The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1896-12-15
VANDERBILT'S TASK.
HEAD or THE GREAT HOUSE LEARN
INC TO WRITE.

o1nee His Paralytic stroke He Has been
Unable 60 Sign His Nsme-Now He II
Engaged In Learning to Write With His
len Hand.
A man who is worth 600. 900, ,000
and who controls more than $500. 600.
600, yet cannot write his own name, ia
something of an oddity. But this is pre-
cisely the position that Cornelius Van
derbilt, head of the most powerful fam
lily in the country, is in. Moreover, he
is now learning to write, and for that
purpose has been laboring with pen and
paper just as studiously as the very
small boy in schoolroom.
Mr.. Vanderbilt lost his ability to
write when he was stricken with paraly-
sis last summer. AS all the world
knows, his affliotion was brought about
by worrying over the engagement OF his
son Cornelius, Jr., TO Miss Grace Will
son. 1t was while arguing with the boy
that the tiny clot of blood settled upon
his brain, producing the paralysis which
almost cost him his life.
This happened five months ago. Since
then Miss Wilson has become Mrs. Cor
nelius Vanderbilt, Jr., and the eldest
daughter OF the afflicted millionaire has
become Mr.. Harold Payne Whitney.
These domestic excitements, together
with the recent death Of his mother,
have retarded his recovery seriously,
and today he is far from being a well
man, although he has had as much
progress as could reasonably be expected.
For several months he gave no atten-
tion whatever TO business matters, but
about two months ago, when he was still
at his Newport palace. the Breakers. it
became necessary to attend to certain
financial affairs. He is practically in
control of the fortunes Of all his sisters
and brothers, as well as his own. and
there are certain matters in relation to
the management of this wealth which
devolve personally upon him. He must
either perform these duties or the in
tricate machinery which keeps the Van
derbilt millions in motion must be COM
pletely altered.
One of the first requisites, OF course,
was his signature to various documents.
This Cornelius Vanderbilt was unable
to perform. The paralysis had attacked
his right side, and today his right arm
and hand are practically useless. A mis-
fortune OF this kind might have nm
nerved some men, but Mr.. Vanderbilt
was unwilling to give mp the struggle
and retire from the business world to
live quiescent life amid the luxuries
OF his wealth.
Ohaunccy Depew was with him at
the Breakers when he made the at
tempt to write his name and failed.
Turning to his chief adviser, Mr.. Van
derbilt said: 1T seems, Depew, that /
cannot write with my right hand, but
my left side is good and strong. Other
men have learned to write with their
left hands, and will have to do it,
That same day his private secretary
was sent out to hire the best instructor
Of penmanship in Newport. II. !. He
was directed to hunt up Colonel John
r. Leslie. head master Of the Rogers
high school, and when that gentleman
was informed that his professional serv-
ices were needed to teach Mr.. Wander
bilt how to write he was naturally sur
prised.
But the lessons began the next day,
and for two hours each day thereafter
the millionaire pupil received the same
instructions that had been given him
forty odd years ago, when he was q small
boy living i'm "a very modest house in the
down town section of New York.
Mr.. Vanderbilt was not content to
write his signature with facility. He
wanted to be able to write letters and to
write them rapidly too So Colonel Les.
lie put him through complete course.
Copy books with various commendable
words family outlined were furnished
him, and he traced the letters as care
fully as the small boy around examina-
tion time. He was shown how to hold
the pen so that the end Of the holder
pointed toward his left shoulder. He
practiced making strings of the letter o
for half an hour at time and then
made long succession Of loops ranging
from big one down to very small
one. He was progressing finely when
the death Of Mrs. w. II. Vanderbilt oc-
CURED, and then he went to New York
to attend the funeral.
Since his return to his Fifth avenue
home no has practiced penmanship daily,
but without the supervision of an in
structor. Now he is able to sign checks
and other documents, and it would al
most require the eye Of an expert to de-
tect any difference between his left hand
ed signatures and those executed by his
right hand prior to his illness.
The physicians are hopeful that in
time Mr.. Vanderbilt will recover the
use OF his right side, but even at the
best this will be matter Of consider
able time. Washington Post.