The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-12-26
ALMOST AN OCTOGENARIAN.
Birthday Chat With That Unique
Philadelphian. Richard Vaux,


Richard Vaux, statesman, diplomat, litera-
teur, lawyer and first and pre-eminently a
gentleman of ye courtly olden school, last
week added the seventy-seventh to the bou-
quet of birthdays not one of which but has
brought with the added year additional
friends, honor and love to the genial and gal
lant gentleman who has plucked them
Il am not old after ALL" he said as he
leaned back in his armchair and permitted
the smoke of fraSrant cigar to obscure his
kindly countenance. every day l meet
beautiful young ladies, and they come up to
me and say
'''Of course, Mr.. Vaux, you remember
me-
"And of course say, why, certainly.
Hauing met you once how could 1 forget
you1 And equally, of course, it is not they
that remember, but their dear mammas
who were just as charming and beautiful as
they forty years ago.
What, forsooth, is a gentleman's tongue
for if it cannot say pretty thing to pretty
woman!
'sYou know Talleyrand said that a mans
tongue was given him to conceal his
thoughts. I think that Talleyrand was
not far amiss-that is, if you except the
politician for, of course, the politicians
tongue is given him to conceal his purposes
He has little need to conceal his thoughts
for in the majority of cases he has none
Speaking of politicians reminds me of nv
quorum hat:' Possibly you have never
heard of that wondrous article Well, my
quorum hat, Kilgore's shoe, with which he
kicked down the door to the Congressional
Hall. and the billion dollars are the three
items of the Fiftieth Congress which will
pass into history. 1t was my habit while in
Congress to use my hat as receptacle for
letters which l wished to carry home at
night, and |, therefore, used to leave it lying
bottom upward on my desk. One day l went
out into one of the lobbies and left my hat
on the desk. Before returned Speaker Tom
Reed and his tellers had counted it to make a
quorum.
81 am not sure, he continued, gazing re-
fiectively into the CRATE fire. ''but that in an
overwhelmingly Republican Congress that
hat was well qualified for the duties thus
thrust upon it."
s'It isn't bad thing to have lived, is it?
When | was young man was great deal
abroad. When l was but twenty l was
with the American Legation in England and
met most of the great men of those days.
Later on knew quite well third Napoleon
He was more like an Englishman than a
Frenchman and had none of the French vi
vacity. | think Americans are more like the
French than the English, in that respect
any way. suppose it is the climate. It
affects us in every way; our habits, traits,
voices. everything"
Thus in the twilight the old-school gentle
man talked on of the intellectual giants of
the old times and discussed with the vigor of
youth the issues of today. Men who were
mighty in their day passed in review before
him and the history OF by-gone times lived.
Tins with friend after friend who came to
congratulate him Richard Vaux passed his
seventy seventh birthday, and then, stand
ing in the doorway of his name, he said with
a smiling adieu:
81 suppose it is hardly the thing to escort
ones kind,friends to the door, but rather to
meet them there with hearty welcome
You must forgive me. The first | do because
am SO loath to part with you and the last
neglected because was too modest withal to
expect you. .''-P philadelphia Times.