New-York tribune., 1910-01-23
Observation-Disclosures
PERSONAL APPRECIATION AND A FEW ANECDOTES.
ecopyrieht 1910. by George W. smalley)

done; not by sermonizing or rhetoric.
Men trusted him. There was perhaps no
man more generally trusted 1t is moth
ing 10 say he never betrayed a trust.
He discharged it to the utmost measure
of his ability The money which others
had put into his hands had to earn as
much as money could earn. Three per
cent on deposits would seem to an Eng
lishman affiuence, but Mr.. Mills seemed
To think he was unfair to his clients to
be content. even temporarily, with
when it could he invested to earn more
At the camp he talked more freely
than elsewhere. The air was tonic; the
life suited him. In the Adirondacks you
do get ba~ into closer relations with
Nature and are on more intimate terms
with the great natural forces about you.
This is true in spite of the luxurious
simplicity of the camps. But MIR. Mills
was always happy where his daughter
was. l may not dwell on such a matter,
but her devotion to him was the light of
his life. He came to London to be with
her. She returned to America to be with
him. If his duties and responsibilities
had permitted, his visits here would
have been longer or more frequent.
once. while was sitting with him in his
office in Bread street. his lawyer came in
with contract for him to sign Mr.. Mills
hardly glanced at it, took up his pen
to sign, stopped and said to the lawyer:
81 suppose it is all right?"
"Oh. yes, Mr. Mills. l think you will
find your interests protected in every
way
That is not what / mean. I want
to know whether you have drawn this
agreement so as to leave Mr.. a. a profit
large enough to insure his doing his
best. He must have his fair share"
4 business view, perhaps, and for
aught I know, common in the business
world. but I had never happened to hear
it put quite like that. nor have I since.
With that may be compared another
saying. a little company, all men of
business but me, were discussing busi-
ness methods. One or two of them
stated rather crudely what are some
times called the methods Of Wall Street.
There is no sentiment in business
said one "a man who thinks of others
to consider" remarked second. And a
third, whose career was strewn with
wrecks, declared: "Of course, you have
10 crush those who stand in your way"
Said Mr.. Mills:
II have done pretty well in business,
but I never crushed anybody"
The Mills hotels We're an expression of
his sentiment toward the society amid
which he lived, TO the environment which
had given him his later opportunities.
He wanted TO enlarge the opportunities
of other men, to sweeten their lives
little, to enable them TO do more for
themselves His scheme was derided and
was q success from the start, and the
success has grown greater ever since.
The success was due to the patience
with which he thought out his plans.
The afternoon before I sailed from New
York in 1906 I met Mr.. Mills in his
victoria at the door of the Metropolitan
Club. Come for a drive in the park,
he said, and We went. He began at once
to talk about his new hotel. We drove
for two hours and during nearly all that
time he discussed plans, estimates, de-
tails, methods Of economical working.
organization, the effect on the tenants
and q hundred other matters relating to
the building. equipment and operation
of the hotel soon to be erected.
He had all the facts and figures in his
mind. He talked with an enthusiasm he
rarely showed His heart was in it.
To the last his energies seemed mex
haustible-and his interests. He arrived
one afternoon at Dorchester House at
o'clock from New York There was a
large dinner at $780, then q ball
which he did not leave till toward
! in the morning. I met him again
at tea next day and he told me he
had been at the White City since that
morning, and when I suggested that he
had gone about that, marvellous but very
fatiguing show in chair. he said: "Oh,
no; on my legs" Nor did he seem tired
nor mind the prospect Of another large
dinner that night. He was then eighty
two years old. Pneumonia had attacked
him winter after winter, but he always
rallied and would take no better care of
himself than before.
In that slight, erect figure nature had
packed powers Of endurance which big
ger frames had not. Everything was
reduced to its essence. There was nothing
superhuous and nothing wanting. The
features were sculptured. 1t was the
face of a man who had real distinc-
tion Of nature, who had benignity and
judgment and acute perceptions all In
equal measure. They bore the stamp
Of an impregnable integrity. as his life
did. Unlike qualities in him melted into
harmony and a rounded whole. For
with his unyielding flrmness and
strength and uncompromising convic-
tions and inVineibie sense Of justice went
loving kindness which made him the
most loVable Of men. That was Mr..
Mills. G. w.