. American lands and letters. strong — perhaps, over-ambitious, literary flavor, with pretty flashes ofverse — maybe, from some such poetesses as , and Mrs. Osgood, or other Benjamin,* too, puts in an appearance —sometimes as associate editor — showing somewhatof the impetuosity, vigor, and virulence which inthose days commanded a listening. This last-named writer was born of Americanparents in Demerara ; had come hither early inlife ; had suffered cruel surgical treatment, whichwith natural disabilities left him, in manhood,stalwart in arms, chest, and head, but incur
. American lands and letters. strong — perhaps, over-ambitious, literary flavor, with pretty flashes ofverse — maybe, from some such poetesses as , and Mrs. Osgood, or other Benjamin,* too, puts in an appearance —sometimes as associate editor — showing somewhatof the impetuosity, vigor, and virulence which inthose days commanded a listening. This last-named writer was born of Americanparents in Demerara ; had come hither early inlife ; had suffered cruel surgical treatment, whichwith natural disabilities left him, in manhood,stalwart in arms, chest, and head, but incurablycrippled as to his nether limbs. Possibly he wasunhinged by this ill make-up ; certain it is, thatwith a capacity for the weaving of words into very * Park Benjamin, b. 1809; d. 1864. 364 AMERICAN LANDS &* LETTERS. engaging and resonant verse, he united great apti-tude for wordy quarrels and for vitriolic was a man of strong brain, possessed of tropi-cal passionateness of utterance ; but never acconi. Greeley at his Desk in the Tribune Oftice. plishing what his keen, active mind promised,and friends hoped for. Greeleys affiliation with Benjamin was not,however, for very long ; but he did draw into tliejournalistic ranks, later, such faithful workers as SELF-MADE MAN 365 Raymond, Margaret Fuller, Charles Dana, Ripley,Curtis, and many another who has contributed —each in his or her way—to make of the old Tribunean efficient nurse of early American letters. With all his aptitude for sharp political dis-cussion, and a capacity, if need were, for noisystorms of temper and floods of Billingsgate, hehad yet a nice sense of poetic beauties; lovingthem in his youth ; loving them later ; and alwayskeenly sensitive to the dash and fervor of a goodpoem, or to a thrilling burst of music. Like mostself-made men he was a little suspicious and jeal-ous of the accomplishments that come of colle-giate study or any organized costly paraphernalia ;counting Latinity and Gr
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