Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-01-09

- 49, 80
another.
The effacement of self made 1t diff
flcult to realize that the man who had
spoken had under his direction one of
the greatest business organizations of
the world n that, for years, in his
leadership of the field force of the Pru-
Dental, al army of more than %, 900
men and women had been practically
under his sole supervision, a force
probably larger han is under the i'm
mediate management of any of the
executives of even the tremendous
railroad systems which this country
has produced.
To talk with Mr.. Dryden is to feel
that he Prudential and insurance in
general Is his li~fe-thought. But what
he has to say of the Prudential is not
of his connection with it, except in an
incidental way. 1t is instead tinged by
a spirit of devotion to high ideals and
of loyalty that makes the organization
stand out as a vivid, living thing. The
thoughts that he utters are ouched
by the personality Of the speaker and
the element of dignified reserve
strengthens the impress.
AT first sight Mr.. Dryden compels
n iti Wv V IttI tlklll
inches in height, his pose is one of
strength. His shoulders are well-built
and his whole body is one that be-
tokens well-set vigor. His features add
to this first impression. The head Is Of
pleasing contour, the forehead high,
the steely blue eyes set deeply back
beneath heavy brows, the nose large
and strongly aquiline. the mouth at
! nnra mobile aud firm, and tla alsr&
carrying out the forcefulness that is in
Dictated by the rest. Both eyes and
mouth can smile, and when they do,
there is no installing that they are
the outward symbol of an inward cor
diality and affability that reveal them
selves in almost every attitude of MI.
Dryden.
This ~affapility is remarked at once
on meeting Mr.. Dryden. Pleased by
the smile, one is apt to be bound to
him by the grip of his hand in greet
ing. and the feeling is that this cor
d1alfty of welcome is the assured right
OF every one whom Mr.. Dryden meets.
In reality. Al years old. Mr.. Dryden
looks to be just nearing 40. Ever after
one has talked with him at length and
been impressed by the strong brilliance
VI hS Presumably LIE leellnS OF MS
comparative youthfulness continues.
The puzzle OF how this should be, with
the remembrance of the weight of re-
sponsibility that has rested upon him
for years and the knowledge that it
was sheer hard work that brought him
success. is solved, however, through
recognition Of the spirit of vibrant
optimism that, perforce. makes 1t inn
/ nnoQlh1a fD,. unRr JinAr - anA a. -.a -,
him.
Mr.. Dryden might also be called a
modern edition of his father. The
founder of the Prudential was dis
tinguished by a gentle kindness and
nobility of demeanor that endeared
him to all his friends: in his son the
same gentle kindness is omnipresent
and the nobility of demeanor that was
his fathers distinguishing character
istic is noticed also, with the added
element that the dignity has been re-
lieved somewhat by the impress of the
later and more modern generation.
The attributes of loyalty to a rev.
erenced father, of faith in the great
ness of the company of which he is a
part, of respect for the inherent
honesty of all mankind and of belief in
all Nv OpiiliilSih VI J. dit tittNlNd III
all that Mr.. Dryden says or does.
This. too, despite the shadow of a
great grief, for when seen Mr.. Dryden
spoke first of all of his father and
then other things and what he said of
the latter also paid tribute TO the love
that existed between father and son.
YES he said, continuing the line
of thought introduced by the mention
! nf hic c1InnnGJinn IN fhn nrnEidnnnNr
there was something that my father
put into his whole work here and,
though you can't say exactly what 1t
was, you know 1t is here in the mag
nihcient spirit of loyalty that pervades
everybody who is employed by the
Prudential
"I don't know that anything means
more to me han the continued devel-
opment OF this spirit of loyalty on the
part of every one of our field force. I
have been a field man myself. When l
came with the company the second post
that I held was with the field force in
Elizabeth, N. j., and I know the hard
work that lies in it. And so I can APP
preciate, perhaps more than anyone
else, just what this spirit of loyalty
means. 1t has resulted in our writing
in one year more than $500, 900, 900 of
life insurance"
Mr.. Dryden emphasized his earnest
ness with voice n gestures that
seemed to go right to the core of the
matter. He leaned across the desk as
he spoke of his belief in the honest
loyalty of the men under him and his
fist came down on the desktop with a
bang as he asserted his faith in man
kind generally.
I'VE used to bond our field force he
said, but we haven done SO for years
now. Our men handle millions of dol
lars every veal and our loss is less
than a hundredth of 1 per cent We
went right to the men and told them
we had decided that Prudential men
didn't need to be bonded, and the re-
suit justified our opinion. Doesn't this
show that the people who work for the
Prudential hold a reverence and a re-
spect for it that has real value? l tell
you, l believe we couldn't find a liner
body OF men If we searched all through
the LAM and were able to pick and
choose from the best"
You believe, then, that a man is
generally honest?" he was asked.
Mr.. Dryden looked forward without
saying a word for a moment and then
his fist came down hard.