The Irish standard., 1905-07-15


his absolute devotion to his clients is
tradition among lawyers, his char
acter as statesman may be summed
up in his abilities as a lawyer.
Above all his other qualities is that
of far seeing analysis. The mathe.
matical genius of his family shows in
that.
In his early days at the bar he was
noted as a cross-eXaminer, and this
although he is an Indifferent public
speaker. He was terror to shifting
witnesses and scourge to liars.
Only those who watched his meth
DDS closely knew that this was be-
cause he had gone to the very bottom
of every detail in the case, threshed
it out to it's last analysis and come
into court with the case so clear in
his mind that he had parry at once
for every thrust of his antagonist,
however unexpected.
No enthusiasm ever threw him off
,, his balance; no one ever knew Elihu
Root to lose that perfect poise of his
Friends of the family say that he got
this quality from his mother, woman
all sweetness and friendliness, but of
perfect self-possession in all emer-
gencies.
This custom of analysis became a
habit with Elihu Root.
"What is at the bottom of this
thing?" is the first question that
seems to spring into his mind when
he sits down to the consideration Of
any case or of any problem.
| He takes no rest until he reaches
the ultimate analysis. From this,
with his wide experience of men and
affairs, he can build the situation back
again, step by step, to it's logical con-
clusion.
1t Is common mistake to suppose
that imagination has no part in math-
ematics and other exact sciences.
Original work in mathematics needs
as much Imagination as poetry; i'm,
agination marks the difference be-
tween the plain senior wrangler and
a Sir Isaac Newton. And since the
mind of Elihu Root is at the bottom
mathematical imagination is the
force by which he follows a logical
situation to it's logical outcome.
i
abstract proposition than any other
man I ever knew" said an official who
has grown gray in high Government
service, "and he is fairly a prophet
at following it to its probable out
come"
The second quality which has made
for Mr.. Roots success in law is his
tact, and that is quality which is
rare in these big, analytical intellects.
The man of balance and far sight is
likely to be unmagnetic, wanting in
perception of men and in sensitive.
Iness-and the sensitive spirit is the
1mother Of tact. Elihu Root has the
knack of handling men, of rubbing
their fur the right way, of making
{them see things with his eyes.
"Settle it out of court" has been
one of his unformulated notices.
| Again and again he has settled big
cases by calling in his opponents,
talking it over, getting them together.
/ Superficial observers have called
Mr.. Root cold. The same thing was
said of his predecessor Secretary
Hay, and for the same reason, since
the two minds were of the same type
at bottom.
Mr.. Root is of the mental tempera.
ment; his psychology lies deep down
lit is only with an effort that he
throws his feelings to the surface.
There is dynamo under the ice, how.
lever, very warm and human person.
ality, as his friends and his family
know.
His charities have been many, but
livery quiet. His gift of a science hall
to Hamilton College has been almost
his only public act of giving.
| He is called by his employees one