Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-03
HONOR TO HERMAN KOUNTZE
Citizens Of Omaha Pay Tribute to Late
Financier in Public
ELOQUENT EULoG,ts ARE SPOKEN
Representative Men Praise the work
of His Life, the Power and
influence of His
Character.

influence Of His
Character.
when a great oak in a forest which for
years has lowered above the surrounding
trees, has fallen, many years Of growth
OF smaller trees is required to I'll the
vacancy. We have met this afternoon to
do honor to the memory of man who
for many years stood oak in this COM
munity. Others will speak Of the virtues
Of Herman Kountze. My part is simply to
call this meeting to order and introduce
the chairman, Henry w. Yates"
With these words Gurdon w Wattles, as
chairman of the special committee opened
the memorial services at Boyd's theater
Sunday afternoon, the parquet and the
stage Of the theater being filled with the
friends and relatives Of Herman Kountze
to pay a tribute to the late inancer.
! Mr.. Yates told of his association with
/ Herman Kountze in a small building near
! Twelfth and Farnam streets before there
were banks and before there was prac-
tically any Omaha. Judge w. d. McHugh
I read the minutes Of the meeting as they
had been prepared by the resolutions com
mittee, and they were adopted by a rising
/ vote
! Isaac f. Congdon who had been one of
Mr.. Kountze's chief legal advisers in late
years told of Mr., Kountzes character as
/ observed by a man who was in personal
contact with him every day.
Heritage of Early Training.
when Herman Kountze came to Omaha
! fifty years ago he brought with him the
realization of that kind Of home which
produces the best kind of men," said Mr..
/ ~ ttFr-t.z
mother believe and teach of the Saviour;
the home where thought is given to the
welfare of others. In his every day life he
saw the pictures Of his early life. He gave
Omaha his manhood years. Some are here
today who can look back over this half
century spent in Omaha and can testify
that he returned a talent to the community
! for every one he received. His memory Is
| ours. Herman Kouutze clung close to
| the ideal In personal affairs. He was a
genuine man and just what he appeared to
! be. All knew they could get his honest
| judgment when they went to him for help
/ He was a truthful man without duplicity
and never prone to litigation. He believed
| in his fellows and his acts showed It, No
man had a better opportunity to Judge man
kind, and when he said We expect all men
to be honest It was the judgment of a
]
that remarkable faculty Of having heart
and head in one accord. He had an element
of fairness which was a second nature He
put his character into his daily work and
was a delightful companion. He loved the
sky, the trees and the flowers"
! G. M. Hitchcock told of the way he had
admired Herman Kountze since he was a
young man. He said:
| I'm the character OF Herman Kountze
must have been some trait rarely found
to call forth the tributes of an entire COM
munity. Great statesmen, or orators or
poets compel tributes by their natural gifts
| He was a man whose greatness consisted
of the development of homely virtue His
industry was remarkable and set an ex-
ample for all to follow who have an aim in
! life. His deep-seated integrity was a virtue
of the highest type. His unfaiIing kindness
was noticeable and his courage, under all
emergencies, was marked as well as his
great strength with which he overcame all
difficulties. Mr. Kountze had wonderful
patience"
Eloquent Words of c. J. Greene.
Charles J. Greene. when called upon by
the chairman, said:
1T is fitting that friends and neighbors
| should meet I'm this way a..d speak the
| tribute OF respect and love to one who
widely known and esteemed, has reached
his journeys end. Mr.. Kountze lived a
long and useful life. He won fortune, fame
and influence and the work he did heIped
immeasureably to build city and state
whose men and women honored him while
with them and now that he has gone bear
grateful testimony TO his services and
worth
I'VE are accustomed to measure men by
|
We pass the quiet silent workers, un-
mindful that their work shall influence
states and even empires long after tho
words and deeds Of the noisy and Spectacu-
lar have vanished utterly.
"In our estimate OF greatness we too
often confuse the virtues and uualities-a
most common possession-which fit men to
fill creditably even exalted positions in
private and public life with those nobler
virtues and qualities which inspire and
sustain men in their modest and uncon-
scious efforts in private works even when
enterprises Of great moment are In issue
These quiet, silent workers-we come 70
know them only through the influence OF
their lives. an influence of slow growth
which touches, first. those in personal re-
} lation, and then in widening circles reaches
the farther limits and embraces ALL
who is Truly Greatt
"The man who can WELD a weighty ef-
fort or influence in the business world or
in public affairs without ostentation, taking
no thought of popular enthusiasm or popu-
lar clamor-content simply 70 do his work
quietly, even as in youth he turned
furrow in his fathers field or served a
customer in his fathers store-dreaming
only Of the end. and not OF the transient
applause or condemnation, and so at last
winning the fullest measure OF triumph
he is truly great.
Mr.. KountZe's greatness, however, lay
not solely in his capacity to grasp great
opportunities, even where they stretched
into the shadowy and remote future; nor
yet in his ability to master every clrcum-
stance cnd detail and to marshal all the
conflicting forces TO successful issues for
in all his life he lived and moved among
men in such simple and unostentatious
way and with such consideration and
courtesy, that his kindness was as gentle