The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1898-01-28
MR.. DEPEW'S NARROW ESCAPE.

from points along the Alaskan coast, on
which the additional cents will have to
be paid.
MR.. DEPEW'S NARROW ESCAPE,
The Chance Gardiner Hubbard Gave Him
to Take Telephone Stock.
The death of Gardiner G. Hubbard
brought forth an interesting reminiscent
story from Chauncey N. Depew. 1t was
seated at his desk CHANGING hurrcdly over
a huge pile Of newspaper clippings and
with trained eye singing out those
things which would be Of interest to
him. Coming to the brief announcement
Of the death of Mr.. Hubbard. he swung
around in his chair. and said musngly:
THAT brings back to me an incident
in my early life which, viewed in the
light of latterday events, goes to show
what wonderful scheme of things en-
tire this world is. and how marvelously
things balance i'll the end. Thirty years
ago ! was counsel for the Harlem road.
and Gardiner q. Hubbard was railway
mail INSPECTOR. In the course of our of
fetal duties were thrown frequently
into contact. and canr to know each 9TH
er well. liked him and he seemed to
like me. We grew more and more con
hdential, until one day Hubbard came
into my Office, and lea ming against my
desk said:
"'Depcw. have a son-in~law. H.. is
bright young fellow named Bell He.
is a student. and not very practical in
his ideas. He has invented talking
telegraph. 1t is a wonderful sort of an
arrangement. | think it has wonderful
possibilities in it for short cemmunica-
ton for Use in villages and other places.
and will save d great deal in messenger
boy fees and SO on. | don't think it will
ever he of much use for long distance
messages. but it seems as If it might
have a field Of its OWL.
''In those days Hubbard had no money.
and l had only a little. He suggested
to me that l take an interest in the in
vention, and made proposition that I
advance $4,000. for which he would
give sixth interest in the patent. l said
would think it over. The next day l
went down town and saw William Ortot
who was at the time president of tine
Western Union Telegraph company. 1
laid the matter before him fully. He
said to me:
".Depew. you haven't got much money,
and as 4 friend | don't want to see you
lose what you have got. That invention
is practically worthless. 1t will never
amount to anything. If it should, low
ever. we own prior patents upon the idea
of which Bells patents are simply an in
fringement. Don't throw away YOUR
money.
Il took his advice. and now l am in a
position to reflect What would have
been the result: | would today. or m:
estate would be. worth something like
$:'O. 900. I say m! estate. for i'll the
event of my having secured an interest
in that tremendously successful company,
| do not think l would be alive today.
Why? Because l would have sudtlenl:
grown rich. l would have had, aside
from my tremendous holding of stock. an
enormous revenue that it would have OK
been no incentive for me to engage in
healthy labor and an intellectual work
such as l have been compelled to keep at
| in order to make my way in the world
I attribute my life and my health to coa-
tinued and healthful labor Not over
work. or underworld. but Just a natural
allotment and fair share. Had | received
all this income and sudden weaith. there
would have been no incentive to work; Z
should have deteriorated and would to-
day. perhaps. be dead. and forgotten as
one in life who was practically -unknoWE-
The papers would have chronicled the
death of a tremendously wealthy holder
of telephone stock. and there it would
have ended. Things certainly NOV, in T
marvellous orbit and the fine adjustment
of lights and shadows. aims. ambitions
" we'll balanced. New York Times.
Saved by a Statue.
Houdon the most distinguished sculp-
| tor of France in the Eighteenth century.
who executed the statue of Washington
Richmond. Va, was thrown into prison
during the French revolution. He was
saved from the guilotine by Barras. il
| member of the directory.
Nine. Houd"n. in despair. went to Bar
| ras. and with streaming eyes implored
his assistance. BarraS shook his head:
he feared that he could do nothing Hou-
don was a man of genius. and therefore
as David. a rival artist was one of the
| condemning judges. he feared there was
| little chance for his salvation. Nine
Houdon refused to accept this opinion as
| final, and used all the arts of which an
| astute French lady is capa bic.
| RarraS at last asked her if her huS-
| band had any statue for sale at that time
| in his studio. Nine. Houdon replied that
! the only finished statue at present in his
atclier was a figure of St Schoias tice.
holding scroll of manuscript in her
hand.
On hearing this, the willy Barras rang
| the bell and said to his answering sec
| rotary: Mons. Houdon has just COM
| pleted Il splendid statue of PHILOSOPHY
Metlitating on the Revolution Haste.
| and purchase this sublime work of art
| and have it placed in the assembly,
Barras orders We're carried out with
the result that not only was the Sculp-
| tors life spared. hut he received more
commissions for statues than he was able
| to execute. On such small issues did
the lives of men hang in those tremen-
| dous times.
Japanese Craftsmanship.
1t is not a gracious thing to say. but
| many persons who discourse learnedly
upon things Japanese never get farther
than the discovery that Japan is in Asia
Because Asiatic nations do not. as rule
| care for those things or attempt those
things which Japan values and seeks to
| attain. it appears to be taken for granted
by such critics that Japan. being all
Asiatic nation. has no serious purpose in
striving to adopt Western civilization
Such reasoning has no weight. of course.
with impartial students of human prog
ress, but unfortunately it does lead
astray many who lack either the inclina-
ton or the opportunity to discover the
truth The answer is obvious. Asiatic
peoples may differ az widely from each
other US those of Europe or America
Because with one Asiatic alton religion
is an insuperab!e bar to progress. because
another is perfectly satisfied with it's
present condition and refuses to atlopt
of modern invention. it does not follow
that all Asatic ma io,s are higoted or le-
thargic. Granted sincerity of purpose and
honesty of effort, and there is nothing
ineNplica BILE in .Iapan'S career during the
past thirty years. The question of race
has no valid title to prior consideration
i'll the case: certainly none as decisive
factor. For a people who have shown
aspiration for Improvement and ability TO
attain higher standard, the only legiti-
mate test is one that estimates the earn
estness of effort and the measure of ca
mcity.-From The New Japan" by
Toru Hoshi, in Harper's Magazine.
A Wonderful Calculation.
The most remarkable bit of calculation
ever done by human being is that at
tributeyi to the famous British astron-
omer, Prof. Adams. The scientist had
observed certain peculiar perturbations of
tho ,,lnnct JTr,puS ie t,,Old .>xDlajn fh..