South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1913-12-09
STATESMEN, REAL
AND NEAR.
BY FRED G. KELLY.


sons realize the surprising fact that
Sir Cecil Arthur Spring Rice. the pres
ent British ambassador TO this coun-
try, is an Irishman with a sense of
humor. That is, his folks were Irish,
and the fact that he was brought up
in England did not stop the sense of
humor he was born with, from faith
fully sticking right TO him.
Since he arrived here last May, Mr..
Spring-Rice has been i'll most OF the
time, and has therefore had little
chance TO show what he can do as a
wit, but when he is in form ne readily
upsets a lot of the traditions concern
ing Englishmen and jokes. He is con-
speakers in England. and further
more his stuff goes almost equally
we'll outside of England.
What makes his humor all the
more startling is the fact that he does
not look the part. He is a smallish
man, below average height. wears
heavy-rimmed spectacles. and a lit
tie round, general-purpose beard. The
spectacles and whiskers give his face
stupidity dreary appearance when
| he arises to make an after dinner
speech. They make him look like a
man who would take an hour TO say
Ladies and gentlemen, l am really
not a speech-maker," and then go on
| TO talk tiresomely about the fact that
there is a great work to be done"
or some such theme as that. Usually
the average weary diner takes one
| look and then sinks back into his
chair with low moan.
But as soon as the little British
diplomat starts to talk things brighten
up considerably. He is said TO be
really funny.
Next to his sense of humor, the
most astonishing thing about Ambas-
sadOr Spring-Ri is his memory. If
you were to tell him something today
he could repeat it almost word for
word ten years from now. He might
not be able to recall then who you
were but once he got you identified
| he would remember everything you
talked about. If he reads a poem he
has it committed to memory without
reading it through again. He may
not think of il again for years but
when he does he can still repeat it.
Many of the things Mr. Spring Rice
remembers deal with the subject of
medicine, because he devOtes much Of
his spare time to reading medical
books. From early youth his tastes
have run in that direction and he had
narrow escape from being a doc
tor. If he had not got into the diplo-
matte service just when he did. he
might now be charging persons out
rageous prices TO guess what ails
them and going about trying to scare
even his best friends into thinking
they have appendicitis.
Like his predecessor, James Bryce
Ambassador Spring Rice is democrat
ic and informal. He jumps on a
street car as matter of course, and
despite the years he has been thrown
with kinks, jukes and such, at vari-
Gus European capitals, he likes 10
engage in conversation with the hum
blest person he meets on trains and
other public places. He pays no at
tentiOn TO the continental custom that
provides for one to wait for an intro
ductiOn before talking 10 anyone In
/ fact one of his main hobbies is to
pick out. some man on the train who
looks interesting and then watch dis
chance TO slide into a seat beside the
man and gradually get acquainted. If
he is within walking distance of a
famous doctor, he can't content him.
self until he meets him and asks him
a lot Of questions. Besides the sub
ject of medicine, he likes children,
minerOlOgy, botany, rowing, and
genealogy. He also likes T. Roose-
Welt The two are about the same age
i
Spring Rice was one of the secre-
taries at the British embassy here
! back in the SOS.
The only man in the world who
ever made a political campaign pay
ing proposition is Rep. Lindquist of
Michigan.
Lindquist made campaign with
circulars that not only got him elect
/ ed TO congress. but also brought him
/ in a nice little bunch of money to
! stuff away in the sugar bowl.
| Being in the mail order business,
Lindquist naturally turned to mail or
| der methods in his campaign. He
used a follow up" system of circu-
! lars But when he was getting things
| ready, it seemed to him that inasmuch
as each circular required a stamp, he
/ ought to run in some by-product that
/ would make the circular work 20 its
/ utmost capacity. So after he had
| said all he thought necessary about
his own high moral character and en-
! titlements for place in congress. he
went on at the bottom of the circu
/ lar 10 tell what a perfectly lovely suit
| OF clothes he was able TO sell for only
/ sc. He admitted that it would not
\ be as good a suit as one could walk
/ into an exclusively tailoring establish
4 ment and buy for $50. but still il
would be first rate suit. he said, and
he frankly advised everybody TO buy.
whether they voted for him for con-
/ greSs or not.
The result was that Lindquist sold
several thousand of those Sc suits.
| and reaped a profit that placed his
| congressional campaign on a solid.
! dividend-paying basis
The state of Michigan has now
been redistrieted. and Lindquist must
run for reelection against a man al
ready in congress- tO-wit: Joe Ford
I ney one of the best Campaigners they
4 have up that way. IL will be a great
/ little race. and il Lindquist should
| put out campaign circulars announc-
/ Ing a bargain in 81 overcoats, Ford
| ney will have 20 look out
Copyright, 1913, by Fred c. Kelly.
, All rights reserved.)