The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-02-08

SuSSCCu dS d p4edOeE IN IIre law De-
cause of his lack of voice. What is
now attributed to the weakness of old
| age really was always an affliction. He
never did have a full-toned voice.
He had practiced law for several
] years and had been engaged in politics
. for quite a while before forced to
make public speech. During the
; great days of the Free Soil movement
| he found himself one time on the plat
form where Wendell Philips presided
over large and enthusiastic meeting.
| That great apostle of anti-slavery and
other orators of like note had ad-
dressed the crowd when there were
cries George F. Hoar" The young
mans heart was in his mouth, but he
was forced to the front and made his
| first public address. His thin, pene-
trating voice did not fail him and was
sufficient to convey thoughts and ex-
! pressions that aroused the intense en-
thusiasm of the audience. Confidence
came to him and from that day he
never hesitated to speak in public.
Typical HOar HumOr.
Mr.. Hoar is regarded by all his COL
leagues as an authority on history,
| language, literature and law. Dis
puted points on any of these subjects
are usually referred to him. His de-
cisions are rendered at once and re-
| garded as final.
During the last few months of the
| service of William V. Allen, the Popu-
list Senator from Nebraska, an anus
ing controversy arose between him and
Senator Tillman of South Carolina
over the pronunciation of the word
"situs." Allen had given the short
sound of ''i' in his pronunciation and
Tillman jumped to his feet and insist
ed that it should be the long sound.
He appealed to Senator Hoar as an
authority on pronunciation. The Sena-
tor automatically said that Mr.. Allen
undoubtedly knew that the word
should be pronounced with the long
sound of a." but had probably used
the short sound in order to save the
time of the Senate. AS Allen was the
champion long-distance talker and at
one time had held the floor of the Sen
ate for fourteen consecutive hours, the
subtle satire of Mr. Hoar was duly ap-
preciated.
Outside the Senate chamber Mr..
Hoar's humor is as catching and as
spontaneous as in 1t.
Senator, 1 want one of your pic
lures for publication next Sunday"
said newspaper correspondent to Mr..
Hoar short time ago.
Certainly" he responded. Garland,
go and sit for the picture"
Answering the look of establishment
on the correspondents face, the Sena-
tor said:
81 always have Garland, my clerk,
sit for my pictures, as he is much
better looking man than I am, I have
my other clerk, Goodwin, write it, for
he is a much better writer than 1 am.
When 1 am asked for my opinion on
any subject refer the interlocutor to
my messenger, Doherty. He talks
much more freely than 1 do"
The Senator's FactOtum.
This same Doherty has guarded the
door to Mr.. Hoars committee room
for almost a generation and is the SEN
ator's factotum. Some one, in describ-
ing him not long ago, referred to him
as Senator Hoar's ''Fidus Achates."
do you see what these newspaper
men have been calling your" said
Senator Hoar, directing Doherty's at
tention to the paragraph.
What does that mean, SENATOR"
anxiously inquired Doherty, as he read
to him-the strange expression.
81 would not like to tell you, Do
herty," solemnly replied the Senator.
Doherty Immediately started out to
discover the offending newspaper man,
but in telling his troubles to a fellow
employe he was enlightened as to the
meaning of the Latin words.
Senator, there was fine editorial in
this mornings -, complimentary of
yourself" said a newspaper man the
other day, intending to compliment the
Senator by calling his attention to the
Endorsement of newspaper of oppo-
site politics to those of the Senator.
What internal mean thing have l
done now that that paper should in
dorse me?" was his response.
Strong in His Likes and Dislikes.
AS an after-dinner orator Senator
Hoar has wide reputation, but in the
evening of life he seldom accepts an
invitation to a formal dinner. He pre-
fers the quiet of his own fireside, or
the companionship of few old friends
at his own table.
He is adroit in the declination of in
Vitations to dine, as was shown recent
ly in sending his regrets that he would
be unable to attend a dinner of the
Gridiron Club. The reason he assigned
was this:
81 know 1 would be called upon for
an address. Now, I always make an
after-dinner speech in Greek and, as 1
understand your club speaks and I'M
derstands nothing but Sanscrit, would
be out of place at the dinner"
In his personal character Senator
Hoar is entirely different from the con-
tentious disputant on the floor of the
Senate. He is a man of warm heart
and loyal friendship. He likes and
dislikes in superlative. A man is al
together good or altogether bad. If he
is a friend to anyone. he will go any
length to serve that person and do so
in the most unostentatious way.
A Library of Rare Volumes.
With the law and politics as his
chosen professions Senator Hoar has
achieved a high place and reputation
| in both, but his greatest delight and
some of his most lasting work lie in
the field of literature, historical re-
| search and antiquarianism. The hap
piest moments of his life are spent in
his library at his home in Worcester,
Mass. He has had it built adjoining
his cosy home and there has collected
treasure of some 5000 volumes of
the most carefully selected books that
his training and taste could suggest
In it are rare volumes and almost
priceless manuscripts which represent
a lifetime of correspondence and re-
search in their accumulation.
He has a mass of historical docu-
ments relating to the early colonial
days of Massac husetts and New Eng
land which money could not buy from
him. He has a copy of the first Bible
published in America and a collection
of rare books that came to him from
his ancestor, Leonard Hoar, who was
president of Harvard College more
than two centuries ago. He has inter
esting relics in the form of letters and
books from John Hancock and Sam
uel Adams and books that were the