The courier., 1902-03-15
Bere and Gbere

in the latter part of the eighteenth
century that a man might stand with
in the shadow of the Edinburgh cross
and in a few minutes take fifty men or
genius by the hand. The list has been
somewhat shortened by time, but al
lowing it face value it is to be Ques-
toned whether the entire fifty con-
tributed as much to the comfort ana
convenience of their fellow w-creatures
as any one Of several individuals who
were present at the breakfast given by
several prominent men i'm New York to
Prince Henry.
In this gathering of one hundred
noted men there were none who had
not "in some way contributed to the
progress and prosperity Of the coun-
try" AS they represented commerce,
industry and finance, there was
naturally a prepOnderence of men OF
wealth, but it was not their wealth
that secured them admission to that
notable assembly. And it shows how
shallow is the thinking, and how
groundless is the prejudice which stirs
up class feeling that so many blazing
headlines heralded this breakfast as
fete of nabobs who represented moth
ing but money.
Mayor Low was there officially, and
it is therefore not necessary to speak
of him, except to mention that no one
ever thinks of his wealth aside from
his gift Of a million dollars to Columbia
university. There was Alexander Gra-
ham Bell, famous for comforting the
gift of speech upon the mute long be-
fore the telephone made him rich;
there were men like Professor New
comb and DIR. S. Weir Mitchell and
Professor Langley, whose names are
linked with the record OF the
countrys scientific and sanitary
progress. There was Cornelius Van
derbilt, who would be eminent
as an engineer and inventor if he were
not handicapped by his name and the
fortune which he inherited. There was
an Armour, representing family
which may be said to have created an
industry which has given to the north
is as a drop in the bucket. There were
many other men who were managers
of industries which not only promote
progress, but which give employment
to thousands of wOrkmen and render
possible thousands of comfortable
homes and the rearing of thousands of
industrious and intelligent families.
There were other men to whose efforts
are due the fact that a woman or
a child may travel in comfort and
safety anywhere in the land, men who
are constantly berated and abused by
a generation who do not know what
were the conditions of travel when one
had to change cars and get out and
look after his baggage and purchase
tickets half dozen times between here
and Chicago. There were other men
so well known for the ability and up
rightness of their public service that
their financial status is never thought
of save by few pessimistic decryers
of prosperity in every form. No one
who has the broadness of vision to be
fair and honest can fail to give credit
to the men in that gathering who have
patriotically come forward to the help
of the country in times of panic and
financial distress. We may well con-
gratulate ourselves that this is land
where men not only rise from penury
to become captains of industry but
where their rise to this honorable rank
is invariably accomplished through
service which benefits other men be-
sides themselves.
y Y y