The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-09
ELIHU ROOT.

ton 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 its logical conclusion.
1t is a common mistake to suppose that
imagination has no part In mathematics
and other exact sciences. Original work
in mathematics needs as much ina gination
as poetry; imagination marks the diff
ference between the plain senior wraneer
and Sir Isaac Newton. And since the
mind Of Elihu Root is at the bottom mathe-
NAUTICAL, imagination is the force by which
F.. he follows logical situation to its logical
! outcome.
"Elihu Root can see further into an alb
stract proposition than any other man l
! ever knew, said an official who has grown
| gray in high Government service. "and
! he is fairly a prophet at following 1t to it's
probable outcome.
! 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 I'M
magnetic. wanting in perception OF men
and in constituencies. and the sensitive
spirit ia the mother Of tact. Elihu Root
has the knack OF handling men, Of rub
bling 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 il over. g6eting
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 temperament;
his psychology lies deep down-t Ia only
with an effort that he throws his feelings
to the surf ace. There is a dynamo under
the ice, however. a very warm and human
personality, as his friends and his family
know.
His charities have been many, but very
quiet. HiA gift of science hall to Hamilton
College has been almost his only public
act Of giving
He is called by his employees one Of the
so,larest and most liberal employers in the
country, and his liberalty goes further
than money He always gives his SUBJ
he was first able to afford clerks in his Office
he has made it rule that every creditable
brief shall bear, not his own name, but that
of the clerk who drew it up. In this respect
he is an exception among eminent lawyers.
Above all these qualities is that Of hard
work and intense concentration. They |
used to notice at Washington that he never
knew when meal time came and that night |
was announced for him by the coming of |
the electric lights.
When important matters came before him |
he went into long periods Of concentrated
thought, during which, the doormen and
employees learned, he was to he disturbed
only at their peril. When his door was
closed. when the Secretary had gone into
executive session with himself, not even
Senator or Cabinet member was allowed
to disturb him, He had started to analyze
someth hing; he must carry it out to the very
end before he let the machine stop.
In his earlier days his recreation, like that
Of President Roosevelt, lay in long hunting
trips to the West. He has dropped that In