Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-07-22

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memory serves me Eight he aid not evcn
tnahk mem for that. He had already made
MS plans. During that camnairn--I en-
large upon Il. for II wax the corner-nto5o
on Nnlch was built his political carcer--i,s
u 1ia = ne" departure In election methods.
ans mene personally into shops and mills
anu manufactures and spoke man fashion
70 the workmen. iIo made no ca,,a,l;si
promises. His statement was: '.if Won, elcci
me VIII give you clean government "a
lar as : cam Some or the sd lesaars
'augned az the young mans methods o.
oainnaigning. 1t was something new and
They did no, laugh when the eIeetjon "a.
turns came in, for Seth Low was elected
me machine thought better Of the man
aiter that, sad when he was a candidate for
once again they selected a prominent and
popular newspaper man. now In Congress
70 run AGAINST him. II was the old story,
,Setn Low won No man could have
beaten him. He had the confidence OF he
voters and he was unbeatable.
While he was Mayor he surprised the old
men IN politics by being Mayor IN fact "a
Wen as In name BROOKLYN be IL known.
ana New York are very near the raretraclts
ana some OF the public officials OF both towns
ars " the habit Of spending more time
playing the horses" than at thoir desks
One day shortly after Seth Low was
elected Mayor he received letter from a
eltlzen The citizen had some substantial
ground Tor complaint against a city official.
The Mayor sought the city oificial The
city oi1cal was at the races. or baseball
match, his subordlnates did not know
which
Then the Mayor took stroll through the
otner denartnents. He found that the re-
sponslble heads Of these were also at the
races or at baseball matches,
Inc next morning there came notice
from the Mayor to the effect that all heads
of departments not willing to work eight
hours a day for the 5000 or so that the
city paid them might send In their resgna-
tons. He intlmated further that he ex-
poeted as good service from heads OF de-
pariments as from street laborers who
worked for 81 80 day.
This was a new and anarchlstic principle
In politics, but somehow the people liked
II. Thereafter when citizen called at
city department with reference to a mat
ter Of taxation or something OF that sort
he was cvilly treated.
When Seth Low retired as Mayor of
Brooklyn he had moro than few offers TO
run for Congress. to hold himself IN train
ing for the Governorshlp and all that might
follow.
Ho accepted the presidency OF Columbia
College and since he has held that position
he has proved himself to be an able and
what IS mora an aggressive advocate OF
what are sometimes called modern methods
In education. His views have been out
lined. He believes a boy or Girl should
be educated In practical way, and so far
as any teacher may know in accordance
with tho mental and physical possibilities OF
the pupil. Tho old idoa that a certain
amount of certain sort OF education
should be crammed down the throat OF a
young man, will ye. nil We. was not an
idea TO which he clung. His plan Is to find
tho hpnf qf 1,au ind nj D.,
train It. And so 1t comes about that Seth
Low Is as popular rs an educator as he was
as a politician In the DAYS when ho heat
those saplcnt leaders Of public opinion
who know everything excent tho neople,
When Seth Low gave UP his residence IN
Brooklyn he bought house in New Yorl;
only n Jew blocks from Columbia College.
He said then that It was his intention 10
devote HIS whole mind and stime 10 oduca-
tlonnl matters. and no doubt he meant
what he said, But men change. and so DO
conditions. Politics IN New York were
never in 70 mixed or chaotic a shape rs
at present. Poiltic1l leaders stand at the
parting Of the ways, as 1t were. and
Fomo Of thom arc being discrcdited be-
yond rehabilitation. Men who ordinarily
would hold alcof from political action arc
being forced to the front, and at such q
Tine man Hike Seth Low cannot remain
in the background. So It wes that when
the Mayor Of New York asked Mr. Low
to net as one OF q commission TO perfect
rapid transit systems for Now York h,
accented the appointment. Having acceptel
unp nublic position, he can scarcely hold
that be may not accept some other position
Mr.. Low has not figured much In public
since he has been in Neg York He lives
guitely and IN good style. Neither he nor
his charming wife appears very prominently
I'm Fnciety. MIR. Low does not figure IN
sporting matters at all. He owns no yacht,
no fast horse, and Is never seen on a race
track Now ana then he is seen at tho
opera or theater. But for the most part he
deyoIes his whole time TO his work as
president Of Columbia College, He is in no
sense a fgurehend. None OF the professors
under him work harder than he does. He
has genius even for detail. He domi-
mates the college OF which he Is the head In
every one of It's departments. ana yet he
Is not In any sense q martinez, There were
few more popular educators than the late
Professor Barnard, who preceded Mr.. Low
as president OF Columbia College, and when
Seth Low took his place there were those
who thought the young man would In the
end suffer by comparison. As mater OF
fact, the fame OF neither Of the men has
IN any way suffered. The general public
or that portion OF 1t Interested In the old
college remembered Professor Barnard as
man who was thoroughly fitted to his
work and his time and Seth Low Just as
appropriately and fully fills the needs OF the
Columbia College Of to-day.
1t is not given to many men to succeed
equally well in many thlnga. to lead In pol
lucs. 10 excel as an educator as an orator.
and as a theoretical as well as a practical
publicist. it is given to yet fewer men to
win fame In all these different lines. while
they are yet young men. Then again 1t
is rarely that high office Seeks out the
man. and that the man does not seek the
oHice But this is true OF Mr. Low. Sue
cess has come to him 80 easily that the gem
eraI disposition has been to put 1t all down
to luck
There may be something in luck, but
seth Lows success has come about through
more than mere good fortune. His brains,
his pluck. his aptness IN the art OF grasp
inp onportunitles, his inherent honesty,
and mat r.re quality and ability to under
Sand the people-all these things have gone
Ia make Seth Low what be is to-day, the
strongest man of his years in some respects
| IN this country. ,,-...,-,.
seth Low Is seemingly not disturbing
himself as to his future. Nor has he any
nsed 10. hut mon Interested In the trend
~ nuhlio affairs will do well to watch the
career OF the president Of Columbia Col
lego. It's possibilities are immense
. Good Home Made sprender.
| losv 10 n rood