman whose death we mourn to-day. Let us build this great statue that it may perpetuate the memory of this great man, honor the soil on which it is set, and stand as an example and an inspiration to the young of our city."

This was admirable, according to the test of the time and locality, and his audience applauded it to the echo. Then he took a train for the North, paid a visit to Plymouth Rock, and on the same day delivered an address at Boston. He was still thinking of his son it seems: A father's love and hope, so neatly expressed at his home, swelled his bosom again when he arose to talk in a strange and distant city. But his emotion sought a new channel. He did not say a word about sending the dear boy to the statue of Davis for inspiration and instruction. What he did say was this:

"I have got a boy who is the pride and the promise of my life, and God knows I want him to be a good citizen and a good man, and there is no spot in all this broad Republic, nor in all this world, on which I had rather have him stand to learn the lesson of citizenship, of individual liberty, of fortitude, of heroism and justice, than the spot on which I stood ths morning, reverent and uncovered."

It can hardly be supposed that the orator would undertake to reconcile these two violently conflicting aspirations with regard to his son's tuition in the duties of good citizenship. He could not expect Plymouth Rock and an effigy of Jefferson Davis to blend and harmonize in any intelligent boy's process of learning to be a patriot and hero. the thing suggests a degree of mental legerdemain which is beyond the capacity of any man's son; and Mr. Grady surely would not expect his boy to work a miracle. We are obliged to conclude, therefore, that in one case or the other he was not strictly sincere. Or can it be that the boy is twins?
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Saturday Dec. 28" 1889. This is the idea I had of Grady. He had one kind of speech for the North and a very different one for the South. It was not so cold this morning. Coming from breakfast I looked up Oliver who sent for Enos' picture today and is to line it for $4.50. I also went to [[?]] and ordered a sack coat for every day wear for $23. Have painted all day on my winter picture. Whittredge called and spent a little time with me. He seemed interested in my picture but did not say much except to talk on general matters. I am sorry to find I irritate him easily and I think it begins to make us act a little constrained with each other. I called to see Budworth the man who is delivering the Paris Exposition pictures. They seem to have been very carelessly packed and many of them are injured and the frames broken. I told him of the hole iin mine and he thought I had better inform Rush Hawkins, but I do not care to have any communication with him. Frederick Remington called this afternoon and spent some time with me. He seems to me a man who has decided ideas. He has been up in Canada Moose hunting and was interested in my snow picture. He says his ambition is to paint the French conquest or early occupation of North America. I went to the club about 9 o clock and staid until midnight. Saw Eastman for a little while. He invited me to dine with him tomorrow and said Joe May was staying with him. He has some business with F. B. Clarke (a man I do not like in spite of trying to) and so I saw little of him 

Sunday 29. Spent the morning at Marys. Marion went up to Pokeepsie yesterday to visit Edith McKinnon. Downing and I walked up to 43 St. to see the new Century Club building which is up four or more stories except the front. It seems an excellent location the front is 100 ft on 3" St and I hope we are to have a pleasant building. We walked back to lunch after which I came over to my studio and wrote to Sara; also a note to Pinchot, one to Rush Hawkins telling him one of my pictures had arrived from the Paris Exposition with a hole in it and a note to Mr. Douty urging him to have the fire escapes put into this building at once. Dined at Eastmans with Joe May whom I had not seen since just after his wifes death. Went up into Eastmans studio after dinner and saw several of his pictures which he is at work upon. He is full of orders and says he works hard but he spoke as if it was rather a now treadmill business.

Monday 30" Coming down 14" St from breakfast this morning I went into Hearns and bought Dwightie a little corduroy suit for $2.98. Have been at work on my picture all day. I am interested in it and hope to make a good picture. I have ordered a coat at [[D?]] and I tried it on this afternoon. It is colder today and a cold wave is approaching which it is said will strike us tomorrow.

Tuesday 31." I walked down to Rogers & Peets after breakfast and bought a pair of shoes. Stopped in at a photograph place and bought one of some skaters on the Park from which to get suggestions for figures in my winter picture, and after I came to my studio painted in a number of figures. Pinchot called in the afternoon and staid some time. I gave him the portrait of Morelos I got for him in Morelia as well as the photographs of the Aztec maps. He invited me to dine with him but I was obliged to decline as Downing and I were going to Nobles after dinner, which we did, to see the spectaculal play "Pajanka". It was the same old tinsel, tunics