Evening journal., 1914-06-17
New News Of Yesterday
How Russell Sage Avoid
ed Committing Himself
BY HOLLAND.


Several years before the late White
law Reid became Ambassador from
the United States TO the Court of St.
James. he decided to have carefully
prepared biographies OF some Of the
leading men of affairs then living
written by those who had literary
ability and who were otherwise com
petent for this work, with view
toward the publication of these
studies i'm the New York Tribune
Among the biographies which Mr.
Reid was especially anxious to pro-
cure was an authoritative one of Rus
sell Sage. 1t was. however, regarded
as very doubtful whether Mr.. Sage
could be persuaded to narrate the I'M
pOrtant facts associated with his ca
reer since it was presumed that he
was utterly Indifferent to notoriety OF
that kind.
However, It was deemed expedient
TO call upon Mr.. Sage so that It could
be learned from him whether or not
he would aid in the preparation of
this biography.
A man of literary accomplishments
and of considerable experience did
call upon Mr.. Sage, although in great
doubt as to whether this flnancier
would listen to the proposition He
was pleased and astonished to learn
that Mr.. Sage gave a most attentive
ear to Mr., Reid's plan and was seem
ingly not only willing but very anx-
ious to have the essential facts of
his career authoritatively set forth
He devoted considerable time TO the
biOgrapher. narrating apparently with
great interest, some facts of his life
and expressing delight over the op-
portunity to recall incidents which
had almost passed out Of his recol-
lection.
In due time the biography was fin
ished and was submitted to Mr.. Sage
He asked to have IL read over to him
He leaned back in his chair listening
intently with half-closed eyes anC
evidently desiring not to have his at
tention distracted in any way, occa-
sionally nOdding his head in approval
At last the biographer said to him
"Mr. Sage, l am now coming TO d
rather delicate matter. OF course, you
are known as a man of great wealth
and J have stated in the paragraph
which refers to your accumulation'
that you are generally believed b,
those who have had some opportunity
to know something of your wealth
to have accumulated abut S7O,000,O0O
Do you object to that statement be
ing made? Would you like to chang
it in any way?'
Mr.. Sage pursed his lips and seem
ed to be meditating as though making
mental estimate of the approximate
value of his accumulations. AT las
he assumed a characteristic pose. liz
touched the finger and thumb of on
hand with the finger and thumb o
/ the other a mannerism which thos
who had business association witt
/ him had observed was a canstan
I habit of his.
Then he began to rub his hand
/ together, gently, another characters
! tic OF Mr.. Sage when he was cOnsid
ering important business proposition.
] At last he said, permitting at tn
same time a gentle smile to pla
upon his lips as though he wer
pleased with the thought he wa
about to express
mo. do not say S7O,OOO,OOO. Say
| instead, many, many Millions one
more he repeated that expression
and the tone of his voice and hi
manner we're those of a man who re
/ joiced in the sense of accumulation
! Again he said, MAKE it many mil
lions" still rubbing the palms of hi
hands together and maintaining
satisfied smile which came to hi
features as he began to think of tn
great fortune which he had accumu
lated Il was a flashlight revelatio
of the fundamental characteristic {
Russell Sage, but it was also a caus
of astonishment that he should hin
self have been willing to ask that
be said of him that he had accumu
! lated many millions"