The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-05-21
JOHN HAY. THE MAN.


 From an admirable article on John Hay. secretary Of state, in the New York Times, we extract the following:
 A short man, extraordinarily runctil ious in dress, with an attentively comb led beard. a pleasant voice. an attrac- tive face, and a voice of singular pre- cision and sibilance; a man of aristo- cratic tastes and ways, and democrat | ic manners and language; a man who uses slang in private conversation and yields the English language like a musical instrument in his public utter ances, and who always wears evening dress in his own house after o'clock that is the outward man of the secre- tary of state, who has done more to
 make America truly great among na- tions of the earth than all the spread eagle orators from the time of Martin ChUzzlewit to the era of Albert J. Beveridge.
 The impression is abroad that Hay is an aristocrat. In his tastes he is, but not in his manners. He is democratic, confidential, though always dignified. He sometimes. when talking to one he can trust, discusses great internation- al questions in pungent idioms and with l a Yankee rough-and-readiness that is proof positive of his authorship of Pike Country Ballads"
 He is sensitive to criticism; there is no man in public life more sensitive. But of late to him has come the rare good fortune of having entirely con- quered unfavorable criticism by the force of his own merit. Four years ago the papers blazed with lampoons; he was more violently assailed than any other man in McKinley's cabinet. To- day, as has been the case for a long time past, not voice is raised against him; and the extraordinary and almost unprecedented explanation is that noth- | ing but his own deeds and the revela- tion of his character have stilled the voice of defamation.
 But sensitive as he is, he is not so sensitive as some think him. There is little room in Hays beautiful house, midway between his doorway and his study, wherein he chats with visitors. It is hung with pictures, not so preten- tious as those outside, and among them, for a long time was the original of one of the cartoons which ridiculed him in the days before he won his tribute of universal praise. An over-sensitive man would shrink from having it on view, but Hay framed 1t and hung it LID for the laughter of his friends They used to say. too, that Hay was ashamed of Sim Bludso' and Little Breeches and "Banty Tim" and did not like to be reminded of them. But this snobbish story was not true; for, on the wall, at the very door Of his house, where no one could help seeing lit. there hung until few months ago a fine painting of Jim Bludso holding her nozzle agin the bank till the last galoot's ashore"
 It is probable, of course, that Hay looks with more pride upon his preten- tious works, such as his life of Lin- coin. whose secretary he was. It would be interesting to know how much ne hase written anonymously. There ar grave suspicious of him about The Breadwinners, the publishers of which announced at the time that the. au- thors name could not be revealed be- cause it would injure him in his public career If 1t were known that he de- seconded to novel writing. Hay always steers clear of questions about The Breadwinners."
 His mastery of English is as great as that of any man living. In his hands the language is a musical instrument; he so chooses his words that, as with Lincolns Gettysburg address, it seems that to alter even one of them would be to introduce discord into a perfect harmony.