New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-05-11
MIR. Pierpont Morgan
e EUROPEAN FAME-THE MAN-RELATIoNs WITH THE KAISER
Mo WHAT HE COMMON WITH PRINCE BISMARCK.
copyright, 1913. by C. W. smalley.l
London, April >, 1913.

London, Apf1l -, 1910
,.,eu Mr.. Morgan long enough and
Ill enough. though never intimately
"a ,,,ew enough Of his career to De
o. 30 FORM could not help forming
clear opinion, both Of the man ana
- his public services. 1 expressed oo'h
'a,ons in these columns in three let
u.s. published something more than
,.ooraeo. II not desirable to raV-
- the same ground again. but now
- he is gone think l may condense
sentence the result of my eN-
nariences here and at home. ! have
,.,, thought him the greatest Ameri-
LETT To us. and that TO him II
&c nernitted TO do services 70 MS
--.,rtrv greater than any others in his
,ine and in his own sphere. Nr'tlhS
f,o,, London. 1 wish TO add that his Is
-. name which has done most honor
IA service TO his country abroad. l
nore had means Of knowing. 1t Is aot
u,orelv or mainly what has been said Of
,,r, IN the European and especially ire
,,,clisb Press since his death. 1t Is
long acquaintance with opinions held
ord declared abroad that l sum up IN
This way. Mr.. Morgan's European
enc was never due 10 the coruscations
= q moment. It grew slowly. Ii
broadened from year to year. 1t seemed
likely to last.
! will touch briefly on personal Uranus
AZ Norgan's abruptness of manner
was a business manner. l think he
narceived IL TO be useful also in deaf
-, With bores. But when he found
himself in congenial company the an
-,,,+-ees disappeared and the geniality
- rature which lay underneath came
80 the surface. With a group OF men
,,d women about him whom he hked'
his manner became sympathetic, eX-
,,a,,s,,,a confding. Ordinarily tactiturn'
he talked freely enough then; or when-
ever he did not prefer his own thoughts
n the speech Of other people. In Lon
don he was. Of course, widely known
An English lady summed up with more
,hon womanlv conciseness the impress
sion he made on her and on others
"Uhen meet Mr.. Morgan feel
that am in the presence Of a great
natural force"
He had. in truth, much Of the Eng
ysbnan about him. He was not oniy
q great natural force, but a concen-
,rated force. He never seemed 10 coNe'
o,,lousa nor ever TO say a word
r,oro than he meant. As he had never
beep a politician he had never tei
himself obliged to practise insincerl''eS'
10 solicited no mans vote, nor even
~ GOOD opinion. The arts Of the pop
,,ori+, hunter we're to him unknown
On the other hand, his attitude was
never one OF protest. Whatever NC
might think Of social customs ne con-
formed 10 them if he entered the worn
,,here they prevail. II would never
have occurred to him TO SET up
standard Of his own or TO READ Il rs
SON IN the people about him, or to start
O dress reform on the basis of a gray
,o,,rq,nq suit when other men were
wearing evening clothes. He was 100
big a man 10 put an artificial vaiue On
little things. He would conform OF nc
would stay away.
Except as he liked or disliked men,
he had no two or more sets OF man
rers mean to say that distinctions
~ rank did not alter his manner. 20
ROYALTIES he paid that degree Of respect
from which you cannot depart WITHOUT
rudeness. There was story that al
his relations with the German En-
peror Mr.. Morgan took some pains 10
assert his equality with that great po-
tentate. Nobody who knew Mr.. MOT
gan believed il. nor was II supported
by anything the Emperor said, nor Is
IL consistent with the comment of the
German on the American. He Is d
man" said the Kaiser. And upon MS
death he said: IT shall never forget
him" There is reason TO suppose the
Kaiser did make q remark about some
bodys assertion Of equality; but not OF
Mr.. Morgan. The truth is the At
mosphere Of Potsdam or OF the Opera
Platz in Berlin is difficult one 10
breathe: difficult, that is, for man
not born into II or long accustomed
10 II.
Etiouette in a German court, In all
German courts, is a rigid thing. me
homage supposed TO be due TO German
Royalty is Of a kind not easily paid by
an American Republican, since IL
springs from the feeling that Kings
and Queens are made of a clay quite
other than that which suffices for the
moulding Of ordinary men and women.
But II is. in externals, mere mater
q np-service and Of department
There are certain prescribed formal
ties. There are unwritten laws. a
written law you may defy If you are
ready to pay the penalty. An unwilt-
ten law is an obligation Of honor. NO
body who knew Mr.. Morgan would
doubt his attitude.
am not defending him. He needs
no defence. But the incident though
not important in itself, is illustrative;
and what want TO say Of nr. Nor
CANS character. or Of one side OF H.
can be said better with reference 20
IN