Evening star., 1901-01-08
ABOUT PHILIP D. ARMOUR
"REMINISCENCES AT MEETING OF
WASHINGTON BUSINESS MEN.
Was Well-knOwn I'm This City - An
Effective Sermon-True
Charity.

Philip d. Armour'S name was mentioned
yesterday at a meeting of men prominent
in the management Of Center Market. 1t
was pleasant to hear "reminiscences which
the mention Of his name recalled. There
were many expressions Of deep regret at
his death.
1--WE met Mr.. Armour here for the first
time in the eighties" said one, when he
came to examine the store rooms
which had been fitted up here at
great expense as branch estab-
lishment where he could. by his own
employees, dispose of dressed beef and other
products of his Chicago packing houses, as
they were called, then but a beginning COM
pared with their present enormous proper
tons. Mr.. Armour's clear insight into i'm
pcrtant details, his powers of quick and
correct decision, his frankness and sin
cerity, as we'll as his refusal to consider
petty things, made him one of the most
delightful men with whom our corporation
has ever done business. Instances of his
generosity to trusted subordinates here have
often been told of. Once. when in this
city, in some way he learned that his then
local manager here was troubled by a mort
gage debt on his home Of $1,000. Without
the managers knowledge the debt and all
costs were paid, and on the nearby Christ
mas morning the Cancelled notes and signed
release made that managers home very
happy one The thoughtfulness shown in
all these generous gifts, their appropriate
ness, and the manner and time of their be-
stcWal, proved his acquaintance with the
environments and the aims of his officers
and subordinates. and thus bestowed the
gifts-not because of their siZe-excited in
the hearts Of all recipients feelings which
rarely subsist these days between the null
ti-millionaire and his army of officers and
subordinates, scattered, as Armour's are.
from one end of our country to the other.
yes, all over the world
Appreciated Warrington.
II shall always recall with pleasure" said
another officer, 'his many expressions of
delight at the beauty of Washington, and
at its rapid development as a fitting capital
city of the national government. Like all
liberal-minded men, and given to looking
far into the future, who come to this city,
he was glad to see it's development along
lines of beauty and magnificence becoming
to the seat of government of the greatest
ration on earth, as he proudly called it; and
to this end he believed the national gov
ernment ought to be generous in the eX-
treme His belief in the growth of the city
and the certain enhancement in values Of
all properties here he gave frequent utter
ance to. Any man who banks on the
growth of Washington and on its ulti-
mately becoming the finest city on earth
will be a rich man! Nothing can stop it"
Terse and strong in all his sayings, he was
man of rare mould-one of a million.'
An Effective Sermon.
Eyes" said another officer "Mr Armour,
in his way, was an effective preacher.
When in his private office in Chicago, there
with another member of our board to study
new methods adopted by him in refrigera-
ton and recommended by him to be used in
Center Market one of our small number
near the close of a pleasant interview. in
thanking him for the courtesieS received
at his hands during a stay in Chicago of
several days, expressed feeling of sur
prise that he, possessed as he was of such
fortune, should continue to labor unre-
mittlngly, rising early every morning-in
winter before sunriSe-breakfasting at Z and
at his desk long before the great majority
of his force of hundred clerks had started
from their homes. What good Mr.. Ar
mour, does all your money do you?' was
asked him. That is a question: Mr. Ar
mour replied, L often ask myself. L was
raised a butcher boy. / learned to love
work for works sake. must get up early
now, 1 have done all my life, and when
8 o'clock comes, no matter what's going on
at home, / must get to bed. And here |
am. Yes, l have large means, as you say;
but l can't eat as much as yonder clerk: l
can't sleep as much, and can hardly wear
any more clothes than he. The only real
pleasure l can get out of life that yonder
clerk with his limited means cannot get is
the giving, now and then, to some deserving
fellow, without soul knowing it-five
hundred or a thousand dolars-giving
him a fresh start upward without making
the gift hurt to him. That's the only real
pleasure I get out of life. And as to pos
sessions, the only thing I sometimes feel I
really own are my two boys and my good
name. Take everything else from me, leave
me them, and l would yet be rich. 1
wouldn't care a snap for the rest We
would soon together make enough to keep
the wolf a long ways from our door" I
shall never forget that sermon. He pointed
out to US one Of his sons, doing routine
work in the hurly-burly of the great outer
office, and spoke of him with keen relish.
There's one of them. He's all right! He
has a level head, If ever there was one. He
came of age last month, and without saying
a word to him, l put million dollars to
the credit of his account, and it didn't give
him the swell-head bit!' 1t was easily to
be seen that between this father and his