Evening capital., 1907-02-07

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party, urging a Government con-
Quoted by native citizens only, Sc
cret in its operations and formidable
was then strong in the North, and
| Straus was counseled to go South.
Two or three wholesale merchants,
also Jews, promising to sell goods to
him on credit, he settled in Talbot
tom, Ca, in 1854. Afterward he
moved to Columbus, Ga.
Oscar S. Straus spent most of his
boyhood in Georgia. At the age of
ten he was placed in care of a pri-
vate tutor by his father, and then
was sent to Collingsworth Institute.
In 1865 Lazarus Straus came to New
York The war had forced him to the
wall. He paid off all his creditors,
who were New Workers, and then
again poor man, opened a crockery
store in Chambers street The busi-
ness grew and flourished.
Oscar. following his fathers belief
In the value Of an education, was de-
sirous of preparing for ccl'~~e soon
after the arrival of the family liz .,c.s
York He entered Columbia Gram
mar School and attended 1t for two
years. and then entered Columbia
College. MIR. Straus supported him
self while in college by writing for
the newspapers. He was graduated
from the Columbia Law School in
1873. While student in this school
he was clerk In the law firm of
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the Tweed ring.
Mr.. Straus was appointed Minis
ter to Turkey in 1887 by President
Cleveland to succeed the late S. S.
Cox His mission to that country was
remarkably successful His knowl-
edge of international law brought
him into intimate relations with the
Porte, and this enabled him to OBJ
tain great concessions for the Amer
lean mission schools. He obtained Ii
letter from the Sultan which acted
as a charter, and under this fifty
schools that had been closed for years
were opened, and all the $50 mis-
sions were amply protected.
In Europe Mr.. Straus met Baron
de Hirsch, who conferred with him
relative to the establishment of the
Baron de Hirsch fund for the relief
of immigrants. Mr.. Straus agreed to
be a trustee of the fund In 1889 he
returned to America. He was reap
pointed to the Office of Minister to
Turkey in 1897 by President Nc
Kinley and retained It for three
years. In 1902 President Roosevelt
appointed him to the vacancy In the
Permanent Court of Arbitration at
The Hague. caused by the death Of
ex-President Harrison.
Mr.. Straus has all his life been a
deep student of history and interna-
tional law and Is the author of nu-
merous publications dealing with
these subjects. In 1885 he published
''The Origin of the Republican Form
of Government in the United States" :"
He is also the author of "A Life Of
/ Roger Williams and The Develop
ment~ of Religious Liberty In the
United States. A treatise on THE
Reform OF the Diplomatic Service
came from his pen about the time
when the Venezuelan controversy
started.
Mr.. Straus is president of the New
York Board of Trade and Transpor-
tation and of the National Primary
League. vice-president OF the Ma
!. tional Civic Federation and a mem
her of the International Law Asso-
citation. He is a director of the He
brew Orphan Asylum and of several
other sectarian and non-sectarian In
stitutions. He was one of the foun-
ders of the Young Mems Hebrew
association. and was for years con-
nected with the Deaf-Mute Institute.