The Washington herald., 1908-02-16

At a massive desk of Flemish oak in
sunny corner Of a top floor room in the
heart of a bustling business district in
Chicago. there sits a scientist whose Off
cial duty it has been TO find out why the
2,OOO0O0, inhabitants of his town were dy-
ing before they reached the allotted age
of threescore years and ten. After long
investigation he has raised the question
whether human endurance is equal TO
the demands of modern business and So
ciety life. Thereby he has brought 10
public notice many of the personal char
acteristics of his felloW-toWnsmen, bIsi-
ness leaders who have striven with
might and main to make Chicago synony-
nous with strenuosity and perfection in
the vocabularies Of consumers of manu-
factured products in every land where
catchword helps TO sell such goods.
This scientist is DIT c. St Clair Drake.
head OF the municipal bureau of vital
statistics Of Chicago. He discovered from
reports made to him by physicians and
the police that heart disease caused 10
per cent more deaths In his town In 1907
than il did in 1906 Then. in all the seri-
BUSINESS of an official report he announc-
ed that in the chase after money and
pleasure the men of Chicago were driving
themselves to death by heart disease. and
that within a time which any schoolboy
might calculate the population there
would consist of nothing but women.
Inquiry made by the New York Tribune
of the effect Of DR.. brakes utterances
discloses neither alarm nor JOY Al
though he has doomed the men 10 GER
tain extinction unless they abandon the
strenuous life" they keep going at the
same "insanely furious pace" that Dr
Drake saws is killing them and this with
out manifesting any terror Of the result.
The women, too, who might Dee expected
to rejoice in the prospect of an era Of fe-
male sunr5g ge when the male population
is annihiIated, continue to patronize the
theater and the ballroom just as in for
ner years. without expressing any feel
ing of delight over tire dawning of the
coming age or making preparations for
the day when they must take over the
reins of government.
Americans are noted throughout the
world as hustlers. but no such official
tribute 10 their speed has ever been paid
TO any single community of them as DR..
Drake has given to Chicagoans. The
question arises. then. as to whether the
Chicagoan is different from his fellow
American who does not happen to dwell
within the corporate limits Of the metTop-
oils of Illinois; whether his. pace is swift
er, whether he Is a mightier man.
Answers to these questions may be
found In typical examples. Levy Mayer,
for instance, is one of the foremost
Chicagoans. AS a corporation lawyer he
handles every year litigation in which
hundreds of millions of dollars are at
stake. He works practically seventeen
hours a day He lives with his family
at the Auditorium Annex. He rises at
o o'clock every morning, takes a shower
bath, and by the time that is over his
barber is waiting to shave him. Bath,
shave. and dressing consume thirty
minutes.
Every day. year in and year out Mr.,
Mayer reads the daily newspaper from
7:30 to s o'clock in the morning At s
o clock HIS breakfast is served il his
apartments. He devotes thirty minutes
to breakfast: then, after a glance across
Michigan boulevard at Lake Michigan
TO learn the condition of the weather,
that he may properly prepare for sun or
storm, he starts for his Office on foot
The distance is about one mile He has
an automobile, but he walks. It's his
daily exercise. Before Q o'clock he is
going over legal documents, consulting
reference books, or answering telephone
calls.
Mr. Mayer works without interruption
until l p m., either taking care OF office
business or attending trials in court
From l 10 1:30 he is at luncheon at the
Midday Club. After luncheon he chats
with friends awhile. By . o'clock he is
back again at his desk. His work goes
on necessarily until els, when he starts
from the Office on foot FOR his hotel.
The day Is yet young for Levy Mayer.
He goes TO dinner at 7:30 O'Clock and
gives a whole hour TO the meal. He then
goes to his study, where ne works until
midnight every night except Saturday.
when he goes to the theater or takes
part in some other social entertainment
This daily routine is varied little during
HIS Niit4tf WI hAltE year 4 0iiG itiNlALit
he travels TO New York or Washington
to look after legal interests in those cities
He never takes "a day or from Septem-
Der Is 10 July 50, but on the latter date
he rushes far away from the noise and
strife Of the city back to the simple
life" down on Cape Cod. where he has a
big farm and spends a few weeks there
in fishing and boating.
James p. Forgan is another typically
busy Cbicagoan. When Lyman J. Gage
entered tie Cabinet of the President Of
the United States Mr. Forgan rose from
bis place of vice president q the office
Nlr. Gage had held as president OF the
First National Bank Of Chicago. the big
gest In the city He holds that place
vet. If anybody should ask Mr.. Forgan
what time BE starts the days work be-
would repiy. "At 9 o'clock." Yet Nal
co.m Mcdowell. assistant secretary. SAYS
thar SIR. FoTsan begins work earlier than
any other hnancier in Chicago. Mellow
ell often reaches hss Office az o'clock.
No mater how early I get down 10
the of5ice,' declares Mcdowell. -'sIr