, 1913-05-14
%TIERPONT MORGAN.


The passing Of PiorpOnt Morgan is a loss
to Great Britain as wen as to the United
States. Perhaps btcnnse Of his English as
soc ations, perhaps by reason of his gyeat
admiration Of English institutions and the
marriages q his kinsfolk With English peo-
PIE, Morgan was IL strong factor in the max
lng Of good feeling between English people
and Americans.
[ knew Morgan about as well as some
scores OF wayfale rs who had the eutr6e to
his delightful home and library in New York.
[ have spent pleasant hours in Paris with
m, and enjoyed his comparisons between
men and things during his constant visits
to London. But one liked to see him best
IN that small but exquisite marble palace
ln East 36th-streot, His appreciation of
things British, is interest 10 our politics
and public men, his liking for many of orr
ways almost reconcIIed one to the somewhat
sad spectacle Of So many English treasures
that ought to have remained in English
keeping,
For he possessed priceless Byron, Dickens.
Thackoray, Bronte, Shelley, Lamb, and other
English manuscripts. | once held III my
hand nl these, and in addition Scott's Diary,
the original drawings for Piciwick. and
Burns's "Cotter'a Saturday Night md in
a few minutes had passed out, not to Muse
nm-street, but TO Fifth avenue. The seq
satlon was depressing and unpleasant.
I had no knowledge Of Morgan the finan-
cler. The things we discoursed upon were
politics and pollticians. Knowing my inter
eat III the Press he constantly led The con
yersation TO that topic. 1t was 30 secret
in the United States that be was not an
admireg OF most OF the American newspapers.
Iha only A p,a,ino,, ,lo3lv il,r,,l tl,4 I u.u.
saw in hs library was the Son, which his
friend and crony Mr.. Loffln conducted,
although many people thought Mr. Morgan
was financially interested in it. He read
our Times diligently and regularly, and it
was somewhat surprising to find one so I'M
mersed IN the money struggle still able to
heep pace with our affairs.
He regarded Mr.. Lloyd George, I remem-
be<, as a great danger TO the United States.
[ hnd heard most kinds OF abuse OF MIR.
Lloyd George, but had never encountered
shat special cup6e before, md asked him why.
He answered me TINT American legislation
constantly followed closely upon that laid
down in England, and he gave many excel
lent examples, which / cannot remember ut
che moment-but the freeing of the slaves,
the income tax, death duties, the EMPLOYERS
Liability Act, the then pending Introduction
OF the parcel post were among them. SHOULD
Mr.. Lloyd Georges Socialistic legislation
make progress in your country" he remark
ed, eve shall follow you" He had, I
thought, an exaggerated fear of the danger
of Socialism, but those shrewd, grey, gilt
tering eyes had seen more than mine and he
may be right. He obviously regarded Eng
lish Conservatism as RNdicalism aud English
Radicalism as Socialism, and | fear | shock
ed him with a good number of my own Con-
servative views.
AS oil the world is aware of the fact, there
is, [ hope, no indelicacy in referring to the
circumstance that Mr.. Morgan had a facial
Disagreement which at the first moment of
meeting rather appalled, one, 1t is signif-
cant of the personal force and peculiar charm
of Morgan that one completely forgot it in
a few seconds and found oneself looking
upon him with interest and appreciation.
He was n John BulIish sort of man. Had
he been born to country life in England a
century ago he might have become a great
squire--a sort of Coke of Norfolk, but a
good deal more Tory than that progressive