isaac h. bromley - forgotten books8 isaac h bromley bromley’s blade was so keen and he wielded it...

ISAAC H. BROMLEYBY

NORRIS ! . OSBORN

NEW HA! EN

YALE UNI! ERSITY PRESS

MDCCCCXX

INTRODUCTION

F those who knew Isaac H . Bromley were asked todefine him in a single word they would say at oncethat he was a humorist . He was indeed a humorist,

W and sometimes,especially in the free and easy ex

OC<1f changes of conversation , hlS humor was lts own and

é only excuse for being . But in the long ser ies o f h is-3 articles on the editorial page of the New York Tribune

there were few which did not derive their inspirationfrom the serious purpose to expound a wholesome truth .

A single example,drawn from the time when the I n

dians were an unsolved problem o f government,is

typical . ! Noth ing,

” he wrote,

! so kindles the enthusiasm of the Interior Department as the knowledge that

33 a Teton Sioux is wandering through Montana or Dam kota in a state of savage unrest . Immediately a committee from the department goes for the Teton , findshim nomadic and discontented

,says to him ‘How many

art thou,O Teton ’ and conjures him by his expectation

! . oi a lodge ln the happy hunting grounds to enter intoj'

a treaty and consent to accept an appropriation from! !

x the government . Having obtained his reluctant con

E, sent to receive aid from the oppressor , the department9 gets an appropriation and divides it among deserving9 persons who suppor t the administration on account o f3 i ts admirable Indian policy .

”The tru th and pungency

o f that satire are not important to the present generation

,but it requires no explanation even now .

P'

8 ISAAC H . BROMLEY

B romley’s blade was so keen and he wielded it withsuch dexterity that the man at whom it was directedseldom complained of being a victim

,and sometimes

was not even conscious at the moment that he wasgiving up the ghost . The innocent Governor of a greatstate , whose chance o f attaining a still higher placevanished in the laughter which one of Bromley ’sarticles evoked, called too promptly at the Tribuneoffice to thank him for his assistance . It is a pleasureto add that the Governor himself cherished no resentment when he had become aware a little later o f hisown political demise .

The task of producing a daily newspaper can neverhave been accomplished without long hours of hasteand stress , but there used to be more leisurely intervalsthan there are today

,partly because the paper went to

press much later . Those were oases in which Bromleyflourished . He said at least twice as much that wasworth printing as he printed . It was delightful to beinterrupted by one of his divagations .

!That man has

the blind courage o f a book agent,

” he remarked oneday after the lingering farewell of a persistent visitor .At a time when reconstruction of the building hadcaused a shor tage of desks he walked up to a membero f the critical department who was never satisfied withmerely condemning the obj ects of his disapproval butliked to blow them to pieces

,and said ! ! I f you are

through wi th that desk just scrape off the blood andfeathers and le t me sit down .

” He was constantlyraising a sunny ripple on the dull current of routine .

Though i t was his special gi ft to express himself interms of humorous exaggeration

,B romley was a singu

larly sane observer of the world about him . He wasnot dazzled by political or social bubbles

,however

I SAAC H . BROMLEY 9

iridescent,and nothing pleased him better than to prick

them . He had remarkable facility in detecting a shamand loved to expose it, even when , and sometimesbecause

,exposure was inexpedient . Being a keen

judge o f situations and candidacies,he rarely felt even

a brie f enthusiasm over colors that were destined tocome ou t in the wash . Conversely

,he recognized at

once the essential features o f a cause or a personalitywhich it would subsequently prove foolish to underestimate . He very seldom dilated wi th the wrongemotion .

No other reputation is so perishable as that of thenewspaper writer excepting that o f the actor

,which is

hardly more so . All that the actor leaves behind himto attest his powers is the fallible and fading memoryo f his contemporaries . In the case o f the journalistit is possible to appeal to the dusty and brittle files ofthe paper in which his writings are preserved for aperiod which the substitu tion of wood pu lp for ragshas much diminished . But it is scarcely an exaggera

tion to say that such an appeal is never taken . When,

there fore,a newspaper writer who has exercised wide

influence by means of compositions at once wise,de

lightful and of a wholly. original flavor has finished hislabors

,it is fitting that the most competent of his sur

viving associates should put his recollections on record .

That is the service which Colonel Osborn has performed in this book about Isaac H . Bromley.

HART LYMAN.

New York,July

,1 920 .

ISAAC H . BROMLEY

TWENTY years ago the widow of Isaac H Bromleyendowed a lecture course to treat subjects connectedwith journalism

,literature or public affairs .

” I havethought it fitting so to interpret the limitation set asto make one o f my talks concern itsel f with the manin whose memory the course was established—a mandistingu ished in the pro fession o f journalism

,a w it who

was a master of satire,a public speaker of great charm

,

a philosopher drawing inspiration from a rare knowledge o f human nature

,a precious comrade in the

twilight hour o f social relaxation .

Bromley,or !

B rom,

” as he was familiarly knownto the men of his day

,was born in Norwich

,Connect

icut,in 1 833 . He was one of the nine children of Isaac

and Mary—fine old Biblical nam es—who may be fitlydescribed as God- fearing people . They lived in aweand reverence of the All- seeing One and ye t with suchkindly compassion and tolerance as the innate whimsicality o f the mother and the hard practical sense of thefather ensured . As in all New England households o fthose days

,we well may believe

,Fox ’s Book of Mar

tyrs had an honorable place on the limited shelves o fthe family library .

Throughout his picturesque li fe,Bromley showed the

effect of his early tra ining . Though his environment inactive affairs made it impossible for him to accep t anyone o f the denominational highways to everlasting

1 2 ISAAC H . BROMLEY

peace as the royal road,he was a man of mature reli

gious conviction . In the latter part o f his li fe,he

inclined to be communicative as to his views,always

profoundly reverent,and in an extended expression of

them to his friend,the Reverend Philip S . M oxom

,

made his confession of faith . I t is an extremely moving document

,though

,doubtless , the highly trained

theologian would find in it much to cause the fur tofly . The prevailing notion that men o f Bromley ’s typeand profession

,by the very nature o f their calling

,pro

ceed from perplexity to doubt,from doubt to cynicism

and finally settle down to a state of eternal godlessness ,is false . The contrary is true . They do pass throughthe intellectual stages mentioned but

,in the end

,they

see clearly and radiantly because they have rid theirvision of the confusing

,conflicting emotions which

overexcite many splendid but timid souls . Like thewits of all ages

,even in their most daring flights of

unconventionality,Bromley was a religious man .

On one of Lincoln ’s recurring birthdays he wrote ina spirit of admiring analysis !

What were those qualities ! Say they were homely common- sense

,knowledge of human nature

,W ise forecast

,the

instinct of justice,the conception of righteousness

,cath

olicity of ! iew,generosity of nature

,quick apprehension of

existing conditions and a broad survey and comprehensionof their presages ; and say, too , that he had with all thesethe shrewdness of the practical politician, with his readinessof resource and that apparent flexib il ity of purpose whichseems to bend

,but never yields- do all these account for

him,interpret him

,explain him to the gaping multitudes

who yesterday stood,and today and for all time will stand ,

wondering why this uncouth figure holds so high a place inhistory ! Not at all . Other men have had in greater or

ISAAC H . BROMLEY 13

less degree all these qualities and have enjoyed the opportunities for their mani festation . What

,then

, was thequality that dominated all these ; that assemb led them all ;and keyed them all together in the comb ination that madethem of the very highest service to his coun try and humanity

,

and,as apparently their merest incident

,made him the

greatest of his generation,the most revered and reverenced

of all the men of his time !What was i t but that godlike virtue of patience ; that

divine quality of endurance which sits enthroned above allpassion and all frail ty and waits for Time ’s ripening andGod ’s Providence !

Bromley was a member o f the famous class of 1 853at Yale . His satirical explanation o f how it came tobe known as the famous class o f 53 , under a Junedate line at New Haven

,brought roars o f rollicking

banter from his classmates . He wrote in part !

There is an impression abroad—d isseminated,I suspect

,

by the suggestive quotation marks referred to—that theclass is indebted for i ts ! famous”-ness to the fact that itnumbers among its members several who have been moreor less connected wi th the newspaper press

,and that these

gentlemen have seized every occasion to keep the class beforethe publ ic . It would take an entire page of The Tribuneto tel l you how wretchedly and basely false is that impression—and probably two pages at least to make some peoplebel ieve it . It is true that the class had from the start aleaning toward the press . It was the only class that everpubl ished a college paper in its Freshman year . It got outbut one number of i t

,to be sure

,but that was a grea t

number,containing besides some very remarkable woodcuts

,

a poem by S tedman,then aetat sixteen . Stedman began pub

lishing a newspaper immed iately after leaving college . Thenthere are George W . Smalley

,of The Tribune ; Delano A .

Goddard,of The B oston Advertiser ; J . Evarts Greene

,of

The Worcester Spy ; J . Stoddard Johnston,of The Frankfort

14 ISAAC H . BROMLEY

(Ky . ) Yeoman ; Abner L . Train,who was for many years

editor of The New H aven Palladium ; and I wil l not denythat I have sometimes written for newspapers mysel f . But

I hope no one would suspect any of us of setting afloat paragraphs laudatory of the class . Perish the suspicion ! I f ourduty as journalists has compelled us to chronicle the successes of classmates

,we have done it always with great

modesty,only mentioning incidentally that they were mem

bers of the Yale Class of 1853 ; and i f at any time weincluded our own among the names published

,it was not to

get notoriety for ourselves or shine by borrowed light andgood company—d on ’t think that of us—it was only to showthat we knew whereof we spoke .

Before taking up the fascinating work o f a journalist,Bromley read law in the office of the Honorable L . F . S .

Foster,distinguished in this state

,from whom he im

b ib ed a keen relish for human problems . Later,he

continued his studies of them in that school of queerpolitical contrasts

,the Conn ecticut General Assembly

,

serving as clerk in the House of Representatives and inthe Senate . The influence of that experience in aninstitu tion deriving i ts sturdiness and insp iration literally from the soil was felt throughout his li fe

,enabling

him to detect instantly the soul back o f the veneer ofthe city-bred iconoclast . From the halls of legislationhe went to the edi torial sanctum and began his brilliantnewspaper career on The Norwich B ulletin

,interrupt

ing it to enter the Union Army . Later,he rejoined the

staff o f The B ulletin,left i t to edi t The H artford Post

and finally went where he belonged—to New York .

From 1 873 until his death , in 1 898, the widespreadinfluence of The New York Tribune was due in largepart to the sparkling personality which marked hiseditorial contribution . He was proof against the over

ISAAC H . BROMLEY 1 5

shadowing grandeur of Horace Greeley and the charming genius o f Whitelaw Reid . We may sense the

deligh t that he took in his work and the effect thatit had upon it

,when we recall some of the giants of

his day whose pens shattered the swords of advancingwarriors in search of political stars for self-aggrandizement ! The aggressive Greeley

,the knightly Dana

,the

imperturbable Raymond,the great news pioneer ; the

elder Bennett,Murat Halstead

,John Hay

,poet and

statesman ; George W . Smalley, E . C . Stedman,E . L .

Godkin,St . Clair M cKelway, William Cullen Bryant,

Noah Brooks,Willie Winter

,Henry E . Krehbiel

,Carl

Schurz,the elder Samuel Bowles and a host of others

,

the echoes o f whose magnificent battles for political andcivic righteousness still rumble in our ears . In Connecticut there were such loyal knights o f the quill

,all o f

them known to B romley,as Al fred E . Burr

,Joseph

E . Hawley,Charles Dudley Warner

,Marshall Jewell

,

Abner L . Train,Waldo and Canfield

,and Minott A .

Osborn . Among the casual contributors in those daysof rugged journalism in Connecticut were the Rev .

Horace Bushnell,Mark Twain

,the Rev . Joseph

Twitchell,and our own beloved I k Marvel . To hold

one ’s own,as Bromley did

,wi th that All- Star news

paper cast,was to dwell among the immortals and

imbibe the nectar o f immortality .

But even this achievement displays only in part thevaried background of the man . Newspaper men areproverbially democratic in their social relations . Theyfind in different atmospheres and in out-oi- the-wayplaces sources of contact which are never ending intheir delight and inspiration . They seem not to fear towalk where others become foot-weary . They paraphrase in their lives the amusing directions given a cub


reporter by the seasoned veteran who pres ided at thecity desk of one o f the great dailies of the country—ifmy memory serves me, a New Haven newspaper geniusby the name of Bogart ! ! I f you see a dog b ite a man

,

pay no attention to it . I f you see a man bite a dog,

rush to the office wi th all the details .” The newspaperman seeks human interest wherever it lies concealed .

So Bromley was at home,as only

,among my precious

recollections,he could be

,with actors and artists ; with

big and little political chie fs of all tribes . Among hisintimates on the stage were John Brougham ; dear oldJoe Jefferson

,an adopted son o f Yale whose honorary

degree filled Bromley ’s heart wi th filial gratitude ; therollicking Billy Florence and the studious EdwinBooth ; John Mccullough , Lester Wallack and John T .

Raymond . At the Lotus Club and elsewhere he foundsympathetic companionship with the elder Bartlett

,

father of the eminent sculptor,Paul Wayland Bartlett

,

both of New Haven ; John La Farge , St . Gaudens andscores of others .

! I like the human family,

” he wouldexp lain and he was ever welcome at the fireside withkettle boiling and the rigid restraints of conventionalsociety decently modified .

Bromley ’s repu tation as a newspaper man rests onhis skill and sincerity as an editorial commentator andcorrespondent . The resolution adopted by the UnionLeague Club o f New York at the time of his deathproclaims him ! A knightly defender of the truth . Afoe to shams and pretense . Chauncey M . Depew, inseconding the resolution

,declared him to be ! both a wit

and a humorist,

” adding,

! it takes a fine organizationand education to understand and enjoy these gifts . Hewould attack a friend in public li fe as quickly as hewould an enemy

,i f that friend persisted after warning

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Alumni and Ball Nine,

Eleven and the CrewAll throw up their hats

For Chauncey Depew.

He ’s been dining and speakingFor years near a score ;

He has routed the chestnut,

Evicted the bore,

No table ’s without him,

No dinner complete ;The fun always waits

T ill he gets on his feet ;Making all men his friends

Without seeming to try,

Now he prays with the p ious,

Now he drinks with the dry .

Always sweet as the daisyAnd fresh as the dew

,

No fly ever l ightedOn Chauncey Depew .

So when,as quite often

,

It cometh to pass,

We practice our speechesIn front of the glass

,

And the Madame,bewildered

Says ! ! What are you doing !Our only reply is

,

! I ’m Chauncey Depewing.

There was much in common temperamentally b etween Mark Twain ( Sam Clemens ) and Bromley .

They were humorists o f a different type but they werealike in the originality of their daring and innocentirreverence . E verything and everybody

,except mat

ters of religious origin,were just so much material for


their delicious humor to work upon . It is not strange,

there fore,that

,in the course o f their travels from one

set o f lips to another,their witticisms

,like the innocent

babes made famous by Gilbert and Sullivan who werethe victims of Little Buttercup ’s playful malice

,became

mixed in their reputed authorship . This was the ex

perience of a bit of doggerel—! Punch

,brothers !

Punch with care ! ” which,at the time of its perpetra

tion , was greatly in vogue, and to this day awakens alight of reminiscence in the eyes of those who hear iteven when

,as is usually the case

,it is imper fectly

recited .

It was early attributed to Mark in spite of the solicitous insistence o f Dana in The Sun that B romleyshould not be deprived o f its au thorship . I

,too

,in

frequent appeals to a much more restricted constitu

ency,have labored to the same end . It bothered Mark

Twain also . He was in constant receipt of letters fromadmirers

,who both expressed the delight they had

taken in it and the desire to have an authenticated copy .

He finally wrote Bromley in despair saying ! !The next

time you write anyth ing like that for God ’s sake S ignyour name to it .” The only clue I have been able tofind to the misapplied credit i s th is . When Markreturned from a trip abroad he was given a dinner bythe Lotus Club o f New York at its hospitable home .The dining hall was elaborately decorated

,and all

about,interwoven in the decorations

,were lines from

the delightful skit . Through oversight or forgetfulnesshe omitted in his speech to disavow the authorship and

,

as some of B romley ’s friends believe,on that account

,

it stuck to him from that time forth . Albert BigelowPaine

,in his delightful biography o f Mark Twain

,

gives,with a few unimportan t details

,the history o f


the doggerel . I am quite sure Mr . Paine will forgiveme for S lightly editing his tale and making it read asfollows ! A certain car line has recently adopted the! punch system

,

” and posted in its cars,for the infor

mation of passengers and conductors,th is placard !

A B lue Trip Slip for an 8 cents Fare,

A Buff Trip Slip for a 6‘ cents Fare,

A Pink Trip Slip for a 3 cents FareFor Coupon and Transfer, Punch the Tickets .

Noah Brooks and Isaac H . B romley were riding uptown from The Tribune office one night on the FourthAvenue line

,when B romley said !

! Brooks,it’s poetry . By George

,it’s poetry ! ”

Brooks,who was dozing

,opened his eyes and following

the direction o f Bromley ’s finger,read the card of

instructions . They began perfecting the poetic character of the notice

,giving it still more of a rhythmic twist

and j ingle with this result !

Conductor,when you receive a fare

,

Punch in the presence of the passenjare lA b lue trip slip for an eight- cent fare

,

A buff trip sl ip for a six-cent fare,

A p ink trip sl ip for a three-cent fare.

Punch in the presence of the passenjare !

CH ORUS

Punch,brothers ! Punch with care !

Punch in the presence of the passenjare !

It was printed in The Tribune. Mr . Paine says ofit ! ! It was an amusing and timely skit

,and is worth

reading today . Its publication in The Atlantic had the


effect o f waking up horse-car poetry all over the world .

Howells,going to dine at Ernest Longfellow ’s the day

following its appearance,heard his host and Tom

Appleton urging each other to ‘Punch with care . ’ The

Longfellow ladies had it by heart . Boston was devastated by it . At home, Howells

’ children recited it tohim in chorus . The streets were full o f it ; in Harvardit became an epidemic .

”

Another illustration of Bromley ’s witty pen,when it

went a-j ingling,is entitled ! ! I f I should die To-Night

It gave the officers o f The New York Li fe InsuranceCompany rapturous delight and they saw to it that itreceived widespread circulation

,wh ile his intimates

shook their sides with laughter over its well-aimedshafts . William H . Beers had retired from the presideney of the company and John A . McCall

,had become

his successor . The Archie Welch re ferred to was Archihald Welch

,the ! ice President ; Edward Gibbs , the

Treasurer ; the Living Tuck , Dr . Edward Tuck, theMedical Examiner . The thesis of the ! pome” is adesire on the part of its inspired author to promote agreater truthfulness among the agents of the company .

IF I SHOULD DIE TO -NIGHT

I f I should d ie to-nightThe New York Life would look up my accountAnd find by closest scrutiny the least amountIt could be held for when demand was madeFor some return for all my premiums paid ;’Twould think five thousand dollars far too muchTo draw from out i ts treasury for suchAs I—ii I should d ie to-night .


I f I should d ie to-nightThe New York Life would never think of all the yearsThrough which I helped support the now-departed Beers

,

Nor coun t it more than a p iece of rare good luckThat my small premiums helped as wel l the l iving Tuck

,

Nor think of the long line of agents who ’ve grown richOut of commissions—some small part of whichWould cease—ii I should die to-night .

I f I should die to-nightI cannot bring mysel f to think of Archie WelchCompletely overcome by grief he could not squelch ;Nor at the sudden shock the news would give H is NibbsWho superintends the finances—the gi fted Edward Gibbs.But I should rest assured that John M cCall

,

Drawing his salary,would rise above i t all

And never care a damn—ii I should d ie to-night .

I f I should d ie to-nightThe New York Life would doubtless wish I were al iveFor then it would not have to pay these thousand five .I f it could choose

,it would not have me dead

,

But keep me l iving, that I might be bled ;For I am more than certain that the New York LifeWould rather have me pay than pay my wi feAnd that ’s the way I feel to-night .

I f I should d ie to-night’Twould not disturb the New York Li fe ; al though forthirty years

I have been paying premiums—it should shed no tears ;Its business would go on—its sharp trusteesContinue managing i ts assets as they please .They will not be d isturbed to know that I am gone

,

For every moment there ’s a sucker born‘

.

Someone would take my place—ii I should die to-night .


During a conversational hour one afternoon in theeditorial rooms of The Tribune the veteran journalist,Charles T . Congdon , was speaking o f the delightfulreading he had found in Bayle ’s D ictionary andremarked that

,i f he were ever in jail

,he would be quite

contented with that book .

!O f course you would,

” said Bromley quickly .

! I fyou had Bayle

,you could get out .”

The following lines were inscribed in an albumowned by Mrs . John Hay, the wi fe o f the gifted statesman

,diplomat and poet who was at one time a brother

journalist of B romley ’s . It appeared in Harper’s E di

tor’s Drawer wi th th is comment ! ! Could anything be

more de ftly done than the following,written in Novem

ber last,in the album of a lady who has the felicity of

having for her husband one of the brightest writers o fpoetry and prose in the country—a man of the verypr ima faciest class ! ”

In calm and trustful confidence the missionary sat,

While the energetic deacon was passing round the hat .The services were over

,and now had come the pause

To give an opportunity to help along the cause ;But vainly went the sexton teetering up and down the aisleI n all that congregation no one recognized the tile .

The missionary ’s hat returned as empty as i t went ;He ’d been preaching to an aud ience that wouldn’t paya cent .

O ’er the parson ’s face there flitted a d isappointed lookAs from the solemn sexton his empty hat he. took ;Then smil ing on the audience, he returned it to the rack ,With the words

,

! I ’m very thankful that I ’ve got mybeaver back .


I ’m satisfied that when this book comes back into yourhands,

With this very feeb le answer to your moderate demands,

You ’ll compare me with the missionary ’s crowd thatd idn ’t pay

,

And perhaps discuss the matter with your husband,

Colonel—y ;You ’ll doubtless say

,as o ’er this page you give an anxious

look,

At least he has done better than return an empty book .

Then I think I hear the Colonel this doggerel rehearse,

And say,! Like Silas Wegg, my dear, he

’s done a littleworse .

The following letter,written to the President o f the

Southern Confederacy in 1 86 1 , when the ConfederateWhite House was located at Montgomery

,Alabama, is

a masterpiece of irony . Bromley was the editor o f TheNorwich B ulletin at the time

,and

,as the letter shows

,

his sou l was ablaze with the passion of loyalty . Heexplained in the columns of his newspaper that it waswritten at the request of a friend ! who placed the relicalluded to at our disposal . At his request we publishthe letter as a matter of local interest .” Any furthercomment on it would be indeed a disastrous attempt topaint the lily .

Hon . Jefferson Davis, President of the! Confederate

S tates of America” !

The position in which you have been placed by the actionof the representatives of six newly confederated states, andthe magnitude of the business in which you and your associates are engaged

,have emboldened me

,a private citizen

of a New England S tate,to address you a few words in

presentation of the enclosed revolutionary rel ic .


mento thereof which I enclose,has a history which I think

wil l appeal more strongly to your sympathies than couldalmost any other rel ic of the revolution .

This penholder was fashioned from a rafter in the roofunder which was born

,a man—more than any other of the

age in which he l ived—your prototype. His name figureslargely in all our revolutionary history . He was a sold ier

,

l ike yoursel f,and of the same rank in the army . His name

,

l ike yours,was synonymous with bravery . Like you

,he

fought well and bravely the battles of his country ; neverflinching from danger, but always in the thickest of thefight ; impetuous and rash at times, but never cowardly, andalways daring to lead ! where any dared to follow .

” I meanno detraction from the reputation which you have so hardlyearned

,when I say he was your equal in courage

,loyalty

,

and patriotism . More need not be said . Sixty years havepassed since his death

,but no monumental marble bears

the inscription of his name and virtues . Yet he is not forgotten . For more than half a century past

,the house from

whence this rel ic came has been pointed out to the passingstranger as the b irthplace of Bened ict Arnold .

I have taken occasion to pres ent you this penholder,as a

rel ic whose associations are l inked most closely to the movement of which you are the head . Let it lie upon your deskfor use in your official duties . In the ! eternal fitness ofthings

,

” let that be its appropriate place . I t l inks 1 780 to1 86 1 . Through it

,West Point speaks to Montgomery . And

i f we may believe that sp irits do ever return and haunt thismundane sphere we may reckon with what del ight Bened ictArnold ’s immortal part wi ll follow this fragment of hispaternal roof tree to the hands in which is being consummated the work whi ch he began.

H0ping that you will accept this gi ft in the sp irit inwhich it is tendered

,I have the honor to remain

Your obed ient servant,I . H . BROM LEY .


Bromley as a newspaper worker was both industr iousand imaginative . I have had access to five immensetomes in which h is wi fe lovingly and heroically preserved his writings

,and have been overcome by them

,

not alone because o f the miles and miles of pleasurablewandering to which they beckon one but because o fthe immense variety of the scenes which lie along thejourney

,each and all picturing the li fe of the day as it

had been unfolded to him in the ever changing hubbubof human striving . Only the historian

,with his back

bent to the task,or the patient and trained biographer

,

unencumbered by other duties,could venture to lose

himsel f in them . A few evenings with them renewedmy appreciation of the bewitching duty of keeping upwith the procession

,marching and countermarching

,

which constantly confronted but never baffled him . Hiswas no unusual experience in the demands o f newspaper service

,but even the best trained o f us stand

appalled at his achievement—the warp and woof o f it ;the strength o f its fibre ; the blending of its colors ; itsstout resolution ; its imperturbab ility and balance .

B romley was a partisan in his outlook on li fe,but his

work was per formed during a period in the history ofthe country when impressions were real and convictionswere passions ; when partisanship was not only moreof a manly virtue than it is today but more warrantedby the background which strengthened it .A newspaper man in the days to which I am re ferring

and into which the specialist had not completely penetrated

,was a Jack of all tricks wi thin the trade . B rom

ley ’s bag of tricks was full to overflowing and comprehended the legerdemain o f national affairs as well asof Connecticu t affairs

,which never lost their fascination

for him or their source o f profit and power to The


Tribune. It was the devout wish of my friend Clark,

of The Hartford Courant, when the proposed candidacy of Simeon E . Baldwin for governor promised theretirement of the republicans from executive power

,

that he devote himsel f to the wr i ting of the history ofConnecticut. I am quite sure that the man who undertakes that needed achievement will find these five tomesof Bromley ’s invaluable . Not an important or significant incident or event during the period of his wonderful oversight of us escaped his magic touch . Both inhis editorial correspondence written from wherever hispost of observation happened to be

,and in editorials

written at his desk in The Tribune sanctum,we find a

vast fund of varied information of an enlightening andcritical character—political

,corporate

,social and civic .

Lovers of political history will find much to engagethem

,both in the figures to which his work introduces

them and in the archives to which they wi ll find themselves driven in their delight . Through favor anddis favor

,partiality and impartiality

,we see

,through

those writings o f his,the men of Connecticut who

,

battling for their conflicting belie fs,kept the state for

a generation among the debatable states North andNorthwest o f the Mason-D ixon line—New York , NewJersey

,Indiana and Connecticut . They were splendid

fighters and splendid citizens,whose opinions and not

their personalities provoked opposition . We see again ,in the smoke of battle

,Hawley and Platt

,Eaton and

Cleveland,Jewell and Ingersoll

,Hubbard and Waller

,

and a host of others surrounded by their tu ft-huntingsatellites who would never have been heard of, muchless chronicled

,had there not been work to do beneath

the giant’s sphere . It was at a moment when blowswere being given and taken by these resolute defenders


of their faith that, as always has been the case and asalways will be the case, the fair mindedness o f thepress was called into question . Bromley promptly metthe issue in a tone of severity which is as apt today asthen . He wrote !

Meantime, The Tribune, without making any claim as tothe inerrancy or the superiori ty of it

,takes the opportunity

afforded by the occasion to say that ! journalism” is upon thewhole a gentleman ’s profession ; that it is pursued by gentlemen ; and that whatever trifl ing they may indulge in whenthe occasion is not serious, they bring to the d iscussion of areally important affair in a great emergency a catholicityand breadth of view, a freedom from narrowness and partisanship , and—ii a hackneyed word may be allowed—a

patriotism which at least deserves attention i f it does no tcommand the highest praise. The attitude of the press o fthe country in the present situation is

,we venture to say

,

one of the most encouraging indi cations of the time . Thereare neither knuckles nor elbows in it ; neither j ingoism norb luster. But it represents truth fully and accurately thetemper of a nation whose greatnes s is in its patience .

In 1 894 , when the railroad strike, with Chicago asits revolving center and Eugene Debs as its pyrotechnichead , encountered the stern resistance of PresidentGrover Cleveland

,I was in Europe . On entering a

hotel in Frankfort,I discovered a group of Americans

,

their sides shaking with laughter over a Tribune editorial. Instinctively I knew that it was Bromley ’s . Itproved to be his currently famous admonition to Debsto ! Stand pat

,

” in part as follows !

STAND PAT

Eugene Debs ! Will you kindly step to the door of yourcel l a moment for a little conversation through the grates !


We are not surprised to find you where you are . We shouldhave looked for you in your present or some other penitentiary i f we had lost sight of you entirely in the middle ofyour career . There was no mistaking the trail . It ledthere . Indeed

,we said as much early last week

,at a time

when you had all steam on and were making more revolutions to the minute than any other Commerce Destroyerafloat ; when you seemed to be having your measure takenrather for imperial purple than for prison stripes . I f two orthree newspapers in this town were not keep ing up such aneverlasting howl about the infallib ility of their own foresightand the fulfilment of all their prophecies

,as to bring com

monplace guesswork into contempt and make the wholebusiness rid iculous

,we might even say that we told you there

was a jail somewhere waiting for you . But we are not hereat your cell door

,Eugene

,to say ! we told you so

,

” or twi tyou with exasperating reminiscences or point out the logicalprecision with which you shaped your career to i ts presentculmination . The American people have learned throughthe newspapers that your first night in jail was the qu ietestand most com fortable you have passed since you beganordering them and their form of government out of yourway . It makes them wish that

,on your own account

,you

had gone there sooner . And though they do not qui te understand how

,in view of what has happened

,you can rest at all

anywhere,they are interested in you as a psychological

study. Indeed,they are more or less interested in whatever

concerns you . The description of the d iamonds worn byyour wi fe and sister when they came to visit you the otherday was read by thousands of people who do not as a rulecare much for diamonds ; and the op inion expressed by thoseladies that your salary ought to be instead of apaltry caused very general comment ; especially bythe wives and sisters of the men who pay the salary and whodo not wear diamonds .But these reflections are aside from our present purpose .

The Tribune has been struck,Eugene

,with the fel icity of


your forms of expression and figures of Speech ; in which , wethink

,you hold over your ally

,the windy and inconsequential

Sovereign ; though the latter can give you odds as a longd istance

,perennial and inexhaustible windbag . We have

observed that in one of the numerous telegrams which youwere fl inging wide while you were on top of everything, inwhich you called upon other people to risk l i fe and l imb

,

personal property and personal safety,where your only

investment was stationery and wind,your mandate was

! Stand pat ! This phrase,we find upon inquiry

,is one of

the technical ities in the game of hazard which has more orless vogue throughout the country

,and is very highly

esteemed as a recreation in Kentucky, known as drawpoker .”

Then follows a delicious inquiry into the technicalities of the game ending as follows !

Say,Eugene ! That was a fel icitous figure of yours when

you told the fellows who were playing your game to ! standpat .” Risky

,to be sure . But not your risk . They were

playing with their own ! chips” and there was a very large! jackpot” on the table . Isn ’t there something they call ! thewidow” in the game ! Were you the widow ! What a ! haul”

you would have had i f the ! bluff” hadn ’t been ! called” ! I twas a sti ff game that you played

,Eugene . But you fellows

made a mistake in ! standing pat” against the United S tatesGovernment . For the United S tates Government has a greatmany ! blue chips

,and is very l iable to ! hold a full band

,

”

and isn ’t easily ! blu ffed .

”

B romley’s wit was as sparkling as his black eyes . Iused to think he would make almost any sacrifice toindulge it . He always did in my case . He once refusedto take a yachting trip with me for a few days on a trimschooner placed at my disposal by a mutual friend . Itwas in 1 887 when the tariff discussion was running high .


He couldn ’t go and have his joke,and he wouldn ’t

forego his joke . In reply to my affectionate ins istence,

he said ! ! N0 ; I’ll not go . I know what you want . You

propose to get me out at sea,seduce me into the cabin

and prove to me that the tariff is a tax. No siree ! ”

At the Chicago convention in 1892 where he was theeditorial correspondent of his newspaper and I a Cleveland delegate

,I discovered him from my window in the

hotel,one desperately hot afternoon

,watching a pro

cession o f Tammany Hall braves . To beckon him tomy cool rooms

,I shied a bit of cracker at him . It

struck him on the head and he looked up . I motionedto him to come up

,which he did

,in the meantime

assuming an air o f uncontrollable indignation . As heentered the room he fairly shrieked ! ! Why did you dothat ! ” Be fore I could reply

,he said ! ! I had just

wagered Henry Watterson that there was not an American in the crowd . As I turned my head to see what hadhit me

,the Kentucky scoundrel cried out ! ‘

There hegoes ! ’

In the early evening before the all-night session ofthe convention which nominated Grover Cleveland anddefeated David Bennett Hill

,a group o f newspaper

men were discussing the likelihood of the night’s performance . Amos J . Cummings of The Sun and CharlesA . Dana ’s son

,Paul

,were in the group . I saw that

Bromley was in a mischievous mood,the more so be

cause his old friend William C . Wh itney,of the class

of ’63 , the managing director of the Cleveland forces ,

had proved to him by the figures that nothing couldstop the nomination of the former president . TheNew

York Sun had turned its batteries on him so severelythat it could never come to his support wi th a straightface and clear countenance . ! Paul

,

” said B romley,


came near cheering with the boys mysel f . And then I tookmysel f by the collar and led mysel f away to think it over .And when I had gone round mysel f carefully I said

,

! Oldfellow

,you don ’t know yoursel f ; you

’re not judicial or impartial

,or anything you thought you were . I f Yale had won

this race,the stout woman with the aggressive parasol

,who

cheered and squealed,would not have seemed ridiculous at

all . You would have thought it all right for her to go roundkissing people

,and doubtless you would have danced round

on the p iazza and kissed her yoursel f . This sort of thing isno t special and particular ; it

’s general,and i t ’s human

nature ; so consider it philosophically and stop being sourabout it .” And then I stopped having a judicial mind . Youcannot do it at a boat race.

It is a shame,in the short time given me

,to try ade

quately to analyze Bromley as an after-dinner speaker .He was always in demand but always disinclined toaccept. He was

,as a matter o f fact

,timid and over

conscientious ; not sure of his sure power . Many atime has he said to me ! Be wary

,my boy . I f you

happen to strike twelve , quit . I t probably won’t hap

pen to you .

” He was one of the three choice Yaleafter-dinner speakers . The others were Depew andJudge Henry E . Howland . Each had his own method .

I am sure that Bromley would agree that Depew wasthe greatest of the three . He

,the only one living

,still

possesses,to a marvelous degree

,the power to take an

audience in hand and mold i t to his own sweet purpose .

Howland was a raconteur and less original than eitherDepew or Bromley . B romley was spontaneous andfanci ful in his preliminary remarks but fully preparedfor serious treatment of the toast assigned him . It wasthis method which attracted the applause of audiences


recruited from all walks o f li fe . His voice was mellowand resonant . Though he lacked the engaging chuckleo f Taft

,he knew

,with true histrionic instinct, how to

summon,dramatical ly

,the relaxing interest o f his

hearers . He never let them stray from him fartherthan the fisherman does the playful trout

,which con

fuses the click o f the reel with his chances of escape .

I always have thought that he reached his zenith inhis speech on !

The Girls in Blue,” at the banquet given

Bob” Cook by his enthusiastic Yale friends in 1 887 ,

the peroration of which ran in part as follows !

On a publ ic occasion l ike this,i t is upon the altar of

friendship,of college friendship

,deepest of all

,that we lay

our offerings . But none of us forgets that there is a stillholier shrine

,to which we come unsandalled and alone . I t

is there that we get our truest insp irations,our highest pur

poses,our best resolves . I f we think we see all there is of

this great drama in the movement of K ings and Presidents,

Cab inets,Parl iaments and Senates

,or in the march of armies

across the stage,we deceive ourselves . The

! Girls” arethere at the wings . It is for the gentle flutter of theirapproval and not the hoarse applause of the world in front

,

that the actors work and the play goes on . Once in a whi lea ! Girl” comes out and speaks her lines . Miriam takes upher timbrel

,Deborah marches against Sisera

,the ! ueen of

Sheba parades before Solomon,a swarthy Egyptian ! ueen

paralyzes Rome,Joan of Arc saves France

,Elizabeth leads

England to the highest place among the nations,! ictoria

comes to her Jub ilee year no less loved by her own peoplethan honored by all the world . But the part of those andtheir l ike in making history is infinitesimal compared wi ththe countless army of girls in all colors

,of all ages

,and all

climes who walk invisible between the l ines with fingers ontheir l ips . I turn the leaves of my Triennial and forth there


issues a long procession of heroes,statesmen

,sages

,poets

,

philosophers and d ivines who have helped to make the worldwiser and all l i fe swee ter . They are Yale ’s !

Boys in B lue,

all honor to them ! Is it an idle fancy that I catch the rustleof muslin and lace and hear the flutter of wings invisibleas a great host of unnamed ! Girls in B lue” float out betweenthe Triennial ’s l ines

,making the air fragrant with tender

influences and pure examples ! ! Girls in B lue ! ” Our color !Color of the star- l it vault above us and the deep sea thatwraps us round . Color in which Bob Cook first dipped hisdripp ing oar

,color that fluttered in ribbon and scarf when

he first crossed the l ine . They are Our Girls who wear it,

sweethearts,wives and mothers ; forever sweet, forever

young,forever ours .

After all,the place to know a man

,to catch him off

his guard and see his soul shining forth in all its purity,

is his home . There Bromley was a delight,a tease

,a

philosopher,a prophet

,a gentle taskmaster

,a kindly

critic,a man of the world

,as the mood seized him . To

his grandchildren,he poured forth the love of his great

heart in a sweetly winning manner . No engagement,

professional or otherwise,could hold him from the task

o f trimming their Christmas tree . Standing on a ladder up among the branches—for he insisted on thelargest tree the library would hold—he was the imageo f Santa Claus

,wi th his white beard

,moustache and

hair,and his face ablaze wi th suppressed laughter . I f

ever a mature man exh ibited the sweet irresponsibilityof Peter Pan

,Bromley did under those sympathetic

conditions . In this connection I am sure you willenjoy the letter that he wrote to his grandson— the thirdIsaac —upon the occasion of his first birthday . I t goesfar to complete the pen portrai t of the man in whosememory this lecture course is endowed .


Boston,June 29 , 1 89 1 .

My Dear Grandson

I congratulate you on your having reached , wi th so fewdrawbacks and so many teeth

,your first anniversary . From

all that I hear about you,I am satisfied that you have made

an excellent beginn ing of the great enterprise which men cal lliving . I am assured that

,so far as the outward formalities

and decorous duties of l i fe are concerned,you have been

especially observant of the proprieties and constantly mindful o f the social obl igations imposed upon you by the newand novel relations into which you have been so latelythrown . Your grandmother

,whom you will find to be a

most excellent person when you come to know her as well asyour father and I do

,has been very much gratified to learn

that during the entire year you have been regular at yourmeals and have not been out nights . She bel ieves this to bethe only proper beginning of a successful career

,and she

desires me to assure you that the sel f-denial whi ch you havepracticed in this regard is certain of i ts reward . She learnsalso wi th satisfaction that you do not eat with your kn i feor make a noise in taking your soup . For

,although there

have been Presidents of the United S tates who did bothwithout d isturb ing our relations wi th foreign governments,i t is not the less true that good behavior at the table alwayspromotes domestic peace and may sometimes prevent foreigncomplications . It may interest you also to know tha t one ofthe few Presidents of the United S tates who during hisadmin istration made the White House an example of gentlemanners and fine courtesy was an intimate friend of bothyour grand fathers .It is true that the virtuous qualities you have illustrated

thus far may be attributed in a measure to conditions and anenvironment independent of any volition of your own,

but Imake no doubt

,from what I have seen of your d isposition

,

that they will continue to mani fest themselves after yourconduct shall come to be governed by your own inclinationand choice . For I am hopeful

,to the point of confident


expectation,that there will come to you a larger and clearer

sense of the beauty and b eneficence of those minor graceswhich contribute no less than the shining virtues to make l i fesweet

,than any of your ancestors have enjoyed . For the

trait which has most distinguished you since you cameamong us has been your exceeding am iab il ity . The first twoor three years of a man ’s experience here are of necessityvery trying . He is ignorant of the language

,and his circle

of acquaintance is extremely l imited ; his freedom of movement is fettered by the d iaper ; his stomach is never entirelytrustworthy in the discharge of i ts functions

,and there is a

constant exposure to the exasperations of the vagrant andirresponsible pin . I f

,under all these depressing conditions

,

he maintains a reasonable degree of equanimity and takeseverything with that cheerful philosophy which many of usfail to learn even from the lessons of experience

,he not only

deserves great cred it,but he gives the most encouraging

assurance of a happy and useful l i fe.

Thus far,my boy

,you have accompl ished this wi th such

signal success as to he remarked with expressions of admirat ion by all . You have been both amiable and modest .Doubtless in the novelty of your new relations you have seena great many things that seemed desirable to you which

,for

reasons you d id not fully comprehend,were kept out of your

reach . That you have made no outcry at the deprivationbut simply looked out upon them with an intell igent interestand quiet satisfaction

,is one of the signs of that greatest

earthly possession,a contented mind . May you have it

always,my boy . And when

,by and by

,the strange accents

of the now unknown tongue become familiar to you,and

with the gift of speech and power of utterance come hope,asp iration and trust

,when

,as I hope you will

,you shall put

this greatest gi ft to its highest use and looking upward sayreverently

,

! Our Father,

” then play,my boy

,not for any

thing that seems good to dull S ight and low desire,but only

for a contented mind . For that includes, as it is conditionedupon

,all the virtues that sweeten l i fe and l i ft up man .


Your name,my boy

,means ! laughter and you are the

fourth ! Isaac” in a direct line . I think we have not bel iedthe name

,for I am quite sure we have occasioned more

laughter than tears in this world,and there is some comfort

in thinking that we have in a way contributed to the generaljoy of mank ind

,even though we may not have added much

to its knowledge . It may be we have not taken the world soseriously as we ought

,still i t seems to me that he l ives not

unworthi ly who helps to lighten the cares of his fellow men,

even though it be but for a moment . I t must coun t somewhere .

So,namesake and grandson

,I give you greeting on your

first turning of the year . Some one else has said better thanI can

,what I think !

Live and be happy in thysel f,and serve

This mortal race,thy kin

,so well that men

May bless thee as we bless thee,0 young li fe

B reaking wi th laughter from the dark ; and mayThe fated channel where thy motion l ivesBe prosperously shaped and sway thy courseAmong the years of haste and random youthUnshatter

’d ; then full current thro

’ ful l man,

And last,in kindly curves

,with gentlest fall

,

By qu iet fields, a slowly dying power,To that last deep where we and thou are sti ll .

Your affectionate Grand father .

I have referred elsewhere to Bromley ’s varied intimacies and the freedom with which b e touched elbowsin whatever social groups he was found . His relationswith ! Willie” Winter

,the distinguished dramatic critic

o f The Tribune,was of an extremely sympathetic

character . Each appeared to find in the other a p ieceo f himsel f . When Bromley died in the hospital at Norwich Winter was at Santa Catalina Island in the


Pacific Ocean . Under date of September 6,1898, b e

printed in The Tribune this beauti ful poem in memoryof Bromley which later Stedman lovingly included inhis American Anthology . The affection which shinesforth from the stately verses finds its parallel in theextreme delicacy of their phrasing . A poet to composethus must be deeply moved indeed .

I . H . B .

D ied,August 1 1 , 1898

The dirge is sung,the ritual said

,

No more the brooding organ weeps,

And soft and green,the turf is spread

On that lone grave where BROMLEY sleeps .

Gone—in his ripe,meridian hour !

Gone—when the wave was at i ts crest !And gentle Humor ’s perfect flowerIs turned to darkness and to rest .

N0 more those honest eyes will gleamWith torrid l ight of proud desire ;

No more those fluent l ips will teemWith Wit ’s gay quip or Passion ’s fire .

Forever gone ! And with him fadeThe dreams that Youth and Friendship know

The frolic and the glee that madeThe golden time of Long Ago .

The golden time ! Ah,many a face

And his the merriest of them allThat made this world so sweet a place

,

Is cold and still,beneath the pall .


For not in all the teeming yearsOf thy long glory hast thou knownA being framed of smiles and tears

,

Humor and force so like thine own !

And never did thy asters gleam,

Or through thy pines the night winds roll,

To soothe in death ’s transcendent dream,

A sweeter or a nobler soul !

WILLIAM WINTER .

When Bromley le ft The Sun,Dana said to him ! I

do not care what The Tribune pays you,I ’ll pay you

more when you come back .

” When Charles A . Danasubmitted to Bromley for criticism an editorial attackthat he had wri tten on Reid

,Bromley asked ! ! Why hit

a man on the head w ith a meat axe ! Why not give hima lingering death with a scalpel !

” ! You are the onlyman who can do that

,

” was Dana ’s mournful reply .

These are estimates of two great journalists whoknew him .

I have but little authority,relatively

,to add one of

my own . My affection -semi -filial in its emotionrobs me of the desired poise . I had the honor to enjoyhis confidence and regard . I know of no explanationthat accounts for the friendship which is formed occasionally between men whose ages are so far apart.When it exists

,i t is o f incalculable value

,for a common

ground is created out o f the generous relaxation of reserve on the part o f the e lder and the free abandonment,on the part of the younger

,o f that feeling of shyness

which so often reacts to the disadvantage of both . Iwas complimented when he read his editorials to mebefore they reached the printer ’s hand

,responded


eagerly to his inquiring glances . I listened attentivelywhen he chided me for literary Shortcomings , andrejoiced when he saw something creditab le in my pointof view ; anyth ing in the printed word which he thoughtof possible excellence . H e realized that when I wentto h im for advice

,I wanted advice

,and not a confirma

tion o f a preconceived notion . He was a man of understanding , and it was that quality which characterizedhis newspaper work . I have no impression of what hissuccess would have been as the editor in chie f

,though

I fancy that so finished a craftsman as he would havefound his patience sorely tried and his own productimpaired . It was better for him to catch the atmos

phere than create it ; wiser in behal f o f all concernedfor him to improve and refine it than attemp t to dominate it. There is more than one kind of master fulness .Bromley ’s kind was an influence of indispensable valuein an editorial room crowded wi th men o f exceptionaltalent . They reacted upon one another effectively

,

however unconsciously,and the joint product from the

printing press affected judgments and shaped attitudesto the remote distance of delivery . Such at least heseemed to me

,and that I was not far wrong is proved

by the reputation frankly yielded him by the men ofhis day and generation . Unique

,his particular place

has never been fil led . One phase,and a brilliant phase

,

of journalistic accomplishment,ended coincidentally

with his own earthly ending .

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AM ERICA

UN I ! E R S ITY O F C A L IFO RN IA AT LO S A N ! EL ES‘

TH E UN I! E R S ITY L I B R A R Y

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isaac h. bromley - forgotten books8 isaac h bromley bromley’s blade was so keen and he wielded it...

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