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_From the “Nashville American.”_
THE news of Mr. Grady’s death is received with universal sorrow. No man
of his age in the South or in the Union has achieved such prominence or
given promise of greater usefulness or higher honors. His reputation as
a journalist was deservedly high; but he won greater distinction,
perhaps, by his public speeches. He was intensely, almost devoutly
Southern, but he had always the respectful attention of the North when
he spoke for the land of his nativity. There was the ring of sincerity
in his fervid utterances, and his audiences, whether in the North or in
the South, felt that every word came hot from the heart. He has done as
much as any man to put the South right before the world; and few have
done more to promote its progress and prosperity. He was a man of
tremendous energy, bodily and mental, and always worked at high tension.
Whatever subject interested him took his mind and body captive, and into
whatever cause he enlisted he threw all the powers of his intellect and
all the force of a nature ardent, passionate, and enthusiastic in the
extreme. It is probable that the disease which laid hold of him found
him an easier prey because of the restless energy which had pushed his
physical powers beyond their capacity. His nervous and impetuous
temperament showed no mercy to the physical man and made it impossible
for him to exercise a prudent self-restraint even when the danger of a
serious illness was present with him.
Mr. Grady’s personal traits were such as won the love of all who knew
him. All knew the brilliant intellect; but few knew the warm, unselfish
heart. The place which he held in public esteem was but one side of his
character; the place which he held in the hearts of his friends was the
other.
The South has other men of genius and of promise; but none who combine
the rare and peculiar qualities which made Henry W. Grady, at the age of
thirty-eight, one of the most conspicuous men of his generation.
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