The Washington herald., 1912-11-28
SECRETARY ADEE
HAS BIRTHDAY
Continued from rare ONE.

desk quantities OF flowers. sent in to re-
| mind him of the day by, friends in the
city. Included among the presentations
OF the day was a laurel wreath. present
ed Mr.. Adee by the officers OF the Latin.
American division of the Department OF
State. During the day he received mes
sages of congratulation from every coT-
ner of the world. which testified to the
extent TO which his remarkable person
ality and long service in the Department
of State had swept aside the usual
anonymity of his office.
On, yesterday, the SEVENTEEN aniver-
| sary of his birth, Mr.. Adee was as Sc
renely philosophical as ever.
II begin my seventy-hrst year to-day,
he said. whether will ever begin
another I don't know, and I'm not wor'
rying. Life has been q great and in
teresting thing to me. Fate has been
kind. have achieved modestly, and II
has been good to see the days SO full
OF interest go by. I have no recipe for
long life. have no computations as
| to the normal span of a mans life.
myself have lived quietly, without ANY
4 stress"
As he thus commented on his own life
Mr. Adee leaned back in the great desk
chair in his office, the only office in the
| Department of State which bears any
sign OF the personality of its occupant
The pictures on the walls recall the days
of generation ago in American history
Even the furniture is OF another day
but 1t suits Mr.. Adee and he clings &c
it. Near his desk is table by the
window, where callers at his office are
apt to find numerous indications Of the
| Secretary's recreations, such as guide
books and road maps OF Europe, pho
| tographic plate holder, or interesting
looking packages with foreign stamps
upon them. In one corner, hidden by a
screen, are various utensils. called into
J play when Mr.. Adee has his lunch-for
years ago, he decided that it took toe
much time from his work to go down
town for a midday meal. Usually 1t Is
simplicity itself-a pot OF tea and a
hard toasted bread or crackers.
Anecdotes of Man.
A thousand anecdotes are told of Sec
retary Adee, but they do not number
one-tenth of those which Mr.. Adee de-
lights to tell himself. 1t often falls 10
his duty to see the newspaper men twice
each day and submit to their interrOga-
| tions on the happenings OF the day in the
business of the State Department. 1t is
seldom that the newspaper men have to
leave an audience with Mr.. Adee with
d
over. Besides possessing a great stock
of anecdotes and stories, Mr.. Adee is
an inveterate punster, and, II he likes,
can continue a play on words indet-
nltely. His knowledge of the use, value.
and sources of words in the English
langaue has made Secretary Adee most
precise In his diction. and at the same
time the chief counsel of the department
when a state paper is being prepared.
His memory is remarkable. He has
at the tip of his tongue accurate data
about almost every incident Of interna-
tional law in which the United States
has been concerned. His memory for
persons is as unusual as his memory
| for historic facts and legal matters.
Many have declared to listen to Mr..
Adee talk of his friendships among the
| famous men, not only of the United
| States, but OF Europe is a rare treat
| indeed. In these later years Secretary
Adee has withdrawn more to himself
| and takes absolutely no part in the So
cial life of Washington. His office in
the State Department and his study and
experimenting rooms I'm his house are
the mecca for those who enjoy his in
innate acquaintance, and for countless
others who, returning from all parts of
the world, stop to pay their respects to
Mr.. Adee.