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CHAPTER XLI.

Grady as an Upbuilder.

AMUEL ROGERS, who wrote "The Pleasures of Memory," was a banker as well as a poet. He

was equally at home whether attending the business sessions of the Board of Trade or the literary banquets of the Authors' Guild; and for his prestige among the shrewd financiers of Threadneedle street no less than for his favor with the Muses, he was the toast of all London. But practical business ideas and brilliant imaginative powers so rarely travel the same road or wear the same livery that Mr. Grady found it rather difficult, in the earlier stages of his career, to convince even his most partial friends that these widely divergent characteristics were actually harmonized and harnessed in his own splendid outfit.

Indeed, while cordially admiring his fertile resources of genius as all who are not color blind are prone to admire the treasures of some rare botanical garden, it was quite the custom of the public to discount the market value of his suggestions by turning aside from his editorials and sketches with the adverse comment of Joseph's brethren: "He's only a dreamer."

Years elapsed before it was even faintly suspected that his projected air-castles called for any sterner architec

It was

tural timber than gossamer and thistledown. thought that his work in the community was simply to entertain the readers of the morning newspaper with spicy materials for scrap-books. Strange to say, an affluence of diction usually incurs suspicion. Men who are free with adjectives are commonly supposed to be pressed for ideas, at least of the practical sort; and Mr. Grady, whose vocabulary was as deep as the Anglo-Saxon wells of pure English and as rich as the autumnal leaves of Vallambrosa, naturally suffered from this damaging and wellnigh fatal gift.

Grady's facts and Grady's figures became proverbial equivalents for Grady's fictions, and he was politely but positively rated as another young Geoffrey Crayon, whose visionary fabrics were too suggestive of Sleepy Hollow to be treated with any serious consideration. He was, indeed, looked upon as another Colonel Mulberry Sellers.

But those who hastily sneered at Grady's ambitious enterprises as schemes which were better adapted to nightcaps than to landscapes appeared to forget that the tints. of sunrise often rest upon adamantine summits. At any rate they were soon to learn that they were premature in underrating the substantial character of Mr. Grady's genius. In speaking of the rustic congregations which heard the village preacher Goldsmith says that "some who came to scoff remained to pray"; and certain it is that many who ridiculed and riddled Grady's propositions were afterwards to be among his most ardent coworkers. The time came when he was no longer dubbed as the gentleman from Utopia, but was actually hailed as the embodied genius of Southern development. He

was now an inspired marvel of common sense. The mists had all lifted; and his real character as an upbuilder now stood out, bold and sheer, like the cliffs of Dover above the calm levels of the English channel.

Coming upon the scene during the era of prostration which followed the close of the war, Mr. Grady began at once to sound bugle notes of encouragement. He was not a Jeremiah to mourn over the waste-places of Jerusalem, but a Nehemiah to rebuild the walls. And he brought plummet and trowel as well as bravo and song.

Soon after he reached Atlanta, which was still smoldering and smoking in the ashes which General Sherman had left, he became active with Julius L. Brown, Henry Hillyer, Louis Gholstin, Hoke Smith, and other progressive citizens, in building up the interests of the Young Men's Library Association.

Turning from this enterprise he enlisted his zeal in the cause of the Cotton States Exposition of 1881. This was the first of the great industrial expositions which have served to make Atlanta so prominent among Southern cities since the war.

With shrewd foresight Grady saw the advantages which such an exhibit of Southern pluck and energy was likely to create for Atlanta at this time; and with characteristic push he put his shoulders to the wheel.

In justice to older heads who engineered and directed the exposition it can not be claimed that Grady was the dominating personality in this pioneer undertaking. He was too young and too inexperienced to take the lead in things as yet. But he was indispensable.

Under the pressure of this stimulating experience he

developed rapidly as an industrial factor. Moreover, he accumulated information and caught ideas which were useful to him later.

In 1887, when he had climbed to the top of the journalistic ladder, he sounded the call for another great exposition to be held within six months. The audacity of this bold proposition was most apparent; but Grady had shown such wonderful capacity for overcoming obstacles that the community instead of demurring promptly acquiesced. Business men who could not see for the life of them how the exposition could possibly he held on time and measure up to proper requirements, nevertheless subscribed liberal amounts.

What made the feat which Mr. Grady proposed to accomplish seem all the more difficult was the site which was chosen for the proposed enterprise. This was an old hillside of the Piedmont escarpment on the city's northeastern outskirts. Before the first building could be erected on the grounds perpendicular walls had to be horizontalized. Grady could not have chosen an arena better suited for the working of miracles.

Operations at once commenced. At the masthead of the paper each morning was printed the number of days which still intervened before the exposition was to be thrown open to the public. Somehow Grady's enthusiasm seemed to be infectious. He was setting the pace for great things. Atlanta commenced to swell with metropolitan pride. She felt herself rising. Success was in the air; and success was already begetting longer strides and larger dreams.

Not only was the exposition held on time but it fully met public expectations; and what is still more astound

ing in view of the history of similar ventures it was financially able to pay out. Over twenty thousand dollars was cleared as the net profits.

This was the first of the series of Piedmont Expositions which were annually held in Atlanta for several years thereafter; and among other national celebrities whom it brought southward was Grover Cleveland, the first Democratic President of the United States since the

war.

From this time forward Grady was unremittingly active in directing the attention of Northern capital to the claims of Southern investment. The building of cotton factories, the development of marble quarries and the encouragement of immigration became his hobbies.

But he was interested in other things as well. The Piedmont Exposition was hardly launched before he organized the Piedmont Chautauqua. In common with many other progressive men over the country he was captivated by the Chautauqua idea which was then in the early experimental stage of development.

Nothing prior to this time had been done towards organizing an enterprise of this kind in Georgia; and Mr. Grady set himself to work with great interest to blaze the way for this modern educative innovation.

Salt Springs was selected as the site for the proposed Chautauqua. Money was raised, buildings erected and grounds laid off. Some of the best lecturers in the country were secured; and intellectually the Chautauqua was all that could be desired.

But the idea was still new and the distance from the center of population was most too great for the multi

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