The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-03-11

itor face; and finally winding up with
a grave explanation that their real pur-
pose was to distract the attention of
those who came into that sanctum for
the purpose of doing" him or of being
done by him.
Lawson the Man.
A more delightful companion than Mr..
Lawson would be hard to find. He will
tai. by the hour-branching off into story
after story, but always returning uner-
ringly sooner or later to the point of
departure. l have seen him spend five
minutes in thus tracing his way back
to where we were at" His anecdotes
are absorbing, often humorous, always
with the most vivid human beings in
them and with truly dramatic human sit
uations they are told without the slight
est effort or strainlng after effect-and
the supply is inexhaustible His writing
comes in hashes-and goes on to the
paper in hieroglyphics, which only
trained secretary can decipher. As Mr..
Lawson himself remarks. 1t is positive
agony to him to write out anything leg
IDLY, and this is so powerful a feeling
that although he has quite a hobby of
writing and collecting long dedications In
presentation books. he will wait for
month after month to inscribe volume
which he really wants to give away with
out being able to screw himself to the
point of doing so.
One of the most noteworthy points OF
Lawsou's character is his habit of doing
one thing at a time. He has theory
that the only way for a man whose in
terests are so diverse as his to keep
alive and sane is to finish one thing be-
fore starting another The relative impor
lance of the two subjects has nothing
to do with the matter. Once he is started
on an interview, he will prolong 1t for
hour after hour, no matter what ia hap
pening to his pet stocks or who is wait
ing to see him, until the matter under
discussion is completely covered.
Altogether. as a man, Thomas w. Law
son is the sort of warm, strong, dazzling
personality who makes and holds friends.
Only the other day mid sle-aged lawyer
from the Mississippi valley came into
the office while the writer was sitting
there--a quiet. conservative looking per-
son-and announced that he had come on
to Boston because there were only two
persons in the United States he would
go across the street to see: President
Roosevelt and Thomas W. Lawson
No fair-minded man, apart from the
savage money struggle of the market
can go through even one such session
with Lawson without succumbng to his
personality 1t is no surprise TO learn
that his friends are as violent as his an
tagonists. Even were he not so hypnotic,
a man could hardly fail to be grateful
to anybody profoundly stimulating.
But the most careful sober second Judg-
ment goes much farther than this. The
mans friends and. injudicious admirers
have done almost more than those who
Yilify him to raise doubts in the mind
of the average conservative citizen. Yet,
after bearing his own statement, one no
longer feels constrained to choose be-
tween the alternative of tricky swind-
Ter or an impossible atruist The fact
then begins to loom large that this man.
whatey err his past whatever his ultimate
motive. whatever his goal; he is sincere
over his methods.
An Altrustc Belief.
Lawsons point is that "Frenzied FL
nance" the Trinity and other similar
campaigns and his latest work, the novel
called Friday the lSth"-all are but Sue
cessive steps in his plan Ghe much de-
rided Remedy" il you please). which
involves the creation of confidence in
him on the part of a large body of the
American people, to the extent of entrust
ing their money to him. The extent of
this confidence already is almost past
belef-but he is working towards some
lIlnS lHCOnpdIdDlN idIStI anu HlOIe lar
reaching than any of his former demon
STATIONS
striking illustration of the mans be-
lief in his work and of the magnitude
of his aims is shown by the fact that
after getting the maximum royalty from
the publisher of Friday the 18th, he
suddenly prop (ed to devote the entire
$4,000 which he would receive from the
sale of the first hundred thousand copies
TO a most ingenious method of bringing
the novel to the attention of every read
err In the land
In addition, he has sent a check for
5000 to the publisher to be presented to
the eoitor of any American newspaper
who can show any defect. convincing to
any body of experts, in his theory that
the idea advanced in this book will either
annihilste stock gambling In Wall street
or reform it into something unrecog-
nzable.
Nor could there be a more intimate
parting glimpse into the complex work
ing OF his many-sded mind than the
story now told for first time, of how
Friday the 18th" was written. Mrs
Lawson. it seems. had been en- invalid
for years and her husband had taxed
every resource that devotion and solicit
tude could create, to divert her from
her ills Once, when ell other things had
failed. he sat down at his desk at home
and wrote rapidly covering half a dozen
sheets.
See" he said to his wife, I've started
a novel;" And he read to her what is
now the opening chapter of Friday the
18th" When his wife died, Mr. Lawson
was overcome with grief. Even the thrill
of the stock game had no lure for him.
He dwelled with memories and was dis
consulate His children were desperate.
One day they found the closely written
sheets that he had read to his wife and