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Show the undoubted greatness of the Maine statesman, as illustrated in his last service ser-vice in the state department. However men may view what he did as a Mugwump, every one concedes, that George William Curtis was a great and pure man, who loved his country and mankind. How puerile is criticism of a man of whom this can be said ! CEORCE WiLLIAM CURTIS. American literature and American politics ar both losers by the death of George Williah Ccbtis. For a generation Mr. Cruris has been in the forefront of our literary and political movements and it is much longer than that since he won a secure place in public esteem. Mr. Curtis' successful life presents one feature of peculiar interest in the fact that hii father deliberately educated edu-cated him for a great career. When he was a schoolboy, his father made up .his mind thatGEOROE William Curtis should be an illustrious name as deliberately de-liberately as other men plan for their sons to become printers, lawyers or doctors. And the boy went straight ahead and crrried out the father's programme pro-gramme to a splendid conclusion. Ranking high among literary men, Mr. C cutis occupied a peculiar place Sa our politics, in which he exercised a powerful influence as editor and orator. From the editorial chair of Harper's Weekly, and la his annual addresses before the American Civil Service Reform Re-form association, he inspired and guided guid-ed the important movement which has steadily raised the standard of our civil service and the moral tone of our politics. poli-tics. While other great movements found a champion in him, his fame as editor and orator will be forever associated asso-ciated with the reform of the civil service. ser-vice. ' The dramatic incident of his career "was his withdrawal from the Chicago convention of 1884 upon the nomination nomina-tion of Blaine. He then announced that he carried hii sovereignty under his own hat, and he then took the lead - in a movement that alienated thousands thous-ands of Kepublicans and defeated the only nominee of the Republican party who has failed of election since Fremont. Fre-mont. We think Mr. Curtis in his last years . saw the injustice of his attitude toward Blaine, and we know he joined with knen of all parties in paying tribute to |
