James E. Homans, editor

“ When at sales, such as the Robert Hoe sale in New York and the Huth sale in London, he was compelled to let many famous books go to those whom he granted a prior claim, he drew upon his inexhaustible fund of book lore and included among his purchases volumes which he felt confident would be famous when better known, books often unheard of by the ordinary collector, but which would delight the heart of the scholar. His library was a young man's library, the result of the use of large means, rare judgment, and an inborn instinct for discovering the best. ”

“ Rubin is also a dreamer — not a visionary — the type of man who sees what the world needs to make it a better place for humanity, and then proceeds to build foundations beneath his “castles in the air.” He combines within himself those qualities so rarely found in company, for he is at once an idealist and a man of practical judgment, one who sees conditions as they are, yet, at the same time, with keen insight, has complete realization of what they should be, and can bridge the gulf with suggestions applicable to present-day problems. ”

“ Haldeman's physical embodiment seemed a fitting abode; for the rare spirit within. Her countenance glowed with the joy of living and of hours spent daily in God's out-of-doors, her blue-gray eyes were ever alight with jollity and sympathy and her laugh was as infectious as irresistible — her entire personality was that of a big, joyous soul. Young with the youth which years cannot age, she drew all near her, from every walk of life within the radius of her influence, and held them her devoted friends. ”

“ Converse is a significant figure in the history of American music. While on the one hand he has not allied himself with those who would base an American school on the musical bequests of certain native elements which are alien to our essentially European culture, he has kept aloof from the tradition of the old world sufficiently to render his work distinctive in color as well as original in substance. He believes, in his own words, “that we shall be able to build up a school of musical composition second to none and of which Americans can well be proud.” ”

“ The box of Carnegie's chariot became the ‘seats of the mighty.’ And so a politico-social campaign went on hand in hand with the rail, bridge, armor-plate, and structural-steel business, through seasons of opera, concerts, lecturings, and book-publishings, until the name of Carnegie was written in bright letters across the sky of two hemispheres, and people forgot that there were any other steel works in the world. Meanwhile in Pittsburgh the partners worked steadily on, building dollar by dollar the great golden pyramid by which their majority stockholder was to be immortalized. ”

“ Bitter held that art should interpret the spirit of an age rather than record the whims and vagaries of the moment, which result in pettiness. As an artist he fought steadily for freedom, for self-expression, and for high ideals. There is scarcely a city in the land but is adorned by the rhythmic strength of Mr. Bitter's sculpture. ”

“ In his speech when he unveiled the statue of Rufus Choate he said: “His theory of advocacy was the only possible theory consistent with the sound and wholesome administration of justice: that, with all loyalty to truth and honor, he must devote his best talents and attainments, all that he was and all that he could, to the support and enforcement of the cause committed to his trust.” And of James C. Carter he said: “He was very far from limiting himself to causes that he thought would win, or to such as were sound in law or right in fact. No genuine advocate that I know of has ever done that. ”

“ A force of 300 men is kept constantly at work in all departments of the Anna Dean Farm. As a man of large affairs, all his life, Mr. Barber has of late years become a thinker for the people at large, and his recent pamphlets on various public questions have attracted national attention. Always fearless in his convictions, he has not hesitated to use strong words in his criticisms of public men and measures, and yet always there biats the sound heart of a true patriot and broad-minded friend of humanity. ”

“ When the trial years in America were over, Münsterberg returned to Freiburg University, and resumed his teaching as professor of philosophy. Meanwhile Harvard waited for him to decide whether or no he would accept a permanent chair as full professor in the American university. Although it was hard for the young scholar to give up activity in the universities of his own country, which had always been his aim, he was at the same time fascinated by a new task — namely that of interpreting the best spirit of America to Germany and of carrying the ideals of German scholarship to America. ”

“ There comes a time when it seems as if art, literature, statesmanship and economic invention had arrived at their zenith, and there is nothing to do but close the record and bind up the work. Then pessimistic critics talk complacently about degeneracy and the “twilight of the gods.” But suddenly a new genius arises, and creates a new school; or there is a scientific or economic development that calls for new energies, and the new energies are forthcoming, and it seems as if a greater sun had risen upon the earth. ”

“ Pearson's untiring energy and impartial appreciation, to his tremendous grasp of principles and mastery of details, to his wonderful memory and vivid imagination, to his versatility, his kindly disposition and his faith in others were due the immediate source of his successes, the unswerving loyalty and devotion without which it would have been impossible for any man to have conducted in such great and widely scattered enterprises. ”

“ During these years of business expansion the controlling personality had made itself known and the name of Ferdinand Sulzberger ranked high in the business community, having risen from the ranks by the sheer superiority of his intellect, by his unbounded energies and labor, and by his notable fairness to all. ”

“ The responsibility of guaranteeing the neutrality of a canal, either at Panama or at Nicaragua, is certainly American. It may be that such responsibility is not exclusively ‘American’ in the sense of repelling all other States on this Continent other than the United States of Anierica, but it manifestly is ‘American’ in that it includes the United States of America, Mexico, the States of Central America, the United States of Colombia, and the States of South America. ”

“ Rubin has been a moving spirit in the foundation and maintenance of some of the most important public and charitable institutions in the city of Milwaukee; he was the prime factor in the organization of the Union Bank of Milwaukee, a bank which has the unique distinction of being the only one in the United States which is controlled by and under the direction of those who sympathize with organized labor. A number of labor unions are stockholders, and the bank, which is still young, gives every promise of becoming an element of importance in the financial world. ”

“ Thus men of initiative, men of intellect and a high sense of justice and responsibility, have been attracted to the various business professions, where, without fear of clan or caste, they could work out their own salvation in the industrial world. The great metropolis of Chicago ofliers a wide field for men of push and perseverance, and a unique example among those who had overcome and conquered insurmountable business obstacles was John W. Kiser, Sr., whose name today, in the Middle West, is a synonym for honest effort, fair play, and whole-hearted loyalty. ”

“ On the site of the former residence of the Vanderbilt family, and including, also, several adjacent plots, he built the beautiful Vanderbilt Hotel at Park Avenue and Thirty-fourth Street, New York, which he made his city home. Mr. Vanderbilt found great enjoyment in society and in travel. He had keen pleasure in his association with men of note and prominence, and his social gifts and his wealth enabled him to bear his part in that life with grace and distinction. But social entertainment given or received, was by no means the whole of his career. ”

“ Choate, “of course it becomes a question between your honor's personal observation and the observation of a cloud of witnesses who testify to the contrary. Was your honor ever conscious of being absolutely convinced from the very outset of a trial, that a certain person was guilty? If not, you are more than human. Was your honor ever conscious, as the trial proceeded, that it was impossible to conceal your conviction? If not, you are more than human. That has happened in many courts, and when it does happen it rouses the spirit of resistance in every advocate who understands his duty.” ”

“ As an art connoisseur, Otto H. Kahn is probably better known to the world at large than he is as a banker. He reorganized the Metropolitan Opera in New York as he would have reorganized a railroad. Regardless of expense to himself personally, he introduced many valuable reforms both artistically and managerially, ended costly and useless excrescences, raised the tone of artistic aspiration, and in general put new life into the institution. ”

“ Thus, each worker is encouraged to do his or her best, and to gain other advantages than a mere money bonus in the development of innate powers and abilities. With the successful development of the manufacture of matches on a scale hitherto unknown, Mr. Barber turned his attention to other lines of industry. Like so many other great men of affairs, he seemed to find his recreation in the pursuit of new enterprises. Thus, in 1889, he founded and organized the American Straw Board Company, of which he is still president. He is recognized as the potent spirit of this industry the world over. ”

“ Gilder set an example of enduring and altruistic fidelity. He was an optimist, a poet of distinction, and an editor of exceptional ability. But fine as was the work which he achieved, his manhood challenges admiration from all who are interested in the noblest developments of the human soul. ”

“ Brandeis almost a form of recreation. From the time that he first came into prominence in Boston there has hardly been a year or a month in which he has not been connected with some public movement. Indeed, during the past twenty years, leadership in one matter of public concern or another has been absolutely continuous. This has given him a versatility which constitutes, in a considerable measure, his power. It has led him, without tiring, through a multitude of subjects, to any one of which many an able man would devote his whole lifetime. ”