Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-15
BY WILLIAM F.. CURTIS.
Correspondence of The Star and

NEW YORK. January a. 1909.
| Another western man has been selected
as the head of a great eastern corporation,
which, however, is nothing new. Every
| great corporation in the east except the
| Pennsylvania Railroad Company has
| western man at it's head although some
of them are of eastern birth, like Mr.. w.
c. Brown, who was elected president of
the New York Central and Hudson River
Railway Company the other day to sue
coed William II. Newman, who is also
an example of President Roosevelt's def
milton of the ideal American citizen. who.
Il he said, was a man of eastern birth with
a western education and experience.
Mr.. Brown was born in Herkimer coun-
ty, N. Y, but in childhood went out to
| Waterloo, Iowa, where he was educated
and married and set up housekeeping with
his bride in a little frame cottage He
first worked section hand on the
railroad. studying telegraphy in his leis-
| ure hours and after nine months qualified
| himself for position as operator on the
St Paul road. Two years later he went
to the Illinois Central as train dis
patcher, and then to the Rock Island
| and afterward to the Burlington. each
| change being a promotion made at the
| request OF some railway official who had
| his ana character. Tom
| Potter. one of the best railroad men
that ever lived, and a genius for handling
| transportation, made Brown chief train
| dispatcher. and afterward assistant SUI
| perintendent on the Burlington road for
particular reason.
| In 1879 Iowa and western Illinois had
| the worst blizzard that was ever known
| IN that section. and all the roads were
| blocked three feet deep with snow. Mr.
| TOM IF
| llngton was trying to save three or four
| hundred carloads of cattle that were in
| the yard, but every man under him was
| either laid up with frozen limbs or had
| fallen exhausted. At midnight when
Bill Brown, the train dispatcher, fin
ished his trick and was pIodding home
| through the snow, one of the switchmen
told him of the desperate situation, and,
| borrowing lantern he went down to the
| stockyards and offered his services. By
daylight Hosford and Brown had got all
! the cattle out in safety and went home
to breakfast. The next morning Hosford
| reported the incident to General Manager
| Potter and short time afterWard when
the latter needed an assistant superin-
tendent he sent for Brown. And Brown
made good on every occasion and was pro-
| NOTED rapidly with increased RESPONSE
| bilities. proving such valuable man that
| other railroads began to bid for his serv-
| ices. In 1901 he became vice president
| and general manager of the Lake Shore.
| New York Central, in charge of the oper-
| ating department. 1t was a question for
| some time whether Mr.. Newmans sue
| cessor would be a financial or practi-
cal man, but the board of directors decided
that the latter was preferable. and Mr..
| Brown was unanimously elected.
| He Is still young man with a boyish
manner and a boyish spirit. He is quick,
energetic and candid. He knows his bust
ness: he is not afraid of responsibility
and every man who has ever worked
| under him has recognized him nat
| ural born leader and chief The subord-
| nate officials and employees of the New
York Central railway would have elected
| Mr.. Brown unanimously if they had been
asked to choose the new president.
| There is a remarkable picture on ex-
| hibition at the art store of Arthur Tooth
& Sons 400 9Th avenue. 1t is entitled "A
| Vision of the Coliseum" and represents
Sir Alma Tadema's ideas of a gala per-
| Torrance in that great place of entertain
| ment In the golden age of Rome. The
| picture is not only remarkable because of
| its historical accuracy and its wonderful
| color. but because it includes five thou
| sand distinct faces and figures in the
| audience. and is the work of seven years
with the brush and twenty years of study
and preparation. Sir Alma Tadema in
| tended it for his masterpiece, and if an
artist can afford to rest his reputation
upon a single picture, this is undoubtedly
as safe venture as any that was ever
made. 1t is an extraordinary revelation
| of Tademas technical powers, and equally
so of the breadth and culture of his imagi-
nation.
The artist explains that he chose as his
| subject gala performance at the Coli
scum on the occasion of the nomination
| of his successor as emperor by Septimius
Severus in the year A. d. DOB. and the pic
| ture shows him seated in the imperial box
Beside him, on the same seat. sits Jul
| hi 20 rlln i'll 1nt fl
most to secure for her son. Geta. the
| honor that had been bestowed upon his
| half brother Bassianus. known to history
as Caracala. She is shown in the act of
| passing surreptitiously to a private at
tendant a letter for some influential per-
| Sonage in the audience. Caracaila STANDS
at the right of the emperor. Geta stands
| between his two sisters, and the period is
| the intervals between the first and second
parts of the entertainment while the
! audience are resting from excitement and
taking refreshments and slaves are clear
| ing the arena of the dead bodies and
other reminders OF the hrst act, aha no
strewing fresh sand over the pools OF
blood. The first act of these entertain
ments was limited to the slaughter OF
| tame animals, such as wild asses, deer
| TO wild beasts When the audience were
satiated with this display of cruelty. the
keepers came forth to coax the Wiid AMI
mails into their cages, which can be seen
| in the picture under the TIERS VI SCdlS tiial
surrounded the amphitheater. :.
| Upon the back of Getas toga one OF
| the scenes is embroidered. showing an old
keeper. armed only with wand, patting
| the back of a lion which follows him
obediently through trap door, leaving
his victim lying bleeding on the sand be-
| hind.
The picture embraces segment of
a bout one-seventh of the amphitheater
and shows three galleries of seats OF
solid marble. which accommodated not
only the sitters but the feet of those
who occupy the next row above The
space allotted to each person is num-
bered and marked off by lines. The
lower tier fronts Immediately upon the
arena protected by an eXquisitely carved
marble balustrade. 1t is narrow and has
the aristocracy. The next division, of
about twenty tiers of seats is occupied
by the we'll TODD class of the Roman
! population while the upper gallery is
crowded with representatives of the work.
ing classes. During the intervals be-
tween the acts refreshments are served
by attendants in costume, and the audi
ence for the moment are relaxed and are
gossiping over the incidents of the per-
Torrance and the events of the day
Their costumes are painted with historic
accuracy and Sir Alma Tadema has en-
deavored to include every variety of
garment worn by the various classes of
the people of Rome at that period
Septimius Severus. having been North