The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-07-30

ar $3.50 vas one of the
81 iars ago. and he
maue MS nrst race for Congress from this
district away back in the fifties. When he
came to Mansfield he was-so old citizens
tell me-a tail. gaunt young fellow with a
big head. sparkling blue eyes and a rather
reserved and aristocratic air. He had no
money to speak Of, but his brother had
good practice. and, think, he took John
into partnership. Their business was
largely made up of collections for New
York and other Eastern firms. and this
grew rapidly after the future Senator's
admission to the bar. The result was
that John Sherman began to make
money. He not only made it, but he
saved and invested it, and at the time
of his marriage he had already start.
He began housekeeping in a comfortable
home on what Is now known as Park
avenue west, about quarter a mile from
the courthouse. and lived there until he
bought his present estate a half mile fur
Their up the same street. The Mansfield
electric StreetcarS now run past ii and
what was farm on the outskirts of the
town when Sherman bought it is now sur
rounded by fine homes and has beyond it
some OF the best residences Of the city. A
great part of the estate has been divided
UP into town lots and sold. Some of il has
been given by Senator Sherman as park
to The city, and the remainder, about
twenty acres. constitutes the lawn and
gardens OF Senator Sherman's home. It's
a beautiful pa ce. filed with old forest
trees and beautiful shrubs. 1t lies high up
above the surrounding country and the
Senator has a summer house just back of
his residence, where you get a view of
miles of the rich rolling Ohio country.
The Senator's house is ono of many
rooms. all large, airy and, even in these
not July days. delicjously cool. There are
many windows and these give magnificent
views. Mansfield has neither mosquitoes
nor malaria, and as wandered about I'M
der the trees l could appreciate tile Sena-
tors disgust AT having 10 return to the soft
asphalt Of WashinGton's parboied streets
and to the boxed-up rooms of his white
stnle palace on FraakliBPGrk Here at
Mansfield he can wander about in the
lighleSt attire. He wears an old straw hat,
light trousers. black sack coat and looks
cool as the center seed of the traditional
cucumber. He rises early, eats A light
breakfast and then sis down in his big
library on tho ground floor, in his slippers
and loosely mado clothes, and dictates
answers TO his nail. He gets q large
number OF letters daily, but he is used to
dictation and he disposes of them rapidly.
His privafe secretary writes hand almost
identicaliy the same as his, and when
letter has been transcribed by him from
his shorthand mates and signed BY the
Senator you would not suppose but that
the Senator had written the whole With
his own hand. Altar he has finished his
CORES pondence he walks about the place,
and after lunch usually goes downtown,
sometimes in his carriage and not infre-
auently in the cars. Mansfield was one of
the first towns in the United States to put
in an electrical line, and 1t has now one
Of the best in the country. In the evening
the Senator usually drives out with Mrs.
Sherman and his daughter Miss Mary,
and altogether his home life at Man field
is delightful one.
/ found the Senator in his library when
l called by appointment yesterday morn
ing He was answering his mail. and
while he finished his dictRtion / spent the
time in studying him and his surround
ings. His library is that of a man of cul-
ture. Busts If our greatest statesmen
Webster, Clay and Washing oked
bookcases, and familiar volumes Of fiction
and poetry as we'll "a of history and pc
litical science smiled at us ont of their
wtll-worn bindings on the shelves. There
were. 1 judge. about 5000 volumes in the
library noted that these were in AL the
modern languages, and L am told that the
Senator reads the French and German as
we'll as the English. lie is man of wide
culture, and his whole life has been de-
voted TO work and study. doubt whether
we have ever had a statesman with tho ex-
certiop, perhaps, of John Quincy Adams,
who has saved the intellectual pennies
so conscienti0usly as John Sherman. He
once told me that the making of books
was so rapid and along such foolish lines
that 1t hardlv paid one to read book be.
fore it was at least year old, and that the
much reading Of newspapers was injuri-
Gus to ones intellectual health. Senator
Sherman's reading of fiction is largely
confined to the classics of our literature,
and his favorite, he once told me, was
Walter Scott. He keeps himself abreast
of all the best magazine literature, and not
infrpuuently contributes an article to the
North American Review or the Forum.
Senator Sherman has been throughout
his life as careful of his physical as his
intellectual health. and his condition to-
day is that of a mar In his prime &c 70.
His beard is now white and grizzly, but
his eyes are bright and his step as firm as
it was thirty years ago. He has never dis
sipated and his only vice is smoking, which
is confined to three or four cigars day.
He never drinks anything to speak of and
his table has always been plain and SIM
ple one. He takes limited amount of
exercise, and is in short still physically and
intellectually sound. His surroundings
mere are 6ucD as W touu W UTOIO0S lie.
and as he concluded his mail / asked him
now he liked the idea of going back to
Washington in the dog days.
Senator SHERMAN said: Il don't like it.
but it is a necessity and we have tn 20.
You can see how inconvenient it is. l
ha 70 my family moved out here and am
fixed for the summer. 1t is the same with
other mem bsrs of Congress-. and we have
our political work to do as we'll as other
matters TO attend 10. Now we are COM
pc lied to go TO Washington. The city is
hot and l think rather unhealthy during
the months Of August and September. 1t
is certainly worse then than at any other
time during the summer. | can't take my
family with me. and l will have to keen
bachslor's hall and go out for my meals"
''What will Congress do at this extra
session? How long will 1t last?"
mo one knows. 1t is Democratic
Congress. 1t may last four weeks and II
may last four months. If the Democrats
decide to confine their work to the repeal of
the clause of the act Of 1890. authorizing
the purchase of 1900, 900 ounces of silver q
month, it could finish its work in few