The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-07-09
THOMAS F, RYAN'S CAREER STRETCHED Ways of tho Man Who Sought
 Equitable Stock ABOUT HARSH CRITICISM Ryan Net Much Of Talker, But, Like Ills Associate, the Late Mir.
 Whitney, He lea
 Doer.
From the Now York Sun.

From the Now York Sun.
 What kind of man is Thomas F. Ryan. be who bought control of the Equitable Life Assurance Society and turned it over to the three trustees, ex-President Grover Cleveland, Supreme Court Justice Morgan J. O'Brien and George Westinghouse7 Who is he, where did he hail from. has he hoofs and horns. or is he sprouting angels wings? It Is doubtful after the furore of the last few weeks if Mr. Ryan himself could satisfactorily answer these questions. Enough has been written and printed about him within a month to en- circle the globe. There must be some thing in a man who can thus divert news paper magazine readers from the cur rent and highly interesting and instruc- tive topics of the day to himself and his doings
 Criticisms, keen, unfair, untruthful and ungenerous, have been hurled at this man. Commentator has taken holiday. Fair play has been on a picinc. Straight forward. analytical square utterances have been on an early summer Junlket.
 I'm not much of talker," says MT. Ryan as he goes on his way, amused at much of the criticism, indifferent to the biting harshness of disappointed and en- vious ones, alert always to the antics or avowed adversaries, and quite unmoveo by the feigned or actual ignorance or other concerning him and his acts.
 Silent, But Merry.
 This man is a bog boy in many of his ways. but he has big boys real cour- age, and mans intrepidity of spirit that knows no buster or bombast. He is silent, vet merry-faced, cool, is fifty-four years old and looks forty; no New Yorker is better dressed or groomed. and he smokes & little, drinks little, eats little, gees to church little, bubble bubles a little, golf-golfs a little, yacht yachts a little. knows men and quickly discerns their motives, loves his family much, and with the Japs believes: Al ter victory, tighten your helmet strings
 His full name Is Thomas Faulkner Ryan, and he was born in Nelson coun- rv Va, October 1T. 1851 With him It is note quite correct that
 October's child is born for woe,
 And life's vicissitudes must know.
 He's now worth $250OO,0o0 if cent, and began his business career as clerk in a Baltimore dry goods shop in lS6S. In those days cash was scarce With Thomas F. Ryan, but he had sand, in tegrity and intellect. Moreover, with Disraeli, he had saudacty; audacity and still more audacity," and then, too, he had organization, organization organiza- tion and concentration, concentration and concentration. So many men scatter that 1t is easy to see why they fail in llfes battle. Also in the early days MT. Ryan bad silence as one of his best as- sets Gabblng men reap what they SOW wind.
 U He wasn't dry goods clerk long. In 1s70 he came to New York and four years later joined the New York stock ex- change That's school for financial giants.
 Stock Exchange.
 So few understand the actual character istics or personnel of stock exchange members that word or two may not be considered a Aggression. A cheat never lasts on the New York stock exchange. It is fair fight, free for all between men. many of whom are the most gen erous the keenest, the kindliest and the most likable of any in the country. In twinkljng they know a cheat or hum- bug.
 In the wink of an eyelid they dis cover a fraud. Amid the swiftest com petition they preserve their own honor. Once in while measly little rascal obs up, but he is here today and gone tomorrow. Why, then. is so much money lost on the New York stock exchange. or rather to be more specific, why do thousands lose their all by operating In Wall street?
 For an answer the question may be asked: Did you ever know a Wall street broker to go outside of his legitimate business field to speculate in dry goods, drug shops, shoe shops grocery shops or any other business not strictly his own? That moss-covered joke perpetrated years and years ago by the late William R. Travers will furnish an Illustration.
 Travers sailed into Newport harbor re- marked the splendid fleet of yachts at anchor, was told that they belonged to Wall street brokers, and thereupon ne ~tutterinely inouired: where's the cus- to-tom-ers ya-yachts?' That's the case