The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-22
OF THE IRON MASTER As Millionaire and As Private
 Citizen DEMOCRATIC AT HOME Distant and inaccessible In New York. Alone With His Books In Great Llhrary-Few Know Tele-
 phone Number.
DEMOCRATIC AT HOME
From the Washington Herald.

pitNHC lNAiiibSia
 From the Washington Herald.
 When elusiveness, reticence, and an al most impenetrable threshold, sentried bS diplomatists, form a combination against an interviewer, the person whom he seeks is usually immune from the voice with the rising infection. But not always says John M. Egan, in the Pittsbura Dispatch.
 Andrew Carnegie. isolated among mine own books" in his palatial New York home, is unquestionably the most unget- atable man in the United States.
 It is in his private library that the many-sided Laird O Sl1ibo, whose words and deeds during the past quarter of q century have contributed more materially and more frequently to the public press than any other living source of news, Is save on few occasions, accessible by news paper representatives and magazine writ CTS.
 Silence a Growing Habit.
 Particularly since his retirement from actual business life has the distinguishes Creoseus of modern times who has given away hints of money hoarded his words.
  golden words when applied to a national industrial or financial issue or to time ly topic, or, for that matter, to himself, have more weight on the journalistic scales and stand the public's assay pos sibly better than any of his contempo- raneous philosophers.
 The fact that MT. Carnegie does not maintain business offices in New York and that he has renounced business life, s.. l- g1 pears in public, renders it almost impos- sible for a newspaper reporter to get an audience with him unless the chronicler of events has the good fortune to be re- ceived at his home.
 But, as I have said, when the usual ele- ments against the interviewer are exer- cised at the costliest mansion on Fifth avenue he is nonplussed.
 MT. Carnegie now has it pretty well un- derstood in Park Row, or New York s newspaperdom, that he will not meet in- reviewers at his home. Few newspaper mems cards are delivered to him by the carefully groomed butler who answers the Japanese chimes when the button outside the front door of the mansion is pressed and then these are for tne most part re- turned with the statement that MT. Car negie is indisposed' or MT Carnegie will not be seen.'
 Phone Number Secret.
 Ask all the newspaper men in New York what is the number of Carnegie g telephone, and possibly three out of the whole army would know. And if they did they would not tell you. That is a big secret in Park Row, because the Car negie telephone number is changed often CT than are the months in the year. The big, white, stone house facing Central Park West at Fifth avenue and Ninety third street is provided with private tel ephone system
 The telephone directory does not con. tain the number of the phone, and | would be a serious refraction of the com. pany's rules were the few operators who are initiated to divulge the number. The number of the telephone is known to only the members of MT. Carnegie's householc and a select few of his personal friends anu immediate business associates. The number Is changed often in order to spare MT. Carnegie from beggars, cranks, and possibly newspaper men, thus depriving the reporter of his most valuable friend the telephone.
 MT. Carnegie has, notwithstanding his iadisposition to see interviewers at his home during recent years, frequently, and sometimes without solicitation made i'm portant utterances to reporters when he appears in public.
 Distributes Copies of Speeches.
 When he appears at a public meeting or gathering and speaks, copies of his ad dress, which have been prepared before hand by his secretaries, are distributed to the reporters. To the newspaper mel on such an occasion he is the embodimen of courtesy and kindness. He cordial, shakes hands, jests, laughs, but alway 1 bears in mind that silence is golden. | Usually the reporters rush to their office | after such meeting and write themselve "out" on a weather or a golf story tha | Carnegie has told them.
 | But the serious side of the brainy an, | versatile little Scot, to whom magnificen | institutions of learning have arisel | throughout the English-speaking world | is best to be seen when he Is within hi | home.
 When he is in his Fifth avenue man | sion the master is not the library give nor the former guiolng spirit of the sec ond largest corporation on earth. He | plain Andrew Carnegie, private citizer | free from all cares but domestic respon abilities and that involved in giving ava l millions of dollars annually. His duties which are always pleasant, for the mos | part consist of looking after a little cor | poration of three, composed of Mrs. Car negie, his little daughter Margaret, an l himself.
 Alone With His Books. | At home MT. Carnegie practically fig nores everything with the exception of hi domestic affairs and his books. His pri vate business Is principally looked afte | by his secretaries, who have offices in tn l residence and all his letters are write | by these men.
 | It is in his study where MT. Carnegi ! gives away libraries, church organs an c.c.>.C.c.C.C~c>.<>.c.f>.<3.C.