The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-02
HAYS LIFE IN WASHINGTON.
THE Shock TO HIS FRIENDS AND
ASSOCIATES THERE.

and His Purely Social Friends-Much
OF His Suffering Due to . MOrbidness
Caused by the knowledge That lie
Was Reaching the End Of His Days
Incidents OF Generosity and HnmOr.
WASHINGTON, July Tho news that
Mr.. Hay WAS dead. cried out by shrill voiced
vendors Of newspaper extras when the town
was just awakening for the days activity,
came as u painful surprise to most Of wash
ingon and AZ real shock to those who had
been associated, socially or officially, with
the famous Secretary of State. To the
great majority Of Washingt onians Mr.
Hay was known only. as he was to the rest
of the country, by reputation. but the resi-
dents Of the Capital took pride In the fact
that the man whom they in common with
large part OF the world, regarded as the
greatest diplomatist OF the day was fellow
citizen of theirs. for Mr.. Hay claimed the
District OF Columbia as his permanent
legal residence, and the people here natu-
rally felt deep interest In all his doings.
whet her Of public nature or otherwise
BY his Cabinet associates. his subordi-
mates of the State Department and bis purely
social friends and acquaintance he was
held In what amounted to deep affection.
1t Is no exaggeration to say that the regard
felt for Mr.. Hay by all who knew him went
beyond the measure Of mere liking.
Quiet. retiring, almost a recluse Mr..
Hay was seen little in the world Of society.
He cared nothing for general communion
with men. but was. nevertheless. fond OF
good fellowship, and always delighted to
be with his friends. His intmates we're
few. and foremost among them stood
Henry Adams, the historian, his next
door neighbor, whose tastes we're similar
to those OF Mr.. Hay and whose affection
for the great dipomatist was fully re-
ciprocated. Upon him the death Of Mr..
Hay falls with greater force than upon any
one outside OF the Hay family. 1t was MIR.
Adams who was Mr.. Hays companion
on the strolls which were frequently taken
in the northwestern part Of the capital,
and IL was Mr.. Adams who accompanied
Mr.. Hay on his recent trip to Europe.
Since the sudden death Of his son. four
years ago. Mr.. Hay accepted no social In
vitations except such as he could not de.
cline on account OF his official position,
and he and Mrs. Hay entertained In formal
way only when the dictates of their public
status required. Since the marriage OF
their daughters Mr.. Hay and his wife have
lived alone most of the time in the big
house at the corner of Sixteenth and II
streets. just across historic Lafayette
Square from the White House and directly
opposite st. Johns Church. which many
Presidents have attended.
Adjoining the Hay residence on H street.
and seeming part Of it, il the home of
Mr.. Adams. When his official day had
ended Mr. Hay would 60 for stroll with
MIR. Adams. or perhaps for drive with
Mrs. Hay. Back again in time to dress
for dinner. for Mr., Hay was always
punctilious in the matter of his attire,
he would go to his splendid library after
the evening meal. and spend the hours
until bedtime in reading. light literary
work. or chatting with Mrs. Hay. whose
devotion TO her husband in the declining
years Of his life was constant and touch
ing 1t was Mrs. Hay who held her hus-
band to the regimen which his physician
laid down. After his illness several years
ago the doctors ordered that he should
work ut the State Department only por-
ton Of the official day and he made it his
practise not to return to his office after he
left there at luncheon time. At first Mr.
Hay occasionally slipped away from home
al luS dltcIuOollS W w SOih6 WOIh ~ Ill0
Department. but Mrs Hay put a stop to
this by coming after him in her carriage
and insisting that he 60 driving
To his children az we'll az to his wife he
was deeply devoted. The death Of his
elder son, Adelbert Stone Hay. who was
killed by falling from window at New
Haven while there to attend the Yale COM
mencement. was a terrible shock to Mr..
Hay, and perhaps helped to shorten his life.
but he did not show to the world the deep
grief he felt. After the marriage of his
daughters. of whom he was very proud
he exclaimed one day to friend:
They accuse me Of Icing hunter after
titles. lover of royalty, but l think the
marriages Of my daughters have answered
that. l did not seek foreign princes:
they were sought by two American princes,
of whose titles to nobility I am prouder
than | would be- OF those who come from
royal ancestry"
Miss Helen Hay became the wife OF Payne
Whitney and Miss Alice Hay is now Mrs.
james W. Wadsworth, Jr. The remain
ing child. Clarence, Is student at Yale.
Now that Mr. Hay is dead there is no
longer the necessity of concealing from
the general public that much Of his suffer-
ing was due to a morbidness that at times
took the form Of deep mental depression
This condition was known to all OF Mr.
Hays friends, but regard for Mr.. Hays
feelings prevented the publication Of the
fact 1t should not be understood that
this depression In any way affected the
wonderful mental powers of the late Secre-
tary of State. On the contrary, his mind
remained as vigorous and az active as ever.
1t manifested itself in frequent fits OF what
Is commonly termed the blues"
At the bottom Of this phase Of Mr.. Hays
character was his almost feminine sensi-
tiveness. His feelings were easily injured.
and he suffered keenly under criticism Of
his public policies But the acute cause
of his morbidness in recent years was the
knowledge that he had become an old man.
He realized too keenly that he was reach
ing the end Of his days, and the fact that
death was a matter of comparatively
short time depressed him greatly. He was
not afraid to die, having much Of McKin-
ley's spirit in that particular, but he did
not want to die at time when he felt he
was doing good in the world He believed