The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-23
sslscssA b. EDWIN MARKaA

Mr.. carl lBovsy. In 'Ths Lits Story
of J. Pisrpont Morgan" depicts his
haro BY setting forth Mr.. Aorsan's
aims and objects and his ways and
msaas Of attaining them. He thus
sketches tho man In outline:
mr.. Morgan has Decoms the DOM
lnant business force In the country
ana the strongest single financial
power In she vneis world; and. - q
nnAttar Of tact, he has reached q
point whore no category will contain
him. You cannot put Mr.. Morgan In
the pigeon-hole of a class. he te q
genius, q spirit. a very conspicuous
instrument Of the economic evolution
Of his time. You cannot call him q
mere moneymAker. interested In
Temporary gains. He instinctiseiy
plans for soothinfiE permanen. III Lac
structure Of moneymaking acitiv.y: he
has furnished the grooves In which
all our Industries shall be run for a
very long time to come.
His enemies may charge him with
many fauits-and he laaoub.sdly has
many--but they en- never E-y that
no destroyed q properly. His rail-
roads have been WORKING railroads.
with rails and steam and rolling
stock. his factories have been smok-
Ing factories. agiow with life and
work erD--not paper railroads and pa
per factories that exist only In the
imAg nation Of the sock J.bbere.
There 10 nothing Of the chariatan
suggested here; J. p. Morgan is so
solid. Furthermore, his rehabiiita-
ton of . vast amount OF doomed
property 10 nightly suggestive OF
"a an
have built up Industries from the be-
ginning. chiefly for themselves, as
Rochester constructed the Standard
Oh trust But Rockefeller soaked up
his competitors like a sponge. while
,, Morgan puts them on their feet and
teaches and enforces cooperation
among them all.
TT IL to J. Pierpon. Morgan OF
all living Americans that the ex-
PRESTON Of q famous French his
torian 10 best applied force OF ma
ture,
Everything indicates that Mr.. Nor
gan n personally much too proud te
be called . vary good Democrat u
| the success OF his life work had II
the least depended upon cultivatins
| the frfendship Of the common people
| he would surely have failed.
| 1T u said there are scarcely nfty
| men in the financial district who have
speaking acquaintance with Mr.
| Morgan. Whether the number Is cor
| rect or not, II n certain that his &C
! quaintance II relatively small. and
| that his real friendships are reserved
! for . very few people. chiehy thu
! men whom he has known s'i hts ff.
| nd with whom he 10 very likely no
ssociated st all In business w~y.
IAN account OF the personal trait
| of 4 living man tends TO Become {
piece Of viv4section. more or less I'm
warranted. unless the aim 10 to sug
sess hts personality. rather than =
anaiyse II exactly. Mr.. Morgan
| imposing sty3s and the extraordi
nary sense OF vigorous life which
emAnates from him always make hin
q personality which suggests itseIf II
everything he does. whether II Ii |
matter OF adding to his collection
some very Desirable picture or piec
Of china. or Of Strengthening out tn
affairs Of an all but ruined bank.
1T II q personality Of the Oivmpia'
order. Incapable OF doubt and inde
cisfcn: ~ simple IN action az thun
serhoit and n little to be argued with
The effects Of his instantaneous de
~tssons often surpass those OF tn
most deeply iatd plans: no importsn
factor has been overlooked: no oh
lection. on the other hand. has bee
~ out 81 proportion. In his mind
eye ne sees both the end and the VIA
% reach II, and after all has bee
credited that need Ne credited to tn
rAinst akin1 labor and preparation o
hss mariners Il remains true that tn
touch OF the marvellous which STAN .
his success and the succeFs OF his frr
h due 90 Mr.. Morgan's own genius.