The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1914-03-30
FORUMS SPECIAL
new YORK LETTER

New York, March 25.-To The For
yes: of everybody Of the western civili-
cation, Is stirred by the death of 0
vanderbilt" 1t is not that the family
represent so much of American
for that cannot be said, but the career
Of the founder of the family-Commo-
dore Cornelius Vanderbilt, is still one
Of. the stock stories by which young
stimulated. The open sesame to all
doors today, including kings and
queens, seems to be the magic of The
Tor shel is a Vanderbilt. This unique
position is shown by The World A.
inanac, where in this repository Of in
formation. wise and otherwise, a Sec
tom Is, devoted to the generations of
the multi-millionaires, opening with the
Vanderbilts, the first of rank in this
very modern almanac de Gotha. of Am
erica. Vanderbilt, the ancestor, was
porn on Staten Island (now a part of
New Dorp late in the eighteenth CEN
tury, and last week-early in the TWEEN
tlcth-wa brought back to. the old
Dorp one of his most admirable grand.
sons, George Washington Vanderbilt,
aged' hfty-two. He lies almost in sight
uI the wonderful New York bay, which
was in Terrifying Staten Island vege.
t.bles across this bay to the budding
metropolis that his grandfather made
MS first one undred dollars of the
colossal fortunes which now bear the
name. The old commodore had the
Keen vision, the hallmark. of the SUI
pefman, to forsee the expansion of the
country and the role. that transporta-
ton would play in it and from ferry
boat. he rose to steamboat captain, n
on ana on, to control of the newer
force, the railroads. Was the wonder
full estate of Biltmore in his vision 100,
that his grandson left to the little maid
of thirteen? .Biltmore, is the greatest
estate in America, possibly the only
abroad. 1t, lies i'll the heart of that
picturesque country, rescued f rom
oblivion by the artistic pen of Charles
Esbert ~Craddock, the Great Smoky
Carolina. side of the Great Smokes.
four smiles from Asheville, one of the
all the year around resorts, famous Tor
its beautiful scenery. Mr.. Vanderbilt
dred twenty-five thousand acres by
buying from the same mountain folk
WHO had led the shiftless existence so
we'll portrayed in Miss Murphree's
books but not without serious annoy
ance. AS often happens when oppo'~
tunlty is presented to a backward PEG
not always the best features. n MIR.
Vanderbilt's uplift efforts were for
many years ignored In favor Of the
game Of litigation. If a hint got abroad
lAdL oIlllilOTSS OWHST wanted d nul- l
dred acre tract, which the owner would
have gladly sold for three hundred dol
lars, the price tripled over night Go
ing 70 court is a regular amusement
ern states. It was in the old days
their theatre, and none SO poor or OLD
but he appeared court week at the
county seat, provided of course, he
could come without the sheriff's es-
cort. To have a suit on the docket
was social Importance, SO they eagerly
sued and sued Mr.. Vanderbilt for every
conceivable cause and extortionats
amount. An occasional victory whetted
the appetite but feeding on the golden
goose will. finally destroy the egg In
dustry and from simple good will to
a~stuteness soon marked the efforts of
Mr.. Vanderbilt-he bought through a
line of go-betweens, and many real
helps to the community were lost by
the cupidity and stupidity Of a few.
BLtmore village situated at the edge
OF the estate is a model town which
houses the hundreds employed on the
estate In attractive homes. In the cah-
ter Of the village Is the church for
which the family at the Chateau-the
residence on the estate can be called
nothing less n Is a r monument
TO it's architect Richard Morris Hunt,
best, surpliced choirs. It was the priv
ilege r Of your correspondent a few
years ago to attend Vesper services at
Riltmore church. 1t happened to be a
10 wv NV SkON' ~ SSAiS LII Ll1AS SlIOAk
with soloists from Biltnlore village
gave a portion of Mendelssohn's Eli
Jah. Gave 1t superbly and carrying in
memory the fine rendition given by the
man several years ago. no praise can
be too. high for that choir. It meant
work, it meant ability and Biltmore
ed ability. In this church is a mem
orial tablet to Paul Leicester Ford,
Who. wrote Janice Meredith" while in
residence with the family: at the Chat
eau. Besides developing this wonder |
full estate, building church, and model /
dwellings,, establishing a school Of
forestry, running a model dairy and
Vanderbilt and his family devoted
much time to letters, and men of let
ters and drew about them and enter.
tanned at this wonderful place many
whose names will bulk large in history. |
From our American point of. view
u English cousins furnished a, good
laugh when the governor general of
Canada ended his visit at Biltmore.r The
shrub or tree or fern that will grow in
latitude $50 and at the conclusion OF
his visit his lordship took with him
some unusual plant or fern, as will tip
pear. The term for baggage in Eng |
land is luggage" and appropriately, |
for the gentry attended by porters and
servants lug around with them quanti-
ties OF. goods n chattels. When the !
SPPSo "I q |
to, take, on the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS par
~, the lord and lady stepped aboard
accompanied by two Wallets and a maid
But their luggage! The train a to
be held that these v might
crowd into the. section of the sleeper,
and wherever else there existed an un-
occupied space, their various belong |
ings which were piled on the platform.
There were the usual grips, steamer
rugs. but the unusual tawdry old
flour sacks from which peeped half
worn tennis shoes, a box OF plain white
wood over a foot square without ham
dies painted IN its side lunch in
black letters, golf sticks and tennis
rackets. n Wallets and maid were at
their wits end to know how to stow
fourteen different pieces in the one sec
ton reserved for the party but all was
on board save one thing, when to the
amusement of he%on-lookers the poor
maid, with eyes raised in desperation.
appealed to. the. Wallets with II don't ses
how I'm to get the beastly, tin aboard"
The last thing was a hug tin dishpan
filed with dirt and some rare vine'l
from the estate which his lordship was
EXPRESSING to Canada. Imagine. our
president followed by q maid with al
tin dispan!
MI. Vanderbilt contributed to. New
York city's better life in the same gen.
erous spirit which has made Bi1tmora
received his assistance, and the Jam
derbiIt gallery on Fifty-seventh street
given to the American Fine Arts So
ciety and the site of Teachers college
bear witness that he was the sort of
whomit Isl said: "he, died too young.
MISS Pauline Blake. who is attending
Pratt institute in Brooklyn was the
guest of the resident Farsoan OF the
studio club on Sunday evening. The
Studio club entertained after luncheon
with an an1prompti1 concert which aMiaSl