The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1901-05-14
PEOPLE WITH BED HAIR.

Does the red haired boy or girl stand
/ a better chance OF becoming great than
one whose locks are less flaming? Have
! the majority Of the worlds great men
and women been fiery headed?
For this startling query the world IS
( indebted to a man who was ar least
phenomenally successful. If he was not
great-the late P. D. Armour, Chicago's
richest millionaire. inasmuch as Mr.. Ar
nsOurs own hair was sandy" as he
called it. he had q strong personal in
terest in investigating this question. and
is now known 70 have found great con-
ISOLATION for his lack OF blond or STarthy
comeliness in the creed that red locks
are indeed a badge Of courage and more.
At all events the point ought 70 be set
tied. If red hair holds the pOtentiality,
or greatness those who have, and more
particularly those who haven't il, ought
10 know If il is something more than
subject of cheap bufOOneTy-or the
popularity accepted concomitant Of a vix-
enish temper-or the delight OF the ultra
aesthetic colorist-if It actually is a
spur to success and its lack of handicap
then IL is quite time the world stopped
testing about red hair and treated it
with proper reverence
Indeed, poets and painters, who have
wisdom OF their own. have had a good
deal TO say about red hair, you will
remember. They have seen in II the re-
fectiOn Of the sun and the likeness 10
fire and TO FURNISHED metal, and the color
Of human blood, and they have made II
the symbol Of life and light and heat and
strength. They have also worshipped II
as a thing of great beauty, which ought
to be sufficient rebuke to those who stoop
to jests Of the white horse order.
But perhaps IL remained for the Chi
cabo Def dealer to discover what red
hair really meant. At all events, this is
what Mr.. Armour, according to the Rev.
DR.. Gunsaulus, had 10 say about it:
Without sandy-haired people the
world would have frozen TO death. The
giants and masters Of trade and COM
merce are men OF temper, and many Of
the captains on great fields of war had
redder hair than mine. The secret Of IL
all is, not TO let things get so hot that
there is danger of a confagaration-
Wen, what a time they had in the
world" he said of Cromwell, Napoleon.
Columbus and Thomas Jefferson. Queen
women. Who are the two most famous
women Of ancient days? Helen Of Troy,
probably and Cleopatra, the siren Of the
Nile. Both had red hair. If tradition may
be relied upon, Of uncompromising red
ness.
The most famous Of women warriors
and martyrs, Joan OF Archie most IA
nous EnglishwOman, the relentless Eliz-
abeth-the most notorious Of Italian wo-
men, the wicked Lucretia Borgia, all
wore the hallmark Of their tremendous
personal power in their wonderful abund-
ant auburn hair. Red also was the hair
Of the unfortunate. Mary Stuart, great
in the power to charm; and Of Catherine
Of Russia, great in the power TO rule
Among the French there are Marie An
toinette, most beloved and most Inflated
Of queens and Nine. Recamier. perhaps
the greatest social influence ever felt in
France, as well as one of the most beau
tiful of women Unfortunate Beatrice
Cenci is another famous red-haired ltal-
ian. Sarah Bernhard, the greatest act
ress of her time, can hardly be ranked
with any one nation. but is rather citi-
zen of the world. Perhaps it is no more
than a coincidence that she has red hair.
Perhaps it Is indicative Of her genius.
Elizabeth was also one of them, and
they call her the greatest Englishman
of her time.
To prove that there was some founda-
ton at least for the Armour theory, the
New York World writes a study of the
accompanying list of great names. They
have been chosen partly at random, part
" with a view to cover as many periods
and places as possible. The list is only
suggestive and by no smeans exhaustive
Yet it sows that there is no epoch Of
history when there was not some really
Helen of Troy to Mrs. Leslie Carter
who, II she was not born great. has had
greatness forcibly thrust upon her-from
Alexander the Great to Robert FitZsiTn-
mons-red hair blazes beacon-like along
the line Of fame. -
To be conscientiously chronological be-
gin with Alexander. There is not the
slightest doubt either that he was great
or that he had red hair.
''NO single personality, except the car
penter's son of Nazareth, has done so
much to make the world of civilization
we live IN what it is" says one Of his
biographers. The greatest king and the
greatest commander among all the
Greeks. the pattern Of al subsequent
warriors and history makers, the red
haired Alexander ought alone to be SUI
fcient encouragement to the red haired
of all time.
There were many other red-haired
Greeks. Demetrius. the Macedonian com
rnanders, was one Of them. And many
Of the best fighters among the Romans
we're red-haired likewise. even though
they may all sem to US nowadays as col
oriess as statues.
Caesar. for instance. the greatest fight
er of them all the shrewdest statesman,
the most absolute master OF his own IAN
guage. written or spoken, had red hair.
Sulla the Dictator, who rose TO consider
failed to perpetuate himself by writing
anything that could be used as text
book. as others Of his countrymen were
far sighted enough TO do-was also Of
what Mr. Armour would ters sandy
complexion
And though red is supposed to be the
fighting color, all these men, Il is plain,
were not only excellent fighters. but
much more. What more powerful mind
ever impressed itself uon the British
people than that of Cromwell. the Theo-
dore Roosevelt Of his time? or who ever
so dominated not France alone but the
whole Of Europe as Napoleon Bcnaparte,
perhaps the most powerful personality
that ever Hved2 Beth these giant men
must be. .classed among the sandy haired
But there are other ways Of achieving
greatness. Discovering America was one
of them. And this glory fell 20 the lot
Of Christopher Columbus 70 whom few
would refuse the title Of great and 70
whom. none would deny the distinction OF
red hair Writing poems, when whole
world is willing 10 read them is another
excellent avenue 20 greatness X was
the one that Shakespeare chose-that
great minded. Creat-souled. physically
perfect. red-haired man. Torquoato Tas-
so. the great Italian poet, chose Il also.
And no was red-hatred-
Never suspected.