Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00496.026

Author/Creator: Greeley, Horace (1811-1872)

Place Written: New York, New York

Type: Autograph letter signed

Date: 1 November 1851

Pagination: 4 p. : docket ; 25 x 20 cm.

Summary of Content: Greeley tries to discourage Smith from founding a woman’s newspaper as a poor business decision and discusses differences between business and reform. He concludes by preferring that they be ”former acquaintances” rather than ”friends” or ”enemies.” With a docket on p.1 by recipient: ”full of conceited assumptions by no means warranted by my communication to him. E.O.S.”

Historical Era: National Expansion and Reform, 1815-1860

Full Transcript: [draft], Horace Greeley, full of conceited , assumptions by no N.York Nov. 1st, 1851., means warranted by, my communication to, him. E.O.S., , Mrs. E. Oakes Smith;, I received yours of yesterday soon after it was written, but had not time to open it till today. I must now be on my way to Putnam co.in fifteen minutes., Two reasons are assigned by you why a [peculiarly] Women’s paper should be published under your Editorship; first the Sex needs an [illegible]; secondly, you need a subsistence. Now there are already fifty papers (I think) edited by women, but these do not seem to answer the purpose - perhaps I should say the purposes - though Mrs. [illegible] and Mrs [Nichols] are among the Editors. Mrs. Halls Miss Leslie and many other fearless and influential women are conductors of [a contributors] to [wordily] circulated [periodicals]; and I do not think they would be refused the privilege of discussing the deepest [illegible] if they should claim it. Nor do I think you would. , But, you say this, though it would [2] evidently afford a much wider scope for the [illegible] of the Reform ideas, [struck: it] would not tend to accomplish the other object to [illegible] the [securing] a livelihood for yourself. This is partly true, and partly not, I believe that by writing for the most widely circulated periodicals to which you can gain access and being thus made known as an intellectual champion of the Reform, you would be invited to Lecture, either to mixed audiences or to women only, so exclusively as to yield you a far more considerable income than can be realized from a newspaper devoted to the idea - as any periodical that would be founded upon it. My own experience tends to this conclusion - Advocacy of Reforms that are vital cannot (or [illegible line]) be made a source of personal gain to the advocate. See [wealth] is Conservative; all true Reforms assail it, [illegible] its [illegible], [illegible] its [security] ye cannot serve God and [illegible]. And here is your mistake. Because your contributions to [strikeout] [periodicals] bore no [illegible] value - but rather the reverse - you [illegible] that they do not subserve there end. A true Reform article must benefit the world at the expense of its [proclaimer., ”But,” says Mrs. E. O. S. ”you have suc[3][ceeded] [pecuniary] as a Reformer.” No, Madam, I have not; I have succeeded in spite of that circumstance. Every hour, [struck: I have] every column, I have given to Reforms that have any depth, I have given at my own pecuniary loss, though I doubt not to my own essential profit I complain of nothing; yet I have always known as well as now that if the object of my life had been Wealth, Consideration, Popularity, I should have taken a very different course. I [illegible], [inserted: as the other illegible] have been a more thorough Reformer, but I could not then have established and sustained a daily journal in New York, such is the fact; you have the [illegible] for less than it has cost me, if a non-accumulation of wealth is cost., But you say to me: ”The Tribune is prosperous: [Not] is a few hundreds of dollars to one who is earning [his] tens of thousands?” &c., That the Tribune is prosperous is very true, though the popular [fables] of its income are enormous exaggerations. I am one among twelve [illegible] and [illegible] one-[fourth] of the [illegible]; I have a sufficient income, and did not decline a compliance with your [illegible] on the ground of non ability to accede to it. But [how] many people, do you [illegible] [4] look with [illegible] [of] if not greedy eyes at the income of the Tribune, first account it all [mine] instead of one-fourth of it, and [rest conclude] that there would be [illegible] enough left for [me] after supplying their needs, no one considering that [illegible] but are among hundreds who [work] the same [coloration] each in his own behalf and in entire disregard of the demands of all the rest. Perhaps I am not [liberal] - I certainly do not boast of being so; but were my income twice what it is, it would not satisfy the demands made upon it by claimants who think they know better [illegible] [struck: they] I [illegible] to do than I can, and [who] tell me that the sincerity of my professions(!!) of Philanthropy, Benevolence, &c. will be tested by my compliance with an refusal of their demands. I used to be annoyed by this; but Time reconciles us to many things which at first stung us., ”My good friend, or enemy, which you will,” says E.O.S. My ’enemy?’ I have sometimes [illegible] to serve, [never] to harm you. I never had a wish to your prejudice. Then why ’enemy?’ Your ’friend’ I fear I cannot be, since the practical condition seems to be a surrender of my judgment and my [purse] to your requirements. If I were capable of such submission, I should not [profound] the name of friendship by applying it to the result. No, since we cannot be friends and have no reasons and no wish to be enemies, let us be former acquaintances who have chosen our several [battles] and will walk in them to the end., Yours,, Horace Greely., To Mrs. E.O. Smith, [docket], Horace Greeley,

Keywords/Subjects: Women’s History, Reform Movement, Journalism

Sub Era: The First Age of Reform

Resource: Horace Greeley on a woman’s reform newspaper, 1851