The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-27
NAMES AND FACES in MEMORY.
james G. Blaine, Simon Cameron and
the Hotel Hat Men.

New York Sun.
In one of the big hotels at Old Point Com
fort there is employed an old colored man
VINO draws good salary because of his
remarkable memory for faces, He attends
to the hat rack that stands in the hall at
the entrance to the big dining room AS
the men pass into breakfast or lunch or
dinner they hand their hats to George with
out any anxiety to its fate if they have
been at the hotel for several days. If they
happen to be newcomers they are apt to
hesitate a moment before intruSting hat
without any check to a man who may
have hundred hats on the rack back of
nm; Their hesitation doesn't bother
George. He knows that they will get over
1T after they have gone through the opera
ton several times and received their own
hat back each time.
Many of the hats are of the same make,
and to an unframed person it would seem
almost impossible to fit the hat to the man
who gives him hat by some popularity
in dress or features, and then he connects
this popularity with the make. size, and
color of the hat, and with the place in the
rack where he puts it. When the man
walks out of the dining room George meets
him with his hat. Nearly all of the large
summer or winter resort hotels employ
such men for this purpose, and, as rule,
they are cOlored men.
IF had the memory for faces that this
colored man has" saId a well-known poll
tician several days ago, Il should not have
been defeated for Congress in this last cleo
ton. A memory fer faces and names is
most valuable gift to man in public life,
and it really is a gift with some men. l
have tried to acquire it and L can't. l have
offended more constituents whom 1 ought
to have known by being unable to recog-
nize them than L have by any act in Con-
gress."
more famous for remembering names and
faces than James G. Blaine, and he we'll
knew the value of this faculty. Probably a
good many of the stories that are told of
Blaine'S remarkable memory for names and
faces are exaggerated, but all men who
axvA1 I'm inn tXUn nT
stories each from their own experiences.
They can tell of men who met Mr.. Blaine
several years afterward, when Mr.. Blaine
not only remembered their names and
faces, but recalled the occasions on which
he had met them.
Nearly twelve years ago a young man
who had just Joined the staff of a New
York newspaper was assigned to inter
view Mr.. Blaine, who had come to New
York for few days. Mr.. Blaine was al
ways an approachable man for reporters,
and his knowledge of newspaper work and
his wide acquaintance with newspaper men
helped him to estimate very justly the re-
suits that were likely to follow any inter-
view that he might give. He looked over
this young man (NIr. Blank, for shorD as
the new man that he was With the news
paper men whom he knew MIR. Blaine fire.
quently talked confidentially. He once said
that his confidence on such occasions had
never been violated. With new men he was
exceedingly cautious. Mr. blank was
Mr.. Blaine that his experience was limit
ed and then asked him If he wouldn't say
something about the weather or his Vaca-
tion plans or any other subject that he
thought could be handled by an inexperi-
enced reporter without danger to himself.
The young mans franknesS interested Mr..
Blaine, but he was busy man, ana the
interview that he gave was short and UNI
important 1t was an event OF no small
consequence to the young reporter, how
ever and he remembered it with interest.
Five years later Mr.. Blaine was again in
New York and he received half dozen
nawsnaner men among them being Mr..
Blank, who had become one of the political
reporters on his newspaper. They were IN
troduced to Mr.. Blaine by a newspaper
man who had known him for many years,
b4 before the introducer mentioned Mr..
Blanks name, Mr.. Blaine held out his
hand and said:
How do you do, Mr.. Blank? You are
still in newspaper work, l see.
Yes, but l wish that you would tell me
how YOU happen to remember my name.
1t is five years since l made an attempt to
Interview you, and you haven't seen me
since"
Il have always made it point to remem-
her names and faces, and. from long prac-
tice, 1 seldom forget" replied Mr.. Blaine. :,
Simon Cameron owed no little share OF
his political power in Pennsylvania to his
memory of persons and their FAMILY rela-
tions. Like Mr.. Blaine he always PAID
close attention to the name of a person IN
troduced and he fixed the persons face
and coupled it with the name.
Alexander the Great is said to nave
known the name of ever- man in his army.
Napoleon did not know every man in his
army but he did know nearly every man
who had distinguished hlmselt py an Act
of bravery or had done something to dis
please him A good memory for names
and faces is not necessarily an attribute OF
broadly educated mlh Point IN comfort S It is
a natural gift that has been developed py
constant use With men of broad intelii-
gence. like Mr.. Blaine, it was undoubtedIy
9cnnired because he saw early in his poll
tical career the immense service 1t would
be to him.