Evening journal., 1914-12-17
New News Of Yesterday
How Secretary Seward
Kept a Diary
BY HOLLAND.

When the diary Of Gideon Welfes
was published, a few years ago. I
was reminded Of a conversation which
once had with Frederick w Seward.
in which he related 10 me the manner
in which his father began to keep
diary on the first day of the admins
tration Of President Lincoln
Gideon Welles was Secretary of the
Navy in the administration of Presi-
dent Lincoln He and Mr.. Seward,
who was Secretary Of State. were as
unlike physically as they were tenn
peramentally Mr.. Wells was a large
man, distinguished for a heavy shock
of hair and a beard of the kind sculp-
tors sometimes represent the philOso-
piers of classic days as wearing. Mr.
Seward was not over medium height,
slender, smooth shaven, his head sur
mounted by a magnificent crown OF
iron gray hair which seemed always
to be rebellious, not mindful of the
brush.
Mr.. Welles was an intensely serious
man and appeared TO have no sense of
humor. Seward, on the contrary.
while tremendously in earnest. was,
nevertheless, of companionable dispo-
sition, delightful narrator of anec-
dotes and possessed of an infinite
sense of humor. These two men. while
respecting each the other and admir-
ing each others qualities, neverthe-
less were. because of these tempera-
mental differences, not particularly
fuI NTts 4 4,
be oversuspicious, and the publication
OF his diary was regarded by many as
justification of that opinion. He un-
dertook from the beginning of the ad-
ministration TO keep a diary. and al
though at times he found it irksome
and there were days when he was un-
able to make any entries at all, never
theless he persevered. His diary
when published a few years ago. furn-
ished many sdelights which illumin-
ated the inner councils of Lincoln's
administration
Several years before Mr. Welles
diary was published. i'm two large vol
umes, | asked Frederick w. Seward il
his father had kept a diary. saying
that If he had IL would now be inval-
liable as a historical document
II will tell you an amusing story
about my fathers diary" said Mr.
Seward. "He made up his mind that
there were to be many interesting and
important matters associated with
Lincolns administration Of which
the public could have no immediate
knowledge but which in the future
would be of Importance for any one
who purpOsed writing fhe history nj
that time
"He therefore decided to keep a
diary He bought blank book of con-
yenient size and shape. intending to
set down in it every night what had
occurred during the day. which was
worth recording. The first day he
wrote full page, and il was an inter-
estng page But that was all he ever
wrote. 1 have that diary still-onC
written page, all the other leaves oI
| the book blank. Father ascribed as
the reason for abandoning the plar
! to the fact that each day would be 81
crowded with events that it would b,
impracticable to make a private rec
| ord of them. Very likely. too. he rea-
lized what an enormous task il was
going to be. Fathers diary of Lin.
coins administration consists Of one
page. which recorded what took place
on the second or third day of the ad-
ministratiOn.
Copyright. 1914. by e. J. Edwards
All rights reserved.)
Tomorrow Mr. Edwards will tell o